In the Cross Hairs: Brandon Phillips

The Reds are said to be open for business and on their team there are several intriguing options that could fit for the Kansas City Royals. We've heard a lot about the Royals interest in Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake. Perhaps, there is another name that could catch the Royals' eyes. I'm speaking of the flashy Brandon Phillips.

When talking about the Cincinnati second baseman, the first thing we need to recognize is that he is not the offensive force that he once was. In fact, since the start of the 2013 season, the former 2nd Round pick has played in 352 games and hit just .267/.310/.381, which is good for an OPS+ of 91. A below average line, but still much better than the .245/.278/.326 line that Omar Infante boasts as a Royal.


What Phillips does bring to the table is excellent defense. This season, Fangraphs credits him as having been worth 4 defensive runs saved, and being worth 2.5 UZR/150. Both of which are above average tallies. In fact, since the start of the 2013 season, Phillips ranks 3rd among qualified second basemen in converting "Remote" (1-10%) plays into outs at 9.8%. He ranks 1st in "Unlikely" (11-40%) plays at 51.5%. He ranks 7th in "Even" (41-60%) plays and 3rd in "Likely" (61-90%). Quite simply his glove is one of the best (and most fun to watch) in baseball.

So what would it take to land Phillips should the Royals decide to pursue this route?

Here's how Phillips contract breaks down moving forward:

• 2015 - $12 million (roughly $5.2 remaining)
• 2016 - $13 million
• 2017 - $14 million

Phillips is currently worth 1.1 fWAR in 2015 and ZIPs projects him to garner 0.9 over the remainder of the season. If Phillips can continue to be worth about 4 WAR for the remainder of his deal. By valuing a win at the current Fangraphs valuation of $7.6 million, then Phillips would be worth -$1.7 million in excessive value. If we go with a more conservative $5.5 million valuation of wins, then Phillips drops to -$10.2 million. 

So let's say the Royals could work out a Infante plus a prospect swap for Phillips. Before we know what kind of prospect that we'd be talking about we first need to evaluate Infante in the same way that we have Phillips. ZIPs currently projects Infante to be worth about 0.3 WAR over the remainder of 2016. If we project Infante to then be worth 0 WAR in 2016 & 17, then his excessive value would be -$15.6 million at the Fangraphs rate and -$16.2 million at the more conservative rate. 

What we see here is that the difference in excess value between Phillips and Infante comes in somewhere between $6.2 and $13.9 million. Thanks to the work of The Point of Pittsburgh on prospect valuation, We can see that sort of valuation would be reflective of a borderline top 100 prospect, or even a pitching prospect ranked somewhere in the 51-100 range in a top 100. Prospects that could work in this range would be guys like Jorge Bonifcaio, Bubba Starling, Miguel Almonte, Brandon Finnegan, Sean Manaea, and maybe guys like Foster Griffin, or Scott Blewett.

So Royals fans, how would you feel about an Omar Infate plus one of the aforementioned players for Brandon Phillips? Would sacrificing a prospect of that quality be worth the upgrade? Is the upgrade worth having Brandon Phillips less than stellar personality in Kansas City?

Tell me @Landon_Adams! 

Minor League Update - Wilmington Blue Rocks

Through the season’s first 18 games, Wilmington is 7-11, four games behind first place Potomac (WSH) in the Carolina League’s Northern Division. The club has dropped four in a row.

Wilmington’s offense has struggled thus far hitting just .217/.316/.311 with only three long balls, fewest in the league (as is the Royals style). That number is half the next closest club.

The Blue Rocks have been good on the base paths however, stealing 21 bases, which ranks second in the eight-team league. In fact, the club is a staggering 21-for-21 in stolen base attempts!

While the team’s 3.67 ERA falls in the middle of the pack, the club has fanned a league-high 162 batters in 147 innings this season. Defensively, the club has allowed only four unearned runs, fewest in the league.

Individual Hitting

MiLB.com

Who’s Hot:

Everyone’s favorite Blue Rock, Raul A. Mondesi has hit safely in 11 of his last 13 games. The 18-year old shortstop is hitting .283/.358/.367 in 66 plate appearances as the Wilmington leadoff hitter.

