Around the Horn in KC:

“Omaha has an outstanding new facility and a great management team in place,” said Scott Sharp, Royals Director of Minor League Operations.  “The club announced new ownership partners today, making this a perfect time for the Royals to show our continued commitment to the Omaha area.” “Having been affiliated with Kansas City since 1969, there was never a question of if we were going to extend the PDC, but when,” said Omaha President and General Manager Martie Cordaro.  “In my 14 years of Minor League Baseball, I have never personally experienced such a great relationship with a Major League affiliate. We are excited to extend our partnership with the Royals.”

Even though Wil Myers is currently tearing the cover off the ball in the minor leagues, the need to make the move to bring him up currently is not there. While Myers stats show he is very capable of handling the pitching at the Triple A level with his triple slash at .321/.369/.718 with 8 home runs and 22 RBI's. The big issue, and this is a good thing, is that Jeff Francoeur Alex Gordon, and Jarrod Dyson are currently entrenched at the pro level as the starting outfield. If Myers is going to be called up, he’s going to play every day and not ride the pine like Johnny Giovatella did earlier this season and a roster move will need to be made.

The final issue surrounding Myers call up, is the super two status. The super two status means that the player acquires arbitration eligibility after two years of service instead of the required three years.  Though the Royals upper management will vehemently deny this, the super two status for highly regarded prospects is always in the back of their minds. The Royals have shown that they will disregard the super two status when there is an obvious need for help at a certain position, see Hosmer, but with the current players entrenched in the outfield, there isn’t a demand for him to be called up.

So when can we expect to see Wil Myers called up. Barring any unforeseen injuries, I see the Royal’s calling up Myers sometime in the next 6 to 8 weeks.  When he does get called up, I fully expect that either Francoeur has been traded to a team that is in need of his defense and a right handed bat that can come off the bench or the Royals have moved Francoeur to center field. If the Royals move Frenchy to center, Myers will play right field on a full time basis and they will have Dyson coming off the bench.

Here’s the great thing about having all these issues with Myers. The Royals are officially starting to look like a professional baseball team. Any of the good contending teams have these issues on a regular basis. There is nothing wrong with having a legitimate back up playing in Triple A because as we’ve seen this season, injuries are a major part of baseball and having a serviceable backup within your organization that you can rely upon should injuries become an issue.

Kansas City Royals prospects 3B/OF Wil Myers and SP Jake Odorizzi have been promoted from Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals to Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers.

Wil Myers, drafted #91 overall (3rd round) in the 2009 draft, of has been absolutely on fire with the Naturals, batting .343 with 13 home runs and a 1.146 OPS. Not only is Myers hitting well, but the converted catcher to right fielder has also played center field and is now working the hot-corner.

It is obvious the Royals trust the athleticism of Myers and his ability to learn multiple positions in every attempt to expedite his promotion through the ranks.

Jake Odorizzi was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers with Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar and Jeremy Jeffress in the Zack Greinke trade of 2010. The Royals also sent Yuniesky Betancourt to the Brewers. Odorizzi is 4-2 in 7 starts with the Naturals with a 3.32 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 38 innings and a .974WHIP and 4.7 K/BB.

Once thought to be a "throw-in" piece in the Greinke deal, by many fans, Odorizzi is looking as if he may become the biggest success in the group.

How soon to the Big Show?

Wil Myers is gaining more and more versatility in the field, but where does he fit into the Royals roster in 2012? Most likely, he does not. 

CF Lorenzo Cain, is expected back from injury before the All-Star break, at very latest and Jarrod Dyson is filling in better than expected in his absence. RF Jeff Francoeur is locked up through 2013. LF Alex Gordon just signed an extension before 2012. 3B Mike Moustakas is in his first full season with the Royals. DH Billy Butler is having, arguably, the best season of his career. 

The only way I see Wil Myers making it to the Kansas City Royals in 2012 is if, and this is a VERY BIG IF, Eric Hosmer digresses even more at the plate, then is sent down to Omaha. In this scenario, I believe the Royals would ask Myers to learn 1B while in Omaha.

Most likely, Myers gets the call in mid-2013... and Frenchy is dealt.

Jake Odorizzi has a much clearer path to the MLB. Throw well, dominate, be starting for the Royals before 2012 is out. The Royals need starting pitching and Odorizzi is an elite prospect.

Do you think Myers and Odorizzi join the Royals in 2012?

While the Royals have played better this week, they still have a record of 8 wins and 17 losses. There are moves that we can make to get us back on track. We can add more depth to the outfield by sending down Mitch Maier and calling up Derrick Robinson.  Mitch Maier is only hitting .222, with only 1 home run in 13 games. Meanwhile down in Omaha Derrick Robinson is hot, hitting .337 with 2 home runs in 20 games.  And, lets not forget outfielder David Lough, who is hitting .294 with 3 home runs in 28 games, down in Omaha. Now which outfielder would you rather have? We could even fix our catching problem by sending down or cutting Humberto Quintero, who is only hitting  .236, and replacing him with Max Ramirez,  who is hot right now with a .319 average and 5 home runs.  It would let Max Ramirez learn under Bryan Pena and fight for the starting job when Salvador Perez gets back. Now lets look at some of the pitchers in Omaha that could be called up. There is no reason why we haven't called up Ryan Verdugo, he has a 2.87 ERA with a 3-0 record, in 31.1 innings. Can you remind me again why Luis Mendoza is still in our rotation? We have already called up Nathan Adcock and Irving Falu, so what is holding us back from calling up other minor leaguers.

Is It Too Early To Call Up Our Minor Leaguers?