Royals on the Farm 6/9 -- 2010 draft is in the books, Montgomery on the shelf

The 50 rounds that constitute the MLB draft are in the books for 2010. Here's the Royals' list....

Round	Overall	Player	Position	School	State
1	4	Christian Colon	SS	Cal State Fullerton	Calif.
2	54	Brett Eibner	RHP	Arkansas	Texas
3	86	Mike Antonio	SS	George Washington HS, New York	N.Y.
4	119	Kevin Chapman	LHP	Florida	Fla.
5	149	Jason Adam	RHP	Blue Valley Northwest HS, Overland Park, Kan.	Kan.
6	179	Scott Alexander	LHP	Sonoma State (Calif.)	Calif.
7	209	Eric Cantrell	RHP	George Washington	D.C.
8	239	Michael Mariot	RHP	Nebraska	Neb.
9	269	Whit Merrifield	OF	South Carolina	S.C.
10	299	Timothy Ferguson	OF	Mississippi	Miss.
11	329	Alex McClure	SS	Middle Tennessee State	Tenn.
12	359	Daniel Hernandez	RHP	Miami-Dade CC	Fla.
13	389	Jon Gray	RHP	Chandler (Okla.) HS	Okla.
14	419	Michael Giovencio	RHP	North Park (Ill.)	Ill.
15	449	Jason Mitchell	RHP	Texas-Arlington	Texas
16	479	Charles Byrne	RHP	East Tennessee State	Tenn.
17	509	Ryan Jenkins	C	Auburn	Ala.
18	539	Scott Fletcher	OF	Auburn	Fla.
19	569	Kevin David	C	Oklahoma State	Okla.
20	599	Cameron Conner	OF	Indiana Southeast	Ind.
21	629	Michael Liberto	SS	Missouri	Mo.
22	659	Tyler Graham	RHP	Nevada	Nev.
23	689	Steven Neff	LHP	South Carolina	S.C.
24	719	Brandon Glazer	SS	Clear Spring (Md.) HS	Md.
25	749	Buddy Sosnoskie	OF	Virginia Tech	Va.
26	779	Jonathan Dooley	RHP	Henderson State (Ark.)	Ark.
27	809	Jose Rodriguez	OF	Miami-Dade CC	Fla.
28	839	Murray Watts	1B	Arkansas State	Ark.
29	869	Alexander Marquez	C	Alfonso Casta Martinez HS, Manaubo, P.R.
30	899	Chad Blauer	RHP	Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.)	Calif.
31	929	Parker Bangs	RHP	South Carolina	S.C.
32	959	Justin Hageman	RHP	Hopkinsville (Ky.) HS	Ky.
33	989	Cole Lohden	RHP	Southern Arkansas	Ark.
34	1019	Mark Blackmar	RHP	Carroll HS, Southlake, Texas	Texas
35	1049	Kris Carlson	RHP	Wenatchee Valley (Wash.) CC	Wash.
36	1079	Mitchell Beacom	LHP	UCLA	Calif.
37	1109	Robert Penny	RHP	Pitt (N.C.) CC	N.C.
38	1139	Nick Graffeo	RHP	Alabama-Birmingham	Ala.
39	1169	Alex Rivers	RHP	Santa Clara	Calif.
40	1199	Dale Cornstubble	C	Central Michigan	Mich.
41	1229	Matt Ridings	RHP	Western Kentucky	Ky.
42	1259	Michael Botelho	C	Chabot (Calif.) JC	Calif.
43	1289	Dillon Wilson	LHP	Western Oklahoma State JC	Okla.
44	1319	Shawn Payne	2B	Georgia Southern	Ga.
45	1349	Tom Zebroski	SS	George Washington	D.C.
46	1379	Drew Robertson	C	Middle Tennessee State	Tenn.
47	1409	Clifford Sandford	OF	Park (Mo.)	Mo.
48	1439	Jacob Hannemann	OF	Lone Peak HS, Highland, Utah	Utah
49	1469	Jordan Propst	RHP	South Carolina	S.C.
50	1499	Joe Jackson	C	Mauldin HS, Greenville, S.C.	S.C.

