Photo Courtesy of Minda Haas

KANSAS CITY, MO (November 28, 2012) — The Kansas City Royals announced today that the club has acquired minor league right-handed pitcher Luis Santos and left-hander Luis Rico from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for right-handed pitcher Vin Mazzaro and first baseman Clint Robinson.  Santos and Rico have been assigned to the Surprise Royals.

The 21-year-old Santos pitched for both Dominican Pirates clubs last season, combining for a 6-3 record and a 2.44 ERA in 14 games, including 12 starts.  In 62.2 innings, he allowed 42 hits, walked 20 and struck out 74 while holding opponents to a .184 average.  The 6-foot Santos is from Bonao, Dominican Republic, and was signed by Pittsburgh as a non-drafted free agent on April 8, 2011.

Rico, who will turn 19 tomorrow, is a 6-foot-1, 180-pounder from Guanta, Venezuela.  He went 0-1 with a 7.04 ERA in 11 games (nine starts) in 2012 for the Dominican Pirates.  Rico made his debut in 2011 with the Venezuelan Pirates after signing with Pittsburgh as a non-drafted free agent on April 9, 2011.

Mazzaro, 26, and Robinson, 27, were designated for assignment by the Royals on November 20.

A mid-season evaluation of the pitching in the KC farm system won’t be much cause for encouragement.

But before being too harsh, it needs to be noted that there are a host of youngsters receiving on-the-job training in KC.

Several guys who probably should be gaining experience on the Double-A and Triple-A level, far away from the white-hot spotlight of the big leagues, are instead taking their lumps every night against the best hitters in the game.

And for the most part, they have held their own.

The number of young pitchers who have made their big league debut this season is astounding: Nate Adcock, 23; Louis Coleman, 25; Tim Collins, 21; Danny Duffy, 22; and Everett Teaford, 27.

Throw in 23-year-olds Jeremy Jeffress and Sean O’Sullivan, 24-year-old Vin Mazzaro, and 25-year-olds Greg Holland and Blake Wood, and you have staff that’s barely old enough to celebrate the occasional win with a beer.

The KC bullpen has skimmed the cream off the top of the farm system. So it’s no surprise that there doesn’t appear to be a lot of prospects ready to make the move up. The best ones are already up.

That said, however, the results are grim at the halfway point of the minor league season. For all the acclaim the KC farm system garnered (even being called the best accumulation of talent in the history of rankings by Baseball America) there don’t seem to be any difference makers on the horizon.

The best way to evaluate the first half performance of the Royals pitching prospects is to utilize the spaghetti western ranking system of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Unfortunately there is just too much ugly to feel real great about the future of pitching in KC.

Listed below are the prospects in the order of how much was expected from them coming into the season:

John Lamb: Bad – Tommy John surgery doesn’t seem like the death-knell that it once was. But it certainly is a setback for Baseball America’s #18 prospect. Lamb can expect about 9 to 12 months of recovery time, so hopefully he can be ready to go next spring.

Mike Montgomery: Ugly – I watched him pitch in the Futures Game in KC on April 2, and was ready to anoint him a “can’t miss” prospect. He couldn’t have looked more dominant. But something is definitely amiss with Montgomery. Baseball America’s #19 prospect gave up four homers in his last outing. He now has a WHIP of 1.551, and his ERA has climbed to 5.83. He may still get a call up at some point this fall, but he certainly seems to have some issues to resolve.

Jake Odorizzi: Good – I don’t know what the Royals are waiting for, but it would seem a promotion for the 21-year-old righty is imminent. He’s been about as dominant as you could be at High-A level Wilmington. His walks per nine innings is 2.7, while his strikeouts per nine is 12.6. It’s time for a new challenge.

Chris Dwyer: Ugly – Baseball America’s #83 prospect has had only two good outings since May 1. His ERA is now over 6.00. If Montgomery is stalled, then Dwyer is going in reverse.

