For the second time in the past week and a half the Royals have traded a utility infielder to a contending team. For the second time the Royals didn't receive a game changing prospect, but in this instance the Royals haul does make since for the team as it pushes itself into contention in the coming years.
Those of us that extensively follow the Royals Minor League system have begun to keep an eye out for guys that could be utility options for the Big League club. This will be an important role to fill. What happens is that often times the big name prospects stick to one position in the minors not allowing them the defensive flexibility it takes to be a strong bench piece should they not nab a starting job.
Enter Mike Aviles who despite being under team control through 2014, he was set to be arbitration eligible for the first time next season and is already 30 years old. Given his age it is safe to assume that he is already on the downside of his career offensively, and given how he is unhappy being a bench player he doesn't strike me as being the bench guy the Royals will want for the future.
Yesterday Aviles told the Kansas City Star that he hasn't handled his move to the bench great. He also said “I feel I’ve been an everyday player my whole career. And every time I play on an everyday basis, I’ve been able to produce when healthy."
Well I'm sorry Mike but let's not be dumb. Virtually every Major Leaguer was an everyday player their whole careers in the Minor Leagues. Unfortunately some guys wind up as utility players. Aviles has good versatility, but the sooner he can accept his role and career as a utility man the better off he'll be. I imagine playing for a contender might help this transition for him.
For Aviles the Royals received twenty-three year old utility man Yamaico Navarro and
twenty-three year old righty Kendal Volz. Navarro entered the season ranked 12th in the Red Sox organization according to Baseball America and was considered a C+ prospect as judged by John Sickels. Volz didn't crack Baseball America's top 30, but was also considered a C+ in John Sickels eyes.
Navarro will join the Royals tonight in Cleveland and becomes the utility man we have been looking for. Here are the highlights from what Soxprospects.com had to say on Navarro: "above average power for a middle infielder...a little too aggressive at the plate...average speed...tools to be above average defender at shortstop and third base...sure glove, above average arm" It also says that he has gotten reps in the outfield to improve his versatility.
Entering the season Baseball America also said that Navarro possessed the power potential to hit 15-20 home runs a year. BA went on to say that he could be an everyday second or third baseman, but would probably be a quality utilityman for a contending team.
The Royals will likely control Navarro's rights through the 2017 season. As a utility man he could play a big role in the Royals success through those seasons. With the power potential he also should have value as a pinch hitter. Just another bonus stacked on top of his defensive versatility.
The Royals also obtained Kendal Volz. I like the numbers on Volz this season in High-A Salem. He has been moved to the pen full time and through 51 innings has a 10.8 K rate to just 2.1 walks per 9 innings. Volz has a low 90s fastball, with a decent slider and change.
Entering the year some viewed Volz as a guy with backend rotation potential, but I envision the Royals leaving him in the pen and assigning him to Wilmington. If he pitches well there he could be called up for a title run in Northwest Arkansas.
I'll admit that I was never a huge Mike Aviles fan. He hit well in his rookie campaign, but other than the last few weeks of last season never displayed the same hitting prowess. He was always a frustrating guy to watch for me.
It is natural for a guy to want to play every day and I would hope that every player wants to perform well enough to warrant that opportunity. However, Aviles struck me as a guy that used his role as an excuse for his numbers rather than using his opportunity to warrant a starting spot.
Like I said Navarro isn't a game changer. But if all goes well he could be an extremely useful bench piece for the next six seasons and this is something that would really help the Royals get over the hump. Volz represents the old Braves philosophy of nabbing an interesting arm in every trade. Nonetheless he could turn himself iinto a decent relief prospect.
Of course both could flop and Aviles could use Fenway's hitter friendly dimensions to his advantage and pepper the Green Monster with doubles. On paper though this is a good move for both the Royals and Red Sox and that is how trades are supposed to work.
Showing posts with label Mike Aviles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mike Aviles. Show all posts
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Time to get Frustrated?
Here we go again… It is June 20th and once again our beloved Royals find themselves in the cellar of not just the Central but also the entire American League. Of course now is the time for fans to flip out and complain about what little progress this team has made.
Fans have been told wait for next year for too long, and they are beginning to grow tired of it. I don’t blame them. But for those that are suggesting that the Royals could have prevented this in the offseason, they need to stop and consider reason.
You can’t in one breath complain about Lorenzo Cain being blocked in center by a free agent stop gap, and then in the next breath complain that the Royals didn’t sign a player to man second base. You have to chose one way or another or else you are someone who is going to complain regardless.
Either the Royals should have signed the stopgaps and stick with them until the deadline, while they keep the seat warm for the prospects in Omaha. Or the Royals shouldn’t have messed with either. What isn’t fair is to complain about the Royals being in last place because they didn’t sign free agents and then go off and bash the Jeff Francis or Jose Guillen signing.
Obviously there were other guys available this offseason, but there was no reason at all for the Royals to drop boatloads of cash on an aging veteran. Thankfully it seems they have learned from that mistake when they signed Jose Guillen to a three year thirty-six million dollar deal.
People are glad that the Royals aren’t blocking their own prospects, but some are also complaining that they should have added veterans to some of the positions that aren’t playing up to snuff, particularly second base. The thing that has to be remembered is that literally every position on the roster besides catcher could have a prospect emerge as major league ready this season.
