Kansas City Royals: The Mike Moustakas Era Begins in Kansas City

First it was Aaron Crow out of spring training, then it was Eric Hosmer and Danny Duffy in May and now it’s Mike Moustakas in June.

If you follow the game’s top prospects, then the Kansas City Royals are the team for you.

The Royals called up Moustakas on Thursday and he is expected to be their everyday third baseman moving forward. In a corresponding move, the Royals sent Mike Aviles down to Triple-A.

Moustakas is red hot at the plate and the Royals are hoping he can provide the same offense as Hosmer has this season.

After a slow start to the season, Moustakas as really turned it on over the last month or so. He was hitting .287/.347/.498 with 10 home runs in 55 games this season at Triple-A. However, he is batting .321 in 34 games since May 1 with six homers.

The Royals now have their future playing first and third on an everyday basis. By the end of 2012, the Royals could have their future infield set. There’s a good chance that 2B Johnny Giavotella could get the call soon (hitting .302/.363/.412 with three HRs in Triple-A) and SS Christian Colon has started to figure things out in Double-A.

Despite the wins not being there lately, things are really starting to come together in Kansas City. I am also personally excited for Moustakas’ call-up because I had predicted he would win the AL Rookie of the Year award this season. Now there is a small possibility of that actually happening.

Here are some other things you should know about Mike Moustakas:

Age: 22

Bats: Left

Throws: Right

College: None. Went to Chatsworth High School in Chatsworth, CA

Drafted: Second pick of the first round of the 2007 June Draft by the Kansas City Royals

Minor League Stats:

Year	Lev	PA	H	2B	HR	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2007	Rk	47	12	4	0	0	4	8	.293	.383	.439	.822
2008	A	549	135	25	22	8	43	86	.272	.337	.468	.805
2009	A+	530	123	32	16	10	32	90	.250	.297	.421	.718
2010	AA-AAA	534	156	41	36	2	34	67	.322	.369	.630	.999
2010	AA	298	90	25	21	0	26	42	.347	.413	.687	1.100
2010	AAA	236	66	16	15	2	8	25	.293	.314	.564	.878
2011	AAA	250	64	15	10	1	19	44	.287	.347	.498	.845
5 Seasons		1910	490	117	84	21	132	295	.282	.337	.503	.840
AAA (2 seasons)	AAA	486	130	31	25	3	27	69	.290	.331	.531	.862
A (1 season)	A	549	135	25	22	8	43	86	.272	.337	.468	.805
AA (1 season)	AA	298	90	25	21	0	26	42	.347	.413	.687	1.100
Rk (1 season)	Rk	47	12	4	0	0	4	8	.293	.383	.439	.822
A+ (1 season)	A+	530	123	32	16	10	32	90	.250	.297	.421	.718

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/11/2011.

Keith Law Ranking and Analysis

Ranking: No. 23 out of 100 prospects in baseball for 2011.

Analysis:

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“I said last January that 2010 would determine whether Moustakas projected as an impact bat or just as solid-average, and I think he answered that question pretty clearly, even with the knocks on his performance this year. Moustakas destroyed Double-A, in part courtesy of a home park very friendly to left-handed power hitters, and maintained his power with a promotion to Triple-A but lost some selectivity and struggled against left-handed pitching.

"He has one of the best-looking swings on any prospect in the minors, and has big line-drive power, including power out to left-center. At third base, his best tool remains his plus-plus arm; he’ll make the plays there but won’t show much range, and I doubt he’ll be more than average even with his work ethic. Even a grade-45 glove at third with his bat is a very good player who’ll make All-Star teams and hit in the middle of the Royals’ lineup for years.”

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