Jeremy Jeffress: Good – I’m sure Jeffress isn’t thrilled to be in Omaha when he started the season as a member of the KC pen. But it’s not as bad as it might appear. If he can get his walks under control, he certainly has the talent to be an effective reliever. The good news is that in his last 10 innings, he’s only surrendered three walks. Rumors that he would be tried as a starter were either unfounded or the plan was quickly abandoned.

Noel Arguelles: Good – Many wondered if the guy would ever pitch, much less pitch this well. I think many were starting to question whether this Cuban defector even existed. For all the time he took off to recover from injuries, he’s hardly rusty. He’s giving up less than a walk per nine innings, and has a WHIP of just 1.031. Wilmington has limited his work to about five innings per outing. Odorizzi and Arguelles have probably benefited from playing at pitcher-friendly Wilmington. They’ll be tested when they get to the less forgiving Texas League.

Tyler Sample: Bad – The gigantic third-round pick from 2008 is still giving up too many walks to look like he’s ready to move up to Northwest Arkansas.

Jason Adam: Good – The fifth-round selection from Blue Valley Northwest is off to a great start at Kane County. The Royals need some prospects from the lower levels to climb quickly, and Adam is one to watch.

Kelvin Herrera and Kevin Chapman: Good – These two relievers jumped to Northwest Arkansas and have continued to lock down games in the bullpen. The 21-year-old Herrera has recorded 25 strikeouts and just one walk in 13 innings since the promotion.

Yordano Ventura: Good – A little guy with a hot fastball, Ventura just turned 20 and is striking out more than a batter per inning at Kane County.

Justin Marks: Bad – The guy would seem to have talent (witness the 12 K’s in six innings in his last start), but it would be nice to get at least one good pitcher from the David DeJesus trade. So far he’s been too hit and miss.

Timothy Melville: Bad – He has been ugly at times, but not nearly as ugly as last year. So much more was expected, however. His walks are still too high and his strikeouts are still too low, and his bad outings are still too frequent. He’ll be 22 in September and still doesn’t seem ready to move beyond A ball. I don’t think much is expected out of him any more, and his window of opportunity is closing.

The early results from the farm system are troubling. The Royals are in desperate need of starting pitchers. When three of your top guns – Lamb, Montgomery and Dwyer – have fired off duds thus far, your future looks grim.

But when you factor into the picture that 11 of the 12 pitchers on your current big league team are under 28 years of age, it tells you much of your young talent is already at the highest level.

Dayton Moore believes that “pitching is the currency of baseball.” The Royals don’t look as poor as they used to, but they won’t ever be truly rich unless they can find, somewhere, some quality front end starting pitching. They currently have a staff full of #4 and #5 starters and middle relievers.

The second half of the season for Montgomery and Dwyer, the advancements of Odorizzi and Arguelles, and the rehabilitation of Lamb are crucial to the long-term transformation of the team.

With a few exceptions the 2011 Royals campaign is going like most of us thought it would. There have been some nice surprises. The two Braves castoffs in the outfield are having produtive seasons, Alex Gordon is finally being the player we thought he should be.

Photo Courtesy of Minda Haas

The wave of prospects has finally arrived and began contributing at the Major League level. The big names of Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas have done as well as anyone can expect from rookies. Alcides Escobar, a key component in the Zack Greinke trade is making a good bid for a Gold Glove, and seems to have found his stroke at the plate after a woeful start. The young bullpen has shown flashes of brilliance, and had plenty of “learning opportunities”. This is all playing out as expected. No one thought the team would contend. It’s essentially still spring training.

The one thing we knew wouldn’t be nice was the starting pitching. And they have lived up to expectations. Some times to the point of being historically bad. Luke Hochaver is not an ace, and Vin Mazzaro has no business in the majors. We knew this going into the season. Although, it would be nice if they didn’t embarrass themselves.

My concern is that beyond Danny Duffy, Dayton Moore has not called up anyone else. If you look at the in-season roster moves it seems pretty clear that the front office is taking the approach: “If you’re not getting it done. You’re going down, and we’re giving the prospects a shot.”. However, when Bruce Chen and Kyle Davies went to the DL; Danny Duffy was called up to the rotation, and the other spot was filled by Nate Adcock until Felipe Paulino was acquired from Colorado, and earned himself a spot in the rotation.

