Prospect Countdown: #22 Brian Fletcher

22. Brian Fletcher Designated Hitter

milb.com

Age: 25
Height: 6'0" 
Weight: 190
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Drafted in the 18th round of the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft

Landon Adams (26): Fletcher, the career and season home run record holder for the Auburn Tigers, has quite the track record of slugging the baseball. In his first full season assignment, Fletcher ranked 3rd in the Midwest League in slugging and 6th in isolated power. This past season he ranked 3rd in the Texas League in slugging and 8th in isolated power. 

Throughout his Minor League career the former 18th round selection hasn't shown any problem at the dish. Unfortunately, Fletcher's warts as a prospect come with his age and limited defensive ability. The organization has tried him in left, but much like Butler years ago if you asked one of Fletcher's coaches what position Brian plays, they would answer "hitter." 

I've never jumped on the Brian Fletcher bandwagon like many others. He offers some intrigue because of his power, but ultimately I don't see him becoming anything more than a AAAA player. I hope I'm wrong, but I just don't see his upside as being anything more than a future bench bat. 

Paden Bennett (18): I'll be honest, I got on the Fletcher train last year when he was in Northwest Arkansas.  Yes he's 25, he's an old minor leaguer.  I get it. You don't like him.  Well I like power, and Fletcher caught my eye with his .314/.353/.541 slash line in NW Arkansas last season.  However, my excitement went down a little bit when Fletcher was promoted to Omaha and didn't continue to rake as I had hoped.  Fletcher hit .250/.287/.435 with 5 homers in 108 at bats.  

In reality, I don't know why I talked myself into liking Fletcher because he is a below average outfielder and will have to play 1B or DH and well, the Royals are pretty set there for the future.  With that being said, I really hope Fletcher figures it out in Omaha this season and maybe gets the call to be a power bat coming off the bench.

Joe Cox (NR): Brian Fletcher is a power hitting outfielder going into his age 25 season with the goal of figuring out AAA.  Fletcher is another player who had a season that was a tale of two levels, displaying an excellent bat in AA while displaying glaring holes during his stint in AAA.  He does not walk a ton and strikes out far too much but did manage to hit 17 homers in 336 PA’s in 2013. 

He split time between outfield and DH last year, and is not known as much of a fielder, with first base maybe being a better position for him from a defensive standpoint.  To me, Fletcher is a AAAA hitter with just enough power to remain interesting, but does not project as anything more than a bench player at best, but will continue to be a decent organizational depth piece for the Royals in 2014.

Dan Ware (19): Brian Fletcher makes the Royal Revival prospect list for the first time in his career, thanks to an impressive 2013 campaign between NW Arkansas and Omaha.  The recent addition to the Royals 40-man roster, Fletcher impressed many of the Springdale locals with his .314/.353/.541 line, 12 HR, 37 RBI, and 10 XBH.  That was enough to get him a promotion to Omaha, which wasn't good, but wasn't terrible.  

I expect Fletcher to be the full-time LF for the Storm Chasers come 2014.  As far as his future is concerned, Fletcher has good power, which gives him a slight opportunity to reach the Major Leagues, but will need to produce a little more offense.  Other than that, Fletcher has below average speed with average arm strength in the outfield.  He projects as an average first baseman.

Nicholas Ian Allen (--): Brian Fletcher is a solid Minor League hitter, with power. In 300 career games, the right-handed outfielder has hit .295/.349/.487 with 46 home runs. However, it is difficult to get excited about him as a prospect. Fletcher will be 25 in 2014, and has very limited position flexibility. 

Fletcher took a big step forward in 2013, though he got off to a slow start due to injury. After just five games in April, the Georgia native spent two months on the disabled list. Upon his return, Fletcher was one of the best hitters in the Texas League. After a sizzling July, in which he hit .347/.379/.622 with 6 home runs and 22 RBI, Fletcher was promoted. In Omaha, Fletcher cooled down a bit, but did hit safely in 19 of 26 games. He continued to show power, homering five times in his first 14 games with the Storm Chasers. 

