The Royals took Kyle Zimmer with their first pick in the 2012 draft, and though the team isn’t exactly in the hunt for a pennant, they have been winners on draft day the past several years.

Zimmer, a 6’4” right-hander from the University of San Francisco, is expected to move quickly to Double-A Northwest Arkansas, if he doesn’t start his career there. In desperate need of advanced pitching prospects, the Royals found themselves in a fortunate position when the first three choices in the draft were position players.

The Royals have chosen pitchers with their first pick twice in the past decade. They have to hope Zimmer develops into an anchor of their rotation. Thus far Luke Hochevar and Aaron Crow have not.

The Royals’ current lineup is peppered with choices from the past decade of drafts. And while we’d like for Hochevar to pitch like a number one pick, and we’d like for Alex Gordon to live up to his draft-day expectations, there is no argument that the Royals have built an up-and-coming unit through the draft.

• 2003 Mitch Maier, Irving Falu
• 2004 Billy Butler
• 2005 Gordon
• 2006 Hochevar, Everett Teaford, Jarrod Dyson
• 2007 Mike Moustakas, Danny Duffy, Greg Holland
• 2008 Eric Hosmer, Johnny Giavotella
• 2009 Crow, Louis Coleman

That’s 14 members of the 2012 Royals who were drafted and developed by the team. That’s what a small-market team that’s not dipping into the free-agent market has to do.

Compare the Royals’ 14 to the New York Yankees’ 6 – Derek Jeter, Brett Gardner, DJ Mitchell, Phil Hughes, David Robertson and David Phelps. Without deep pockets, the Royals have to draft smarter and get better results from their picks.

Making the Grade:

No team gets it right every year, but the Royals have done quite well the past several drafts with their first round picks. With Zimmer left to sign, they hope that last year’s pick – Bubba Starling – and 2010’s selection – Christian Colon – can keep up the string of success.

Last year I gave the Royals a grade for each draft going back to 2002. See how each class is progressing.

Coulda done better:

If the Royals had owned a crystal ball the past decade, they probably would have gone this route:

• 2002 – Prince Fielder and Nick Swisher might not have been any more loyal to KC than Zach Greinke proved to be. Maybe the Royals should have taken Jeff Francoeur back in 2002 when they had the chance.
• 2003 – Mitch Maier made it. Chris Lubanski didn’t make it. But nobody else looks much better.
• 2004 – Billy Butler. Keeper.
• 2005 – Alex Gordon has his moments, but Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun or Troy Tulowitzki would all be better.
• 2006 – Evan Longoria, Tim Lincecum and Clayton Kershaw would all look better in Royal blue than Luke Hochevar.
• 2007 – Two years ago, it looked like Jason Heyward would have been a better choice than Mike Moustakas. Now Moustakas looks like a keeper, but good catchers are tough to find. Still, KC would probably keep Moustakas over Matt Wieters and JP Arencibia.
• 2008 – Eric Hosmer would probably still be the Royals’ choice, although Buster Posey and Jemile Weeks are solid starters elsewhere.
• 2009 – Aaron Crow has done well enough, but Mike Trout is as coveted a prospect as you’ll find.
• 2010, 2011 – I’ll give Colon and Starling a little more time before I subject them to this critique.

Feeling a draft:

Read other articles I’ve written in the past about the Royals in the draft.

Two curious washouts – Colt Griffin and Roscoe Crosby – set the team back in 2001

The Royals approach to the draft during the late 90s produced a whole lot of nothing

Why Bubba Starling means so much to Kansas City

The Royals’ minor league clubs moved quickly into action as soon as the big league club broke camp. No sooner were the minors rosters set than they were on the field, starting games on April 5.

The Royals had the top rated farm system in all of baseball just over a year ago. But much has changed since then, and most of those top prospects are now doing battle in KC.

That doesn’t mean, however, that the cupboard is now bare. The minor league rosters are peppered with another crop of elite prospects. And though the games going on in KC should actually mean something this year, the minor leagues bear watching as the next wave of prospects matures.

Take a look at the Royals top pitching prospects

Photo Courtesy of Minda Haas

With Eric Hosmer, and Mike Moustakas entrenched in the corners of the Royals infield, most of the Royals’ top rated prospects are pitchers.  Only three position players were ranked in the top 100 by Baseball America this off-season, and only those three were rated among the Royals’ top 10 prospects.

Wil Myers has been touted as one of baseball’s top prospects for a couple of years now, and he headlines the Royals farm system. Myers was rated the #10 prospect by Baseball America a year ago, and even after an injury-plagued, mildly disappointing 2011, he still is rated #28. Myers will start this season in Double-A Northwest Arkansas, but will look to move up mid-season.

Without having done anything on the field yet, outfielder Bubba Starling is Baseball America’s #24 prospect. Starling has every tool known to man, but will take time converting to baseball full-time after devoting little time to low-level Kansas high school competition.

Rising star Cheslor Cuthbert, a third baseman who will begin the season in Wilmington, is rated #84.

It’s time for some new position prospects to move to the fore.