A few thoughts...this is actually kind of the draft, position-wise, I was hoping for last year -- a bunch of catchers and shortstops. People on Royals Review were commenting on the number of college players drafted by KC (41 college and juco players all together) with the thoughts they were going for potential role players as the studs in the system mature to the majors. I don't mind that, although I would have liked a little Melville/Myers style pop pick in the mid top 10. The closest this year was 5th rounder Jason Adam from BV Northwest, who is a Mizzou commit. We'll see if the Royals can pry him away, which I wouldn't mind. Not a Mizzou fan. Guess it's gonna take a 7-fig bonus to get him. Don't know what to think about the Eibner pick. Hopefully he's the power hitter the system needs and can improve his contact rate, as he has been a strikeout king at Arkansas. The Royals made it 2 SS in the first 3 picks with the Bronx's Mike Antonio in round 3. He sounds like he has no intentions of doing anything other than signing. Lefty Kevin Chapman is a college closer who has already had TJS, so he's somewhat of a risk pick, but he supposedly has great stuff. Adam sounds like more of a project in round 5. Three more college pitchers in the top 10, then South Carolina OF/IF Whit Merrifield, who seems to offer versatility, if nothing else, and a Dayton Moore-special low-grade toolsy OF Tim Ferguson from Ole Miss in rd 10. The next 10 saw 5 righties, two college catchers and a couple Auburn Tigers. Two more SS were added in picks 21-30 while the picks were almost all pitchers from 31-40, other than the best name of the draft, 40th rounder C Dale Cornstubble. The last 10 saw 3 more catchers and a couple more middle infielders. Not a great draft, but not a poor one either at first glance. It's always interesting to see who signs and who decides to take another shot at bettering their draft position, or at least their drafting team.

AAA - Omaha: off day

* The O-Royals return home to start a 4-game set with the first-place Nashville Sounds (32-26, AAA Brewers) Thursday. John Parrish makes his second rehab start in game 1.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 3, Arkansas 0 (7/G1)

SS McConnell 2-2, BB -- .268
1B C. Robinson 1-3, HR (7), RBI (35), RS -- .275
2B Giavotella 1-3, BB, RBI (16) -- .268
CF D. Robinson 0-4, RBI (19), K -- .276
3B Moustakas 0-3, K -- .361
RF Van Stratten 0-3 -- .257
LF T. Smith 0-1, 2 BB -- .313

Paulino 5 IP, 3 H, BB, 6 K -- W, 5-3, 4.15 ERA
Sisk 2 IP, H, BB, 4 K -- SV, 5, 2.25 ERA

* The Naturals got a 4-hit shutout to take the first of 2 with the Travelers. C Jeff Howell picked off a runner at third to end the Arkansas 1st and Johnny Giavotella took a bases-loaded walk in the 3rd to give the Nats the lead. Clint Robinson led off the 4th with his 7th homer and Derrick Robinson tacked on an RBI forceout in the 7th. Arkansas had a couple chances to score but couldn't make anything happen against Eduardo Paulino and Brandon Sisk. Arkansas SP Tommy Mendoza took the loss with 2 ER in 4 IP to fall to 0-1. NWA is 33-23. As shown, OF Nick Van Stratten was activated from the DL as Mike Montgomery was put on the DL. Hopefully this is a short trip. I haven't heard the team extolling it from the rooftops that it's anything minor, which makes me a little nervous. I may hold off game 2 for Thursday, but we'll see...

Naturals 4, Arkansas 0 (2-hitter, 7/G2)

RF Orlando 2-3, RS, SB (8), CS (5) -- .306
SS Seratelli 2-3, RS, SB (4) -- .280
C Theriot 2-2, BB, 2 RS -- .429
2B Giavotella 1-3, BB, 2B (13), RBI (17), K -- .269
CF D. Robinson 1-3, S, RBI (20), 2 K -- .277
LF Smith 1-3, 2B (8), RBI (19) -- .314
3B Moustakas 0-3, SF, RBI (50), 2 K -- .354, churning out the RBI
1B C. Robinson 0-4 -- .270

Teaford 5 IP, H, BB, 6 K -- W, 6-2, 4.28 ERA, nice start
Coleman 2 IP, H, BB, 4 K -- SV, 4, 2.25 ERA

