MVN - Most Valuable Network

Open Thread Funtime

Great win last night to split the series in Baltimore. After coming “this close” to being swept, two wins is an outstanding result.

Enjoy the indoor baseball this weekend in Tampa. The Rays have a great home record and are the real deal. The Royals best chance for a win is tonight against Edwin Jackson. At least they miss Scott Kazmir this series.

So it’s an open thread in honor of America and the Royals. Don’t lose any fingers to firework injuries and we’ll see you back here on Monday.

Trying to Stay Calm

There are a lot of stupid old cliches in the world, but the one about the baseball season being a long run full of ups and downs is very true. Okay, maybe that’s not a cliche or even a saying, but you know what I mean. The road to seventy-five wins or so is not stretch after stretch of going 5-6 or 6-5, it is more a spastic surge of wins followed by a string of losses of similar length.

Whille it is easy to get pretty frustrated with the Royals after Daniel Cabrera went the distance, again, last night. This is a guy, after all, whose career earned run average against Kansas City is THREE runs lower than the rest of the league. Sure, the kid has marvelous stuff, but everyone else seems to have a clue about how to hit him. The Royals had a lousy approach (except you, David DeJesus) last night. Slow-pitch softball hitters work counts better than the Royals did against Cabrera.

The Orioles lit up Gilbert Meche pretty decently last night. It was a discouraging outing after a good June that saw Gil show up way more than Gilbert. However, he still managed to find enough of ‘Gil’ to keep the game from getting completely out of hand.

Unfortuneately, the Royals’ offense did not show up last night. That is going to happen - heck, it happend for two straight months to start the season. This is a lineup that sandwiches a rookie, strikeout prone Alex Gordon and a streak hitting veteran (Guillen) between two solid hitters in DeJesus and Grudzielanek and follows them up with three players who probably do not play everyday on average teams and a catcher. It is not a horrible lineup, it is just not going to automatically churn out five runs every night.

Look at it this way, where does Adam Jones bat in the Royals’ lineup? Sixth, maybe even fifth? He bats 7th or 8th for the Orioles and they are not gearing up to print playoff tickets this year. Maybe that, as much as anything else, tells you that the Royals are not there yet. Basically, enjoy the good runs and grit your teeth through the bad ones: it’s all part of getting better.

Other random thoughts
- I really hate Brian Roberts. Not in the way that I hate A.J. Pierzynski, who I really hate. I hate Brian Roberts in the ‘man, I wish he played for us’ way and the ‘oh no, this guy is up again’, way. What I’m saying is: I love Brian Roberts (the ballplayer, not the man, although I’m sure he’s a heck of catch). The guy gives you a quality at-bat everytime up, has some pop, plays great defense..the whole deal. In my opinion, the Orioles would be foolish to trade him.

- Anyone else think that Mike Aviles is simply swinging too hard the last couple of games?

- To continue playing batting coach for a moment. The difference between Alex Gordon being a .265/.345/.440 guy and being the .290/.390/.525 guy we want him to is really coming down to recognizing and dealing with hard breaking balls that being low over the plate and dive away. The number of times that Gordon swings over the top of the pitch makes me think he is simply not recognizing that pitch as it comes in.

- Really? We have no place for Billy Butler in our lineup everyday? REALLY? I’m thinking that Ross Gload probably does not have to play every single day and what exactly have we seen out of Mark Teahen to make us think that he has to play everyday? Right now, I don’t know that Butler makes the Royals a better team, but I do know that there is no point in not playing him.

- Heard Buster Olney on WHB radio this morning and he mentioned what a mess the Red Sox bullpen is. Now, Theo Epstein is a really smart guy, but would he get desperate enough to deal Jed Lowrie or Chris Carter for Ron Mahay?

Missed Opportunity

I’m getting a late start today, so just a couple of brief notes…

– Luke Hochevar wasn’t exactly sharp to open the game, allowing all six of his runs in the first three innings.

It was the old story of allowing too many base runners and not being able to work out of jams of his own creation.  In the first, he walked leadoff man Brian Roberts, who came around to score.  In the second, he hit Adam Jones with a pitch with two outs and he scored when the next batter hit a double.

On that play, Mike Aviles momentarily held the cutoff throw from Jose Guillen.  I have no idea if he would have cut Jones down at the plate if he threw immediately, but I do know if Aviles had thrown on the money it would have been close.

