Wilmington Blue Rocks 2014 Preview

Defense

LF - Terrance Gore*

CF - Bubba Starling*

RF - Daniel Rockett*

3B - Hunter Dozier*

SS - Raul A. Mondesi*

2B - Jack Lopez

1B - Cody Stubbs*

C - Zane Evans*

Rotation

Miguel Almonte*

Christian Binford*

Sean Manaea*

Daniel Stumpf*

Jonathon Dziedzic*

Bench

C - Cam Gallagher*, C - Beau Maggi*, 1B - Mark Donato*, IF - Kenny Diekroeger, OF - Tyler Chism,      OF - Johermyn Chavez*

Bullpen

Mark Peterson, Kyle Bartsch*, John Walter*, Glenn Sparkman*, Matt Murray*, Yender Caramo*,  Aroni Nina*, Zeb Sneed*, Ali Williams

Notes

• A prospect-heavy team, the Blue Rocks will be the affiliate to watch every day to begin the 2014 season.  Not only will this team be fun to watch, the roster is practically a fresh start for the Frawley Stadium faithful in Wilmington, Delaware.
• Of the 28 players dawning the Blue Rocks uniform, 23 of them will be doing so for the very first time.
• The rotation will consist of 5 brand new starters, including 3 in the Royals' Top 10 prospects according to Baseball America.  Miguel Almonte, ranked #5, joins the Blue Rocks after a stellar 2013 campaign with Lexington.  From various scouts/media, Almonte is considered far more advanced than most of the pitchers in the organization.  He showcases excellent command and possesses secondary pitches, including the best changeup in the Royals system, that assistant GM J.J. Picollo describes as "more advanced than Yordano Ventura at this stage".  Almonte could have made the jump to Double-A with no issues, but the Royals decided to give him some innings in the Carolina League before heading to Springdale, Arkansas.
• Sean Manaea, ranked #6, will make his professional debut with Wilmington after being selected in the Supplemental Round of the 2013 MLB Draft.  Widely considered as one of the top players to go off the board early, some teams were worried about his health as he recovered from a torn labrum in his hip over the off-season, but good fortune was on the Royals side as they were able to take not only Manaea, but Hunter Dozier, as well.  Needless to say, the Royals drafted well.  For a detailed report on the 22 year old, here are some notes from Baseball Prospectus writer Jason Parks.
• If having Almonte and Manaea in the rotation wasn't good enough, Christian Binford, ranked #10, will also join Wilmington for his 3rd professional season.  The 21 year old from Hagerstown, Maryland stands at 6 foot 6 inches, which helps give him a great downward plane to the plate and throws at a 3/4 arm slot.  Although his fastball sits in the very low 90's, there's time for his body to fill out more and possibly gain a little more velocity on his fastball.  Binford is ranked by Baseball America as having the best control in the system for the '14 season, which has been backed up by astounding BB/9 rates in his first 2 seasons (0.90 and 1.67, respectively).  His height, along with the movement of his pitches allow him to keep batted balls on the ground (49.2% last season), will only be to his advantage this year in the Carolina League.  
• The left side of the infield looks down right nasty.  Those who visit Frawley Stadium better enjoy it while they're around.  Manning 3B and SS for the Blue Rocks will be Hunter Dozier (B.A. #7 ranking) and Raul A. Mondesi (B.A. #4 ranking).  In 313 plate appearances split between Idaho Falls and Lexington stints, Dozier already has a career line of .312/.403/.502 and is considered to have the best contact and strike-zone discipline in the system.  The 22 year old will show off an excellent arm and quick first step at third base, but is said to have enough athleticism to make a move to a corner OF spot, if the move is necessary.  Depending on Moustakas in Kansas City...who knows.  
• Dozier's neighbor on the diamond, Mondesi, will open 2014 as the youngest player in the Carolina League at just 18 years old.  Raul, the son of former Major League OF Raul Mondesi, Sr., bats from both sides of the plate and is considered to have better plate appearances as a lefty.  After hitting .261 with 7 HR and 47 RBI, the offensive output will only get better down the road, as he's facing pitchers 4-6 years older than himself.  At shortstop, Mondesi has an outstanding glove with exceptional range thanks to his speed, along with a strong arm.  Nathan Stoltz did a nice piece on Mondesi last November that offers a more in-depth evaluation of the future Royal.
• Two of the organization's top catching prospects will both be in Wilmington for 2014.  Cam Gallagher (B.A. #23 ranking) and Zane Evans (B.A. #24 ranking) will split time behind the plate as they enter their 4th and 2nd seasons, respectively.  

Prospect Countdown: #3 Raul Mondesi Jr.

