I think i’ll have a £5 bet with you on that should should the Royals send him through the waiver system!

I dont think the depth & quality of pitching around the Major leagues was as good as it has been last season,indeed a lot of commentators expressed the dearth in talent at that level,so i’m thinking along the lines that some team will take a punt on Mendozza,especially after his great year in the PCL & the “secret” is out even if it was September because those performances were truly commanding,why even Craig was recomending them as essential winter viewing!

Lets not forget everyone that Dayton Moore is absolutely paranoid about having another “Philip Humber” situation,so that should factor big time into any decision concerning Mendozza….

Pena is the best option at back-up catcher, to me, because his defense has improved, he’s a switch-hitter, and he’s shown a little bat when getting playing time. Pina will be insurance in Omaha for injury, important because neither Perez nor Pena fear contact. We saw what happened to Matt Treanor last year.

I think Dyson stays as 4th OF because he is the best defensive OF we have, plays all three positions well, he has elite speed and base running abilities, and his bat improved over the year at Omaha. Mitch is a great guy, can play all three OF positions adequately, but doesn’t hit much and isn’t a base stealing threat.

As for number of pitchers, I am convinced we keep a 13 man staff until our starters prove that they can pitch into the 7th inning. Luke Hochevar was our high inning man at under seven, Duffy averaged in the fives, Sanchez, even in his very good ’10 campaign was in the fives, and Paulino and Chen averaged six. That will require a deep, good bullpen to get us past the 7th inning that has been a problem for the team, as well as a short, versatile bench. Should Luke and Felipe show that they can get to the 8th fairly often and Sanchez and Duffy at least sometimes finish the 7th, then a seven-man ‘pen is possible, but I doubt anyone wants to see a Collins or Wood coming in every night after the starter implodes in order to save the premium arms for the rest of the series. With Soria, Holland, Broxton, and Herrera the 8th and 9th should be covered every night, so we need the extra quality arm to help get through the 6th and 7th to get to the dominators. Coleman, Wood, Mijares, and Teaford should provide that and an eighth pitcher allows an extra leftie/long reliever/spot starter in Teaford who has shown abilities in all three roles. That’s my take on it.

I put Mendoza in that category as well. Mendoza’s future probably will be based on how his spring training goes. If he does as well as the other prospects, I think he’ll get the first opportunity at spot #5. My reasoning is that he has nothing more to prove in AAA, out of options, no real trade value and there is no reason why the prospects can’t spend some more time in AAA working on things, earning their callup.

Another factor affecting Mendoza is the number of pitchers Yost will keep. Most people think that 13 pitchers will be kept based on last year. However, last year they had to keep Adcock on the staff – so Yost really only counted on 12 pitchers. So I’m thinking it is possible that the Royals start with 12 pitchers, allowing Maier and Dyson to start the season at the ML level.

Do you mean you think its likely he will get traded out of Spring training Jim?

“I am never very excited about college draft picks.”

I’m not either. Time in the minors seems better for development than time in college.

“Anyway, kudos to the Royals for buying low on the guy who may turn into their best starter.”

I agree with that statement. The Royals on the other hand guaranteed Bruce Chen a rotation spot to the possible detriment of Paulino, Duffy, or Crow.