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[warthog]

The above photo (courtesy of BrianFlemingPhotography.com) features (top row, from left) left-handed pitcher Danny Duffy, left-handed pitcher Mike Montgomery, first baseman Eric Hosmer and third baseman Mike Moustakas; and (bottom row, from left) left-handed pitchers Everett Teaford and Tim Collins.

Picture Day: Royals dominate Team USA at Pan Am Games

You can take it as a sign that the Royals do, in fact, have the best minor-league system in baseball.

You can take it as evidence that the rest of the baseball world has taken notice of the Royals’ stash of talent.

Or maybe... the Royals are just the most patriotic franchise in baseball.

Whatever the case, the Royals organization has six players suiting up for Team USA this week at the Pan American Qualifying Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

It is the most players from a single organization ever selected to one Team USA professional team.

The fact hasn’t been lost on USA Baseball officials, who gathered the six Royals prospects together for photo-op during the team’s training camp in Cary, N.C.

The Royals contingent constitutes one-fourth of the 24-man roster. And perhaps more impressive than that is the fact Hosmer (20), Collins (21) and Montgomery (21) are the second, third and fourth-youngest players on the team, respectively*.

And that doesn’t include Moustakas, 22, who is just 13 months older than Hosmer — his roommate during the tournament.

“Usually with a lot of organizations, there’s just one guy coming up (the team) wants to rebuild the franchise,” Hosmer said Wednesday during a conference call from Puerto Rico. “But we’ve got a good strong group of minor-league talent.

Moustakas said: “We both felt a lot of pressure coming up through baseball, and I think it’s something we both cherish and embrace. To be part of this franchise is really exciting.”

[warthog]

Pan Am team: red, white and Royal blue
Six Kansas City prospects named to USA Baseball squad
By Benjamin Hill / MLB.com

Our country was founded in opposition to the monarchy, but USA Baseball's 2010 Pan American Qualifying Team roster is nonetheless packed with Royals.

The 24-man squad features six Kansas City farmhands, the most players from one organization ever named to a single USA Baseball professional team. The Colorado Rockies are represented with three prospects, and the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies each have two.

USA Baseball serves as the National Governing Body of our national pastime and is responsible for assembling professional, amateur and age-group teams to represent the U.S. in international competition. The Pan American Qualifying Team begins training Sept. 25 under an experienced coaching staff headed by 2000 Olympian Ernie Young. The team will then play against the Canadian and Puerto Rican teams before heading to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to compete in the 13-team Pan American Games Qualifying Tournament.

The top eight clubs earn a spot in next fall's 2011 Pan American Games Tournament in Mexico, and the top six also qualify for the 2011 Baseball World Cup.

Preparing for the future

The six Kansas City Royals prospects named to the team are left-handed pitchers Tim Collins, Danny Duffy, Mike Montgomery and Everett Teaford, as well as infielders Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas. This highly touted half-dozen all played with Double-A Northwest Arkansas and/or Triple-A Omaha in 2010 and is projected to make an impact in Kansas City as soon as 2011.

Moustakas was recently named the winner of the 2010 Joe Bauman Award, given annually to the Minor Leagues' most prolific home run hitter (he bashed 36 between Northwest Arkansas and Omaha). Hosmer, Duffy and Teaford are currently competing in the Texas League playoffs as the Naturals play a do-or-die Game 5 in their semifinal series against Springfield on Monday.

J.J. Picollo, the Royals' assistant GM in charge of scouting and player development, was gratified at his organization's strong presence on the USA roster.

"One thing we tend to do as an industry is overvalue our own players," he said. "But [the Royals] don't have any say in who Team USA adds to the roster, so this serves as an affirmation that we've got some good players.

"The [Team USA] scouts recognized the ability of our players and put them on their recommendation sheets," he added. "And as the committee went through their selection process, they saw that a lot of our players would make a good fit for the club. We're proud that they're on the team."

But the baseball season is nothing if not a grind, and there are, of course, concerns that a grueling tournament coming on the heels of a 140-game season could result in overwork and injury.

"That's something we certainly discuss, but in all honesty, if you can't get excited about representing your country in a tournament like this, then you can't get excited about anything. It's an adrenaline rush, the kind of experience that can help guys develop," said Picollo. "To go from the Minor League season and the playoffs right into the tournament creates a sense of unity, and we know our guys will handle it well."

And playing baseball through the end of September and into October helps to prepare prospects for that ultimate grind: the 162-game Major League season.

"One thing that's lacking in Minor League Baseball is that very few guys are playing through the month of September, but in the big leagues that's the stretch run," said Picollo. "Obviously the goal for all of these guys is to have them play in the big leagues. They're going to have to extend themselves into September at some point, and [the tournament] helps them prepare for that."

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