3. Raul Mondesi Jr. Short Stop

Kentucky.com

Age: 18
Position: SS
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 165
B/T: S/R
Acquired: Signed as non-drafted FA in 2011
From: Los Angeles, CA

2013 Rank: 6

2012 Rank: 42

Landon Adams (1): Not surprisingly, I have bestowed Mondesi with the highest ranking out of the Royal Revival contributors. While Kyle Zimmer and Yordano Ventura will rank higher on this list, just like nearly all others, I'd confidently argue that this 18 year old Dominican is the top prospect in the organization.

Let's start with the bloodlines. As most of us know, Adalberto is the son of former Major League outfielder Raul Mondesi Sr., who now serves as the Mayor of San Cristóbal in the Dominican Republic. If the bloodlines weren't enough to give Mondesi a slight edge in the rating, the prospect was also born stateside. This fact is often overlooked, but as a result he is fluent in English, which is a major reason for why the Royals have been able to push him into full season ball at such a young age. 

Like his father, the 1994 National League Rookie of the Year, Mondesi is blessed with an outstanding arm. Not only does his arm enable him to make plays deep in the hole, but it is also accurate enough to allow him to throw on the move and from strange arm slots and angles when necessary. Yes, Mondesi had 30 errors in 2013, but his defense is terrific and he is getting to much more balls than his Minor League counterparts. Another point that should be made is that infields get better the higher the ladder you climb. 

Offensively, Mondesi also features his father's bat speed. In 2012, I distinctly remember Mondesi turning on a fastball that no 16 year old should be able to turn on. Later in the same game he did an excellent job of taking an offspeed pitch to the opposite field with two strikes.Since my time watching the Pioneer League, few images have stuck in my mind like those of Mondesi's. It was quite apparent at the time that the kid was special and the buzz around the league dictated the same. 

Mondesi will likely open the season as the youngest prospect in High-A. There are plenty of reasons to believe that his batting line will continue to look pedestrian as he faces competition often times four or five years his senior. However, at some point Mondesi is going to catch up with his competition and when he does look out. 

Paden Bennett (6): Raul Mondesi Jr. is an incredibly exciting prospect, one that I am extremely pumped to see move through the system and become an above average overall shortstop that we haven't seen in Kansas City in a long long time.  Mondesi was just 17 years old last year when he hit .261/.311/.361 with 7 hrs and 47 rbis.  Not excited about those numbers?  Let me ask you this, what were you doing at 17 years old?  I know I wasn't playing professional baseball and was the youngest player in the Sally League and holding my own.  

While Mondesi's numbers don't jump off the page, for a 17 year old these are extremely encouraging numbers.  Rumor is that Mondesi and Dozier will both start in Wilmington.  If Mondesi starts in Wilmington, I look for him to struggle initially then show signs of improvement late.  Even if he struggles all year I won't be discouraged, he will still only be turning 18 this coming July.  I'm ecstatic to see Mondesi move through the system, rarely do you see a combination of superb fielding, speed, contact and a little bit of pop.

Joe Cox (2):  Raul Mondesi has become one of the most exciting prospects in all of the minor leagues.  Mondesi played well enough in the Pioneer League in 2012 where the Royals brass decided they wanted to see how he would handle a full season league.  Mondesi Jr. spent his entire 2013 in the Sally League as a 17 year old, making him the youngest player in league.  His performance was very encouraging when considering his age.  

At the plate, he put up a .312 wOBA with seven home runs and 24 stolen bases.  Mondesi was able to cut down his strikeouts from the year prior and maintained his power speed combo.  Defensively, many scouts feel he should be able to play as a plus defensive shortstop at the major league level.  In 2014, I’d like to see continue progression with the bat.  Even if he stays in A ball, he will be one of the youngest players in the league he is in, so I’m not expecting lights out numbers wherever he goes.  Mondesi has potential to be a top prospect in the league in a few years as long as he can continue to improve on his already impressive all around game.

Dan Ware (6):  Mondesi fared well for being the youngest player in the South Atlantic League at just 17 years old.  Although he hit .261/.311/.361 with 7 HR and 47 RBI, which is still promising to see from a teenager in professional baseball, he held his own against Low-A pitching.  Being a switch hitter, Raul put up better numbers from the left side (.261/.314/.372, 6 HR, 35 RBI, 90/29 K to BB), although he had a few more plate appearances as a lefty (311 to be exact). 

As Nathaniel Stoltz of FanGraphs points out in his post on Mondesi, the now 18 year old has separate batting stances from both sides of the plate.  From the left, he opens up a little more, showing quick bat speed and decent power that Stoltz predicts in the 10+ HR range.  On the right side, he's in a closed stance and doesn't have as good of mechanics when batting left-handed.