More from Aviles in the third when with a runner on second and one out, he tried to double the runner off second base on a ground ball hit to him at short.  Except, Mark Grudzielanek wasn’t looking for the throw.  Aviles was trying to get the lead runner.  Not a bad thought, but in that situation it probably would have been better to get the sure out.  Instead of two down and a runner on second, it was one out with two runners on base.

It was almost OK, as Hochevar retired the next hitter, but then (and this was the theme of the night) he couldn’t close out the inning.  Two singles later, the Orioles bank four runs and push out to a 6-1 lead.

Again, it didn’t need to be such a damaging inning.  Aside from Aviles gaffe at short, Guillen uncorked a wild throw trying to get an out at home on the first of the two run scoring singles.  That allowed Ramon Hernandez move up to second and he scored on the second single, this time by Jones.

It’s easy to surrender six runs when you’re pitcher is handing out free passes and your defense isn’t executing fundamentally sound baseball.

– On the offensive front, how about Alex Gordon’s bomb?  Impressive.  Same with Teahen’s job that looked like he hit it way too far down the barrel of the bat.

Too bad both home runs came with the bases empty.

–  Did you believe in the ninth inning?  I guess two come from behind wins was a little much to ask for considering this team had 101 consecutive losses when trailing after eight innings before snapping that string on Monday.

But I like seeing Gordon in that situation - tying run in the ninth inning with two outs.  We need to see what this kid is made of.  Of course, it would have been nice if he had been able to extend the inning.

Wednesday’s Game

It’s Gil Meche against Daniel Cabrera tonight in Baltimore.  Cabrera is up to his usual tricks where he allows base runners by the bunch.  His WHIP this year is 1.41, which is actually the best of his career.  Same with his 4.52 ERA.  Basically this guy is below average when measuring him against other starters.

Of course, in his only start against the Royals this year, he threw a complete game where he allowed only three hits and one walk.

Small sample size alert!  Here are some Royals hitters and their career OBP against Cabrera:

Buck - .490 OPS in 13 PA
Butler - .000 OPS in 7 PA
DeJesus - .582 OPS in 20 PA
Gathright - 1.100 OPS in 11 PA - he’s drawn five walks!
Gload - .834 OPS in 12 PA
Guillen - .846 OPS in 16 PA
Teahen - 1.000 OPS in 9 PA

On the other side, a couple of the Orioles hit Meche really well:

Roberts - 1.065 OPS in 38 PA
Mora - 1.026 OPS in 33 PA

Hopefully, Meche will be able to clamp down on those two and keep the Orioles at bay.

Wins are always at a premium and right now that’s especially true.  Two more in Baltimore which is always a difficult place for the Royals to grab a victory for some reason, then it’s on to red-hot Tampa and the Rays for four.

If the Royals can get three more wins on this road trip, I’d be pretty happy.

Royals Minor League All-Stars: June Edition

Last month we made up an All-Star team for the Kansas City minor league organization. You can take a look back at the May version of this team here. Today, we are back with the end of June edition.

Keeping in mind, that this team is based on season long performance, not just the month of June, there will be a fair number of players who held their positions. However, with Mike Aviles and Kyle Davies both up in the majors, there are at least two spots up for grabs.

CATCHER - Jeffrey Howell, Wilmington: .262/.328/.378
Last month: Howell
Let’s get one thing straight, I don’t think Howell is all that great, but Brayan Pena has all of 49 at-bats, Matt Tupman is hitting .234 and none of the rookie league guys have enough games under their belts to qualify. If you had to ask the catcher (other than Pena) most likely to spend more than two weeks in the majors (ever), it would likely be Sean McCauley who is way down in Idaho Falls. Kind of tells you something, doesn’t it?

FIRST BASE - Kila Ka’aihue, NW Arkansas: .280/.432/.560
Last month: Ka’aihue
Eighteen homers, 55 walks and just 29 strikeouts. Let’s get this guy up to Omaha and find out if those numbers continue at a higher and less familiar level.

SECOND BASE - Marc Maddox, NW Arkansas: .276/.362/.341
Last month: Mike Aviles
Not eye-popping numbers, but better if you throw out a dismal April. If you don’t like Maddox, do not worry. 2008 2nd round pick, Johnny Giavotella is off to a fast start in Burlington and could easily claim this spot next time around.

