KANSAS CITY ROYALS
| I love these Royals. They have a good player at every position; some of the kids will need to improve a bit, but I expect that they will. The pitching is spotty, as is everybody's, but Rosado looks like a legitimate ace. The bullpen was a disaster in 1999, and remains their biggest weakness; they will need some young pitchers to step in a fix the damage. It should be a good year in Kansas City, and a playoff run is not farfetched. |
| CARLOS BELTRAN (CF, 23, S) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 A 120 419 96 15 4 11 57 46 46 96 229 311 363 17 7 1998 AA 47 182 64 13 3 14 50 44 23 30 352 427 687 7 1 1999 KC 156 663 194 27 7 22 112 108 46 123 293 337 454 27 8 |
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Had a solid rookie season, though he was a bit overhyped.
Comparions to Fred Lynn in 1975 were silly; Juan Samuel in 1984
would be much more accurate. Like Samuel, Beltran does a lot of
things well, but not exceptionally well. He has some power, but not
a lot; he hits for a decent average, stole a few bases. His K/BB
ratio is mediocre, but not as bad as Samuel's was. Beltran is very young, and it will interest me to see how he develops; his minor league statistics don't give much of a clue to how good he can be. One big advantage he has over Samuel is that he is a good defensive centre fielder, instead of a bad second baseman. He should have a long career. |
| RICKY BOTTALICO (31, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 PHI 2 5 69 0 0 0 34 74 68 42 89 365 1998 PHI 1 5 39 0 0 0 6 43 54 25 27 644 1999 STL 3 7 68 0 0 0 20 73 83 49 66 491 |
| Bottalico rebounded from injury problems to become the Cardinals' closer. He didn't pitch very well, and I wouldn't want him to close games for my team. But if he stays healthy he might be able to settle down into a role in middle relief. I don't anticipate many good years in his future. |
| DEE BROWN (OF, 22, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 A 73 298 97 20 6 13 67 73 38 65 326 404 564 17 4 1998 A 128 442 114 30 2 10 64 58 53 115 258 347 403 26 10 1999 AA 65 235 83 14 3 12 58 56 35 41 353 440 591 10 8 |
| After failing to make a move in 1998, Brown tore up the minors last year. He is perhaps the Royals' best prospect, and got a taste of The Show at the end of last season. He is very young; Brown should start this season in Triple-A, but the long-range prospects look great. |
| TIM BYRDAK (26, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 A 4 3 22 2 0 0 3 41 34 12 47 351 1998 AA-AAA 5 6 60 0 0 0 3 89 89 48 69 345 1999 AAA 0 4 33 0 0 0 4 50 39 28 51 181 |
| Byrdak pitched well in Omaha last year, but struggled with the Royals. He has some talent, but his control is not good, and he will have to walk fewer batters to succeed in the majors. I think he has proven all that he can at Triple-A; the Royals have to give him a job in middle relief, and hope that he can establish himself. |
| LANCE CARTER (25, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 A-AA 4 5 43 3 0 0 7 92 84 23 98 214 1999 AA 5 2 44 0 0 0 13 70 49 27 77 078 |
| I can find no record of Carter pitching anywhere in 1997, and I assume he was injured. The past two seasons would seem to indicate that he can pitch; last year was the third time that Carter has had an ERA under 1.00. The Royals don't have a great bullpen, so obviously Carter will get a long look. If he is healthy, he should be very good. |
| JOHNNY DAMON (OF, 26, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 KC 146 472 130 12 8 8 70 48 42 70 275 338 386 16 10 1998 KC 161 642 178 30 10 18 104 66 58 84 277 339 439 26 12 1999 KC 145 583 179 39 9 14 101 77 67 50 307 379 477 36 6 |
| In 1999 he was, for the first time, a formidable player. It took several years of waiting, but his average and walks were way up, his strikeouts were down, and his base stealing was greatly improved. If he maintains this level of play, he should have a long career. Damon is also young enough to take another step forward, but history suggests that we shouldn't heap too many expectations on him. |
| TODD DUNWOODY (OF, 25, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 FLO 19 50 13 2 2 2 7 7 7 21 260 362 500 2 0 1998 FLO 116 434 109 27 7 5 53 28 21 113 251 292 380 5 1 1999 FLO 64 186 41 6 3 2 20 20 12 41 220 270 317 3 4 |
| Dunwoody had a wretched season last year, and was sent back to the minors. His plate discipline is awful, and will always impair his development at the plate; look for him to last a few years as a fourth outfielder. I doubt he will ever be a regular again. |
