Royals WPA blog + two notes!

Well, scratch what was here before. I am interested in starting up a Royals Win Percentage Added blog. And after receiving an email from FanGraphs, I think I may have something in the works. I’ll post again once I have more details.

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In other news, here are two links you might be interested in:

Aaron Gleeman has named Billy Butler the 11th-best MLB prospect in 2007.

Based on hitting alone Billy Butler is one of the elite prospects in baseball, but his complete lack of defensive value drops him in these rankings. Originally a third baseman when the Royals made him the 14th overall pick in the 2004 draft, Butler is currently a left fielder and will likely end up at designated hitter. A .344 hitter in 314 pro games who turns 21 years old next month, Butler combines huge power potential with good strike-zone control and has a chance to become an all-around offensive monster.

Marc Hulet over at the inestimable Baseball Analysts spent some time in Suprise, Ariz., and I think he has some interesting observations about the Royals (and Cubs).

Shealy looked impressive but has a very thick lower half and could age poorly. Two of his singles were solid line drives, while the third was a blooper over first base. He also displayed solid patience at the plate.

Butler looked like a player who needs a little more minor league seasoning. Nothing about his play stood out.

It was clear that pitchers were avoiding throwing Brown fastballs and he struggled to take good swings on breaking balls.