The State of the Royals Outfield

As Royals nation collectively awaits the official results of the MRI on Alex Gordon's left leg, we are left to ponder what this means for the team moving forward. If the early indications are true that it is a grade 3 groin strain, then (based off a limited amount of research) Gordon could be sidelined between 6 and 12+ weeks. So let's look at how that breaks down on the calendar:

6 weeks - August 19 

7 weeks - August 26

8 weeks - September 2

9 weeks  - September 9

10 weeks  - September 16

11 weeks  - September 23

12 weeks - September 30

Obviously, that's not a good situation. Another note is that the final game of the 2014 Minor League season on September 16. The importance of this is that if Gordon winds up being out 9+ weeks, then it is extremely unlikely that the Royals would have the ability to send their All-Star left fielder on rehab assignment. If Gordon winds up being out 9+ weeks, the Royals would have to reacclimate him through batting practice and a careful increase in playing time at the Major League level. 

It is not impossible to get a guy back to speed without a rehab assignment, but it does make it a bit more difficult. Not to mention the possibility that the Royals could be playing in extremely important games over the last several weeks of the season. 

Here is how I see it. If Gordon takes 9 weeks or less to return, the Royals are able to send him on rehab to the Minors and have the best chance of reintegrating him into the lineup in an effective manner. If Gordon takes between 9 and 11 weeks to return to game shape, the Royals have a shot of getting him back for October. If Gordon takes 12 or more weeks before he is ready for game action, the Royals will find themselves in an incredibly difficult spot of whether or not he should be included on a postseason roster when he has hardly played for two and a half months. 

Long story short, if the news comes back that Gordon has sustained a grade 3 groin strain, then the team must approach this as though they will not see Gordon again this season. Prior to the injury, I had enough faith in Jarrod Dyson that I didn't believe the Royals needed to acquire a corner outfielder to replace the lackadaisical Alex Rios. Now, I believe it is quite certain that the Royals should seek out replacement opportunities. 

I view this situation in two parts. First, there is the 2015 problem. Rios is terrible and now Gordon is hurt. The Royals need to fill two outfield spots and they have a solution for one (Dyson). The second part of this is 2016. While the injury will increase the likelihood that Alex Gordon returns to Kansas City for the 2016 season, there is still a very good chance that he departs. If this is the case then the Royals return just Lorenzo Cain, Jarrod Dyson, and Paulo Orlando. Even if Dyson proves that he can play everyday in 2016, the Royals still need another starting outfielder. 

If you find an outfielder now, you get the benefit of improving the roster for the remainder of 2015 by pushing aside Rios, while also getting a step ahead in setting the 2016 roster. If by chance the Royals are able to bring back Gordon for 2016, then they again can push Dyson into a rotation role as the fourth outfielder and will be even stronger a unit for the 2016 campaign.

It is my opinion that the outfielder the Royals need will come via trade. Some would argue that there are capable internal replacements and here is how I would counter on each of those options.

Paulo Orlando - Fourth Outfielder

Brett Eibner - The former second round pick has some promise. He is 26, extremely streaky at the plate, plays good defense, and has a good arm. He is also hitting .292/.349/491 in Omaha. There is a part of me that believes he could grab and handle an everyday job. However, I also know that Werner Park heavily favors right handed power and as a 26 year old, he needs to prove it in the Majors. The scenario that I prefer is that the Royals acquire a starting RF and Eibner gets called up in replace of Orlando or as a 5th outfielder. Given his power from the right side, I think he complements the roster better than Orlando. There is already a ton of speed, but a power bat off the bench would be a bonus and Eibner could even wind up in the small side of a platoon with Dyson.

Whit Merrifield - Based on reports it sounds like Merrifield could be the guy to replace Gordon on the roster. The former 9th round pick is an easy player to root for, but he is 26 and is currently slugging .392 in a hitter friendly league. He gets bonus points for being able to play both outfield and second base, but I don't see the South Carolina product as an answer.

Moises Sierra/Reymond Fuentes/Jose Martinez - All of these guys have done enough to get a chance to fill a void on the roster for a little bit. However, the Royals aren't filling this hole with any of these retreads.

