2017 Acquisitions: Daniel Tillo and Evan Steele, LHPs
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): Tillo: 6/13/1996 (21); Steele: 11/14/1996 (21)
2017 teams/levels played for: Tillo: Arizona Rookie League Royals, advanced rookie Burlington Royals; Steele: Arizona Rookie League Royals
2017 Stats: Tillo: 10 G, 9 GS, 36 2/3 IP, 4.42 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 3.8% BB, 20.4% K; Steele: 5 G, 5 GS, 8 IP, 5.63 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 5% BB, 40% K
Info: This could be viewed as cheating not choosing one or the other, but the paths and backgrounds of Tillo and Steele both are part of the path that the Kansas City Royals chose toward a long-range rebuild that they both fit into this spot.
Tillo was an elite basketball player as well as a lefty pitcher with a 90-MPH coming out of high school, recruited to Kentucky with a chance to play both, but he ended up transferring to Iowa Western Community College. There his stuff ticked up, with his fastball sitting in the low-90s, touching 96-97, and his hard-breaking slider leaving hitters straight flabbergasted at the plate due to its late break.
Tillo did wear down on the season, and the Royals managed his inning load carefully after drafting him, but his easy delivery and projection left in his arm could make Tillo a steal in the 3rd round in the end.
He’s likely a mid-rotation starter projection and could open in Lexington in 2018.
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Steele was a guy who was more-regarded out of high school, though he wasn’t drafted due to his strong commitment to Vanderbilt. Oddly, within a year, he had left Vanderbilt to head to Chipola JuCo, one of the strongest JuCo programs in the country.
Steele has a fastball that works in the low 90s, touching 94-95, but it plays up due to his 6’5″ frame and high extension in his long limbs, making the pitch seem like it’s immediately at the plate to a hitter. His change is above-average with good sink, and he has a breaking pitch that can get slurvy.
Polishing up his breaker and adding on innings after a blood clot cut off much of his 2017 college season and some concerns due to it led to lower usage as a pro will be the focus of his 2018, but his elite deception could allow him to play up beyond his back-rotation “stuff” projection.
Steele likely will open in extended spring, but the Kansas City Royals could send him even to low-A from there, though most likely he will open with Appy League Burlington.
So that is the Kansas City Royals top 10 prospects for 2018. Who is too high? Too low? Missing entirely from the list? Comment below!!