The Kansas City Royals entered the 2011 season with the deepest farm system in the game -- some observers said it was the deepest farm system they'd ever seen. The refrain was 2013 ... 2013 ... just wait until 2013.
Mike Moustakas Called Up By Royals; Mike Aviles Sent Down
How about right now? After the surprise and success of the Eric Hosmer move, the Royals are trying to repeat their good fortune, promoting Mike Moustakas, third-base prospect extraordinaire. To make room for the call-up, the Royals demoted long-time infielder Mike Aviles, who had slumped to a .217/.261/.398 line in 166 at-bats -- a far cry from his .304/.335/.413 line last year.
But the big story is Moustakas. Here’s what Baseball America’s #9 prospect has done in the minors:
| Year | Age | Lg | Lev | Aff | G | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 18 | PION | Rk | KCR | 11 | 47 | 41 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | .293 | .383 | .439 | .822 |
| 2008 | 19 | MIDW | A | KCR | 126 | 549 | 496 | 135 | 25 | 3 | 22 | 71 | 8 | 4 | 43 | 86 | .272 | .337 | .468 | .805 |
| 2009 | 20 | CARL | A+ | KCR | 129 | 530 | 492 | 123 | 32 | 2 | 16 | 86 | 10 | 6 | 32 | 90 | .250 | .297 | .421 | .718 |
| 2010 | 21 | 2 Lgs | AA-AAA | KCR | 118 | 534 | 484 | 156 | 41 | 0 | 36 | 124 | 2 | 1 | 34 | 67 | .322 | .369 | .630 | .999 |
| 2010 | 21 | TL | AA | KCR | 66 | 298 | 259 | 90 | 25 | 0 | 21 | 76 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 42 | .347 | .413 | .687 | 1.100 |
| 2010 | 21 | PCL | AAA | KCR | 52 | 236 | 225 | 66 | 16 | 0 | 15 | 48 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 25 | .293 | .314 | .564 | .878 |
| 2011 | 22 | PCL | AAA | KCR | 55 | 250 | 223 | 64 | 15 | 1 | 10 | 44 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 44 | .287 | .347 | .498 | .845 |
| 5 Seasons | 439 | 1910 | 1736 | 490 | 117 | 7 | 84 | 335 | 21 | 12 | 132 | 295 | .282 | .337 | .503 | .840 | ||||
He doesn’t control the strike zone as well as Hosmer, so don’t expect the same kind of immediate success, but he’s still one of the more exciting prospects in the game. John Sickels wrote this in his Mike Moustakas scouting report:
Compared to when I’ve seen him in the past, he was more selective at the plate, but still showed the compact-but-powerful swing that makes him very dangerous. Although he’s not as thick around the waist and legs as he looked in 2009, he’s still slow and I don’t think his body is going to age well. The bat will be excellent though and is nearly major league ready in my view.
The future for the Royals is now, apparently. Should be fun to watch. There is a chance that Aviles will be recalled soon, but not fondly.
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