Lane Adams - At 25 years old, the toolsy outfielder is barely hanging on to the prospect label. He's excellent defensively, can steal bases, and shows flashes at the plate. He received a cup of coffee last September and the organization loves his athleticism. Similar to Eibner, I think he is a guy who could complement Dyson well in a platoon role for left field. However, he isn't going to ever be an everyday outfielder.

Jorge Bonifacio/Bubba Starling - I've lumped these two 22 year olds together because I think at this point they have similar trajectories. Both could be in a position at some point in 2016 to deserve a look as an everyday guy. At this point, it is clear that both need more minor league seasoning. Unless the Royals decide to go the Salvador Perez route  in their developmental approach, neither of these prospects will be slam dunks to deserve a Major League spot at the beginning of 2016.

All of this brings us back to my initial conclusion. The Royals need to add a corner outfielder to the roster sometime in the next few weeks. It will be an enormous boost to the team for 2015, and will also better position the team for success in 2016. 

I've been wanting to get going on here for awhile, but have been considering who other options. It is good to be back and I'll try to break down some specific trade targets over the next few weeks. 

Follow me on Twitter @Landon_Adams! 

Minor League Update - Omaha Storm Chasers

Through the season’s first 18 games, the Storm Chasers are 9-9 and are in a three-way tie for second place in the PCL American Northern Division, trailing Oklahoma City (HOU).

The Chasers have played an astonishing 15 of 18 games at home to start the season, but will leave for an eight game road trip to New Orleans (MIA) and Iowa (CHC) following Tuesday’s morning game against Nashville (MIL).

Through eighteen games, Omaha ranks third with a .299 team batting average, but are middle of the road in the 16-team league with a .356 on-base percentage and .411 slugging percentage, including just 11 home runs (fourth worst in the PCL). The team does not rank any individuals among the league’s leaders in any major offensive categories.

The club is one of three teams with a sub-4.00 ERA, sitting third at 3.96. However, the Chasers rank third from the bottom with 119 strikeouts.

Individual Hitting

MiLB.com

Who’s Hot:

Outfielder Brett Eibner took a big step forward April 9 when he went 5-for-5, including two home runs and nine RBI. The 25-year old scored three times in the game as Omaha beat Memphis (STL) 20-3. Eibner added a four hit game and a three hit contest over the next week and now sits at .333/.395/.500 with 12 RBI and 12 runs scored on the season. He has excelled against right-handed pitching to the tune of .340/.435/.566 with all three of his homers, which is tied with Francisco Pena for the team lead in round-trippers.

Matt Fields has held the everyday first base duties for Omaha and has responded offensively. Fields hit safely in his first 14 games, and was hitting a white-hot .459/. 524/.622 on April 11. Despite being held hitless through his last three ballgames, the 28-year old is hitting .361/.437/.475 with one homer and 10 RBI in 67 plate appearances.

Paulo Orlando hit safely in 10 of his first 12 ballgames and sits at .328/.371/.345 in 17 games. The Brazilian outfielder has four multi-hit games in early April.

Infielder Johnny Giavotella spent nine days in the big leagues, but returned to Omaha on a hot streak. In his first four games back, Giavotella had seven hits and has compiled a line of .368/.429/.526 in ten Triple-A games.

Who’s Not: 

Prospect Christian Colon has five multi-hit games this season, but sits at just .230/.275/.338 in 18 games. He has one home run, nine RBI and has scored 13 runs, but only four walks, in 78 plate appearances.

Individual Pitching

Who’s Hot: 

Spencer Patton is 1-0 with three saves and a 1.04 ERA in five appearances this season. In 8.2 innings, the 26-year old right-hander has nine strikeouts and allowed four hits and four walks.

Fellow reliever Buddy Baumann has yet to allow a run in ten innings across five appearances. The lefty has surrendered nine hits, four walks and has hit one batter.

Columbian starter Sugar Ray Marimon is 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA in two starts this season. He collected a win in his first appearance, five scoreless innings against Nashville on April 11.

Who’s Not:

John Lamb has allowed five home runs, which is the third most in the Pacific Coast League. The lefty is 0-4with a 5.31 ERA, has surrendered at least two runs in every start this season, and has allowed a .333 batting average across 20.1 innings. With runners on, Lamb hitters have posted a line of .368/.429/.632.