The biggest bright spot for Fletcher is his ability to hit left-handed pitching. In his career, Fletcher has hit .327/.385/.588 with an excellent .261 Iso. He also comes from a good bloodline. He is the son of 15-year Major League veteran Scott Fletcher, who is now an assistant hitting coach with the Atlanta Braves. If he continues to hit well, Fletcher could see time in the big leagues, but projects as a platoon outfielder or bench player at best.

Total Points: 30

Prospect Countdown: #23 Humberto Arteaga

23. Humberto Arteaga Short Stop

chukarsextra.com

Age: 19
Height: 6'1" 
Weight: 160
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Signed as International Free Agent on 8/10/10 for $1.1 million

2013 Rank: 27

2012 Rank: 33

2011 Rank: 37

Landon Adams (23): A slick fielder, Arteaga didn't get off to the best start as a teenager in full season baseball. There is a pretty good chance that with my ranking I have put too much stock into that 61 game stretch, but at this point I'm still waiting to see him really hit. However, in his final 69 games of the season (all of which came in the Pioneer League), Arteaga might have just given me an appetizer of things to come. 

I don't want to get too much into Arteaga, because I love what Nick says about him later in this post and I don't want to detract from that. I will say that I expect Arteaga to return to Lexington to begin 2014, and I expect him to continue the momentum he built up in the Pioneer League a season ago. 

- @Landon_Adams

Paden Bennett (24): Last season Arteaga showed his hitting potential in Idaho Falls (.280/.333/.393), which earned him a promotion to Lexington.  However he hit a wall in Lexington and his numbers reflected that: .188/.214/.225 in 240 at bats.  Arteaga is known for his defensive skills so I don't expect him to be a great hitter but the potential is there to be a plus hitter as shown by his solid Pioneer League showing.  Arteaga has his work cut out for him though with all of the SS prospects in the Royals system.  He will have to really show something to move ahead of Mondesi, Calixte, Lopez, Torres.

- @PadenBennett22

Joe Cox (19): Thought of as a plus defensive short stop, Humberto Arteaga split his age 19 season between Lexington and Idaho Falls.  In the Pioneer League Arteaga made all but five of his starts at shortstop and compiled 346 PA’s.  In those appearances, Arteaga walked at twice the rate of the years prior (7.5%) while maintaining a decent strikeout rate (15.0%).  His wOBA was a good but not great .329, but showed little power and was inefficient on the base baths, executing a steal on only 11 of his 18 attempts.  

Unfortunately, that is just half of the story, as his 251 PA’s in A ball went very badly. In Lexington he continued his trend of not walking (2.4 BB%) and showed absolutely no power with a .038 ISO.  His .188/.214/.225 line made it pretty clear that the slick fielding short stop was not ready for a higher level of pitching, but time is on his side as he turns just 20 in January of 2014.  Any SS prospect that can stick at the position defensively is a nice thing to have in the organization, but he clearly has much work to be down on the offensive side of the game. 

- Twitterless Joe

Dan Ware (28): Humberto, at the youthful age of 19, showcased a solid season for Idaho Falls in 2013, but Lexington and South Atlantic League got the better of him.  In 300 AB's for I.F., a line of .280/.333/.393 with 3 HR and 58 RBI along with 20 extra base hits, easily earned him a promotion to Lexington.  Unfortunately, his line dipped at least 100 points in each aspect, as he only collected 13 RBI and 7 XBH.  

Although he won't impress with power or speed, he's well known for his defensive prowess.  The arm strength is not there just yet, but with his soft hands and plus range, he has the makeup to be a solid shortstop.  The problem for Arteaga is that Kansas City has a plethora of SS in the system including Mondesi, Calixte, Lopez, and Torres.  Humberto will need to improve at the plate in order to move up, at least the age is on his side for the time being.