No matter where the Royals spent the money they ran the risk of blocking a prospect, unless that money was spent on one or even two year deals for catcher or the rotation. One year deals aren’t the issue here though, because they are so easy to flip at the deadline and they involve very little commitment by the team.
So if fans are wanting the Royals to add more serious players to make them contenders this year, it is just ludicrous to think that it could have been done without shelling out multi-year deals and huge bucks. I mean what pitcher could the Royals have added without doing that? Carl Pavano? I’ll take Jeff Francis and Bruce Chen.
A local radio host openly complained today about how the Royals went into the season with Chris Getz and Mike Aviles competing for the job at second base. First off it didn’t seem that ridiculous in the offseason that one of the two could be a solid contributor. Secondly, Giavotella is waiting in the wings and after tearing through the second half of last season and the Arizona Fall League was knocking at the door. Finally, I question anyone’s baseball understanding if they really believe that the Royals could have became contenders in 2011 if they would have just spent a few million for a second baseman.
The same show host, then went on to talk about the rotation holes and how the Royals should have spent big bucks this offseason in that area. But my question is who should they have signed? What pitcher on the market could the Royals have brought in that could have made them contenders in 2011 and would have fit into their long term plans?
Also, we shouldn’t forget that heading into the season the Royals had four of the top starting pitching prospects in baseball, all of which could have been ready for their debuts within a year’s time. When you add in Aaron Crow and a couple of the lower tier guys, then it is easy to see why the Royals proffered the stop gaps in the rotation for this year anyway.
What the Royals didn’t foresee was Montgomery and Dwyer both struggling immensely and John Lamb having to undergo season ending Tommy John surgery.
It is much wiser for the Royals to wait out this season and feel for what they have before making the moves on the market. Next offseason the Royals will have had another year of evaluating their prospects, some even at the highest level. Not to mention that the starting pitching class for this offseason is much more impressive than last.
The Royals will have money to spend and should they play it right in the offseason, could very easily position themselves as favorites for the AL Central entering 2012. It is frustrating that once again we find ourselves in last place. But sometimes one must take a small step back in order to take a giant leap forward.
Fans have been told wait for next year for too long, and they are beginning to grow tired of it. I don’t blame them. But for those that are suggesting that the Royals could have prevented this in the offseason, they need to stop and consider reason.
You can’t in one breath complain about Lorenzo Cain being blocked in center by a free agent stop gap, and then in the next breath complain that the Royals didn’t sign a player to man second base. You have to chose one way or another or else you are someone who is going to complain regardless.
Either the Royals should have signed the stopgaps and stick with them until the deadline, while they keep the seat warm for the prospects in Omaha. Or the Royals shouldn’t have messed with either. What isn’t fair is to complain about the Royals being in last place because they didn’t sign free agents and then go off and bash the Jeff Francis or Jose Guillen signing.
Obviously there were other guys available this offseason, but there was no reason at all for the Royals to drop boatloads of cash on an aging veteran. Thankfully it seems they have learned from that mistake when they signed Jose Guillen to a three year thirty-six million dollar deal.
People are glad that the Royals aren’t blocking their own prospects, but some are also complaining that they should have added veterans to some of the positions that aren’t playing up to snuff, particularly second base. The thing that has to be remembered is that literally every position on the roster besides catcher could have a prospect emerge as major league ready this season.
No matter where the Royals spent the money they ran the risk of blocking a prospect, unless that money was spent on one or even two year deals for catcher or the rotation. One year deals aren’t the issue here though, because they are so easy to flip at the deadline and they involve very little commitment by the team.
So if fans are wanting the Royals to add more serious players to make them contenders this year, it is just ludicrous to think that it could have been done without shelling out multi-year deals and huge bucks. I mean what pitcher could the Royals have added without doing that? Carl Pavano? I’ll take Jeff Francis and Bruce Chen.
A local radio host openly complained today about how the Royals went into the season with Chris Getz and Mike Aviles competing for the job at second base. First off it didn’t seem that ridiculous in the offseason that one of the two could be a solid contributor. Secondly, Giavotella is waiting in the wings and after tearing through the second half of last season and the Arizona Fall League was knocking at the door. Finally, I question anyone’s baseball understanding if they really believe that the Royals could have became contenders in 2011 if they would have just spent a few million for a second baseman.
The same show host, then went on to talk about the rotation holes and how the Royals should have spent big bucks this offseason in that area. But my question is who should they have signed? What pitcher on the market could the Royals have brought in that could have made them contenders in 2011 and would have fit into their long term plans?
Also, we shouldn’t forget that heading into the season the Royals had four of the top starting pitching prospects in baseball, all of which could have been ready for their debuts within a year’s time. When you add in Aaron Crow and a couple of the lower tier guys, then it is easy to see why the Royals proffered the stop gaps in the rotation for this year anyway.
What the Royals didn’t foresee was Montgomery and Dwyer both struggling immensely and John Lamb having to undergo season ending Tommy John surgery.
It is much wiser for the Royals to wait out this season and feel for what they have before making the moves on the market. Next offseason the Royals will have had another year of evaluating their prospects, some even at the highest level. Not to mention that the starting pitching class for this offseason is much more impressive than last.
The Royals will have money to spend and should they play it right in the offseason, could very easily position themselves as favorites for the AL Central entering 2012. It is frustrating that once again we find ourselves in last place. But sometimes one must take a small step back in order to take a giant leap forward.
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