Zane Evans is tied for second in the league with seven doubles, six of which game in his first four ballgames. In 11 games, the Georgia native is hitting .400/.467/.575 and has eight RBI. The catcher/DH is 10-for-22 against right-handed pitching with a 1.227 OPS in that small sample.

Middle infielder Jack Lopez leads the club with nine RBI, and is tied with Terrance Gore with a team-high five stolen bases. The 21-year old is currently the league’s hardest regular to strike out. Lopez strikes out every 16 at bats, on average, more than five at bats more than the closest player.

Who’s Not:

Bubba Starling has struck out 24 times this year, third most in the league. In fact, the outfielder has recorded at least one strikeout in all but one game this season (and 0-for-3 night on April 9). The one-time top prospect is hitting just .133/.284/.250 through 17 games, but has improved quite a bit from his low point of .098/.260/.220 a week ago. He has accounted for one-third of the club’s homers, however.

2013 first rounder Hunter Dozier is on a four game hitting streak, but has spent a large portion of April below the Mendoza Line. The third baseman currently stands at .203/.316/.266 in 72 plate appearances hitting third in the order for Wilmington.

Individual Pitching

Who’s Hot:

Christian Binford ranks ninth in the Carolina League among qualified starters with a 2.20 ERA in 16.1 innings. The right-hander did not allow an earned run in his first 12 innings. He has struck out 19 hitters (29.7%) and allowed just three walks (4.7%) this season. Opponents are hitting .197 against Binford, and he has allowed a total of 15 baserunners - 8.27 per nine innings – which ranks third in the league.

Lefty starter Jonathan Dziedzic is tied for the league lead with three wins, and owns a 1.69 ERA in 16 innings across three appearances. He has struck out 29.7% of the hitters he has faced this year. Lefties are 1-for-12 against Dziedzic thus far.

In the bullpen, Zeb Sneed has held opponents to a 2-for-29 start this season, good for a .069 batting average allowed. He also has yet to allow a run or a walk in 9.1 innings.

Fellow reliever Glenn Sparkman has struck out 15 of the 37 batters he has faced this season (40.5%) in ten innings across five outings.

Who’s In Between:

The club’s top pitching prospect, Miguel Almonte, ranks third in the league with 21 strikeouts, a round 25% of the batters he has faced. If that rate holds, it would be the best of Almonte’s professional career. He has held opponents to a .191 batting average. In four starts, the 21-year old is 2-0 with a 5.23. with two outstanding starts and two poor ones.

Relievers Matthew Murray and Ali Williams have ERAs of 1.35 and 1.17, respectively, in a combined 21 innings.

Who’s Not:

Following a very rough third start, in which he allowed seven earned runs in just two innings at Myrtle Beach (TEX), big-time prospect Sean Manaea sits with an 8.71 ERA. Opponents are now hitting .318 against the lefty.

Daniel Stumpf is 0-3, and his three losses are tied for the most in the league.

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: #9 Sean Manaea

9. Sean Manaea Left Handed Pitcher

gosycamores.com

Age: 22
Position: LHP
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 235
B/T: L/L
Acquired: Drafted in the 1st Round (34th Overall) of the 2013 Amateur Draft
From: Wanatah, IN

Landon Adams (7): The Royals took a calculated risk in last June's draft and early indications are the it could pay off tremendously for Kansas City in the not too distant future. Thanks some strong strategizing, a competitive balance pick, and some good fortune, the Royals were able to who many viewed March as the top talent of the draft, as well as a third baseman that many expected to get picked in the late teens. 

After sweeping the Cape Cod awards at the end of the 2012 season, Manaea emerged as the top candidate to go 1-1 in the 2013 amateur draft. In the Cape, the Indiana State Sycamore product recorded 85 strikeouts in just 51.2 innings of work. This was the highest recorded strikeout total since the league began tracking the numbers in 2000. During that time, Manaea also led the league with a 1.22 ERA, while recording a 5-1 record. 

As the favorite for the top pick heading into 2013, Manaea suffered a torn labrum in his hip as well as an ankle injury. Despite these things, the 6'5" southpaw finished the year with a 1.47 ERA and 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings, ranking fourth in NCAA Division I. The combination of testicular fortitude, results, and the stuff he showed at the Cape empowered the Royals to grant Manaea with a $3.55 million signing bonus. The largest ever given out to a non-first round pick. 

