Omaha Storm Chasers Preview

Projected Lineup

LF - David Lough

SS - Christian Colon

2B - Johnny Giavotella

DH - Max Ramirez

1B - Chad Tracy

3B - Irving Falu

RF - Paulo Orlando

C - Brett Hayes

CF - Willy Taveras

Rotation

Will Smith

Ryan Verdugo

Everett Teaford

Justin Marks

Chris Dwyer

Bench

C Adam Moore, UT Anthony Seratelli, 1B Xavier Nady, 3B Brandon Wood, OF Luis Durango

Bullpen

Michael Mariot, Nate Adcock, Donnie Joseph, Louis Coleman, Buddy Baumann, Anthony Ortega,

Brian Sanches, Blaine Boyer, Atahualpa Severino, Francisely Bueno

Some notes about this year's Storm Chasers:

• Plenty of guys on the roster that can easily see some time in Kansas City, whether it's due to injury or poor performance.  Some that will be kept a close watch will be Giavotella, Lough, Smith, Joseph, Coleman, Bueno.
• We should expect another great effort out of David Lough.  The 27 year old OF was blocked from making the Royals 25-man roster by OF Jarrod Dyson, who has plus-plus speed and is out of options.  I only see Lough making it to Kansas City via injury or September call-up.
• Johnny Giavotella lost the battle for the starting spot at 2B to Chris Getz just a couple weeks ago. He had a disappointing line of .267/.283/.400 in 21 games played, collecting 12 hits in 45 ABs, 1 HR on 11 RBI, 8 SO and 0 BB.  If history repeats itself, Gio shouldn't have a problem hitting in Omaha as he has .330 avg the past 2 seasons as a Storm Chaser.  He simply hasn't proven himself in Kansas City and time is wearing thin for him to keep him in the future plans.
• SP Will Smith had a solid spring going 1-0 in 11 IP, starting 2 games, striking out 10 batters with only 1 walk, and giving up just 7 hits.  For now, he'll get some innings in Omaha until an opportunity arises for him to head south to Kansas City. 
• Everett Teaford, Nate Adcock, Donnie Joseph, Louis Coleman, and Francisely Bueno could easily log innings in Kansas City.  Teaford and Adcock will be primarily used as spot starters if needed in a pinch.  Joseph, Coleman, and Bueno all had good springs and could be in the 'pen at some point.  Coleman will start off in Omaha only because he has options and J.C. Gutierrez, who won the final spot in the pen, is out of options.  Bueno will definitely be considered for a call up after compiling an impressive 1.56 ERA during his stint with the Royals last season.  Joseph, who had a 1-0 record with a 4.15 ERA in 11 games last year for Omaha, will spend a little time away from Kansas City as he was rather roughed up upon arriving to the Royals.  In 21 IP, he gave up 8 runs and had a meager 19/13 K to BB ratio.
• As the season progresses, the Storm Chasers could quite possibly add P Yordano Ventura and Jason Adam if they continue to flourish through the system, and a slight chance of having SS Orlando Calixte make an appearance.

Prospect Countdown: #2 Kyle Zimmer

2. Kyle Zimmer Right Handed Pitcher

www.milb.com

Age: 21
Position: RHP
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 215
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Drafted in the 1st Round (5th Overall) of the 2012 Amateur Draft
From: San Francisco, CA



Paden Bennett (4):  Out of all the Royals pitching prospects Kyle Zimmer is the one you should get to know very quickly, Zimmer is the one that could move the the system extremely fast because of his combination of a fastball that can reach 99 mph, a curveball that can get up to 81 mph and a solid changeup. All 3 of his pitches rank above average on the 20/80 scale.  I expect big things from Zimmer this season.  I think he will play at 3 levels this season.  Zimmer in my opinion will have a huge year and will be starting for the Omaha Stormchasers by the end of the season.  Keep a tab on this kid Royals fans because he has the stuff to front a rotation for us in the future.

Joe Cox (6): While the Royals have a lot of interesting young pitching, Kyle Zimmer quickly became the highest rated pitching prospect in the system after he was drafted fifth overall in last season’s amateur draft. Zimmer is a 6-3 185 pound righty that pitched for the University of San Fransisco is a polished pitcher at 21 years old and could advance to the majors as early as 2014.  The Royals will have no choice if Zimmer continues to dominate the minors like he did over 40 innings last season.