On top of the big league pitching troubles the magnificent pitching prospects in the system are facing some adversity. Mike Montgomery has not built upon his success from last year and is rocking an ERA of 5.00. I saw Montgomery pitch in the Futures Game on April 3rd. I was excited at the thought he would be up with the big club this summer. That still might be the case, but it’s still troublesome to see him regress. Prospect John Lamb is going to have Tommy John surgery. Not the end of a career anymore, but a disappointing setback. Chris Dwyer is sporting an ERA of 6.12 in AA NW Arkansas. That is not good regardless of level. Jake Odorizzi, another piece in the Zack Greinke deal is having an awesome season. However, he’s still at Class A Wilmington and won’t be ready for a few years. These two and a half months have shown how fragile prospects can be.

I’m excited about the progress of the position players. However, if the front office does not find some pitching, both at the big league level and deeper in the system I fear this Youth Movement will turn into the Royals of the late 90s/ early 2000’s. All hitting, no pitching and never making a run at a play-offs. There is some talent in the system, but is there a division leader type ace among that group? I think the Royals will need more than one to contend. See 2010 San Fransisco Giants. Should the front office look at stretching some of talent in the bullpen? Can the front office trade Melky Cabrera, Jeff Francoeur, or Wilson Betimit for more pitching? That’s a lot of questions for a time when we should be close to answers. The Royals can hit home runs all they want. Until two or more pitchers can out pitch Luke Hochaver as the “ace” of this rotation the Royals aren’t going anywhere. Except from illrelevant to medicore

The fine folks at the Northwest Arkansas Naturals have provided us with a brief rundown of the Royals farm system. The details are listed below:

Royals Farm Report: April 14^th
A look at the Royals farm system one week into the season

Triple-A
In their first year following the team’s name change, the Omaha Storm Chasers (Pacific Coast League) have gotten off to a slow start, going just 2-5 through the season’s first week. The Storm Chasers sit three games back of Nashville (5-2) in the PCL’s American Northern Division but have yet to play a home game in 2011. The team will look to reverse its fortunes when it opens brand-new Werner Park on Apr. 15.

Who’s Hot
Though he has yet to go deep in 2011, Eric Hosmer has a team-best total of 10 hits in his first 31 Triple-A at bats, good for a .323 batting average. Most of the Storm Chasers’ power has been provided by Clint Robinson. Six of the 2010 Texas League Triple Crown winner’s hits this season have gone for extra bases as he leads the team with three home runs and three doubles. On the mound, reliever Louis Coleman has seven strikeouts in three innings of work, while Mike Montgomery shook off a rocky first start to throw four scoreless frames against Round Rock on Apr. 12.

Who’s Not
Mike Moustakas clubbed his first home run of the season on Apr. 10 but is off to a slow start overall, hitting .188 with eight strikeouts and just one walk through seven games. One of the last players cut from the Royals’ opening-day roster, Gregor Blanco has three hits in 25 at bats, adding up to just a .120 batting average in the season’s first week. Left-hander Everett Teaford was touched for four earned runs (and two homers) in 4.2 innings in his only start, while Vin Mazzaro, expected to be the Royals’ fifth starter when the major league schedule requires one, yielded five runs in just 2.1 innings in his first outing of the year.

Double-A
Despite the graduation of many of the top performers on the title-winning 2010 squad, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Texas League) have opened the season a franchise best 5-1, carrying a five-game winning streak into the team’s first road trip. The start is the team’s best ever through six games, and the Naturals have opened up an early two-game lead on second-place Tulsa.