In regards to his glove, Baseball America has him as the 'Best Defensive Infielder' in the organization.  With his above-average speed, smooth motions, and solid arm, he easily has the makeup to be a solid SS in the Majors.  Last year, he committed 30 errors in 105 games at SS, which does seem exorbitant, but given his age and inexperience, the fielding will improve with maturity.

2014 will be a challenging year for Mondesi.  It's probable that he'll be playing SS for Wilmington in the Carolina League, which as you know, is notorious for being a pitcher's league.  While he'll see better pitching this go-around, I don't see him going on a tear, but if he puts up the numbers like he did in Lexington, that will be a positive sign.

Nicholas Ian Allen (--): I'm still calling him Adalberto. The young man with the familiar name - so familiar he shares it with his father and at least one brother - continues to impress despite an extremely young age. When I was 17 I had a tough time hitting in the Georgia High School Association, and Raul A. Mondesi put together a full season in the South Atlantic League, with seven homers and seven triples.

While his numbers on paper are not mind-blowing, the fact that Mondesi has been able to keep his head above water in US professional baseball leagues for two seasons at his age, is. I'm not even going to discuss his stats, because really, they don't even matter.

Think about it: the players he is competing against everyday are an average of three to five years older. Most have played three seasons of college ball and have worked for two more years as a professional to reach the same level. Not many of them have a father that was a big league all-star, but still. If Mondesi grew up in his California birth place instead of the Dominican Republic, and had not signed as an international free agent two years ago, he would be playing high school baseball!

I am very impressed by Mondesi, and I am certainly not alone. He is already a multi-millionaire and is a fixture in Top 100 prospect lists everywhere. As a switch-hitter with speed, a solid glove, and more than a little power in a thin but still growing frame, the sky is the limit. This time next year, Mondesi will be the mix with Miguel Sano and Carlos Correra to be the best overall prospect in baseball, and he may make the big leagues before he turns 20.

All that said, there is still a long way to go for Mondesi to become a star in the Major Leagues. His talent is unlimited, be he is still just a kid.

Total Points: 109

Baseball America Midseason Top 50

On Monday the Baseball America released its mid-season prospect top 50. This list did not include recently drafted players. Here is how the American League Central shook out:

Indians

• 5) Francisco Lindor - The 2nd youngest player in the Carolina League continues to show excellent bat control striking out in just 10.6% of his plate appearances, good for second on the circuit.

Royals:

• 26) Yordano Ventura - Currently the 9th youngest player on the Pacific Coast Leauge circuit and the 15th youngest in Triple A baseball, Ventura has struck out 28.6% of the batters he has faced this season.
• 28) Kyle Zimmer -The Royals 2012 first round selection, appears to be the victim of Minor League infields and the range of Minor League infielders, not to mention the long ball. Personally, I think his 15% HR/FB% is flukey and when it comes to the things I care about he is having a fantastic season.
• 50) Raul Mondesi - The artist formerly known as Adalberto could climb this list even higher by the time next season's top 100 is released. Despite being the 3rd youngest player in full season baseball, Mondesi is hitting .328/.381/.431 in 16 games since the SAL All-Star break.

Tigers

• 15) Nick Castellanos - The 6th youngest player in Triple-A, Castellanos has not disappointed with the bat. The former 44th overall pick leads qualifying International League hitters with a .378 wOBA.

Twins:

• 1) Byron Buxton - The youngest player in the Florida State League has vaulted himself into top prospect status thanks to a .341/.431/.559 line. I will note that his LD% has been barely above league average at both his stops this season.
• 3) Miguel Sano - The youngest player in Double-A hasn't had any trouble in the power department. If he still qualified, he would rank second in the Florida State League in Isolate Power.
• 32) Alex Meyer - Among pitchers with at least 60 innings pitched in the Eastern League, Meyer ranks third with a 2.82 FIP and second with 10.77 K/9.

White Sox

• None - People aren't optimistic about his chances. He is old for his level and is putting up lackluster results. The White Sox continue to like him due to his less than charming personality and general douchebaggedness. Their dream scenario is that he turns into a more talented version of the Southside Spartan A.J. Pierzynski.

Also of note, the publication listed several breakout prospects over the first half of the season. The Royals had no prospects in this segment, but the Twins featured both Jose Berios and Eddie Rosario, while the Indians' Danny Salazar was also noted. The only two offseason top 100 prospects that failed to make Baseball America's mid-season top 50 were Bubba Starling and Chicago's Courtney Hawkins. Both failed to make the list due to strikeout concerns.

Specific to the Royals, Baseball America named Ventura as their top prospect in the system and Zimmer as having the most disappointing season thus far. Right hander Christian Binford was named as KC's top riser for the first half of the season. Binford The former 30th round draft choice boasts a 4.56 K/BB and a 50.6% ground ball percentage.

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