- @Daniel_L_Ware

Nicholas Ian Allen (--): I am excited about Humberto Arteaga. Had I joined Royal Revival prior to the ranking stage for this list,  he would have been in serious contention for a spot in my top ten. I was lucky to see Arteaga in Helena and Idaho Falls in 2013, and I was not the only person he impressed. Sources raved about his defense and one even called him the best overall player in the Pioneer League. 

At just 19 years old, Arteaga put in a full season of work in 2013. He played 136 games, including playoffs. Though his offensive numbers were poor in Lexington, they improved greatly with a move down to Idaho Falls. In fact, his numbers improved as the season wore on - which is a very good sign for someone so young. Also keep in mind, 19 is still very young in the Pioneer League, so the move down should not be seen as a red flag.

The Venezuelan certainly struggled offensively through 61 games with Lexington. .188/.214/.225 will not excite anyone. What should be noted is he was given the opportunity to play nearly every day for more than two months in the South Atlantic League at age 19. Usually, if someone is slated to move down once short-season begins, they will platoon at best in April and May. The Royals wanted Arteaga on the field.

After the move to Idaho Falls, Arteaga improved mightily. While spending his time mainly in the two hole or the sixth spot in Lexington, Arteaga hit leadoff every game he played in IF. Though his numbers in the first inning and leading off an inning were his worst, his walk rate improved greatly from 2012. He can and will bunt, and has some speed - which can be seen by his five triples in IF. However, his stolen base rate is not great (11-for-22 on the year, including 0-for-4 in Lexington). He did damage for the Chukars with runners on base, hitting .337/.342/.480 with RISP, and pounded lefties .404/.446/.577.  

Arteaga’s defensive reputation certainly precedes him. He was listed as the best defensive infielder in the Royals organization in 2011, 2012 and 2013 by Baseball America. His glove should take him to the big leagues. How long he stays, and in what capacity will depend on his production at the plate. He may eventually end up as a utility man, but the potential is there to become an everyday shortstop.

- @NicholasIAllen

Total Points: 30

State of Baseball (My Take)

This week Tom Verducci grabbed some attention with his piece analyzing the State of Baseball. I don't want to get into critiquing his ideas to improve the game, but there are a few off the wall ideas that I would like to see in order to add some intrigue to the game.

World Baseball Classic moved to All-Star Break. Unlike many people, I love the World Baseball Classic. I think this is in large part because I view it more as a marketing tool for professional baseball than a legitimate competition. What I would like to see though is for the World Baseball Classic to be held during the All-Star Break as opposed to at the start of Spring Training. Hear me out on this.

The World Baseball Classic is held once every four years. In those years that the tournament is held, I would like to see it take place over a 8-9 day period. The first 3 days would be pool play in which all 16 teams would play on each day. The next 5-6 days would then be used for a single double elimination bracket with the remaining 8 teams.

In years in which the World Baseball Classic is held, there would be no All-Star Game. This brings me to my next point...

The All-Star Game shouldn't "count". Seriously, what a stupid idea to determine home field advantage for a championship. If you want to reward the better league, go with the league that had the better interleague record. If you want to try and reward the better team with homefield advantage then give it to the team with the best record. Oh, and as for every three of four years when there is still an All-Star Game, Tom Verducci is right, it is time MLB capitalizes on the potential audience.

Major League Baseball needs to take a page out of the NHL's book and create a Winter Classic Equivalent. The day after the baseball All-Star game is the most boring day on the year long professional sports calendar. If baseball doesn't take advantage of this captive audience, someone else soon will. I'd like to see baseball take Tom Verducci's idea a step farther. Instead of one marquee game, have three, each of which in a unique location.

One of the many beauties of baseball is that unlike other sports, playing areas come in all shapes and sizes. In fact, one of the reasons why pick up baseball is so much fun as a kid, is finding a little bit of space and adopting rules to fit a game of baseball into that area. When I was a kid, in a two block suburban area we created four separate areas that we played wiffleball, each of which had their own rules to make the game work. (Man, would it have been awesome to see the difference in park factors.)