Who’s Hot
After missing all of 2010 following shoulder surgery, Mario Lisson has shown no ill effects from the layoff, hitting a team-best .455 in the season’s first week. Three of Lisson’s five hits have gone for extra bases and he is the only Natural with more than one home run. Also returning to action after missing all of 2010 is infielder Jeff Bianchi, who has hit at a .348 clip with four extra-base hits. Wil Myers notched a pair of three-hit games in the Naturals’ most recent series and his hitting .333 overall. Relievers Blake Johnson and Mario Santiago have combined to toss 14.2 scoreless innings without a walk, while starter Heath Rollins allowed just a run on three hits in six innings in his first start. The Naturals have a team ERA of 2.36 through six games.

Who’s Not
Northwest Arkansas is hitting .300 as a team, but catcher Salvador Perez is off to just a .200 start at the plate, although one of his hits was a deep homer that tied the ballgame in extra innings Sunday. Jamie Romak has come out of the game slow as well, batting .227 with seven strikeouts in five games. Left-hander Chris Dwyer has struggled in each of his two starts, allowing four runs on eight hits in his most recent outing against Corpus Christi. Overall, Dwyer has posted an 8.59 ERA.

Class-A Advanced
Like the Naturals, the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Carolina League) end the season’s opening week in first place. Despite an overall slow offensive start, the Blue Rocks sit atop the league’s Northern Division at 4-2, one game ahead of the Frederick Keys.

Who’s Hot
The offensive star for the Blue Rocks has been infielder Rey Navarro, who is hitting at a torrid .480 clip with 12 hits in 25 at bats. Five of those hits have gone for extra bases as Navarro has already logged three triples in 2011. There is a big statistical drop-off after Navarro, though John Whittleman, acquired in a spring training trade, is batting .292 with a team-high five RBI so far. One of the Blue Rocks’ top prospects, Tim Melvillestruck out seven in his second start of the season, giving up a lone run in six innings. Two other hurlers, Jake Odorizzi and Noel Arguelles, each opened the season with solid outings. Odorizzi gave up one run in four innings, while Arguelles tosses four scoreless in his first professional start.

Who’s Not
The Blue Rocks’ 4-2 start looks even more impressive considering that the team has an overall batting average of just .208. Navarro’s scorching start has been offset by sluggish weeks from Alex McClure (.091), Jose Bonilla (.091), Nick Francis (.120) and Juan Graterol (.154). On the other hand, the Blue Rocks have posted a 2.33 team ERA, as only Elisaul Pimentel has endured a very rough outing. Pimentel allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits in just three innings, resulting in a 12.00 ERA.

Class-A
Former Natural Vance Wilson’s managerial debut has begun slowly, as his Kane County Cougars (Midwest League) finished the first week at just 2-5. Though they are not in the basement of the league’s Western Division, the Cougars have early ground to make up as there is a three-way tie for first at 5-2.

Who’s Hot
Outfielder Alex Llanos has been Kane County’s biggest power threat in the early going, collecting five extra-base hits and totaling a .333 batting average in the season’s first seven games. Ryan Stovall has matched Llanos’ total of four RBI despite playing in just three games and is hitting .375, albeit in just eight at bats. Leondy Perez was a tough-luck loser in his first start of the season, giving up just two unearned runs on four hits in seven innings of work.

Who’s Not
Though he hit .333 in early action, former Arkansas Razorback Brett Eibner tore a ligament in his thumb while attempting to make a diving catch in the outfield and could miss up to three months. Gerard Hall (.111) and Angel Franco (.167) have not yet been able to pick up the offensive slack with Eibner out of the lineup. Leonel Santiago has struggled in his two starts, posting a 10.57 ERA in 7.2 innings of work.

Former Naturals outside the Kansas City organization
One of the longest-tenured Naturals, Rowdy Hardy begins his first season in the Atlanta organization with Double-A Mississippi. Through two appearances, Hardy has given up two runs (one earned) in two innings, good for a 4.50 ERA. Joining Hardy on the Mississippi Braves is Ernesto Mejia, who is batting .304 with two home runs while serving as the team’s everyday third baseman. Also in the Braves’ system is Ed Lucas, who was a candidate to fill a bench spot on Atlanta’s opening-day roster but begins the season with Triple-A Gwinnett, where he is hitting an even .300 through six games. He’s teammates with former hard-throwing Naturals reliever Juan Abreu. He’s walked three but has yet to allow a run in three early season appearances.