If Manaea comes back with the stuff he showed last season at Indiana State, he's a good bet to rise quick and offer the upside of a middle of the rotation starter. If Manaea can get back to the stuff that he showed in the Cape Cod League in 2012, he has the upside of a top of the rotation starter who would blaze through the system. My scoresheet team is hoping for the latter. Manaea should open the year in Wilmington, but it is a near certainty that he'll finish the season in the upper minors. 

Paden Bennett (12): I was stoked to see that the Royals were able to snag Sean Manaea with the 34th pick in the 2013 draft.  Here is a guy who could have gone as high as 3rd overall if he wasn't dealing with a torn labrum. Manaea has the arm and the stuff to eventually become a top of the rotation kind of guy with his fastball that sits in the low to mid 90's and sometimes even reaching the upper 90's.  The pitch I am very excited to see in person is this slider I'm hearing about.  His slider is one of his plus out pitches along with his split/change.  Manaea boasts a 6-5 235 pound frame with an electric arm and some deception in his delivery.  I am pumped to see what this kid can do and I would love to see him with Zimmer and Ventura in KC very soon.

Joe Cox (9): After the draft pick of Hunter Dozier, it seemed that the Royals had a draft strategy of being able to sign a player of their slot allotment with the 34^th overall pick.  They did just that, by drafting and signing Sean Manaea.  Manaea was widely regarded as a guy who could have been a top pitcher picked in the draft, but injuries derailed that allowing the Royals to scoop him up in the supplemental round of the draft.  

Manaea is a 22 year old left-handed pitcher out who played college ball at Indiana State.  Manaea has a big frame that should allow him to hold up as a starter, along with three pitches with plus potential.  He is known to have good command of the plate and has the ability to miss bats with all of his pitches.  Manaea struggled late in his college career due to hip issues but should be ready to see what he can do at the professional level in 2014. 

Dan Ware (12):  The first round of the 2013 Draft turned out even better than expected for the Royals.  Manaea was left untouched all the way to the 34th pick during the supplemental round and Kansas City took advantage, without hesitation.  Baseball America predicted he possessed the ability to go as high as 3rd overall to the Colorado Rockies, who instead chose RHP Jonathan Gray from the University of Oklahoma.  Gray was actually drafted by the Royals in 2010, but chose to enroll in a JUCO to gain more exposure to the starting role.

Manaea has a low 90's fastball that can reach mid 90's at times, an above average slider and a combination split/changeup that he will use.  Although his delivery of 3/4 arm slot can be deceitful to hitters, his secondary pitches are inconsistent at times.  

The Royals plan to take things slow with Manaea, as he had hip surgery in June to repair a torn labrum.  The initial plan I've read is they want Sean to start his pro career in a full season league, which most likely would be either Lexington or Wilmington.  GM Dayton Moore has stated that it's possible he could even stay in Arizona for an extra couple months if he's not 100%.  We'll find out soon enough.

Nicholas Ian Allen (--):  Like most everyone, I am excited to see what Sean Manaea can do in 2014. With his injury concerns, the Royals were able to nab Manaea at number 34 in the draft. If he is able to rebound, the pick may be a steal. It sounds like the big lefty will start in Lexington or Wilmington, but I would not be surprised if he moves quickly through the system. 

Total Points: 84

The Uber Top 100

On Wednesday, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pro Blog did us all the favor of compiling the various prospect rankings into one list. It's a good opportunity to gauge a broader view than looking at individual lists. You can look at the whole list here. Here's where the Royals broke in:

• 22 - Kyle Zimmer
• 29 - Yordano Ventura
• 32 - Raul Adalberto Mondesi
• 83 - Miguel Almonte
• 105 - Jorge Bonifacio
• 115 - Sean Manaea
• 128 - Hunter Dozier

Overall, a pretty good job by the Royals to net seven players on the list. Just for fun let's take a quick look at how the rest of the American League Central fared:

Chicago White Sox:

• 66 - Erik Johnson
• 75 - Matt Davidson
• 122 - Marcus Semein
• 131 - Tim Anderson

Cleveland Indians:

• 9 - Francisco Lindor
• 40 - Clint Frazier
• 102 - Trevor Bauer

Detroit Tigers:

• 27 - Nick Castellanos
• 116 - Devon Travis
• 129 - Robbie Ray

Minnesota Twins:

• 1 - Byron Buxton
• 7 - Miguel Sano
• 35 - Alex Meyer
• 49 - Kohl Stewart
• 71 - Eddie Rosario
• 103 - J.O. Berrios
• 104 - Josmil Pinto

Obviously, the Twins system is very strong right now, especially with two in the top 10. It's also good to see that outside of Castellanos, there isn't much in the pipeline for Detroit. Also of note, is Jake Odorizzi slotting in at 78. 