| CHAD DURBIN (22, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 A 5 8 26 26 0 0 0 145 157 53 116 479 1998 A 10 7 26 26 0 0 0 148 126 59 162 293 1999 AA 8 10 28 27 1 1 0 157 154 49 122 464 |
| Durbin is a very young pitcher who pitched in one game for the Royals. He is a great young prospect who will spend the year at Triple-A, but will be outstanding in the future. If he stays healthy, that is. |
| JERMAINE DYE (RF, 26, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 KC 75 263 62 14 0 7 26 22 17 51 236 284 369 2 1 1998 KC 60 214 50 5 1 5 24 23 11 46 234 270 336 2 2 1999 KC 158 608 179 44 8 27 96 119 58 119 294 354 526 2 3 |
| It took a while, but he finally had a big season. Dye has lots of positives, including a strong throwing arm. He is still young, and could still improve in a number of areas if he stays healthy. He should remain a quality player for several more years. |
| SAL FASANO (CA, 29, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 KC 74 216 49 10 0 8 21 31 10 56 227 307 384 1 0 1999 KC 23 60 14 2 0 5 11 16 7 17 233 373 517 0 1 |
| Fasano has been a backup catcher with the Royals for a few years now, but a career .219 average got him back in the minors in 1999. He had a well-timed power surge at Omaha, which should get him a job in 2000. If he keeps hitting home runs, he could be around a few more years. |
| CARLOS FEBLES (2B, 24, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 A 122 438 104 27 6 3 78 29 51 95 237 333 347 49 11 1998 AA 126 432 141 28 9 14 110 52 80 70 326 441 530 51 16 |
| Febles was another Royal rookie who had a good year. He can run, but also showed some decent power. He also appears to have good knowledge of the strike zone, which will aid significantly in his development as a hitter. Young second basemen have a tendency to get hurt, but if he stays healthy Febles should be a fine player for the next ten years. |
| CHRIS FUSSELL (24, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 A 3 3 9 9 1 1 0 50 42 31 54 396 1998 AA-AAA 8 9 28 28 0 0 0 152 137 80 135 414 1999 AAA 10 3 14 13 1 1 0 81 66 27 80 354 |
| Fussell is a good young pitcher with the Royals. He pitched very badly in his rookie year, but will undoubtedly get a second chance. He should probably start the season in long relief; I like his chances to have a good year. |
| RAY HOLBERT (IF, 30, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AAA 109 372 90 18 7 7 43 37 32 109 242 307 384 16 7 1998 AAA 86 266 82 17 4 2 38 25 29 66 308 376 425 10 5 |
| Holbert has been in the minor leagues for a long time, and occasionally gets a chance in The Show. Last year, he set a career high in almost everything. He's a decent utility man, could play for any team in the league in a limited role. |
| BRIAN JOHNSON (CA, 32, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 DET-SF 101 318 83 13 3 13 32 45 19 45 261 303 443 1 1 1998 SF 99 308 73 8 1 13 34 34 28 67 237 310 396 0 2 1999 CIN 45 117 27 7 0 5 12 18 9 31 231 286 419 0 0 |
| Johnson is a catcher with power who occasionally goes on a hot streak. He is okay, but is getting older, and I don't think his defensive skills are enough to sustain his career after his average dips below .200. Will probably be out of the league within a couple of years. |
| BRETT LAXTON (26, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 A 11 5 29 22 0 0 0 139 141 50 121 299 1998 AA 11 4 21 21 0 0 0 130 109 79 82 340 1999 AAA 13 8 25 25 3 1 0 161 158 49 112 346 |
| Laxton started a couple of games with Oakland after a fine season at Vancouver. He has pitched well at every level of ball, and I would expect him to be a solid major league pitcher. |
| DAVID LUNDQUIST (27, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 A 3 1 20 6 0 0 0 48 65 23 39 675 1998 AA-AAA 4 1 45 0 0 0 12 56 40 22 53 338 |
| Lundquist was hoping to have break through with a good rookie season, but was a disaster instead. He is a minor league veteran, has been up and down over the years; at this stage in his career, it is unlikely that he will be able to establish himself as a quality pitcher. |
| ORBER MORENO (23, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 A 4 8 27 25 0 0 0 138 150 45 128 481 1998 AA 0 1 24 0 0 0 7 34 28 12 40 288 1999 AAA 3 1 16 0 0 0 4 26 17 4 30 210 |