SHORTSTOP - Chris McConnell, Wilmington: .285/.373/.387
Last month: Mike Moustakas
Moustakas is playing third base in Burlington now, but McConnell would have gotten the nod even without Moose’s position change. After a couple of years of pretty much flailing at the plate, McConnell has rapped out 23 doubles this season and has as many walks (35) as strikeouts.

THIRD BASE - Kurt Mertins, Wilmington: .297/.377/.438
Last month: Josh Johnson
Johnson and Mertins are on the same team and, more often than not, Mertins is the DH. However, Johnson is really not a third baseman, either, so I guess we can call this a fair call. Mertins has 24 extra base hits and 15 steals this season and that was enough for him to get the nod over a slumping Johnson, who saw his OBP fall from .506 at the end of May to .431 at the end of June. This could easily swing back the other way next month.

OUTFIELD - Joseph Dickerson, Wilmington: .312/.394/.472
Last month: Dickerson
Next to Ka’aihuie, this guy is probably have the best all around full season in the system. You absolutely have to love a kid who moves up a level and ups his numbers basically across the board. He did not steal a base in June (after nabbing 23 in 35 attempts in April/May), but has nine triples and five homers.

OUTFIELD - Shane Costa, Omaha: .304/.359/.492
Last month: Mitch Maier
Basically, Maier cooled off some and Costa just kept hitting exactly as he has hit all season. 19 doubles, 10 homers, 9 steasl and 24 walks versus just 36 strikeouts tell me there is nothing left for Costa to prove in AAA (particularly since those numbers are down from what he posted in two previous stints in Omaha.) Maybe he’s just a AAAA player, maybe he’s Matt Diaz or possibly he might even be Raul Ibanez. Will we ever find out?

OUTFIELD - Brian McFall, NW Arkansas: .245/.358/.470
Last month: Derrick Robinson
Maybe this final spot should have gone to Maier, but I am a big ‘OPS’ guy and McFall’s .828 mark is the third best amongst outfielders behind the two guys who made the team already. McFall’s good for nearly a strikeout per game, but is taking walks this year and 10 homers is still a decent number. Aside from Maier, Adrian Ortiz got a pretty long look for this spot, too.

PITCHER - Carlos Rosa, Omaha: 75IP, 2.16 ERA
Last month: Rosa
He spent much of June in the majors, but Rosa’s minor league numbers before and after remain outstanding. Rosa was not bad in Kansas City and likely will return once steady work is available for him.

PITCHER - Daniel Cortes, NW Arkansas: 59.1 IP, 3.64 ERA
Last month: Cortes
Cortes retains his spot based as much on reputation and potential as actual performance. Still, 63 strikeouts in 59 innings and an opponent average of just .234 looks awfully good.

PITCHER - Joe Augustine, Burlington: 67.2 IP, 1.86 ERA
Last month: Kyle Davies
Even without Davies being promoted to the majors, we would have found a spot for Augustine this month. Joe has held opponents to a .219 batting average and struck out 58 in his 67 innings of work. Right now, he is the best pitcher on a very good Burlington Bee staff.

PITCHER - Everett Teaford, Wilmington: 80.2 IP, 3.12 ERA
Last month: Blake Wood
Wood has had some struggles since being promoted to AA (6.33 ERA in 6 starts) and loses his spot to the steady Teaford, who has held opponents to a .221 batting average. Everett’s WHIP of 1.12 is even more impressive when you realize he is among the organizational leaders in innings pitched.

PITCHER - Danny Duffy, Burlington: 39.1 IP, 3.43 ERA
Last month: Edward Cegarra
With Cegarra not being as sharp in High A as he was in Low A, Duffy edges him out for this award based upon the 19 year old’s 51 strikeouts versus just 10 walks and an opponent average of just .214. You’ve got to love a left-hander who strikes guys out.

PITCHERS HONORABLE MENTION
We did not have this category last month, but until I get ambitious enough to open up more than five pitching spots we’ll have to go with this quick list of near All-Stars:
Devon Lowery, Omaha: 29.1 IP 1.84 ERA
Dusty Hughes, NW Arkansas: 52.2 IP 2.91 ERA
Chris Hayes, NW Arkansas: 36.1 IP 1.98 ERA
Chris Nicoll, NW Arkansas/Wilmington: 51 IP 3.00 ERA
Alex Caldera, Burlington: 94.2 IP 3.52 ERA

Well, there we are for the June team. Who will hold their spots come the end of July and who might suprise and jump into the picture? Is there a rookie or two that will crash the party? And, exactly how badly are you hoping that Mike Moustakas’ name reappears on this team at some point this season?