Anyway, America has so much space across this country. How cool would it be to see three baseball games played a year in non-traditional baseball stadiums. Can you imagine this docket of games on the day after the All-Star game:

1:00 PM  - Mets vs Yankees in Central Park
4:30 PM - Cubs vs Cardinals on the Field of Dreams in Iowa
8:00 PM - Dodgers vs Giants in the Rose Bowl

Baseball would obviously need to get creative, but there are National Parks, scenic views, and Iconic Stadiums all across the country. Other sports have capitalizes on the intrigues of different venues, and baseball is probably the most obvious choice to do so. If nothing else, venues in non-Major League cities would work and could help to grow the sport. This brings me to my next point, which is that long term Major League Baseball needs to look to...

Expand into two more markets to give the league 32 teams. People are going to really object to this one, but again please hear me out. First, I want to see the situations in Oakland and Tampa Bay fixed. If that can be accomplished, that would give the league a strong handle on the 30 current markets. However, as cities and regions continue to grow there is no reason that 2 more markets couldn't support a Major League franchise. In order to avoid the complications of television regions, perhaps these teams could be put in places like Montreal, Vancouver, Monterrey, Mexico City, or San Juan. This would grow the league's North American foothold while also allowing the league to...

Realign into a more balanced format. I love the addition of the second wild card. At first I thought I would hate it, but I enjoy the increased value that it places on the division winners. I would suggest taking that a step farther. Instead of realigning into an NFL style format, I would suggest a more traditional baseball format. With 4 divisions of 8 teams, each division winner would receive a first round bye. This would get baseball back to its roots of true value in late season pennant races.

Of course, just like most fans I like the one game wild card games and I also know that most fans enjoy their team being in the playoff race deeper into the season. I would suggest adding a 4th wild card. This would mean 4 one game playoffs with the 4 winners advancing to head on the division winners. I like this because of the way in which it is a blend of new fan intrigue, but also gets baseball back to its roots of placing huge emphasis on division winners.

My final suggestion is probably the most radical, and it is stolen from professional soccer. I want to see the addition of a mid-season cup type tournament. In England, the FA Cup has been in existence since 1871. Basically, in the middle of every season, inter-dispersed with a team's regularly schedule games is a giant bracket. You can't tell me Americans don't love giant brackets. In 2012-13, the FA Cup bracket included 737 teams.

What I would suggest is a tournament which would encompass 160 affiliated Minor League teams, as well as the 30 Major League teams. The tournament would last 17 rounds and include 159 games. Just like the FA Cup, teams would enter into the tournament at various points depending on their level. The Burlington Royals for instance, would need to win 17 games to be champions, while the Royals would just need to win 5.

The tournament would begin the week prior to start of short season baseball in early June. The Major League portion would eventually begin on the day following the All-Star game. The final four rounds would then take place on Mondays in September. Just like with the FA Cup, teams could decide what emphasis they would place on their regular season versus a "Cup Run."

One benefit to this would be that the Houston Astros, who will long be out of the race by September, could put their whole focus on winning the MLB Cup, thus giving fans something to root for in September. I might do a separate post tackling the full logistics of such a tournament, but one thing that would be an issue is the extra games for the Players Union. In order to make this possible, perhaps the regular season would drop to 154 game format.

Can you imagine the excitement of such a tournament though. Minor League cities would have huge incentive to root for their teams to win the cups. It would also enhance the exposure and brand of Minor League Baseball. From a player development side, it allows front office's the opportunity to see prospects on a big stage (something that execs love when it comes to the World Baseball Classic).

Also, can you imagine the hype of a prospect like Archie Bradley if he were to start games in the run and carry a team like the Mobile Bay Bears all the way to semi finals? Fans would love this as an opportunity to evaluate their prospects against other competition.

There also of course could be an awesome barnstorming type of marketing opportunity here. Baseball unlike all the other major US sports could capitalize and get into the consciousness of cities all across the country. In the first round of each portion of the tournament, you'd likely seed teams of a higher level at home, but what if after that point it became a true bracket? Let's say Kyle Zimmer and the Northwest Arkansas Naturals get to the MLB stage and when their first game in Miami, how cool would it be if a week later, the Naturals were hosting the Padres in the quarterfinals?

