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 This winter, publications around the country were heaping plenty of praise on the Kansas City Royals' farm system and its bevy of hot prospects that could turn the franchise back into a winner.
General Manager Dayton Moore was rightfully praised for transforming the Royals into an organization with a very bright future. He is returning the Royals to the glory days they experienced in the late-'70s with the likes of homegrown products George Brett, Frank White, Willie Wilson, Paul Splittorff, Dennis Leonard and Dan Quisenberry. Those Royals averaged 93 wins per season between 1975-80 and won the American League West six times in a 10-year span. Now, Kansas City may be on the verge of a similar transformation, though this time the anticipation would wipe out nearly a quarter century of frustration. Moore, who took over the GM duties in the summer of 2006, has been assembling talent with high draft picks and shrewd trades. He caught a lot of flak for dealing Cy Young Award-winner Zack Greinke in the offseason, acquiring young shortstop Alcides Escobar, outfielder Lorenzo Cain and pitchers Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress. Baseball America ranks the Royals' organization as the best in the majors, and in January MLB.com ranked the top 50 minor leaguers in a list that included six Kansas City players. Already, first baseman Eric Hosmer (No. 8 by MLB.com) and third baseman Mike Moustakas (No. 7) have joined the club. Hosmer was called up on May 6 after batting .439 in 26 games for the Class AAA Omaha Storm Chasers. Moustakas got the call on June 10 after he posted impressive numbers (.287, 10 homers, 44 RBIs) in 55 Omaha contests. They join DH Billy Butler, 25, and left fielder Alex Gordon, 27, in what will likely form the heart of the Kansas City lineup for years to come. Both Butler and Gordon have benefited from position changes and are having excellent seasons—Butler is hitting .307 with six homers and 29 RBIs after struggling defensively in both left field and first base. Gordon, who started his career as a third baseman garnering unfair comparisons to Brett, is hitting .285 with seven homers and 36 RBIs. His average is 44 points higher than his career numbers entering the 2011 season. On the mound, things are moving much more slowly. Kansas City owns the worst ERA in the American League at 4.60. Former No. 1 draft pick Luke Hochevar and veteran lefty Jeff Francis are the only pitchers to have made every start, as manager Ned Yost has been beset by injuries to Bruce Chen and Kyle Davies. But help is on the way. Left-hander Danny Duffy joined the rotation in mid-May, and though he has struggled with his command, looks to be a long-term starter. Finding the strike zone consistently has been a bit of a problem for fellow starting prospect Mike Montgomery. The 6'4" left-hander has walked 41 batters in 70.2 innings for Omaha. He does feature a 97-mph fastball, which has helped him earn a 2.27 career ERA in the minors entering the season. Another 6'4" lefty, John Lamb, is performing well at Class AA Northwest Arkansas. Despite a 1-2 record, Lamb sports 3.09 ERA in eight starts for the Naturals. The bullpen features plenty of young arms, with six players 25 years of age or younger. The headliner is right-hander Aaron Crow, the former Big 12 Pitcher of the Year at Missouri and the Royals' first-round pick in 2009, has sparkled with a 1.44 ERA in 26 relief outings. Kansas City is throwing many of these young kids of there for experience, and it has shown at times on the field. The Royals are 13-24 since May 4. Just don't expect that to continue too much longer, when those kids get a little seasoning.
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