While pitching only 9 combined starts between rookie league and A level competition, he allowed only one home run and struck out 42 batters.   He also showed his command of the plate with only eight walks.  Zimmer has a four pitch arsenal, with a fastball that normally hits the low to mid 90’s.  His changeup is said to be his worst offering, but has potential to be an effective pitch if he can learn to command the pitch.  I would suspect Zimmer to begin the year in high A and reach AA or even AAA by the end of the season.  This was the perfect draft pick for the Royals last year and Zimmer has a good chance to be a top of the rotation arm for many years for the Royals, who desperately need to see a pitching prospect pan out.

Damion Mandalas (2):  One of the primary reasons to be so excited for Kyle Zimmer, is the way in which he fits into the Royals pitching philosophies. The Royals preach fastball, curveball, changeup and those are exactly the three pitches that Kyle Zimmer excels at. Also, the Royals like to grab pitchers early in their pitching careers in an attempt to mold them into the type of hurler they want them to become.

While Zimmer is already 21 years old, he has an incredibly low amount of mileage on his arm, compared to other college pitchers. The Royals probably take this to mean, that Zimmer has a considerably more upside than your typical college pitcher. For the Royals this represents the best of both worlds: an advanced pitcher who also has the upside that the Royals seek out.

Hopefully, all of these factors will contribute to the developmental victory that the Royals have yet to achieve when it comes to starting pitchers. Producing front end starters is the most difficult task of player development, but given the meshing of Zimmer and the Royals philosophies there is hope that Zimmer can be that front end guy the Front Office has desperately been looking for.

Dan Ware (2):  There is no reason at all to not be excited about Kyle Zimmer.  Our 2012 first round draft pick has already made a name for himself as the top pitching prospect in the Royals organization.  Needless to say, I'm very much looking forward to the day he gets the call to Northwest Arkansas. You can count on me being at his first start!

Zimmer, 20, showed great promise last year in his professional debut season with the Arizona League Royals and Kane County.  While going a combined 3-3 , he compiled a solid 2.04/2.32 ERA/FIP, good K/BB walk ratio of 29/8, allowing batters to hit just .267, and giving up only 1 homerun.  For those that haven't fully educated themselves on Kyle, he has a plus-plus fastball ranging from 95-99 mph that has good late movement.  Also in his repertoire, he has a curveball that's also considered MLB-ready, who Jason Parks said the other day on Twitter that his "hammer curve was at 81 mph; easy plus".  His changeup is considered above-average, ranking as 55 on a 20/80 scale from Baseball America.

Zimmer will start off in Wilmington as the leader of a potent rotation for the Blue Rocks including Sam Selman, Kyle Smith, and recently assigned John Lamb.  Assistant GM for the Royals, J.J. Picollo, stated Wednesday night during the Royals broadcast that Zimmer most likely will see time in Northwest Arkansas this season. 

Total Points: 110

Prospect Countdown: #3 Yordano Ventura

3. Yordano Ventura Right Handed Pitcher

www.kansascity.com

Age: 22
Position: RHP
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 140
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Signed as International Free Agent
From: Samana, Dominican Republic



Paden Bennett (5):  Yordano Ventura is one of my favorite prospects in the Royals organization. "Ace" Ventura has filthy stuff featuring a fastball that can reach up to 102 mph to go with an improving curveball and a solid changeup.  Ventura is a power pitcher although he doesn't look the part.  Listed at 5'11" and 140 lbs he doesn't look like a pitcher that will blow a 100+ mph fastball right by you.  "Ace" doesn't look like a guy that would be a big strikeout pitcher; but he is.  Yes, Ventura is a strikeout, power pitcher who a lot of Royals fans would've loved to see him in the rotation in the 5th spot.  However, going to Northwest Arkansas is the right decision because their is absolutely no need to rush this kid because he's just not completely ready yet.  It won't be long though, I expect to see Ventura in AAA pretty quickly this season and with an injury or two to a rotation starter in KC who knows he could make an appearance at the K.