Olivo Keeps Baltimore Up Late - Guillen Sends Them Home Unhappy

It certainly did not feel like a game the Royals were going to win on Monday night. To begin with, the boys were in Baltimore, a city and a team that has stood out as having the Royals’ number. To stand out in that respect against a team that has lost 90+ games for four straight years gives you some indication of how seldom the Royals have managed to beat the Orioles.

To make matters worse, Kansas City’s budding ace, Zack Greinke, had been lit up for five runs in five innings. David DeJesus, arguably the Royals’ best hitter, was out with an injury and the team’s other best hitter, Jose Guillen, was in a one for twenty skid. The Royals had been plaqued by not one, but two, bad calls on plays at first base. A game tying monster home run by Mike Aviles was ruled foul (I think maybe that was the correct call, but MY GOD he hit that ball hard) and the next ball that rightfielder Mark Teahen read correctly off the bat in Camden Yard was going to be the first. Nope, this was going to be another loss and bad start to tough string of games leading up to the All-Star Break.

Then, with two outs and two strikes in the ninth, a guy criticized for complaining about not having a shot at the starting catching job ripped a game typing home run off Orioles’ closer George Sherrill. Miguel Olivo does not hit breaking balls very well, but he apparently can detonate a rolling curve if you toss him one.

Then, in the top of the eleventh, foul-mouthed, inappropriate tirade spewing, root of all evil Jose Guillen singled in Mike Aviles to put the Royals ahead. Yeah, hate having that guy on my team.

Around those heroics was the performance of the bullpen firm of Ramirez, Ramriez, Mahay and Soria who spun six shutout innings to give their team a chance to fight their way back into the game and eventually win it. Suddenly, the Royals had a win in a place where they never win and a good start to their road trip. Does one game make a difference in a 162 contest grind? I don’t know, but if one game does make a difference, it is a game like Monday night.

Couple of random notes….
- Anyone else notice that Greinke threw almost nothing on the inner half of the plate last night? Now, Camden Yard is small park, so you don’t want to routinely challenge guys in there…except if you have Zack Greinke stuff. I really cannot explain what happened in that four run fifth other than the Orioles were looking outer half of the plate and getting it. Zack’s velocity was up (routinely 95-96 mph during that inning), he was using all four pitches and frankly didn’t seem to be grooving too many down the middle. Still, he was getting hit hard that inning and going to the pen for the sixth was a sound move by Trey Hillman.

- We, and many others, have criticized Hilllman’s use or non-use of pinch hitters this season, but using Olivo in the ninth in place of Teahen was a bold move. Not a lot of managers are going to pinch hit for their number five hitter (although not many number five hitters are hitting .257).

- This is old news, but did you see the stat on Fox Sports prior to Saturday’s game with St. Louis? At the time, the Cardinals were 15-1 this season when facing a starting pitcher for the second time. With their two weekend wins, the Cards are now 17-1. Something tells me that is not just good fortune.

- Finally, you can have an intelligent debate over whether Jose Guillen is a team guy and if his public remarks impact the club positively or negatively, but can we all stop calling into sports radio and whining about Guillen’s use of foul language? Good lord, if your kids are old enough to be aware of player interviews, they have heard way worse. Listen, I know your kids are nearly as perfect as mine, but if they are over ten, my guess is they have even used foul language themselves. Does that excuse Jose for getting in front of microphones and routinely dropping F-bombs? No, but stop acting like he is corrupting the youth of the Midwest: that’s Jamie Lynn Spears’ job.

- And one additional ‘finally’. Check this blurb out from the Rocky Mountain News (thanks to MLBTradeRumors.com for the always helpful heads up). The Royals, yes THE ROYALS, are mentioned as having an interest in Rockies’ outfielder Matt Holliday. Probably just a rumor, but it is nice to be on that side of the rumor mill for a change.

Around the Minors This Weekend

Okay, I know I promised a June All-Star team post on Sunday, but a little virus derailed that plan. Look for that team to be up around mid-week. However, there were some interesting goings on in the minor league system this weekend.

Omaha
The O’Royals played back to back doubleheaders this weekend. Even with the minor league rules of seven inning doubleheaders, that is still 28 innings of baseball in two days. The boys earned their paychecks this weekend.