Lefty reliever Donnie Joseph has had two rough outings, in which he allowed a combined eight runs (five earned) across two innings. In 22 plate appearances, left-handed hitters are posting a staggering .357/.609/.357, which includes eight free passes. Not very good for someone that hopes to get lefties out in Kansas City this season.

Omaha Storm Chasers 2014 Preview

*Omaha debut

Position Players:

LF - Brian Fletcher

CF - Brett Eibner*

RF - Paulo Orlando

3B - Jimmy Paredes*

SS - Christian Colon

2B - Johnny Giavotella

1B - Matt Fields*

C - Jesus Flores*

Rotation

Chris Dwyer

Danny Duffy

Justin Marks

Ryan Verdugo

John Lamb

Bench

C - Francisco Pena*, IF - Brian Bocock*, OF - Gorkys Hernandez, OF - Melky Mesa*

Bullpen

Buddy Baumann, Aaron Brooks*, Donnie Joseph, Michael Mariot, Clayton Mortensen, Spencer Patton*, Wilking Rodriguez*, Everett Teaford, Brett Tomko*, Ramon Troncoso*, Cory Wade*, P.J. Walters*

Notes:

• A variety of position players and pitchers will make their Omaha debuts this season (14 total), including OF Jimmy Paredes and former Royal Brett Tomko. 
• CF and former Arkansas Razorback Brett Eibner makes his Triple-A debut after spending the past year in NW Arkansas.  Posting career highs in BA, HR, and OPS in 113 games for the Naturals, Eibner started off 2013 on a cold spell (1-32 to begin the season), his future seemed to be on the path towards destruction, but he began to heat up.  At the end of May, he was hitting .208.  In June, he batted .245 with 4 HR, then July he hit .270 with 8 HR.  Come August, he cooled off again, but the fact that he bounced back from such a poor start shows that he worked hard to improve his approach at the plate.  Eibner will impress the crowd at Werner Park with a strong arm and solid range in center field.
• One of the more unfortunate stories of this spring involved a fan favorite: Danny Duffy.  The 25 year old lefty, trying to bounce back from Tommy John surgery in 2012, could not overcome his command issues during his time in the Big League camp.  In 11 innings, Duffy gave up 16 H, 14 ER, 6 HR, and 6 BB.  Both Duffy and Yordano Ventura were vying for the final spot in the Royals' rotation, but in the end, Duffy's struggles and Ventura's dominance made the decision too easy.  Rather than stick Duffy in the bullpen, he will remain as a starter for Omaha to get some innings while working on his control issues.
• Omaha will return a pair of infielders that helped lead them to a Triple-A Championship.  Both Johnny Giavotella and Christian Colon will man second base and shortstop, respectively, for the Storm Chasers.  The two, much like Duffy, were fighting for a spot on the big league roster when newly acquired 2B Omar Infante started having some soreness in his throwing elbow.  Throughout Spring Training, the front runner for a back-up middle infielder was Pedro Ciriaco, who already had Big League playing time with the Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals.  With Infante likely starting the '14 season on the disabled list, Ciriaco seems to have the spot locked down.
• Brett Tomko was an intriguing acquistion this spring.  Turning 41 in April, Tomko has 14 years of ML experience under his belt and last pitched for the Texas Rangers in 2011, only toeing the rubber in 8 games.  Tomko pitched for the Royals in 2008, appearing 16 games, 10 of those were starts.  He logged 60 innings, a 2-7 record with 6.97 ERA, 40 K's, 13 BB, and allowed 49 ER.  In mid-March, Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reported that Tomko was consistently hitting 91-93 mph on his fastball, while showcasing good command with his changeup and curveball.  A true journeyman of the game, Tomko just isn't ready to hang up the ol' cleats.

Prospect Countdown: #21 Brett Eibner

21. Brett Eibner Outfielder

wholehogsports.com

Age: 25
Height: 6'3" 
Weight: 195
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft

2013 Rank: 28

2012 Rank: 19

2011 Rank: 12

Landon Adams (22): Entering the season, I have to admit that I had written Eibner's future as a Royal off. My one fallback was that I thought there was still a chance that he could be converted into a valuable relief arm. Despite all of this a part of me was optimistic that a return to Razorback country might ignite something in Eibner, who had achieved almost legendary status in the area due to his performances in the College World Series for the University of Arkansas.

