The term “Undrafted Free Agent” (UDFA) used to carry with it very little in terms of expectations. When the MLB Draft had 50 rounds, any undrafted free agents left were usually fliers that teams would take on a guy who was either really fast, really strong, or could throw the ball really hard without any…
I was perhaps more excited to watch Alec Marsh pitch this season than any other prospect in the system. Marsh tweeted a video of himself earlier this year pumping 97 mph, which certainly piqued my interest: Three digits coming soon… pic.twitter.com/mgoWzJsBzT — Alec Marsh (@AlecMarsh8) May 21, 2020 Coming out of college, Marsh was a…
On Day Two of the MLB Draft, I got the chance to have a conversation with Chris Hall. Hall is the head baseball coach for De La Salle Institute in Chicago. Royals second round pick, Ben Hernandez, went to De La Salle Institute and played for Hall. It’s every head coach’s dream to have a…
(This is Part Two of our interview with Vance Vizcaino, whose roller-coaster 2019 led him finally to a Rule 5 selection by the Chicago Cubs, and closer to the majors than ever.) Vizcaino found himself facing the possibility of joining another team, though this time under different circumstances, as the Rule 5 Draft approached. A…
It was a strange trip for former Kansas City Royals (and now, former Colorado Rockies) outfielder Vance Vizcaino, in 2019. From his release by Kansas City, to being contacted by the Rockies while he was on the road heading back home, to his eventual success and subsequent selection in the Rule 5 Draft by the…
It should be noted at this point that Marklund wasn’t exactly a mystery as a prospect; coming out of St Thomas Aquinas HS in Vancouver in the Class of 2014, he had been scouted during his appearance in the 2013 Northwest Showcase. Among these notes, scouts mentioned that his fastball peaked at 85, and that…
(This is part one of a two-part interview with Brandon and Joe Marklund, recorded at their home in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, as Brandon had just recently returned from the Premier-12 Tournament in Japan.) Twenty-seven kilometers east of Vancouver, on the north bank of the Fraser River in British Columbia, sits Port Coquitlam, a town…
Charlie Neuweiler had a really interesting 2019 season for the Royals Low-A affiliate, the Lexington Legends. Neuweiler had a dominant start to 2019, had a weird 7-start rough patch in May and June, and then was really really good again to close out 2019. Neuweiler, a 5th round pick back in 2017, has always piqued…
(This is the third and final part of a three-part series of articles, chronicling Chase Vallot‘s history in the Kansas City Royals organization. In this article, we take a look at Vallot’s 2019 performance, his struggles in 2018, how he worked through them, and his outlook on the game, in general.) Back in Lexington for…
(This is Part Two of a three-part series on former Top-30 Royals prospect Chase Vallot, documenting his time with the Wilmington Blue Rocks and his 2019 return to the Lexington Legends.) When Vallot advanced to Wilmington for 2017, he continued to follow his familiar pattern at the plate: lots of strikeouts (127), but an .818…
Brad Keller has been one of the best Rule 5 picks in recent memory. People love to get caught up in how many strikeouts Keller doesn’t record on a daily basis, but they often forget how good Brad Keller really is, ESPECIALLY for a Rule 5 pick: I don’t think people realize how good Brad…
The core of pitching prospects between A-ball and AA gets a lot of attention. Jackson Kowar, Brady Singer, Kris Bubic, Daniel Lynch, etc. The Royals, however, have a long line of viable pitching prospects that extends all the way down to rookie ball for the first time in a long time. Seemingly every night, one…
(This is Part One of a three-part series taking a look at former Top-30 Royals prospect Chase Vallot, his first few years as a pro, and his attempt to advance once more above Low-A Lexington.) Chase Vallot is a young man on a mission. It goes without saying. The St. Thomas More product and 2014…
Nick Heath has been on an absolute tear over the last couple of months. The Royals 32nd ranked prospect has always been something of a wildcard offensively. He’s probably going to get a look in the big leagues at some point because he can absolutely fly and plays electric defense in the outfield. His role…
I met Justin Cole at the Naturals Luncheon not too long ago and he agreed to do an interview with RFR. Cole has been with the Naturals since the beginning when the team moved from Wichita. The Naturals should be an exciting team to watch this year and I feel have a chance to compete…