Three of the Royals’ most prime prospects are not on rosters as of the beginning of the season. Starling, Brett Eibner and Elier Hernandez have yet to find their home for the start of 2012.

Hernandez signed the largest contract ever given to a Latin American amateur in KC history, and he will be brought along slowly. Eibner has been a frustrating talent since being drafted out of college. His days as an elite prospect are about up.

Omaha:
The Omaha roster is full of mid-to-late-20s players who aren’t exactly prospects anymore, minus the exception of second baseman Johnny Giavotella. Giavotella will turn 25 mid-season, and has a good chance of returning to KC sometime this season.

Minor league veterans Kevin Kouzmanoff, Clint Robinson and Jarrod Dyson will provide insurance, should any injuries occur in KC. Outfielders David Lough (26) and Derrick Robinson (24) are talented, but see their windows of opportunity closing.

No catcher in the Omaha roster is truly big-league caliber, which is why the Royals were forced to trade for Humberto Quintero after Salvador Perez went down. Minor leaguer Manny Pina may go to Omaha after he returns from the disabled list.

Northwest Arkansas:
In Christian Colon and Rey Navarro, Northwest Arkansas has two top prospects in its middle infield. Former number one draft pick Colon (23 years old) is still struggling to put it all together at shortstop. Last season he batted just .257 with eight homers at Northwest Arkansas.

Colon has been given some chances at second base, but that’s also Navarro’s territory. Navarro (22) put up a .280 average with nine homers and 11 stolen bases between Wilmington and Northwest Arkansas.

Myers will hope to improve on his .254 average and eight homers posted in Double-A last season. He looks to be just a year away from a shot at the big league roster.

Wilmington:
Third baseman Cuthbert will start the year in Wilmington, and he won’t be rushed. After all, he is just 19. He’s two years younger than any other position player on the Wilmington roster. Cuthbert’s numbers don’t wow anyone, but his physical talents and maturity have impressed ever since he was signed as a 16-year-old.

Kane County:
Outfielder Jorge Bonifacio is considered an elite prospect out of the Dominican Republic. Just 18 years old, and like Hernandez, he has lots of tools, but just needs to grow into them.

2010 Third-rounder Michael Antonio gives the Royals a shortstop to watch for down the road. He hit well in the rookie leagues last year.

Idaho Falls:
Salvador Perez is the Royals catcher of the future, but catcher of the future-future might be big 19-year-old Cameron Gallagher, a second-round pick who got in 28 games of rookie ball last season. There aren’t many catching prospects in the farm system, so Gallagher will be watched closely.

Royals Ask Fans To Rank Top 13 Moments of 2011, Announce 13-Game Holiday Pack

KANSAS CITY, MO (December 15, 2011) – As the Kansas City Royals look forward to the 2012 campaign, the club is asking fans to rank the best 13 Royals moments of the past season by visiting www.royals.com/moments.

Fans can rank the top plays and favorite memories of 2011 and compare their rankings to other Royals fans. Featured plays include defensive gems from Jeff Francoeur, Alcides Escobar and Alex Gordon and home runs from Billy Butler, Johnny Giavotella and Eric Hosmer to significant off-the-field moments such as the signing of 2011 first-round draft pick Bubba Starling.

In conjunction with the campaign, the Royals have unveiled a special 13-Game Pack just in time for the holidays, giving fans the opportunity to be at Kauffman Stadium to catch the next great Royals moments. The ticket package, which includes tickets to 13 home games at Kauffman Stadium in 2012 and a ticket to the 2012 All-Star FanFest, starts as low as $75.

Fans have the opportunity to choose from four different plans that include match-ups with the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Each package also includes a ticket to the 2012 All-Star FanFest, a $30 value, scheduled for July 6-10, 2012.

In addition, customers purchasing the 13-Game Pack will have the opportunity to purchase an additional 10-Game Bonus Pack for only $60. The bonus plan will give fans access to the same number of seats in the same level as their respective 13-Game Pack. Tickets are available in the Field Box, Field Plaza, Hy-Vee Box, Hy-Vee Infield and Hy-Vee Outfield sections for all plans.

The 13-Game Pack is available now for a limited time only. For more details on specific games dates and pricing or to purchase a 13-game package, please visit www.royals.com/13. Fans may also contact the Royals Sales Department by calling (816) 504-4040, option 2, or emailing seasonsales@royals.com.

Old friend of I-70, Wally Fish (of Kings Of Kauffman fame), has a site known as Seedlings To The Stars. They are currently in the process of counting down their top 100 prospects and we thought our readers might like to drop by there for some insight. Below are I-70 players that are currently profiled. Drop by the site and read up on the future of your favorite franchise.

Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of, Maikel Cleto
Nathan Stoltz of Seedlings To The Stars says:

Nobody in the major leagues in 2011 threw harder than Maikel Cleto, a 22-year-old righthanded minor league starter who made three relief apperances with St. Louis. Cleto, who saw time at three minor league levels and ranked as my #85 prospect on my postseason top 100, allowed five runs in his first inning of work in the big leagues before allowing just one over his next 3 1/3. Overall, he struck out six, walked four, and allowed two home runs in 4 1/3.

