Junius Worth
David Kerr
Charlie Nehl
gawlowskib
Andrew Martin
Jonathan C. Mitchell
johnczech
Daniel Marino
Michael Schwartze
mlbdirtstaff
Spencer Schneier
William J. Tasker
The Kansas City Royals traded the likes of Wil Myers, Jake Odorizzi, and Mike Montgomery and still have one of the deepest farm systems in all of baseball. The system is loaded with high potential players in the low minors that get scouts’ attention.
Below are our top 16 prospects with 2013 opening day age, position, and comments on each player. Below the top 16 is a small list of additional notable names. Enjoy.
| Player | Comments | |
| 1 | Kyle Zimmer (21-RHP) | Zimmer has a big time frame, powerful fastball, and all of the other tools to become a powerful, front of the rotation starting pitcher. His plus fastball sits in the mid 90s with great armside run and he locates the pitch well. He also has a hammer of a curveball that projects to be a plus pitch. He also throws a change that sits in the low 80s that projects to be an above-average pitch and a slider that he is working on that also has the makings of developing into a solid pitch. He commands all of his pitches well and should not take long to reach the majors. One of the biggest concerns with Zimmer is his health, but if he can stay healthy he should have a long career as a top of the rotation arm. -Michael Schwartze |
| 2 | Bubba Starling (20-OF) | The ceiling is limitless, with potential for 5 plus tools if he can develop them. The issue here is that he has very few skills. Bubba will need to make adjustments to succeed in full-season ball. -Spencer Schneier |
| 3 | Yordano Ventura (21-RHP) | Some people see a 100 mph reliever but I see a potential #2 starter who has the chance to bring his secondary pitches (change and curveball) into plus status if he can gain consistency. Durability will be his biggest challenge. -Jonathan C. Mitchell |
| 4 | Jorge Bonifacio (19-OF) | The younger brother of utility-man Emilio Bonifacio but completely different talent. Jorge has the potential for plus power and has enough arm to handle RF despite average range. He has a better approach than most teenagers and could be the Royals’ rightfielder once Jeff Francouer leaves town. -JCM |
| 5 | Adalberto Mondesi (17-SS) | The son of former Dodger Raul Mondesi, Adalberto is a different type of player although he carries the plus arm with him. He has plus range and great instincts and feel for the game. He has the chance to develop a plus hit tool and steal a lot of bases while playing plus defense at short. He is still a long way from his ceiling but other than the power he could be plus across the board. -JCM |
| 6 | Jason Adam (21-RHP) | Adam has an ideal starter’s build and has the durability you’d want in a starter. His fastball sits low-90s but he knows how to use it and pairs it with a potentially plus curveball and potentially above-average change-up. His ceiling might be as a #3 starter and I see his floor being a starter in Majors. -JCM |
| 7 | Orlando Calixte (21-SS) | Calixte is a glove-first shortstop who carries some pop in his bat but an approach that is far too aggressive and higher levels will exploit that. He has time to figure things out and has the upside of an above-average regular and the floor of at least a defensive shortstop in the Majors. -JCM |
| 8 | Miguel Almonte (20-RHP) | Almonte lacks the ideal body type but he is still has room to add muscle for durability and his delivery is smooth and he repeats it well, lending to the thought that he should have no problem starting and using his plus fastball/change-up combo an excellent control to attack hitters. The sky is the limit but he has yet to pitch in full-season ball. -JCM |
| 9 | Cheslor Cuthbert (21-3B) | Cuthbert had an ugly 2012 season and his prospect stock has taken a bit of a hit. His power seemed to have taken a step back last year and he was not as patient at the plate. He was young for the Carolina league and it is not time to write him off just yet. He still has a good bat at the plate and has solid tools defensively. He could develop into a solid regular at third base but it may take some time for him to reach his potential. -MS |
| 10 | Sam Selman (22-LHP) | His fastball currently sits in the low 90s but his 6’3” frame has room to add muscle and velocity. His slider and change-up are only average but have the chance for more with improved command. I like his chances at sticking in the rotation. -JCM |
| 11 | Kyle Smith (20-RHP) | Smith is only 6’0” tall with a fastball that varies from the high 80s to the low 90s and can touch 94. His curveball is plus and his change-up could be as well but there are doubts about his ability to remain a starter and I doubt the leash is as long on him as it is with other small starters. -JCM |
| 12 | John Lamb (22-LHP) | Only time will tell if he regains his velocity after Tommy John surgery sidelined him but he has four pitches that are at least average and above-average control and command. His 2013 season will help him regain some durability as he looks to compete for a rotation spot in 2014. -JCM |
| 13 | Elier Hernandez (18-OF) | Gifted with plus bat speed and a good arm he fits the mold of a potential prototypical rightfielder. He is still incredibly raw and has a long way to go to reach his ceiling but potentially plus power is in that bat with some proper coaching. -JCM |
| 14 | Humberto Arteaga (19-SS) | A legit shortstop with good athleticism, Arteaga is a good prospect on that alone. If his athleticism can get him some value at the plate he could shoot up lists. -SS |
| 15 | Christian Colon (23-2B) | Although Colon was the fourth player chosen in the 2010 draft, he has no one truly above average skill. However, that doesn’t mean he won’t be a useful major league player. Primarily a shortstop thus far in his career, the 23-year-old profiles more as a second baseman at the major league level.He is average in almost every way; from his glove to his bat. That may not sound exciting, but a second baseman who can hit in the range of .260-.270 with 10 home runs and 12 steals can be a very valuable, especially for a budget-conscious team like the Royals. -Andrew Martin Christian Colon Interview. |
| 16 | Cam Gallagher (20-C) | With a chance to hit for some average and pop, the question that will define him as a prospect is as follows: can he catch? -SS Cam Gallagher Interview. |
A few more: Bryan Brickhouse (RHP), Alexis Rivera (OF), Robinson Yambati (RHP)
Be sure to follow @Mike_Schwartze, @FigureFilbert, @HistorianAndrew and @BaseballSpencer on Twitter, all of whom collaborated to put together these rankings.
Filed under: On the Farm - Prospects Tagged: | 2013 Top Prospects, Adalberto Mondesi, Alexis Rivera, Bryan Brickhouse, Bubba Starling, Cam Gallagher, Cheslor Cuthbert, Christian Colon, Elier Hernandez, Humberto Arteaga, Jason Adam, John Lamb, Jorge Bonifacio, Kansas City Royals, Kyle Smith, Kyle Zimmer, Miguel Almonte, Orlando Calixte, Prospects, Robinson Yambati, Sam Selman, Yordano Ventura