Like Hardy and Mejia, Corey Smith finds himself in the Southern League as a member of the Chattanooga Lookouts, the Double-A affiliate of the Dodgers. Smith is off to a hot start in the early going, batting .381 through six games. Other former Naturals throughout the minor leagues include reliever Dan Cortes in Seattle’s organization (5.79 ERA in three appearances for Triple-A Tacoma), infielder Chris McConnell in the Nationals organization (.214 for Triple-A Syracuse) and original Natural Jose Duarte, who is batting .115 through the season’s first week for Advanced-A Jupiter as he begins his first full season in the Florida Marlins’ system.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale. Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.

The season is quickly coming upon us and here at I-70 Baseball, we want to give you a sneak peak at the fantasy outlook for both teams. Here is a look at the Kansas City Royals in 2011.

Projected Starting Lineup & Stats

3B Mike Aviles .287/11/60 – 12 SB

CF Melky Cabrera .263/7/45

1B Billy Butler .310/18/93

DH Kila Ka’aihue .255/20/75

RF Jeff Francoeur .260/12/65

LF Alex Gordon .264/18/67 – 10 SB

C Brayan Pena .273/5/30

2B Chris Getz .262/2/30 – 17 SB

SS Alcides Escobar .270/5/50 – 22 SB

Bench:

3B Mike Moustakas .290/17/45

IF Wilson Betemit .265/13/55

OF Mitch Maier .265/5/40

OF Lorenzo Cain .290/5/47 – 30 SB

Starting Rotation:

Luke Hochevar 8 W 4.62 ERA 125 K 1.41 WHIP

Jeff Francis 9 W 4.35 ERA 108 K 1.37 WHIP

Kyle Davies 8 W 4.85 ERA 125 K 1.55 WHIP

Bruce Chen 8 W 4.39 ERA 120 K 1.40 WHIP

Vin Mazzaro 6 W 4.47 ERA 90 K 1.46 WHIP

Bullpen:

SU – Robinson Tejeda 3.60 ERA 60 K 1.33 WHIP – 15 Holds

Closer – Joakim Soria 2.27 ERA 72 K 1.05 WHIP – 42 SV

What to Watch For:

Will Billy Butler’s power ever develop? If so, then he will quickly become one of the more coveted first basemen in fantasy circles. If not, you still have a guy who is a lot like John Olerud. He will have a great average and knock out 15-20. First base has plenty of options and winding up with Butler could be a nice place to be given his possible upside. Alex Gordon has moved to left. If you are still waiting for the superstar then you need to look elsewhere. That being said, with the attention now seemingly deflected away from him, Gordon might settle in and become a decent fantasy option. Mike Moustakas may begin the season at AAA, but he would be worth snatching the minute he is called up. The youngster enjoyed a breakout season last year (36 HR in AA & AAA combined) and looks to be in the majors soon.

Who to Stay Away From:

Is there a starting pitcher on this team you’d want to own? We might as well go ahead and say, “Stay away from them all”. The only one that might help in desperate times would be Jeff Francis. If he can recover some of his old form, he’d be a decent spot starter or back end option. However, you should really just steer clear of the whole situation.

The trade of Zack Greinke resulted in two things for the Kansas City Royals: Another crop of young talent coming to the City of Fountains, and a starting rotation more depleted than a checking account after the holiday season. The outlook for the Royals 2011 pitching staff is looking nothing more than weak at this point in time. The potential starting rotation is anchored by former first overall draft pick Luke Hochevar, who has shown flashes of brilliance during his tenure with the Royals, but hasn’t yet lived up to the hype of the first player taken in the 2006 draft, a draft that also brought the likes of Evan Longoria and Tim Lincecum to the league.