Carlos Rosa pitched five innings in the first game, allowing just 2 hits, 1 run and 1 walk, while striking out eight. Yash Yabuta followed with two hitless innings, but his work also included two walks - the big reason he’s in Omaha in the first place. Still work to do there.

In the second game, Tyler Lumsden continued his downward spiral to oblivion by not making it out of the first inning by allowing seven runs on four hits.

Omaha was no-hit by Dustin Nippert in the first game on Sunday, but rebounded to win the back end of that twinbill. For the weekend, newly promoted shortstop Angel Sanchez went three for ten, with a double and a walk.

Northwest Arkansas
Interesting position switch down here as Mario Lisson is now playing shortstop for the Naturals. Already on the 40 man roster, Lisson’s skillset looks a heckuva lot better playing short than third. After a horrible start, Mario is 10 for his last 31 with three doubles and two homers.

Kila Kaahuie slugged his 18th homer on Sunday and, with 3 walks over the weekend, now has 54 total free passes versus just 29 strikeouts. Can we please promote him to Omaha and find out if these numbers are a result of third time around exposure to AA or the real deal?

Wilmington
We talk alot about the many pitching prospects in the system, but here’s name you may not be too familiar with: Everett Teaford. Drafted out of Georgia Southern, Teaford went 8 innings over the weekend, allowing just 3 hits and 2 runs. For the season, Everett has held batters to a .221 average over 80 innings, walking 23 and striking out 63.

Burlington Bees
Mike Moustakas slammed homer number 12 this weekend, while 2008 draftee Johnny Giovotella is heating up. Over his past ten games, Giovotella is 13 for 38 with five walks and just 6 strikeouts, bringing his seasonal line up to .296/.387/.352.

Meanwhile, 2007 third rounder Daniel Duffy keeps mowing them down. In his last start, Duffy went five innings, allowed 4 hits, 1 run, walked 2 and struck out seven.

The Rookies
2008 supplemental first rounder Mike Montgomery has pitched two games for the Arizona Royals thus far. In three innings of work, Montgomery has allowed one hit, one walk, no runs and struck out three.

Thoughts on a Busy Weekend

I’ve always said that the Royals keep everything interesting.  And there was no shortage of fun stuff over the weekend.

Jose Guillen doesn’t give a (BLEEP) about you.

Coming on the heel’s of his comments about the Royals locker room being full of “babies” is anyone truly surprised at Guillen’s latest?

To refresh:  On Wednesday, late in the game, Guillen hit a ground ball to third.  Out of the batters box, he made like a runner in the 25th mile in a marathon… That is to say, he jogged.  The play at first would have been close if Guillen had hustled, but he didn’t and as a result, he was booed.

Asked about the booing before the game on Friday, Guillen answered:

“I don’t give a (bleep) about the fans. … I don’t care. They don’t know what’s going on with me.”

Shocking.

This is a guy who doesn’t have a filter.  You know… When you are approached by an unattractive woman, you don’t blurt out, “Good God, you’re ugly.”  That’s because you have a filter which prevents you from speaking the first thing that pops into your head.  Guillen doesn’t have a filter.  Not only would he call the woman ugly, he’d probably offer to buy her a paper bag to put over her head.  No filter at all.

The problem is, no fan likes to be told the player doesn’t care about them.  But in this age of free agency and huge salaries, there probably are few athletes who care about the city where they play or the fans who support them.  Sad, but true.  The easiest applause line in all of sports is to thank the fans for their support.  Carl Peterson has made a cottage industry of this, droning on about Chief fans being the best in the National Football League.  And the funny thing is, as much as Chief fans loathe Peterson, that line still gets huge applause.

I realize I’m becoming quite the Guillen apologist, but I don’t care what he thinks about me.

The guy is hitting .354/.375/.615 since May 7.  He can call me every name in the book and invent a few new ones if he’s going to keep hitting like that.

Guillen has a passion about him that has been missing from this team for the last 20 years.  Like it or not, that passion includes saying the first thing on his mind.  It’s not always pretty and it’s not always what we want to hear, but it’s the truth.  And I will never dislike someone for speaking the truth.

A bunch of babies?  Check.  Don’t care about the fans?  OK.

I wish Guillen had that filter.  It would make everything much easier for him and the team.  Ultimately, he just wants to win.  It’s a focus that to me is refreshing.  His singular purpose is to perform and lead this team to victory.  He doesn’t always succeed, but that’s baseball.  And he seems to take his failures harder than anyone else.