This all goes without mentioning the financial side. The biggest problem would be to find a way to make it work for the lower level teams. An extra roadtrip out of their league's foot print probably isn't appealing, so there would probably have to be some help from the Major League level. At the same time, Americans love a bracket and since this wouldn't be a part of the regular season, baseball could parcel out television rights throughout the tournament. Think about the potential payday.

Perhaps, I will write a post to further look into how such a tournament could be structured in order to make sense logistically. I would say though that more so than any other American sport, baseball is in a position to pull this off. Imagine the buzz it would create in big towns and little cities all across the Minor League baseball landscape.

Anyway, that's all I've got. I know some of these thoughts are a bit outlandish, but these are just some ideas that I have had to grow the game's interest nationally.

Prospect Countdown: #24 Colin Rodgers

24. Colin Rodgers Left Handed Pitcher

twitter.com

Age: 20
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 180
B/T: L/L
Acquired: Drafted in the 3rd round of the 2012 MLB Amateur Draft

2013 Rank: 22

Landon Adams (19): Once again I come in higher than the rest of the staff in regards to Colin Rodgers. A former $700K Bonus Baby, Rodgers boasts a career 2.63 ERA over 92.1 professional innings. It will be noted by many that Rodgers ERA is misleading in comparison to his peripheral rate stats, however, it should also be pointed out that Rodgers has been excellent in inducing weak contact. Throughout his brief time in the Majors he has excelled in limiting hard contact and has allowed opposing hitters just a 9% LD% against him.

After a dynamite start for Lexington on the surface, Rodgers poor strikeout to walk ratio caught up with him a bit in August. In 18.2 innings over the final month of the season opposing hitters hit .369 against Rodgers on balls in play. Despite posting a WHIP of 1.77 (the highest single month WHIP of his professional career) Rodgers continued to limit the damage and allowed just 6 earned runs to cross the plate. This could be a testament to Rodgers pitchability or poise, but it could also be another sign of good luck. Ultimately, the best indicator for Minor League pitching is the strikeout rate and at this point in his career Rodgers is only averaging 5.32 strikeouts per 9 innings.

Paden Bennett (24): Rodgers doesn't have overpowering stuff, but he can locate his fastball and has a good curveball as an out pitch.  His SO/9 last year was 6.8 last season with 33 K's in 44 innings, however the walks were the problem.  Rodgers had 21 walks in those 44 innings and that number needs to come down if he wants to remain a candidate to be a starter in his career rather than a lefty specialist.

Joe Cox (NR): For the second year in a row, I am the lowest of the four of us on the 20 year old lefty.  It is hard to judge the former third round pick as he has yet to throw 100 total innings in the minors, but so far we are seeing that Rodgers is a work in progress that needs some obvious refining.  Rodgers displays an 88-91 fastball, as well as a potential plus change up and curveball.  He is thought to have a better ‘feel’ for pitching than most players his age.  The results in 2013 were mixed, in nine starts and 44 IP he posted a 3.27 ERA, but for the second year in a row had an over run difference in FIP at 4.31 last year.  He did jump from rookie ball to low A, and saw an increase in strikeouts, but that went with a significant increase in walks.  People seem to trust his stuff, so we will see if he can harness that with results in 2014. 

Dan Ware (21): The now 20 year old showcased another good year on the mound.  Throwing 44 innings, striking out 33 and walking 21 with a FIP of 4.31, Rodgers managed a 52% groundball rate, while limiting flyballs to 27.4%.  Although his fastball can touch 93 mph, he tries to fool batters by purposefully changing speeds on his fastball, as low as 84 mph.  Along with the FB, he has in his arsenal a potentially plus curve and change up.  I'd like Rodgers to work on limiting the walks and moving the ball around the plate along with changing speeds.  He should join fellow teammate Miguel Almonte in Wilmington to start 2014.

