MAY 3rd, 2013-As the first month of the season comes to a close, there
have been some interesting developments in Lexington. Some players
have dug themselves out of early slumps, some have caught fire, and
some are off to a slow start. I suppose one could say that about
every team in the league, but I'm not concerned with every team; I'm
about our Legends.
(All stats up to date as of April 30th)
In the infield:
Cam Gallagher, C
16 games, 56 AB, 15 H, 6
2B, 5 RBI, 3 K, .268 BA, .300 OBP, .675 OPS, 1 error
Gallagher has been
splitting time behind the plate with Jin-Ho Shin, whose overall
numbers nearly mirror Gallagher's. The powerfully-built receiver has
at least average-plus power potential, and already makes such
frequent contact that opposing pitchers have managed to send him back
on strikes only three times, thus far. He could stand to draw a few
more walks, here and there (2 total on the season), but when you're
putting the ball in play nearly every time you go to the plate it
doesn't matter a whole lot how many walks you take. Cam has a solid
arm and handles his pitchers well; I've mentioned his 'quiet
leadership' several times now, and he's shown himself to be exactly
that type. I had expected a bit more in the power department, but
we're only a month into 2013 so let's wait and see how things
develop. Cam is currently on the 7-day DL after suffering a broken
hand in Asheville, the result of a misplaced fastball.
Jin-Ho Shin, C
17 games, 55 AB, 14 H, 4
2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 12 BB, 16 K, .255 BA, .388 OBP, .770 OPS
Shin's playing time has
increased of late, due to Gallagher's injury. The Royals
organization's first-ever Korean-born player has acquitted himself
well thus far, with 4 doubles and 7 runs scored in 55 at-bats. Trivia
bit for you: Shin hit the very first homer at Whitaker Bank Ballpark
for the newly-assigned Royals affiliate. It was quite a shot, too;
well over the LF bleachers. Shin is not quite as mobile behind the
plate as Gallagher, and his lateral movement is just a tick below his
as well, but he's been blocking balls in the dirt pretty well and
does a solid job of watching and controlling the running game. With
time and experience, he should at least become a valuable backup.
Fred Ford, 1B
25 games, 4 2B, 2 HR, 7
RBI, 17 BB, 35 K, .179 BA, .323 OBP
Ford has struggled
mightily at the plate (.179 BA in 25 games, 35 strikeouts), but he's
held down the first bag well and shown promise with the bat despite
the numbers. When he does make contact, it's usually hard contact. As
with all players of great height (Ford is 6'5”), Ford has a lot of
strike zone to protect. Taller players sometimes take more time to
become consistent hitters, since they have more of a zone to exploit.
Ford is also in his first year of full-season ball, and between these
two factors he may just take a bit longer to come around. Still one
to watch; there's great power potential here.
Humberto Arteaga,
2B
23 games, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 2
BB, 17 K, .138 BA, .156 OBP
OK, the offensive numbers
are horrible. But like I said before in previous posts, Arteaga is
quite the glove man. He's going to see a lot of innings in the field
because of his smooth actions, soft hands and plus arm (at 2nd
base), and his pairing with Mondesi at short has to be one of the
best in the whole Sally League (if not THE best). I do believe there
will be some production here at the plate, but he's not going to be
known for his bat. It doesn't matter much when you're that good with
the leather.
Raul Mondesi, SS
24 games, 9 runs, 24 hits,
5 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 11 BB, 26 K, 3 SB, .261 BA, .333 OBP, .746
OPS
If you don't know about
this kid yet, then you're not paying attention. The more I see him in
the field, the more I wish ESPN would send a camera crew to the
Bluegrass. Now there are a lot of talented guys here, and there have
been quite a few flashy plays in the field, but Mondesi has certainly
stood out both for his age (17) and his stunning range.
As I mentioned before,
he's going to have to learn to harness that range to keep from
drifting into second base territory or shallow right-center (both of
which he has done several times). The thing is, he makes even those
plays; that doesn't mean he should, though. He'll come around.
What's surprising to me is the fact that he's leading the team in
RBI. I expected him to develop some pop (at least a modest amount),
but not to become a run producer as the youngest player on his team.
Michael Antonio, 3B
23 games, 84 AB, 17 hits,
3 2B, 8 RBI, 3 BB, 18 K, .202 BA, .236 OBP
One of the lesser-known
prospects in the Royals system, Antonio has had some struggles of his
own at the plate. Ranked the 16th best prospect in KC's
system going into 2012, Antonio has shown some power in 2010 and 2011
(AZL Royals and Burlington, respectively), but in 123 games at Kane
County last year he hit only .213. It was still relatively productive
season for him, with 23 doubles and 64 RBI, while his strikeout total
was appreciably low (79). This indicates that Antonio makes frequent
contact but has yet to develop consistently solid contact. His
learning curve may be steeper than one would expect from a player
with his previous assessment, but he'll come around. One very
promising stat (though a small sample size): he's batted .333 with
runners in scoring position (21 at-bats).