That’s probably why his comments don’t bother me.  If he said that and was pulling crap like not sliding into second base because he didn’t want to break a cigar in his back pocket, then I would have a problem.  But he clearly wants to win.  And because of that, I’ll give him a pass.

I don’t care if it’s Mike Sweeney or Jose Guillen leading the Royals.  I just want my team to win.

Alberto Callaspo Get Arrested For DUI

Only one point to make:

Considering the fact the last Royals second baseman who was nabbed for DUI wasn’t wearing pants, this isn’t so bad.

As I said over the weekend, this is an unfortunate turn of events for Callaspo.  The Royals put him on the 15-day DL, but if his problems run deep (as a move like this suggests) he will need more than two weeks to pull everything together.

I wish him luck.

The Butler Returns

We can all agree this recall was long overdue.  But as we know, the Royals and their desire to keep five middle infielders, was facing a roster crunch.

It was probably predictable that in Butler’s first two games back on the roster, he would tally a single at bat.

Sigh.

OK, OK.  Since June 14, Ross Gload is hitting .333/.385/.479.  Believe me, I’m as surprised as you at that.  Guillen as we all know is hurting and probably should be spending more time at DH than in the outfield.  So I can understand the difficulty in finding a spot for Butler.

Who am I kidding?  This is a bunch of crap.

Butler was tearing up Omaha, so why recall the guy just so he can cool his jets on the bench?  It’s just two games, so it’s too soon to sound the alarm, but the Royals have a disturbing history of doing crap like this.

Gload is a role player and Butler is a key figure in the resurgence of this team.  It’s not difficult to figure out who should be playing - no matter who is running with the hot hand at the major league level.

Royals Lose Two of Three

It just kind of felt the games were secondary this weekend.  And that’s a good thing.  When Jason LaRue kicks your ass, it’s better that your attention is on other things.

Butler Back In KC

This afternoon, the Kansas City Royals recalled Billy Butler from Triple-A.  To free up space on the roster, they placed Alberto Callaspo on the DL.

Butler found his stroke almost immediately upon his return to the minors.  He was hitting .337/.417/.564 in Omaha with six doubles and five home runs.  Most impressive was the fact he drew 14 walks against seven strikeouts during his time in Triple-A.

Compare those number to those he posted before his demotion last month,where he hit .263/.330/.339 with 11 doubles and one home run.  He struck out 26 times against 19 walks.

There has been a ton of speculation about why he was kept in Omaha, but Dayton Moore continued to insist that it was an issue of a roster crunch - the Royals didn’t have anyone with options left they felt they could send down.

Then Callaspo was arrested on Friday for a DUI.  The Royals press release about Callaspo says he’s on the DL for “the evaluation and treatment for an unspecified medical condition.” Uhhh… It doesn’t take much to read between those lines.

Hopefully, Callaspo can address his problems and return to the team.  Personally, I still feel that he hasn’t been given enough of a chance to establish himself on the team and could still prove to be the long-term solution at second.

But Callaspo’s problem is Butler’s return.  And while I’m sorry to see this happen to Callaspo, I can’t wait to see if Butler’s production in Omaha will carry over to the Royals.

I have a feeling our offense just got better.

The Royals Top to Bottom

With so many clubs either having days off, just getting back from their all-star break or simply just getting started, I thought this might be a good week to take a look at the organizational depth chart. This is hardly a comprehensive be-all-end-all guide, but gives you an idea of who is getting the most time at each position with a short note (or not) about them.

If nothing else, this is my preliminary research phase for our June All-Star Team that will be posted on Sunday. The May All-Stars can be found here.

CATCHERS
AAA - Brayan Pena: Has taken time away from Matt Tupman since being acquired.
AA - Adam Donachie: Taken in the minor league Rule 5…and given back.
High A - Jeffrey Howell: Already twenty-five. Still, .269/.332/.389 in this organization at this position gets you noticed.
Low A - Ryan Eigsti: 2007 draftee has six homers, but little else.
Rookie (Bur) - Salvador Perez: 18 years old with a .370 OBP in Royals’ first seven games.
Rookie (Ida) - Sean McCauley: Had an .856 OPS in Arizona last season.
Rookie (Az) - Jose Bonilla: This team is just four games into the season, but Bonilla already has two doubles and two homers.