Joe Cox (5): Yordano Ventura worked off his coming out party in A ball in 2011 to have another impressive season in 2012 split between high A and AA.  The 21 year old right handed pitcher from the Dominican Republic has rapidly become one of the Royals better prospects, and one of the more exciting right handed arms in the minors.  Despite Ventura’s small stature some scouts give his fastball that can reach 100 MPH and 80 grade on the 20-80 scouting scale.   He also profiles potential plus secondary pitches in a curveball and change-up.

One the field, Ventura has consistently limited walks, strike people out consistently and limit home runs.  Over a career high 109 innings last season he compiled 130 strike outs and a 3.62 ERA while walking only 32 batters.  The biggest question mark for Ventura will continue to be his durability, as his small frame (5-11, 140 lbs) could mean he may make the switch to a relief arm down the road.  If healthy, there is no reason to suspect he won’t to be impressive in the minors in 2013.  I would suspect he makes it to AAA at some point during the season and could be in the talks of making the team by opening day 2014.

Damion Mandalas (6): The hype surrounding Yordano Ventura this spring has almost create a sort of bubble effect. On the inside are those asking "where the (expletive) did this guy come from?" and on the outside are the Royals fans that know how to use Twitter. Ventura definitely impressed this Spring, but the Royals are making the right choice in opening him in Northwest Arkansas.

Given the state of the Royals rotation, there is zero reason to rush Ventura. I do believe he will move quick from here on, but it isn't hard to see the benefits from having him spend the entire season between Northwest Arkansas and Omaha. Of course, if the Royals are in the race and they need another bullpen arm, it might make sense to allow Ventura the opportunity to pitch in the pen in September as a way to acclimate himself to the Major League level. His 102 mph fastball? I'm sure it will play.

I've been a huge Ventura fan for awhile now. I like Zimmer, but I don't know that there is a pitcher with a higher ceiling in the Royals organization than "Ace". The Royals have had problems getting pitchers past the Double-A level, so it will be interested to see how Ventura performs in the Texas League in 2013.

Dan Ware (6):  "Ace" Ventura, yet another familiar face to the Springdale natives, will be on the mound for the Naturals to start off 2013.  Rated #85 on this year's Baseball America's Top 100 prospects, compiled decent numbers while playing in three different uniforms in 2012, logging most of his innings in Wilmington.  16 of his 23 starts were with the Blue Rocks, posting a 3.30 era, 76.1 IP, 98 Ks and 28 BB.  He impressed the Royals enough to get the call up to the Naturals, earning him 6 starts, which probably didn't go as planned for Yordano.

In 29.1 IP, he posted a 4.60 era, while striking out 25 batters and walking 13.  His K/BB ratio certainly took a nose dive after making the jump from Single-A to Double-A, but it's nothing to get worked up over.  Along with his powerful fastball, also rated the best in the Royals organization by B.A., he also contains an improving curve and changeup that are rated as a 60 and 55, respectively.  It would have been awesome to see Ventura win the 5th spot in the rotation, but even starting off in Northwest Arkansas, if he can get hot quickly, we'll more than likely see him by season's end, whether it's injury issues in Kansas City (Heaven forbid) or just a call-up.

Total Points: 102

Prospect Countdown: #4 John Lamb

4. John Lamb Left Handed Pitcher

royals.mlblogs.com

Age: 22
Position: LHP
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 200
B/T: L/L
Acquired: Drafted in the 5th Round of the 2008 Amateur Draft
From: La Palma, CA



Paden Bennett (13):  John Lamb has been one of my favorite prospects for awhile now.  When he had to have Tommy John Surgery to repair his UCL I was crushed.  Lamb was moving through the system quick, and he seemed to have the personality to be that top of the rotation starter with his tattoo sleeves and his natural swagger.  I still think Lamb can become a starter in a major league rotation for sure, although I don't know if he can be an ace anymore.  I need to see the velocity get back up into the 93-96 range or at least 90-94.  If he can get his velocity back up to those range of speeds he has the stuff to become a top of the rotation starter.

Joe Cox (4): John Lamb has been a prospect for a long time, and certainly does not deserve to be the fourth ranked prospect unless he can successfully come back from the Tommy John Surgery that sidelined him for much of 2011 and 2012.   A big reason his Royal Revival 2013 prospect ranking is so positive is because of me, as I still believe in the 22 year old lefty coming in to this season.