* The Naturals trumped their game 1 effort with a 2-hit shutout in game 2. Everett Teaford stranded 2 in the 1st and the Nats had 2 guys thrown out on the basepaths in the 2nd. Johnny Giavotella hit an RBI double in the 3rd and Tim Smith did the same in the 4th. Teaford retired the last 10 he faced and the Nats rallied for 2 in the 7th on a Derrick Robinson RBI single and Mike Moustakas sac fly. Louis Coleman polished off the win. SP Taylor Wilding allowed 2 ER over 3 1/3 IP to fall to 1-3. The Naturals are 34-23 and 5 games up on first.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Kinston 3, Blue Rocks 1

DH Walton 2-4, 2 K -- .169
1B Hosmer 1-4, 2B (21), K -- .357
LF Ortiz 0-4, K -- .270
C T. Jones 0-4, 2 PB -- .000, grumble

Hodgson 5 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 9 H, 7 K, WP, balk -- L, 2-5, 5.14 ERA
Lafferty 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, K -- 4.43 ERA
Basurto IP, UER, 3 BB, K, balk -- 4.09 ERA

* The Rocks' offense sputtered as Kinston took the series finale. Nick Francis hit a 1-out single in the 1st, stole second, advanced to third on a Hosmer groundout and scored on a wild pitch as the Rocks got an early run. Kinston got it tied in the 5th and took the lead in the 6th. Eric Basurto balked in an insurance run in the 9th and the Rocks loaded the bases with 1 out in the 9th but Rey Navarro struck out and Travis Jones hit into a game-ending forceout. Kinston SP Joseph Gardner allowed an ER over 6 2/3 IP with 8 K to improve to 4-1. 3B Karexon Sanchez continued to own the Rocks with a 3-4 night. Two others had 2 hits. The Rocks are 28-32. OF Jason Taylor has been released after a disappointing run with the Royals that started as a second-round draft pick in 2006, featured a few bright flashes and two drug suspensions, and now ends on the chow line. Alex Caldera starts the first of 4 at the Winston-Salem Dash (38-22, A-Adv. ChiSox) Thursday.

A - Burlington: Great Lakes 6, Bees 5

C Myers 2-4, BB, 2B (14), 3 RBI (40), K, RS, 2 PB (14) -- .280, calls Jones' 2 PB and raises him 2 hits and 3 RBI
1B Lewis 2-5, RBI (31), 3 K -- .268
LF Testa 2-4, 2 2B (11), K, OF assist at home -- .262
SS Hall 1-3, 2 BB, RBI (20), 2 RS -- .227
DH Bonilla 1-3, BB, K, RS -- .247

Hayenga 6 IP, 6 R (4 ER), 9 H, 2 BB, K, 2 HRA -- L, 1-3, 7.25 ERA, not working out in A ball, and this is a pitchers' league
Kelley 2 IP, 3 BB, 2 K -- 5.67 ERA
Sirrett IP, K -- 4.66 ERA

* The Bees hung in against the Loons but couldn't overcome them. Keaton Hayenga struggled again but was the victim of a run-scoring passed ball on Wil Myers in the 1st. Hayenga served up a 2-run homer and got another run-scoring passed ball on Myers in the 3rd as the Loons made it 5-0. Gerard Hall singled in a run and Myers atoned with a 2-run double before Joey Lewis singled in a run to cut the lead to 5-4. Great Lakes got the run right back on a leadoff homer in the 4th but Carlo Testa gunned down a runner at the plate to end a budding rally. The Bees left 2 in scoring position in the 4th but got a Myers RBI single in the 7th to trim the lead back to 1. Burlington ended up stranding 2 and that was their last, best chance. Loons SP Josh Wall allowed 4 ER over 6 IP but got the win to move to 1-4. RP Luis Vasquez notched his 11th save. Three Loons had 2 hits. SS Christian Lara had 2 hits, his 6th HR and 2 RBI (30). Bees manager Jim Gabella's son, Cody, was chosen by the Braves today in rd 50. What, no "nepotiz" pick by the Royals? They did take Kevin Seitzer's stepson, so maybe Dayton Moore just had a quota of 1. The Bees are 20-39.