FIRST BASE
AAA - Billy Butler: Maybe you’ve heard of him? A .564 slugging percentage is encouraging.
AA - Kila Kaahuie: A .998 OPS with 17 homers. 3rd time was a charm in AA.
High A - Anthony Seratelli: Signed out of the Frontier League this winter. Playing his way back there.
Low A - Jason Taylor: Moved from third to accomodate Moustakas. Has 3 doubles, 4 triples, 9 homers, 26 steals and 49 walks. That’s how you hit .215 and still get to an average .734 OPS.
Rookie (Bur) - Jason Morales: 2008 24th round pick.
Rookie (Ida) - Devery Van de Keere: Second time around in Idaho Falls.
Rookie (Az) - Edwin Henriquez: Played in the Dominican Summer League last season.

SECOND BASE
AAA - Dave Matranga: I have little offer on a 31 year old minor league journeyman.
AA - Marc Maddox: Horrible start, big hot streak, now just holding steady at a modest .278/.367/.347.
High A - Jeff Bianchi: Has 22 extra base hits, but a line of just .239/.270/.428.
Low A - Johnny Giovotella: 2008 2nd rounder gets his start way up here.
Rookie (Bur) - Angel Franco: Dominican Summer League All-Star in 2007.
Rookie (Ida) - Yeldrys Molina: Has 5 steals, making him the fastest Molina you’ve ever heard of.
Rookie (Az) - Deivy Batista: Had three walks in his second game. That’s all I’ve got for you here.

SHORTSTOP
AAA - Jason Smith: Has 17 home runs and 6 triples, while playing everywhere.
AA - Angel Sanchez: Just got the call up to Omaha. Wasn’t great in AA, but it’s time to find out about him at the next level.
High A - Chris McConnell: Having the best year of his career with a line of .285/.369/.388. Moving up to AA maybe?
Low A - Juan Rivera: Acquired for Angel Berroa and is currently in a 2 for 34 slump.
Rookie (Bur) - Lifete Jose: Played in Arizona Rookie League last year.
Rookie (Ida) - John Alfaro: 2008 10th rounder is hitting .350 through seven games.
Rookie (Az) - Yowill Espinal: Got $250,000 to sign as a 16 year old last year. Here is your renewed investment in Latin America coming into action. He could spend four years working his way through the system and still be just 21 when he reaches the majors.

THIRD BASE
AAA - Gookie Dawkins: Acquired two weeks ago and has played everyday. (Yawn)
AA - Mario Lisson: A 40 man roster member, Lisson has struggled. Has 6 homers and 16 steals.
High A - Josh Johnson: Really a second baseman. Getting on-base at a plus .400 clip.
Low A - Mike Moustakas: Moved to third to accomodate Rivera. Hitting just .240 but is 14 for his last 40.
Rookie (Bur) - Fernando Cruz: 2007 6th round pick who is long on projecton, but short on performance.
Rookie (Ida) - Antonio Jimenez: Played in Burlington (Rookie) last year. Has anyone figured out if Burlington or Idaho Falls is the highest rookie team yet?
Rookie (Az) - Jacob Kuebler: Alex Gordon’s cousin, drafted in the 17th round this year.

LEFT FIELD
AAA - Chris Lubanski: At .244/.315/.435 this former 1st rounder is just about a washout.
AA - Ovandy Suero: Lots of speed (32 steals), not much OBP (.315).
High A - Jarrod Dyson: 27 steals, but just 5 extra base hits in 58 games.
Low A - David Lough: Average numbers, but some minor league gurus really like him.
Rookie (Bur) - Keven Caldwell: 2008 12th rounder from Spartanburg, S.C. I’ve flown into that airport, so that’s something.
Rookie (Ida) - Shawn Griffin: 2008 20th round pick out of Tennessee.
Rookie (Az) - Derek Rodriguez: Has a .500 on-base percentage in four games.

CENTER FIELD
AAA - Mitch Maier: Hitting .302, but has just a .328 on-base percentage.
AA - Jose Duarte: Like Lisson, has a lot of tools, but little success at this higher level.
High A - Derrick Robinson: Athletic, fast (32 steals), but the same OBP (.299) as last year.
Low A - Adrian Ortiz: 2007 5th rounder. Another fast athlete that is not hitting enough.
Rookie (Bur) - Hilton Richardson: 2007 7th rounder with same skill set as Derrick Robinsion and Adrian Ortiz.
Rookie (Ida) - Patrick Norris: 2007 draft pick is supposedly the fastest runner in the system. Seeing a pattern here?
Rookie (Az) - Alex Llanos: This year’s 6th round pick. A 17 year old centerfielder from Puerto Rico? Yeah, I’m going to pay attention to him.