When Eibner started the year on a 1-32 slump I was convinced that his days as a hitter were numbered. Then a funny thing happened, Eibner started hitting. By the end of May he had bumped his line up to .208/.301/.344, then he hit .245/.310/.453. In July he hit an even better .270/.357/.595. Ultimately, Eibner would cool off, but still manage to post a strong OPS to finish the season. Unlike some of my fellow posters, I think there is no doubt that he will be open the 2014 season in Omaha. 

I saw Eibner first hand regularly last season. At the beginning of the year Eibner appeared broken. The fact that he rebounded to put together such a solid season, is a huge testament to the Razorback. Throughout the season he wowed Naturals fans with a strong arm, impressive range, and laser shots into the left field bleachers. Age isn't on Eibner's side, but for the first time in his career he is coming off a legitimately good season. - @Landon_Adams

Paden Bennett (23): I've had my doubts about Eibner, that is for sure.  However Eibner showed me something last season with a .243/.330/.451 slash and 19 homers.  Eibner now 25 HAS to make more improvements this season and get to Omaha at some point this season for me to really think he could be something.  Eibner does have good power with a .209 ISO but he does strike out a lot with 149 in 504 plate appearances last season.  I don't think he will ever cut down his strikeouts by a lot, but if he could just cut them down a little bit and make more contact it could really help him make that jump to the next level. - @PadenBennett22

Joe Cox (27):  Eibner could be organizational filler, but the Royals' organization is probably squinting and hoping he can turn in to a different skill set/ similar role player to a guy they just traded, David Lough.  Eibner is 25 years old and have never had an at bat over the AA level.  Another thing that is clear about Eibner is that he strikes out quite a lot, with a career minor league strikeout rate of just over 30%.

We know that Brett Eibner has displayed pretty impressive power in the minors.  Last year in AA he achieved a .209 ISO with 19 homers in 504 PA’s.  Eibner feels to me like a replacement level talent, a guy who would accumulate roughly 0.0 WAR in the event he made it to the big leagues.  In 2014, Eibner will likely eventually make his AAA debut, and will hopefully continue to display impressive power while learning to make some more contact.

Dan Ware (20): Now 25, Eibner wasn't an absolute disappointment at the plate in 2013. In his two professional seasons, Brett has failed to prove that he can hit minor league pitching.  Joining NW Arkansas in Springdale, a neighboring town of his Alma Mater of the Univ. of Arkansas, he had a slow couple months in his Double-A debut, hitting .221 before the All-Star break with 8 HR and 18 RBI, striking out 68 times while racking up only 22 walks. 

The second half of the season was a little more promising from the young outfielder.  In July, Brett went on a power surge, hitting 8 HR, matching his Pre-All-Star total.  Eibner then cooled off to end his 3rd season, finishing with a line of .243/.330/.451 and a career high in HR (19) and hits (107) in 504 plate appearances. There's no question Eibner offers solid power at the plate, but he has issues making contact, even missing hittable pitches. Hopefully, Brett can continue making strides to raise that batting average this spring. - @Daniel_L_Ware

Nicholas Ian Allen (--): The book on Brett Eibner is well known. He certainly has power, strikes out too much, has dealt with numerous injuries, and is one of the best defensive outfielders in the system. As a 2nd round pick, you know he is talented. However, he has not been able to hit for average or drive in runs consistently in his professional career.

Eibner began 2013 0-for-20 and 2-for-34, which is a start you would not wish upon your worst enemy, much less a prospect entering such an important season in his young career. The Royals stuck with him, gave him as many at bats as possible, and he cobbled together some promising moments. Eibner hit leadoff for all but four at bats in Northwest Arkansas in 2013, with one of those coming as a pinch hitter. Despite his overall low numbers, the outfielder is comfortable at the top of the order. He hit .266/.371/.509 leading off an inning, with five triples in 173 at-bats displaying his good speed.