The Royals system isn't what it was a couple of years ago, but when you consider the youth of the Major League roster and the quantity of guys included in this list, it's good to know that the organization has done a sound job in keeping the pipeline stocked with high upside talent. 

Follow me on Twitter @Landon_Adams!

Looking to Future Rotations

With each passing day that Ervin Santana remains a free agent, more and more Royals fans' confidence grows that Santana could return to Kansas City. While I hate to throw water on to these dreams, I am afraid that I have to.

Santana will not be coming back to Kansas City.

The Royals are too deep into their off-season plans and it is woefully apparent that whether or not it is true, the team is operating with the opinion that $90 million is the break even point. The rotation has four out of five spots left and multiple candidates for the fifth spot that are deserving of a chance with the big league club.

Here's a quick snapshot of the next few years rotations:

2014

1. James Shields
2. Jeremy Guthrie
3. Jason Vargas
4. Bruce Chen
5. TBD

2015

1. Jeremy Guthrie
2. Jason Vargas
3. TBD
4. TBD
5. TBD

2016 & 2017

1. Jason Vargas
2. TBD
3. TBD
4. TBD
5. TBD

Obviously, it is the Royals hope that they can fill their rotation with homegrown talent starting next season. Just a month or so ago, J.J. Picollo even stated that he expects Danny Duffy, Yordano Ventura, Kyle Zimmer, and Sean Manaea all to be ready to hold down big league spots. Also, on the horizon is Jason Adam and Miguel Almonte. 

It does appear that the Royals will have the arms to fill out a couple of spots in their big league rotation, but are they going to be able to fill three spots as soon as next season? 

What if this season Duffy totally loses control and Kyle Zimmer blows out his elbow? Where will that leave the Royals next off-season as they attempt to fill out their rotation. Would it be more economical to sign Santana now when conceivably his price has been diminished or would it be better to jump the market and overpay next off-season for another Vargas/Guthrie type. 

If the Royals were to sign Santana, he could slot into the rotation instead of Bruce Chen for 2014. With the addition of Santana, Chen could slide into a swing man role and the Royals could still have a competition for the final rotation spot. Next season, they'd ideally have established one or two of the Duffy, Ventura, Zimmer bunch and would be able to fill out a rotation with some confidence. 

Given the Royals history of starting pitcher development, it seems incredibly ballsy to expect the the current crop of prospects can fill three spots in next years rotation. This indicates to me that next off-season the Royals will once again have to dip their toes into the starting pitching market of free agency. So I leave you with a final question: would it be better to go over the salary threshold this year to get Santana at below market value, or would it be better to wait and overpay next off-season? 

Follow me on Twitter @Landon_Adams!

Two Royals on AL Prospect Dream Team

Last week, Bernie Pleskoff of MLB.com made his selections for his 2014 AL Prospect Dream Team. Here is what he had to say regarding the two Royals to make the squad. You can view the rest of the team here.

"Pitcher: Kyle Zimmer, Royals 22 - Zimmer could easily become the best of the lot with the movement on his pitches. If he throws strikes consistently, his ceiling is top-of-the-rotation, All-Star quality starter."

 "Pitcher: Yordano Ventura, Royals, 22 - Ventura has one of the power arms that just won't quit. If he can find the plate with consistency, he can win plenty of games. I'd like to see Ventura bring the 97 mph down a bit to get more movement."

Even when the Royals boasted the best farm systems in the history of farm systems, there wasn't a pair of pitching prospects that matched the talent and proximity to the Majors of Ventura and Zimmer. As far as their impacts on the 2014 team, Zimmer will probably return to Northwest Arkansas with Ventura returning to Omaha. With the signing of Bruce Chen, if things go well I expect Ventura to replace Chen in the rotation in mid-May/early June.