| Moreno is a young pitcher with the Royals who has pitched brilliantly since he was moved to the bullpen in 1998. He had a great start at Omaha last year, but his season was ruined by "bicep tendinitis" in his arm. This could mean anything; Duane Ward had "bicep tendinitis" in 1994, and never pitched again. Moreno appears to be a great young pitcher, but I am skeptical about his future. |
| DAN MURRAY (26, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 A 12 10 30 24 4 2 0 156 150 55 91 345 1998 AA 11 6 27 27 1 1 0 164 153 54 159 318 1999 AAA 12 10 29 27 3 1 0 145 149 70 96 497 |
| Murray was a Mets' prospect who had a great year in 1998. Last season he struggled at Norfolk, and was dealt to the Royals. If he is healthy he will probably become a decent pitcher; I wouldn't expect to see him in the big leagues until at least mid-season. |
| SCOTT POSE (OF, 33, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 NYY 54 87 19 2 1 0 19 5 9 11 218 292 264 3 1 1999 KC 86 137 39 3 0 0 27 12 21 22 285 377 307 6 2 |
| A veteran minor league outfielder, Pose re-materialized with the Royals last season, and was good. Obviously he has little future, but his combination of walks and speed make him a good spare outfielder. |
| MARK QUINN (OF, 26, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 A 87 299 92 22 3 16 51 71 42 47 308 400 562 3 2 1998 AA 100 372 130 26 6 16 82 84 43 54 349 424 581 4 1 1999 AAA 107 428 154 27 0 25 67 84 28 69 360 409 598 7 9 |
| Hmmmm. Quinn has been a one-man wrecking machine the past three years, but the Royals seem to be in no hurry to give him a job. He is already 26 years old, and his time has come. I am hesitant to suggest that Quinn has stardom in his future, but I certainly would not be shocked if he drove in 100 runs next year. A Royal lineup of Quinn, Beltran, Dye, Sweeney, Damon and Febles (and maybe Brown) could be a little scary. |
| JASON RAKERS (27, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 A 8 5 17 17 2 2 0 103 93 18 105 307 1998 AAA 8 6 21 21 1 0 0 126 134 38 98 457 1999 AAA 7 8 23 20 1 0 0 132 151 31 85 492 |
| A prospect with the Indians, Rakers has good control and good strikeout rates, but hasn't had too much success. Time is starting to run out on him, but if he stays healthy I think that Rakers will eventually have a good season in the big leagues, probably not as a starter. |
| JOE RANDA (3B, 30, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 PIT 126 443 134 27 9 7 58 60 41 64 302 366 451 4 2 1998 DET 138 460 117 21 2 9 56 50 41 70 254 323 367 8 7 1999 KC 156 628 197 36 8 16 92 84 50 80 314 363 473 5 4 |
| At first glance, his numbers look surprising. 197 hits? 84 RBI? Joe Randa? But he is a career .290 hitter; his numbers were about the same as they were in 1997, only with more at bats. He has probably had his best season, but has hit .300 three times in his career, and could easily do it again. A quality player. |
| JEFF REBOULET (IF, 36, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 BAL 99 228 54 9 0 4 26 27 23 44 237 307 329 3 0 1998 BAL 79 126 31 6 0 1 20 8 19 34 246 351 317 0 1 1999 BAL 99 154 25 4 0 0 25 4 33 29 162 317 188 1 0 |
| A utility infielder with a good defensive reputation, the Orioles have felt no compulsion to replace Reboulet to this point. He is turning 36, and hit .162 last year, which makes me think that his career should be in danger. Even if he makes a big comeback, he'll still hit only .230. |
| DAN REICHERT (24, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 A 3 4 9 9 0 0 0 38 40 16 39 284 1998 AA-AAA 2 5 11 11 0 0 0 53 66 31 35 810 1999 AAA 9 2 17 17 1 0 0 112 92 50 123 371 |
| Reichert pitched brilliantly at Omaha last season, but his major league debut was an ugly one. He has been inconsistent thus far, but is very young, and should be outstanding within a couple of seasons. |
| BRAD RIGBY (27, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 AAA 5 6 13 13 0 0 0 70 86 17 34 594 |
| Rigby is a control pitcher, a big guy who doesn't get too many strikeouts. He was okay last season, and might have a good year in long relief, but I doubt it. |
| JOSE ROSADO (25, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 KC 9 12 33 33 2 0 0 203 208 73 129 469 1998 KC 8 11 38 25 2 1 1 174 180 57 135 469 1999 KC 10 14 33 33 5 0 0 208 197 72 141 385 |
| Rosado was an All-Star in his rookie season in 1996; he struggled the next two seasons, but last year was outstanding, despite the losing record. Most importantly, Rosado has stayed healthy; he is still very young, and will be among the best pitchers in the league for many years. |