Cleto worked at 96-101 mph out of the big league bullpen, averaging a whopping 98.4 mph with his fastball–0.4 mph above Henry Rodriguez‘s second-place 98.0. As if that weren’t impressive enough, he also gets good life on the pitch, as it has some two-seam action on it even at its highest velocities.

Of course, Cleto likely wouldn’t be throwing 101 mph this regularly in the rotation, but it’s safe to assume that he’d sit in the 95-96 range even then–most pitchers pick up 1-3 mph moving from starting to relief, leaving 93-98 as Cleto’s “worst” case scenario.

The question with Cleto has always been how his command will be. He made it through High-A and Double-A with surprisingly low walk rates, but then walked 43 batters in 71 1/3 innings in Triple-A, something which will need to be tightened if he’s going to remain in the starting rotation long-term.

Read the full scouting report on Cleto by clicking here.

Top 100 Prospects, #57: Yordano Ventura, Royals
Nathan Stoltz of Seedlings To The Stars says:

Ventura earns some Pedro Martinez comparisons as a classic “small guy, huge arm” righthander out of the Dominican Republic. He generates velocity into the mid-90′s despite being generously listed at 5’11″ 180 (I’d guess it’s more like 5’10″ 155).

The most striking thing about Ventura’s full-season debut in 2011 was that he wasn’t just an erratic, Fabio Martinez Mesa style fireballer. He put up a 3.67 K/BB ratio, filling the zone with strikes thanks to a repeatable motion.

Ventura just turned 20 in June, so he’s quite young, and it’s certainly encouraging that he already shows velocity and control. His secondary pitches–a curveball and changeup–flash plus at times, and if they develop further he could become a front-of-the-rotation arm.

Read the rest of Ventura’s profile by clicking here.

Top 100 Prospects, #52: Bubba Starling, Royals
Nathan Stoltz of Seedlings To The Stars says:

Starling, the fifth overall pick in the 2011 draft, signed too late to play, but scouts love his potential. The first position player selected in the draft, he has explosive athleticism that gives him plus power potential and good defense in center field.

The Royals thought enough of the high school football star to give him $7.5 million to keep him away from the college gridiron.

While Starling is still quite raw, that’s understandable, since he spent so much time on football in high school. He needs to do a better job incorporating his lower half into his swing, but if he makes that adjustment, he’ll have even more power than he already does; it’s a testament to his current strength that he can clear fences with his current swing mechanics.

Read the rest of Starling’s profile by clicking here.

If prospects are what you are looking for and you want the most in-depth analysis available, all of us here at I-70 would suggest you drop by Seedlings To The Stars often. I know it is sitting at the top of my bookmarks currently.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

While it is certainly Royals fans hope that Bubba Starling will eventually sign with KC, it would be fun to get some feel for how he would perform as a college quarterback.

It looks like we may never know.

The Nebraska Cornhusker signee has yet to see the field.

After much hullabaloo over his attendance of off-season workouts in Lincoln, Starling has yet to engage in actual football practice. Message boards buzz and the Nebraska media keeps close tabs, but Starling has yet to throw a pass, run an option, or take a hit as a collegian.

The Cornhuskers started working out last Saturday – the first contact coaches were allowed to have with players. Coach Bo Pelini said afterward that Starling won’t participate in team activities until at least Aug. 15, the signing deadline for recent MLB draftees.

While his attendance at NU is certainly a bargaining chip in contract negotiations, it also seemed Starling wanted to be in Lincoln to experience, if only briefly, the life of a college football player.

It looks now like that won’t happen. He’s not listed on the team roster and isn’t working out with the squad. He may hang out with football players in the dorm, in the cafeteria or around town, but he’s not a football player. Not now. And maybe not ever.

Coach Pelini even went so far as to say that it “would not make sense for him to practice as long as there is uncertainty about his future.”

One has to wonder if the “I might play football, I might not…” game alienates Starling from his NU coaches and teammates. In a sport where commitment is paramount, Starling appears to be manipulating the Cornhuskers strictly for his own benefit.

Real football players are not the type who shun contact or avoid the potential for injury. Starling, wisely, is doing just that, but it’s just one more way he’s not truly “one of them.”

Bubba Starling fans (not necessarily Royals fans) would like to have some idea how Starling would stack up on the gridiron. A couple of intense weeks of competition would give them at least something.

Certainly Starling has no chance of cracking the Cornhusker lineup. Not with Taylor Martinez firmly entrenched for the next three seasons. His best hope would be to show in practice that he could beat out red-shirt freshman Brion Carnes, sophomore Ron Kellogg III, and true freshman Jamal Turner on the depth chart.

But now it looks like not even that will happen. It is generally assumed that Starling won’t dare turn down the $7 to 10 million that he will get for signing with KC. Not when his success at quarterback is far from guaranteed. And not when new labor agreements in both baseball and football could decrease his earning potential in future years.

Many fans hoped to follow reports from Lincoln of Starling’s daily work at quarterback over this week, adding to the drama leading up to Aug. 15.

But unless the Cornhuskers pull some major upset, we’ll always wonder just how good Starling the quarterback could have been.