Of course, I shouldn't totally discount Dayton Moore's comments in today's presser when he revealed that with a strong spring he wouldn't be against Ventura opening the season in the bullpen. Let me state this as clearly as possible. Ventura should not begin the season in the bullpen.

The Royals have plenty of bullpen arms. The reason Ventura offers the team so much value is because of his potential as a front end starter. A move to the pen and he just is another arm in the back of the bullpen (albeit a potentially dominant one). If Ventura doesn't earn a rotation spot, he should be sent back to Omaha to continue to log innings as a starter. Thus far, Ventura has only received 164 innings in the high minors, a little more seasoning wouldn't be the worst thing for the Dominican.

Kansas City has two dynamite starting pitching prospects in the upper minors. They have two more that will likely open the season in Wilmington (Miguel Almonte and Sean Manaea). Hopefully, for the Royals this crop of pitchers fares better than the artist formerly known as the "Four Lefties of the Apocalypse."

Follow me on Twitter @Landon_Adams

Prepping for the Draft: Thoughts on Sean Manaea

When it comes to the 2013 Amateur Draft the most intriguing prospect could be Indiana State left hander Sean Manaea. This is not to say that the Sycamore is the most highly regarded prospect on the board as that honor clearly belongs to either Oklahoma's Jonathan Gray or Stanford's Mark Appel. However, eight months ago, this wasn't so obvious and many considered Manaea a candidate to be selected in the top spot of the draft.

According to Baseball America, during the Cape Cod League last summer Manaea featured a mid-90s fastball that dominated hitters, allowing them to hit just .119 against him in 52 innings of work. Unfortunately for the lefty his velocity has been down to 88-93 all Spring and he hasn't even maintained that throughout many of his starts.The combination of that and injuries haveresulted in many to predict that Manaea could slide on draft day, with some even speculating that as a Boras client he could steal a page from the Mark Appel playbook and return to school for another year.

Now, there is no way that I think the Royals should take a chance on him with the #8 overall pick in the draft. No, there are several other options that I would be much more comfortable with/excited for in the slot. However, thanks to the powers at be, the Royals have been awarded with an asset that no team has ever had before. On July 18, 2012, the Royals were crowned champions of the first ever Competitive Balance Lottery.*

*First we are the champions of the competitive balance lottery then we lead the league in fewest home runs. Can life get better?

Thanks to the Royals good fortune and small market, this weekend the Royals will get to make selections at 8, 34, and 46. Perhaps even more importantly given the new collective bargaining agreement, the Royals will also receive the additional bonus pool allotment that is assigned to each of those draft slots. As a result, the Royals have the 6th largest bonus for this year's draft.

Now back to Manaea. Here's what Jim Callis had to say about the 6-5, 215 pounder in his latest mock draft:

"Indiana State lefthander Sean Manaea remains the draft's biggest wild card. He was a candidate for the No. 1 overall pick before his stuff dipped and he endured ankle, hip and shoulder issues this spring. Teams don't have a good feel for his health or his signability, and I believe the most likely scenario is one of the clubs at the top of the draft with a large bonus pool will gamble on him after the first round."

There are only four teams that have larger bonus pools than Kansas City that also pick higher in the first round. Those teams are the Houston Astros, the Chicago Cubs, the Colorado Rockies, and the Florida Marlins. The Astros have already proven to have the strategy of spreading bonus money around to players with signability concerns, but last year they featured a strong high school focus. Theo Epstein of the Cubs drafted a similar player to Manaea in his time in Boston when he selected Anthony Ranaudo with the 39th pick of the 2010 draft.

What is important to note, is that while these teams select ahead of the Royals in the first round, the Royals will have the first shot at Manaea following the first round. The only teams with a second pick before Kansas City and a bonus pool larger than $7 million are the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Yankees.

The Pittsburgh Pirates select 9th and 14th, but would they be willing to gamble a selection that high on Manaea, especially after they were burnt a year ago with Appel? I find this doubtful. The Yankees, however, select 32 and 33 and could be a real threat. Ultimately, only time will tell if they roll the dice.

Thanks to the Competitive Draft Lottery, the Royals are in a very good position come draft day. Should they take a chance on the Missouri Valley Southpaw? I can't say, but it is definitely an intriguing proposition and they clearly fit the profile for the type of team that will eventually select him.