MARCH 12th,
2013-There's one thing for Legends fans to keep in mind as
Opening Day creeps ever closer. In terms of judging the sort of
talent we can expect to see here in Class A, it's the most important
detail to consider.
Over the past 7 years, few
teams have had a deeper or more talented minor league system than the
KC Royals. The latest pool of players is certainly no exception; they
only serve to reinforce this growing reputation.
As I mentioned in the last
post, the Legends faithful can safely anticipate seeing a talented
lineup from top to bottom hitting the field at Whitaker Bank
Ballpark, this year and the next. In addition to the aforementioned
players, there are still more who will either join them immediately
or follow close behind. In this post, I take a quick look at more
position players we can expect to see at The Bank:
Hitters
Humberto
Arteaga, SS, Burlington Royals (Rookie, Appalachian League)
Born:
1/23/1994 in Caracas, Venezuela
Bats:
Right Throws: Right
Ht:
6'1” Wt: 160
Drafted:
Signed as Free Agent
2012:
58
games, 262 PA, 40 runs, 64 hits, 13 doubles, 2 HR, 29 RBI, 7 SB, .274
BA, .694 OPS
Arteaga
more than held his own in the Appy League last year as an 18 year
old, batting .274 against talent slightly older than he. He's
rail-thin but highly projectable, and his wiry strentgh and
above-average speed allowed him to score 40 runs and even steal a few
bags. He couldn't buy a walk, but that's likely due more to youthful
impatience than poor pitch selection. He plays within himself and
doesn't try to do more with the ball than he's able, and he will
probably steal a few more bases as he learns to be a better
baserunner. The glove was greatly improved from 2011; where he had
made 15 errors at short in 47 games, he cut that number by 6 in 11
more games in a slightly more advanced rookie-level league.
Kenny
Diekroger, 2B-SS, Burlington Royals (Rookie, Appalachian League)
Born:
11/5/1990 in Woodside, California
Bats:
Right Throws: Right
Ht:
6'2” Wt: 190
Drafted:
4th round, 2012 MLB Draft, from Stanford University
2012:
52
games, 222 PA, 21 runs, 42 hits, 6 doubles, 8 HR, 33 RBI, 5 SB, 18
BB, 60 SO, .208 BA, .641 OPS
Previously
drafted in the 2nd round by Tampa Bay out of Menlo HS in
Atherton, CA, Diekroger struggled mightily in his first year of pro
ball. His BA actually climbed from .222 in 36 June AB, as he hit .253
in July. The wheels fell off in August, however, as he hit an anemic
.152 for the month. He did bat .258 with RISP, and strangely his
average was far higher in road games (.266 on the road vs. .171 at
home). He led Stanford in BA as a freshman with a .356 mark and tied
for the team lead in RBI with 41, becoming the first freshman to do
so. In that season he was named PAC 10 Freshman of the Year and made
First Team All-PAC 10, as well. The promise is there, certainly. He
appears to have little projectability remaining, physically. He plays
a steady second base, and can switch over to the other side of the
bag at short, if needed. Will likely stay at second but could move to
third in the future. At this early stage, he could prove to be a
valuable role-player for Lexington. If he can cut down significantly
on the strikeouts he will probably pay bigger dividends in the power
department, but this may take some time. David Coleman over at The Crawfish Boxes did a good article on Diekroger which will tell you a lot more about him.
Fred
Ford, RF, Burlington Royals (Rookie, Appalachian League)
Born:
4/10/1992 in St. Peters, Missouri
Bats:
Right Throws: Right
Ht:
6'5” Wt: 200
Drafted:
KC Royals, 7th Round, 2012 MLB Draft from Jefferson
College (Hillsboro, MO)
2012:
62
games, 254 PA, 38 runs, 53 hits, 11 doubles, 13 HR, 35 RBI, 5 SB, 36
BB, 83 SO, .248 BA, .362 OBP, .853 OPS
This
is one big dude. The thought with hitters who are as big as Ford is
that there's too big a strike zone for them to cover without always
racking up a lot of strikeouts, and that may ultimately be the case
with Ford. The reason I would argue against that is that, along with
the strikeouts (in August he went down on Ks in nearly HALF his ABs),
he has shown a great deal of patience and drawn more than enough
walks to make you think he can force the pitchers to throw him
strikes. With 13 homers and 35 RBI in 62 games, you can see what
often happens when they do pitch to him. He is noticeably more
athletic, fast and agile than one might first think for a player his
size. I'm not so worried about the BA, but Class A pitchers are a bit
tougher than Rookie League hurlers, so he may need to adjust on the
fly. He may even end up starting the year back in Burlington to work
out the kinks, hanging back in extended spring training until the
Appy League starts, but I think he'd be better off coming to
Lexington to start the year. He's plenty young enough to step back to
the Appy, if necessary, and not lose any time development-wise.