In the outfield:
Terrance Gore, LF
25 games, 84 AB, 21 H, 4
2B, 1 3B, 9 RBI, 14 SB, .250 BA, .330 OBP
I'm very high on this kid.
You may have noticed that from some of my previous posts. I mean,
what's not to like here? Compact and powerfully built, Gore displays
the kind of speed we should consider ourselves lucky to have in
Lexington. Indeed, ANY team would love to have this sort of base
stealer in their lineup. If I seem sort of over-the-top in my praise,
I invite you to watch him closely over the course of a few games.
Then tell me what you think.
Gore covers tons of ground
in left, and would likely be in center if Bubba Starling were not
already there. He is, essentially, death to flyballs. I've watched
him make several shoestring catches, spear short liners on a dive,
and nearly eat brick while running down flies in foul territory. On
that subject: what may not be fully appreciated about Gore's game is
that he's a very physical player. He puts his body through a lot of
battering in order to play the sort of style he has adopted as his
own, and that sort of play can catch up with you (unless you're Pete
Rose). So far, Gore has shown no signs of slowing down, and while he
already has 14 steals in 25 games that pace could actually increase
in the coming months. If he remains in Lexington for a full season,
he has every chance to steal 100 bags. I absolutely stand by that
assessment. Watch him sometime, and see if you agree.
Bubba Starling, CF
24 games, 87 AB, 13 R, 17
H, 4 2B, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 7 BB, 33 K, .195 BA, .263 OBP, .642 OPS
Before you judge the
overall numbers, it's important to note that a couple of weeks ago
Bubba was hovering near .100 on his batting average. He's hit .263 in
his last ten games, with 3 homers, 2 doubles and 10 RBI. He has
averaged a strikeout per game in that span, but has also walked 5
times and scored 8 runs. It's also important to remember that many
players have to cope with problems that are far away from the eyes
and ears of most fans, and that has to be taken into account. This
kid is, without a doubt, the whole package. That will become quite
evident once things heat up for him. And they're starting to do just
that. There are already a lot of KC fans out there who are saying
that he's a bust as a prospect. It should go without saying that this
is an asinine conclusion. One thing is for certain: Starling is on
the rise. When he finally gets all cylinders firing, tell your
pitching staff to watch the heck out.
Ethan Chapman, RF
25 games, 75 AB, 9 R, 21
H, 3 2B, 5 RBI, 13 SB,
.280 BA, .345 OBP, .665
OPS, 0 errors
Exciting: that pretty much
sums up his playing style. Chapman didn't come into 2013 as the 'big
name prospect' on Lexington's roster, but it's looking like a lot of
scouts and fantasy baseball pundits may have missed the mark. He
plays a controlled-aggressive sort of ball, and makes it work to the
utmost. Chapman doesn't so much steal a base as take it by force;
he's got very good base running instincts and knows when to advance
or steal a bag, so he's not type of thief that Gore has shown himself
to be. It's the combination of instinct, speed and first-step
quickness that makes Chappy so efficient, and that's the sort of base
stealer that remains successful at higher levels. He gets great reads
and knows when to run on the pitcher. He'll have to adjust his game a
bit when he faces stronger-armed catchers at AA and beyond, but I see
no reason why he won't be able to do so.
And a couple of players I've not seen much, but am intrigued about nevertheless:
Adrian Morales, IF
He's only collected 11
at-bats thus far, but I for one am very interested in seeing more of
this young man. There is a way he carries himself that seems to say
“stand on the plate and I'll put you under it”. I can't help but
respect players like Morales because they don't ever back down, they
play like they're ready to run through a brick wall to score, and
they accept whatever role the team needs to be filled. Powerfully
built and with just enough of a nasty streak, Morales could be a
secret weapon even as a part-time player; his versatility allows him
to play first, second or third, and he has enough power potential to
find a role at least as a team's secondary run producer (batting 6th
or 7th in a stacked lineup). He's aggressive enough and
sufficiently adept as a base runner to steal in double-digits, though
maybe no more than a dozen or so. The primary negative I see here is
that he may not have quite enough arm for third. To me, he profiles
as a second baseman with above-average power and potential to become
a strong presence in any clubhouse.
Nicholas Cuckovich,
1B-3B
Thus far filling in as a
third baseman, Cuckovich hasn't had a lot of exposure. In 50 at-bats
he's hitting .176 and hasn't drawn a walk, striking out 15 times.
He's not really had a chance to get his rhythm yet, and so I'd rather
reserve judgment on his future until he has a fair opportunity to
display his skill. After all, this is a player who led the Arizona
League in steals in 2011 (24 in 37 games) and batted .302 with an
outstanding .418 OBP. In 2012 he barely missed a step, batting .280
for Idaho Falls with a .376 OBP, though his steals dropped
considerably. This was probably due more to his place in the lineup,
as he was a significant run producer (44 runs scored, 43 RBI in 66
games). I'd like to see more of him; I think he's going to surprise
some folks who haven't yet seen him play.