Nicholas Ian Allen (--): The 2013 season was cut short for Colin Rodgers after he suffered a muscle strain and partial UCL tear in May. Up to that point, however, there has been much to feel good about when looking at the 20-year-old lefty. 

After a very impressive 2012 season in the Appalachian League, Rodgers followed with a solid showing last season in the South Atlantic League. His numbers would have been more impressive if he had not had such a rough final start (7 hits and 5 earned runs in 4 innings on May 28 - he entered that game with a 2.48 ERA in 8 previous starts).

Rodgers is a strike-thrower. He does not overpower hitters, but his low-90s fastball and above-average curveball gets them out. Hitters do not often make solid contact against him, as he held them to a minuscule 6.5% LD% in 2012 and a better-than-average 11.9% in 2013. 

He projects as a LOOGY-type reliever - he excels against left-handed hitters. Thus far, Rodgers has held lefties to .185/.260/.246  and a .244 BABIP while striking out 27.4% of those he has faced. However, he has been very good at a very young age and will have plenty of opportunities to prove he can start.

Time will tell if Rodgers is able to bounce back from the injury. After suffering a setback in September, he underwent minor surgery. He has a good reputation for being coachable, hard working and for being a positive influence in the clubhouse - strong praise for a teenager. I anticipate he will return to Lexington to start the season, and if the arm heals smoothly and he pitches well, will finish the year in Wilmington.

Total Points: 29

Bonifacio...Gone. #DennyMatthewsVoice

The Royals, on January 30th, re-signed SP Bruce Chen to a 1 year deal worth $4.25 million.  This was the not the first, not the second, third, nor fourth time we've signed the 36 year old.  The recent signing marks as the FIFTH time we've signed the lefty since arriving in Kansas City back in 2009.  If you haven't noticed, he's well liked in The City of Fountains.

With the return of 'Chen Music,' the Royals needed to make a corresponding move to allow an open spot on the 40-man roster.  This morning, it was announced by Royals reporters Pete Grathoff and Josh Vernier that the Royals had Designated For Assignment utility infielder Emilio Bonifacio.

This move seemed to stir up some confusion on the Royals Twitterverse, considering in the middle of January, the Royals had avoided arbitration with Bonifacio, signing him to a 1 year deal worth $3.5 million.  Plenty of rumors were spreading about possibly trading the speedster before Opening Day and how he wouldn't be keen on a bench role as a super utility guy.  Ultimately, the playing time he would want, won't be there this season.

"He wanted to get a lot of playing time, and with the signing of (Omar) Infante and with the way our roster likely was going to shape up, there was just no guarantee that was going to happen." - Dayton Moore

With the departure of Bonifacio, assuming he is claimed off waivers by another team, it seems that the race for a backup middle infielder has come to Christian Colon and Pedro Ciriaco.

Ciriaco, 28, was claimed off waivers last July from the San Diego Padres.  For Omaha, he played in 43 games, predominately at SS, hitting .281/.310/.363 with 8 2B, 1 HR, and 15 RBI.  He managed to get a call-up to Kansas City, but only compiled 11 plate appearances and 2 hits.  Last year was not his first stint in the Major Leagues, as he's played in 163 games with three other teams.  In 449 plate appearances, he has a line of .277/.307/.385 with 4 HR, 34 RBI and 27 SB.

As for the 24 year old Colon, he seems to be the more popular choice as a backup, but will certainly have to earn it during Spring Training, bearing in mind Colon has no big league experience and Ciriaco doesn't have a bad track record in the Majors.

For now, bench roles already locked up look like: Justin Maxwell and Jarrod Dyson in the OF, newly acquired IF Danny Valencia will take the corners 1st and 3rd base, and Ramon Hernandez will sit behind the plate, when Sal feels the need to take a day off.  In total, that's 12 position players on the Opening Day roster with one spot remaining.  Spring Training could not get here fast enough.