RIGHT FIELD
AAA - Shane Costa: An .859 OPS with 19 doubles and 10 homers. Needs a big league injury to get another look.
AA - Brian McFall: Has a .360 OBP despite hitting just .246. Showing some pop with 10 homers.
High A - Joe Dickerson: .319/.399/.482 with 9 triples, 5 homers and 23 steals. A faster DeJesus maybe?
Low A - Nick Van Stratten: 10 for 31 in his first nine games with the Bees. Torched rookie ball his second time around last season.
Rookie (Bur) - Carlo Testa: 2008 18th rounder has four walks and one hit.
Rookie (Ida) - Nick Francis: At 22 years old, he better be hitting .317.
Rookie (Az) - Luis Del Rosario: Another Latin American signee from last season is off to a .438 start this year.

DESIGNATED HITTER
AAA - Ryan Shealy: You wish he was dominating this level.
AA - Juan Richardson: What happens when you put a 29 year old in AA? Not as much as you think.
High A - Kurt Mertins: Seventeen doubles, 15 steals and a .378 on-base percentage. Worth keeping around at least.
Lot A - Clint Robinson: Numbers have fallen off from his big power year in Idaho Falls as a rookie.
Rookie (Bur) - Julio Aparicio: What’s not to like about a baseball player named Aparicio?
Rookie (Ida) - Alwin Perez: Probably not a good sign when you are demoted from A ball to DH in a rookie league.
Rookie (Az) - James Nilsen: A 23 year old in the lowest rookie rung? Probably not exactly a star in the making.

To be honest, I have no good idea on how to do this sort of thing for the pitchers without taking all night and making this column so cumbersome that no one will read it. I’ll spend a little extra time on the pitchers during the June All-Star post this weekend.

Off Day Odds and Ends

Some random questions, observations and thoughts after the Royals enjoyed a rare off-day at home.

- Did you realize that Zack Greinke did not throw a single changeup during his start Tuesday against the Rockies? For reference, Zack offered up 16 changeups the start before.

- More Greinke. After throwing just seven sliders in the first four innings combined on Tuesday, he tossed EIGHTEEN during the fifth inning alone. I don’t know what any of this pitch stuff really means (although Zack was shaking off John Buck a lot), but I always find it interesting.

- Wondering why Billy Butler has not been recalled? Keep in mind that only three position players have options left: Alex Gordon, Mike Aviles and Mark Teahen.

- Sam Mellinger has a nice article on Mike Aviles this morning in the Kansas City Star.

- If you thought I had abandoned our minor league coverage, don’t panic. There simply has not been much going on with Omaha, Northwest Arkansas and Wilmington all having two and three day breaks for their All-Star games this past week. Check back for a minor league update later today and our June All-Star team this weekend.

- I keep looking for a contender that needs a second baseman, but the pickings are pretty slim. The Mets could use a Mark Grudzielanek, but with Luis Castillo expensively in the fold, they appear unlikely to make a move. Take a look and tell me if you see a fit somewhere.

- Here’s a trade that almost could happen: Joey Gathright to Florida for Robert Andino. Andino is the Marlins’ AAA shortstop and is obviously blocked by a guy named Hanley Ramirez. Strikeouts are a big concern with Andino, but he does have some pop and may or may not be ready for the majors. Maybe Dayton Moore could get the Marlins to throw in a Low A bat, too.

- Have you checked next week’s schedule? Four games at Baltimore and four games at Tampa Bay. For whatever reason, the Royals cannot seem to beat the Orioles and Tampa has always been a house of horrors for Kansas City…and that was when the Rays were not any good. A six and five record over the next eleven games would be a pretty good accomplishment.

- After winning ten of eleven, now is a very odd time to offer up a new lineup, but here we go anyway:
Callaspo DH
Aviles SS
DeJesus CF
Guillen LF
Gordon 3B
Butler 1B (after Gload is traded or Pena is, at last, passed through waivers)
Grudzielanek 2B
Teahen RF
Buck/Olivo C

- Okay, that’s all for now. Check back for minor league news later today, a minor league all-star team this weekend and, of course, let’s get at least two of three this weekend from the Cardinals.