Eibner got stronger through the season and put together a very solid July. In 27 games during the month, he hit .270/.357/.595 - each his best of any full month. In all, his second half was strong as he compiled a .259/.352/.502 line with 12 home runs and six triples. Other signs of promise for the outfielder include his impressive numbers against lefties (.341/.442/.635 with five homers and five triples in 85 at bats), and the fact he was successful in his first seven stolen base attempts of the season.

Things are moving in the right direction for Brett Eibner. Look for him to play the majority of 2014 in Omaha. If he can stay healthy, he still has the tools to meet his potential. If he can put together a strong season, he could possibly sniff the big leagues by the end of summer. - @NicholasIAllen

Total Points: 32

Prospect Countdown: #28 Brett Eibner

28. Brett Eibner Centerfielder

Age: 24
Position: OF
Height: 6-3
Weight: 195
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Drafted in the 2nd Round of 2010 Amateur Draft
From: The Woodlands, TX

Paden Bennett (28):  I love Brett Eibner. I said it.  Although there hasn't been much to love so far in his brief career.  Eibner has always been appealing to me because of his athleticism, his power, and his ability to see pitches.  He has shown the ability to draw walks in his 2 seasons of A ball and also has raw power.  This is a big season for Eibner, he has to show an ability to hit for a decent average somewhere in the .250 range while also maintaining his good power and plate discipline.

Joe Cox (29): Eibner is a natural athlete and former 2nd round pick in the 2010 amateur draft.  Coming into 2012, Eibner was a prospect on the lookout for Kansas City if he could continue to display power and an ability to take walks, while providing solid defense in the outfield.  The problem with Eibner in 2012 was that he took a step back in his first season at high A, and at 24 is running out of time considering his level.  He was able to hit 15 home runs in 423 at bats, but struck out a robust 34% of the time.  Clearly Eibner is going to have to hit over the Mendoza line if he wants to have a bounce back season in 2013.  

Damion Mandalas (NR): Since Kansas City's high-A affiliate returned to Wilmington in 2007, only ten players have hit double digit home runs. Only five times during that span has a player hit more home runs than Eibner's 15 in 2012. There is no doubt that he offers power. However, as has been previously stated, he has to make strides with the bat. Eibner has one more season before he will be eligible for the Rule V draft if he is not protected. Due to his arm, there is a chance that another organization could take him with the idea of transitioning him to the mound (though I find this extremely unlikely). Either way, we need to see big strides from Eibner in 2013. 

Dan Ware (27):  Eibner is still on my personal list of favorites in the minors.  Ever since his days at Arkansas mashing walk-offs and firing his 97 mph fastball from the mound, he was indeed fun to watch, especially during the College World Series.  Since being drafted in the 2nd round of the 2010 draft, he hasn't lived up to expectations.  He's a definite 4 tools player: above average runner, great defender in center, good arm and great power.  Last season in Wilmington, he posted a HR/OFB% of 13.9.  Just a shade under his 2010 percentage, but well above the Carolina League average.

The only problem with Eibner is that he is a below average contact hitter.  Although, scouts have said he has good plate discipline, in that he doesn't swing at pitches outside the zone all that often, his long and violent swing make for a lot of swing-and-miss.  I do believe this will be the deciding year for Brett on whether a move back to the mound will be necessary.

Total Points: 9

Prospect Countdown: #19 Brett Eibner

#19 Brett Eibner


Age: 23
Position: OF
Height: 6-3
Weight: 195
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Drafted in the 2nd Round of 2010 Amateur Draft
From: The Woodlands, TX




Brett Eibner was a two way star at the University of Arkansas prior to being drafted by the Kansas City Royals. He dazzled the Razorback faithful with a 97 mph fastball and walk off home runs. Leading up to the draft he was often slated as a late first round pick. However, when he made it clear that his preference was to hit he fell into the second round, where the Royals happily selected him and signed him to an over slot $1.25 million bonus.

Eibner is a top notch athlete with four very strong tools. He is an above average runner, solid defender with a plus arm. He also has excellent power, as evidenced by his HR/OFB of 15.2%. What will be the key for Eibner, is his contact ability. Scouts say that his swing gets long and last season in the Midwest League his contact percentage came in at just 45.8. This number is much lower than the Midwest League average 58.7%.