Lamb was added to the 40 man roster in November so the Royals could prevent losing him in the Rule 5 draft, and the hope is that he will regain some of his stuff that did not show up in his short stint last season.  His fastball was quite a bit slower being mostly in the high 80’s and low 90’s, but that is to be expected for a player coming back from TJS.  In 2013 it is expected that Lamb will begin the season in AA and Royals fans will be rooting for the once sure thing prospect.  If we see Lamb find his fastball in 2013, he should be ready to fight for a rotation spot in 2014.

Damion Mandalas (7): Entering 2010, Jarrod Parker was ranked by Baseball America as the #36 prospect in all of baseball. As a 20 year old in the season before he split time between High-A and Double-A and posted an ERA of 3.14 over 97 innings. Parker then missed all of 2010 due to Tommy John surgery on the UCL of his right elbow. The following offseason, Parker actually was bumped up the Baseball America rankings and came in at #33.

Entering 2011, John Lamb was ranked by Baseball America as the #18 prospect in all of baseball. As a 19 year old in the season before, he split time Low-A, High-A, and Double-A and posted an ERA of 2.38 of 147.2 innings. After 8 starts, Lamb then missed the remainder of 2011 due to Tommy John surgery on the UCL of his left elbow. The following offseason, Lamb disappeared entirely from Baseball America's top 100 prospect list.

I've found Lamb's drop in prospect status to be quite incredible. Of course, due to the timing of his Tommy John surgery and because of a setback in the rehab process over the last two seasons, the former fifth round pick has thrown just 64 innings. I can see why Lamb would have fallen off the list by now, but given the quickness in which his disappearing act occurred, I have to think many are underrated Lamb.

The big concern for Lamb right now is his velocity. If the velo can get back to 93-96, the upside is still there for him to one day perch at the top of a rotation. If the velocity only returns to 88-92, he could likely still carve out a career as a strong midrotation starter. However, if the velocity drops all the way to the 83-87 range, the hope of Lamb in future Royals rotations takes a huge hit.

In his last Spring Training start Lamb was said to have been working consistently at 90-91, the highest since 2010. Lamb should open the season in Northwest Arkansas. I'll do my best to give out some reports on how the velocity is returning. Lamb was added to the 40-man roster the summer, so if the stuff is back he should rise quick.

Dan Ware (7):  Along with Joe, I still have hope for John Lamb on making a strong comeback from TJ that sidelined him for most of the past 2 seasons.  John has been one of my favorite prospects since he was drafted in 2008.  Back in 2010, it was a bittersweet season for Lamb, as he dominated in Wilmington as a 19 year old, going 6-3 with 1.45 era.  Once he got the call to go to Arkansas, he experienced the jump to Double-A pretty roughly.  He put the 2010 campaign behind him and had a good comeback going into 2011 with a 3.09 era in just 35 IP before going under the knife.

As of right now, Lamb has no pressing issues.  Back to full health, yet velocity still hasn't returned to where it once was around (91-95), which was obviously expected, but isn't a concern to the Royals (Link).  Last Wednesday, the 20th, I read a tweet saying Lamb was sitting around 86-88, topping out at 89 mph, while his looping curve was around 66-68 mph.  Mechanics looked fine, just didn't have arm speed right now.  I think Lamb still has the ability to make the rotation next year, even if he doesn't get his full velocity back.  He'll definitely receive a warm welcome for his first start back with the Naturals.  

Total Points: 93

Royals Illustrated

Big Game James

With James Shield’s gracing the cover of one of the regional Sports Illustrated Baseball Previews – there are six total regional covers, the others featuring Justin Verlander, David Price, Clayton Kershaw, CC Sabathia, and Stephen Strasburg (although his had a page limit) – it made me 1) very excited for the season to start and 2) nostalgic for some of the other SI covers that Royals players have been on.

    So let’s take a stroll down memory lane and take a look at some good moments in Royals history:      

March 12th, 1984: George Brett

November 4th, 1985: Royals Win!

May 4th, 2009: Zach Grienke

   

June 21st, 1976: George Brett

April 5th, 1993: David Cone

March 20th, 1978: Clint Hurdle   

April 13th, 1981

June 9th, 1980: Darrell Porter

     

Oct 28th, 1985: World Series Preview                  June 12th, 1989: Bo Knows Magazines