Either way, Ford draws high marks for his athleticism, strong work
ethic and coachability, and by most accounts Kansas City is fortunate
to have grabbed him up before he went to another team. Watch
this kid.
Cameron
Gallagher, C, Burlington Royals (Rookie, Appalachian League)
Born:
12/6/1992 in Lancaster, PA
Bats:
Right Throws: Right
Ht:
6'3” Wt: 210
Drafted:
KC Royals, 2nd Round, 2011 MLB Draft from Manheim Township
HS (Lancaster, PA)
2012:
36
games, 139 PA, 13 runs, 35 hits, 10 doubles, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 10 BB, 16
SO, .276 BA, .331 OBP, .756 OPS
Defense:
212
total chances, 191 PO, 19 assists, 2 errors, 26% caught stealing rate
Here's
another intriguing player to add to the mix. The son of former pro
pitcher Glenn Gallagher and brother to current Dodgers prospect
Austin Gallagher, Cameron has spent time at all three of KC's
rookie-level teams and there seems to be little reason to send him
back to Burlington this year. The one exception could be his trouble
throwing out baserunners. This will improve with time, and he should
also develop at least average power for his position. He actually has
a good arm; it's more a matter of getting accustomed to the pro game.
I wouldn't expect that he'll struggle too mightily with that.
Terrance
Gore, OF, Burlington Royals (Rookie, Appalachian League)
Born:
6/8/1991 in Macon, GA
Bats:
Right Throws: Right
Ht:
5'7” Wt: 165
Drafted:
KC Royals, 20th Round, 2011 MLB Draft from Gulf Coast
Comm. College (Panama City, FL)
2012:
61
games, 276 PA, 50 runs, 58 hits, 4 doubles, 2 triples, 13 RBI, 36 SB,
36 BB, 52 SO, .256 BA, .379 OBP
Speed
is Gore's game, most definitely. Problem is, it doesn't yet seem that
there's a whole lot more to his offense than that. Four doubles and 0
homers as a 21 year-old hitter in the Appy League is cause for
concern, especially as he advances to face stronger pitching. At his
size, his role is as a slap-hitting leadoff type, but if he struggles
against better pitching he could likely find himself batting at the
bottom of the order, limiting his chances to steal. He already draws
a lot of walks and makes the very most of his run-scoring
opportunities, and should continue to do so as he climbs the ladder.
I'm thinking that, at worst, Gore could be a great bench hitter and
late-inning pinch-runner. If he can manage to add a little weight to
his 5'7” frame, he could end up being a doubles machine with 25-30
SB annually. That's a good player to have on any team.
Alex
Hudak, OF, Burlington Royals (Rookie, Appalachian League)
Born:
4/7/1990 in Mansfield, OH
Bats:
Left Throws: Right
Ht:
5'11” Wt: 210
Drafted:
2012:
33
games, 123 PA, 13 runs, 30 hits, 13 doubles, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 1 SB, 11
BB, 39 SO, .275 BA, .350 OBP, .722 OPS
I
barely know anything about this kid, and I already like him. An
excellent student (summa cum laude at Mount Dora HS, 3.3 GPA at FAU
as a public communications major), a locker room jokester (quote
machine for such movies as Step Brothers and a huge Family Guy fan),
and an accomplished amateur player (2nd Team
All-Conference), Hudak is a solid physical specimen with a
lightning-quick bat and a hustler's approach on the field. Last
season was a fair indication of his potential, as he racked up 13
doubles and reached base at a .350 clip. If he doesn't start the year
at Lexington, I can't imagine any reason why he'd be away for long.
He strikes me as the kind of player who will do whatever is asked him
to put his team in the win column, though his burgeoning power and
bat speed will likely put him in a lot of RISP situations. I don't
see him being asked to bunt an awful lot, is what I'm saying here.
Mark
Threlkeld, 1B, Burlington Royals (Rookie, Appalachian League)
Born:
5/2/1990 in Riverside, CA
Bats:
Right Throws: Right
Ht:
6'3” Wt: 205
Drafted:
KC Royals, 25th Round, 2011 MLB Draft from Louisiana Tech
University (Ruston, LA)
2012:
62
games, 240 PA, 37 runs, 62 hits, 18 doubles, 10 HR, 40 RBI, 15 BB, 40
SO, .283 BA, .333 OBP, .863 OPS
Threlkeld
hit .335 with 14 homers and 62 RBI (team-best) as a sophomore in 2010
and made First-Team All-Western Athletic Conference as a result. He
made 2nd-team the next year, leading La. Tech with 71 hits
and 45 runs. He graduated from HS as class valedictorian and 1st-Team
All-State, as yet another excellent student-athlete targeted by KC's
astute scouting department. Threlkeld projects to have avg-plus power
at the higher levels, and while he has already demonstrated solid
power numbers he has also managed to keep the strikeouts to a
reasonable level. His defense at first base is already strong, and
should continue to remain so. The Royals may have found a diamond in
the rough in Threlkeld, considering he was a 25th round
pick.