Hopefully part of the problem for Eibner, was the strained ligament in his left thumb that occurred in Eibner's second game of the season. Another cause for optimism is Eibner's strong strike zone judgement. Eibner offered at only 20% of pitches outside the zone. Thanks to that number he was able to post a walk percentage of 14.8%, over 6% higher than the league average. If your contact skills are bad, strong strike zone judgement and plus power are one way you can overcome it.

I don't envision Eibner ever developing into a contact hitter, but if he can continue to develop his power and refine his plate approach he could one day be a solid big leaguer in spite of that. If Eibner continues to hit around .200 though there is the possibility of a future on the mound. Eibner will get at least another full season to prove that he can make contact enough to succeed, but advancing to Frawley Stadium may not be the best opportunity for him to break out.

There's a lot to like in Brett Eibner, and to fail he'll have to do so twice before he can be considered a bust. The Royals system has a ton of outfield depth in the low levels, so I wouldn't be shocked if this season is Eibner's last chance before a switch to the mound.

Picture from MWLTraveler.com

Prospect Countdown: 15-11

15. Johnny Giavotella 2B

Johnny Giavotella was drafted in the second round out of the University of New Orleans, a place he pays homage to every time he came to the plate in 2010 at Arvest Ballpark with his New Orleans style jazz playing on the speakers. Giavotella was drafted in 2008 and was immediately sent to full season Burlington Iowa. There he became a catalyst at the top of the order that the Bees to that point had been without.

Two years later Giavotella continues to be a catalyst to whatever lineup he finds himself in. This past season in Northwest Arkansas he cruised to a line of .322/.395/.460 and after setting the Texas League on fire in the second half he was sent to the Arizona Fall League where he continued to blaze to a line of .328/.371/.578.

Some have compared Giavotella to Boston's Dustin Pedroia and many scoff at the notion. However, in Pedroia's first stint in the upper levels he split the season between double and triple-A and posted a line of .293/.385/.452. Now most scouts are probably somewhat surprised that Pedroia developed the power that he did, but at the time he was still viewed as a very strong prospect and described as a "gamer."

Giavotella is a gamer. He is a vocal player that has quick wrists with a short swing. His forearms are massive and probably a major reason why Giavotella is able to generate as much power as he does. I don't see Giavotella winning any MVP awards, but he could be a top notch hitter if he continues to develop. I also believe that he is one of the most Major League ready hitters in the entire organization probably ranking between second and fourth in this regard.

The concerns with Giavotella stem from his defense, in particular his range which projects to be average at best. Because he is already a second baseman many see him as a future starter or bust due to his bat not being able to carry him should he have to shift to a corner spot. I believe that his bat will be good enough for a Major League career regardless. Teams are always looking for guys that can hit Major League hitting and if he is capable of that someone will find him a position.

As far as his future with the Royals goes though it will be important that he hits the ground running when he is granted the opportunity at the Major League level. This is because with Alcides Escobar at short, Colon is now looming behind Giavotella on the organizational depth chart. If Giavotella continues to knock the cover off the ball he should see Kansas City by season's end unless Chris Getz decides to become a .300 hitter.

14. Tim Collins LHP

Over a year ago I defended the Ankiel signing because I felt as though he was a good buy low candidate and he would be a tradable commodity come the July deadline. This turned out to be true and in exchange for a couple months of Ankiel and perhaps the only Royal to ever be booed in his home opener, Kyle Farnsworth the Royals were able to add a piece to the future. Of course I am talking about Jesse Chavez.... I mean Tim Collins.

Collins instantly became a favorite among Royals prospect buffs due to his diminutive stature and his awesome K rate, which as you can see in the graph above has been at 13.3 per 9 innings in his minor league career. Collins stands in at 5-7, 155. When he stands on the hill he turns himself in a cock eye fashion and a delivery that only shows his back at the beginning. He then hurls not only himself at the hitter but also hurls mid 90s heat that he occasionally mixes with a plus hammer curveball.

Collins has closer potential, but should become a very strong setup man for the Kansas City Royals for the next six or seven seasons. This Spring the Royals have Collins working from both sides of the rubber in an effort to add even more deception to his already deceptive delivery.