Behind Hochevar, there isn’t much. Vin Mazzaro, who was acquired in the David DeJesus deal, would appear to be the number two starter, followed by Kyle Davies and Sean O’Sullivan. The fifth and final spot in the rotation is still up in the air. The Royals have a lot of work to do if they plan on upgrading what would seem to now be the biggest weakness on their roster. There are a few different routes that they can take, so let’s take a look at some of them:

Veteran free agents

The Royals have been linked to veteran starter Kevin Millwood this offseason, and though he struggled in 2010, he may bring a good veteran presence to this young pitching staff. Chris Young had some success in San Diego before falling to injuries, and Dave Bush made some considerable contributions to Milwaukee’s staff over a period of time. Justin Duchscherer is another interesting name that is still out there as well. He battled some serious hip problems in Oakland, but was border-line dominant when healthy. Obviously, these four players may not be high impact guys, but they may help mold some of the young arms of the Royals into well-crafted pitchers if given the opportunity. Also, signing them to incentive-laden deals would help ease the blow of repeated injuries or poor performance. Another option is bringing back southpaw Bruce Chen for one more year. Chen is mediocre at best, but he’s consistent for the most part.

Young arms looking for a new start

There are also several younger pitchers out there who could be looking for a fresh start in a new ballpark. Jeff Francis logged some impact innings in Colorado, however persistent shoulder injuries led to the Rockies declining his option for 2011. John Maine’s 4.35 career ERA is a bit skewed due to his struggles in 2010, but he still may have something left in the tank. Jeremy Bonderman has had an up and down career, but has a lot of major league experience, even though he is only 28 years old.

Filling from within

The only other option would be giving the pitchers within the organization a shot during spring training. Maybe the Royals would get lucky and find their very own Mike Leake like the Cincinnati Reds did a year ago. The biggest name in the system right now would be Mike Montgomery, who has posted an impressive 2.27 ERA in 245 minor league innings. However, only 59 of those innings have come at AA Northwest Arkansas. He may need a little more seasoning before getting his call. Jeremy Jeffress and Jake Odorizzi were acquired in the Greinke deal, and are both former first-rounders. They both could get a look during spring training, even if it’s for a bullpen spot. There has also been some talk of turning Joakim Soria into a starter, but he appears to have no interest in that, so that doesn’t appear to be an option. Former first round pick and Mizzou star Aaron Crow could also be in the mix for a rotation spot.

The fact of the matter is that the Royals cannot go into the 2011 season with the rotation the way that it is now. Some moves need to be made in order to make the starting staff, at the very least, respectable. While many struggles are on the horizon for 2011, it would still be refreshing to see some progress being made. The Royals have made some moves to make their players in the field better. Now it’s time to turn the focus to the starting rotation.

David DeJesus is no longer a Kansas City Royal.

The team traded DeJesus, its longest-tenured player, to the Oakland A’s on Wednesday in exchange for pitchers Vin Mazzaro, who appears headed to Kansas City’s starting rotation, and Justin Marks, a minor-league prospect.

Vin Mazzaro

With the trade, the Royals lose one of their biggest offensive forces from over the past half-decade, and a bona-fide fan favorite. The Royals’ longest-tenured player is now pitcher Zack Greinke.

The move came just hours after the Royals parted ways with Brian Bannister, the once-high hopes pitcher who proved to be one of the worst starters in the majors in 2010. The Royals have been working to find ways to bolster their starting rotation; it appears 24-year-old Mazzaro is an immediate answer to the problem.

MLB.com also speculated the move could be to make a spot in the outfield for Jeff Francoeur, who was released by the Rangers on Wednesday. Royals GM Dayton Moore and Francoeur apparently developed a friendship in the Atlanta Braves organization.

Justin Marks

Over two seasons in Oakland, Mazzaro compiled a 10-17 record with a 4.72 ERA.

Marks was selected by Oakland in the third round of the 2009 MLB Draft. The Kentucky native was a start at the University of Louisville.

For his career, DeJesus is a .289 hitter with a .360 on base percentage. He will be 31 years old on Opening Day 2011.

Watch I-70 Baseball for more developments.

Matt Kelsey is a Royals writer and the content editor for I-70 Baseball. He can be reached at mattkelsey@i70baseball.com.