| REY SANCHEZ (SS, 32, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 CHC-NYY 135 343 94 21 0 2 35 27 16 47 274 307 353 4 6 1998 SF 109 316 90 14 2 2 44 30 16 47 285 325 361 0 0 1999 KC 134 479 141 18 6 2 66 56 22 48 294 329 370 11 5 |
| Sanchez is a veteran utility infielder who occasionally gets a job as a regular. Last season was the best of his career; he set career-highs in almost everything, and played brilliantly in the field. His lifetime batting average is .273, and if he hits that he is a quality player. If he hits below that mark, he is probably better suited to being a bench player. |
| JOSE SANTIAGO (25, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 AA 2 1 22 0 0 0 3 27 32 8 12 400 1998 AA 3 4 52 0 0 0 22 72 79 27 31 361 |
| A young pitcher with the Royals, Santiago had a solid rookie season in middle relief, despite being bothered by soreness in his arm. Look for him to increase his workload and strikeout rate in 2000; if he doesn't, I wouldn't expect much of a career from him. |
| JERRY SPRADLIN (33, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 PHI 4 8 76 0 0 0 1 82 86 27 67 474 1998 PHI 4 4 69 0 0 0 1 81 63 20 76 353 1999 CLE-SF 3 1 63 0 0 0 0 61 65 32 54 487 |
| Spradlin had a disappointing season after a great 1998 campaign; his control was off, and both his walks and hits were way up. He is a solid middle reliever, but in view of his advancing age and his decline last season, I wouldn't expect much from him in 2000. |
| BLAKE STEIN (27, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 AA 11 9 29 29 1 0 0 168 164 69 139 454 |
| Stein's second season was an improvement on the first, though I still am not impressed with him. He is big, and has pitched well at times in the minors, but has also been inconsistent. Will likely be a .500 pitcher at best, probably doesn't have many years in the rotation ahead of him. |
| JEFF SUPPAN (25, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 BOS 7 3 23 22 0 0 0 112 140 36 67 569 1998 ARI-KC 1 7 17 14 1 0 0 79 91 22 51 572 1999 KC 10 12 32 32 4 1 0 209 222 62 103 453 |
| Suppan was once a fine prospect for the Red Sox, but his career was suffering after a string of ugly seasons. Last year he rebounded with a fine season with the Royals. He's a wait-and-see kind of guy; if his strikeouts go up next year he will be around a while; if not, his success will be limited. |
| MAC SUZUKI (25, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 AAA 4 9 32 10 0 0 0 83 79 64 63 594 1998 AAA 9 10 28 21 2 1 0 132 130 70 117 437 |
| Suzuki's rookie season was an ugly one. His control was poor, as it has been in previous seasons. He has had little success in the minors. I doubt that he is ever going to be much of pitcher, but he might stick around as a spot starter. |
| MIKE SWEENEY (1B, 27, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 KC 84 240 58 8 0 7 30 31 17 33 242 306 363 3 2 1998 KC 92 282 73 18 0 8 32 35 24 38 259 320 408 2 3 1999 KC 150 575 185 44 2 22 101 102 54 48 322 387 520 6 1 |
| The Royals tried to make him into a catcher for several years, then gave up and stuck him at first base. He responded with a very good year. Sweeney is still young, and should continue to play well. If he has another big year in 2000, he will make himself a rich a man. |
| DEREK WALLACE (29, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 AAA 5 2 54 0 0 0 16 60 58 27 50 388 1999 AAA 2 5 36 0 0 0 7 55 53 25 38 360 |
| Wallace is a minor league journeyman, has resurrected his career after missing almost the entire 1997 season. He pitched well at Norfolk last year, and got into a few games with Kansas City. Very limited future, might stick in middle relief. |
| JAY WITASICK (28, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 OAK 1 3 7 3 0 0 0 27 36 15 29 633 1999 KC 9 12 32 28 1 1 0 158 191 83 102 557 |
| Witasick spent a full year in the starting rotation, and posted the best ERA of his career. He really isn't a very good pitcher, and isn't likely to last another year in the rotation unless the team is very bad. |
| GREGG ZAUN (CA, 29, S) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 FLO 58 143 43 10 2 2 21 20 26 18 301 415 441 1 0 1998 FLO 106 298 56 12 2 5 19 29 35 52 188 273 292 5 2 1999 TEX 43 93 23 2 1 1 12 12 10 7 247 314 323 1 0 |
| Zaun rescued his career by playing fairly well in a limited role, backing up Rodriguez in Texas. His lifetime batting average is .236, and I would expect him to hit around there this season. He isn't going to get any better. |