Even though he is not yet on the 40-man roster I expect that he will open the season in the Major League Bullpen. If this turns out not to be the case, it will be a result of roster manipulation and inventory control and not because of Collins poor performance. Either way we should see Collins in Kansas City sooner rather than later.

13. Salvador Perez C



Salvador Perez was signed out Venezuela in 2006 as part of Dayton Moore's first international signing class. So far he has yielded extremely promising results. So promising in fact that I predict Perez to break out in a big way in 2011 when he spends the season at Arvest Ballpark for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

Much has been made of Perez this Spring as Yost has been enamored with his defensive abilities. Pitchers love to throw to him and runners hate to run on him. Perez blocks balls with ease and records an astounding 1.8 second pop time to second base.

In the Royals intrasquad game perhaps the organizations best basestealer Jarrod Dyson attempted to rob second base from Perez. However, when Dyson normally would go into his slide he found that the ball was at second waiting for him. After the play Dyson was quoted as saying "I aint never got thrown out by that much."

It isn't just Perez's glove that has the organization and me so excited. As the youngest hitter in the Carolina League in 2010 he was able to hit .290/.322/.411 a line that is reminiscent of Sandy Alomar Jr. a player that Perez is often compared to. He also was able to hit seven homers, which was the highest total of his young career.

Yost believes that Perez is major league ready, but because he hasn't had a single at bat in the upper minors that is where he will spend 2011. Nonetheless it seems that the presence of Perez in the system was a major factor in the organization's decision to move Myers to the outfield. Hopefully, Perez can continue to breakout with the bat because his defense is already top notch.

12. Brett Eibner OF

Eibner entered the 2010 draft as perhaps the most intriguing two way player available. He could either be the power hitting centerfielder that had a knack for the clutch in college. Or he could be the pitcher that entered the game throwing missiles and dominated hitters with heat. Eibner preferred to be a hitter and the Royals obliged by selecting him in the second round and signing him to an overslot bonus.

Eibner may possess the highest upside of any player in the Royals system. He could develop into a four or five tool centerfielder with plus plus power, or his swing could continue to be too long and he could strikeout so much in the low levels that the Royals decided to convert him back to pitcher. Either way his numbers will surely be worth keeping an eye on in 2011 for the casual prospect observer.

Eibner should open 2011 in either Kane County or Wilmington. If he can keep his strikeouts down he could ascend through the system extremely fast and could even see Northwest Arkansas by season's end. He could also strikeout 150+ times in Kane County and just move one level at a time. It is tough to say.

11. Aaron Crow RHP

Those that hated the Luke Hochevar pick seemed to hate the Crow pick as well. It isn't hard to miss the similarities. Both are guys that declined huge bonuses and then went the Indy League route only to be selected a year later in the first round again. Many Royals prospect observers were less than thrilled with the pick.

But then Crow went to Spring Training and in a short time with the Big League club caused such a stir that some even argued he should open the season in Royal blue and I don't mean Omaha. Instead he was sent to Springdale where he would be the opening night starter for a team that would go on to win the Texas League title. Unfortunately for Crow by season's end he was no longer with the team due to a demotion to Wilmington.

Crow has great stuff. After watching most of his starts in Springdale I can attest to the fact that his stuff is still there. He has a mid 90s heater that has great sinking action that produced a huge groundball rate. (I can't remember the exact number, but I do know that according to Dayton Moore it was one of the top rates in the minor leagues.) Hopefully with improved infield conditions and a strong defense this rate can help Crow to produce strong results. Stuff is not what concerns me about Aaron Crow.

What concerns me is that his control in Northwest Arkansas yielded a 4.4 walks per 9 inning rate. Even with a ton of groundballs it is going to be hard to win with a rate that high. Perhaps part of the problem is due to Crow's questionable mechanics on the backside. I once read that a pitcher with a wrist wrap should never be a bonus baby, because their control will always be in jeopardy.

I am still optimistic that Crow's troubles were a combination of bad luck, overpitching and rust. I believe that he has ace potential, but if his control does not come around as a starter could still be a valuable member of the bullpen, perhaps even as a closer. Given that Crow is on the 40 man roster he needs to figure it out as a starter fast or else the Royals could use the Major League bullpen as an acclimation process. Crow should begin the season in Northwest Arkansas maybe even once again as the opening night starter.