Kansas City Royals Prospects: Seuly Matias could be the next star

The Kansas City Royals are at the beginning of what figures to be a lengthy rebuilding process, but Seuly Matias offers hope of a bright future.

The next three or four years may be long for the Kansas City Royals as they embark on the process of rebuilding a roster that can eventually compete again for postseason play.

The reason this wait will be a long one is that most of the Royals top prospects are still in the low minors. The top four prospects in the organization according to MLB.com are all just 19 years old. None of these players, however, are listed by MLB.com in their top 100 prospects in all of baseball.

In February, Baseball Prospectus only placed one Royals prospect in their top 100 – Seuly Matias – at number 75. Matias, along with fellow teenagers Khalil Lee, Nick Pratto, and MJ Melendez, carries the future hopes of the organization on their shoulders.

Matias is starting to put together some impressive numbers in A-ball for the Lexington Legends. So far in 2018, in 136 At Bats, he has accumulated an incredible slash – .250/.322/.625/.947.

His power numbers are extremely exciting. He has pounded 14 home runs so far and added a triple and seven doubles to give him 85 total bases. He leads the South Atlantic League in both home runs and Slugging Percentage.

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One worry with Matias is his strikeouts. He has 55 already (two less than his teammate Pratto) and only 11 walks. At his tender age, there is hope he can cut down on his strikeouts, learns discipline, and make better contact, and you can hope whatever bad habits he might be forming are not permanent.

Of course, right now few Major League players seem worried about high strikeout rates, so this might not be seen as a problem by talent developers, especially considering his incredible power potential.

Still, if he is striking out 37 percent of the time against A-ball pitchers, what will Major Leaguers do to him? Let’s just hope he makes some adjustments and improves those stats.

MLB.com’s scouting report on Matias shows a terrific all-around prospect that all fans should keep an eye and follow his path through the minors.

"Though Khalil Lee and Nick Pratto are more refined, Matias has the highest ceiling among Royals prospects as well as the most raw power and the strongest arm. With his electric bat speed, strength and leverage in his right-handed swing, he hits tape-measure home runs and can smack opposite-field blasts without squaring the ball up."

His power potential, though, should have fans jumping up and down. At 19, in A-ball, Carlos Beltran had seven homers, three triples, and ten doubles in 374 At Bats. Three seasons later, he was the American League Rookie of the Year.

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Matias seems to be ahead of Beltran’s curve, but that should be taken with a grain of salt since comparing eras is tricky business.

Baseball has changed significantly over the past 20 years. Beltran was a special talent, and the Royals would be lucky indeed to hit that jackpot twice.

This isn’t a comparison as such between these two players but rather a way to give an idea of how special Matias could be if he continues to develop at a positive rate.

There is no reason to rush Matias or any of the other youngsters, but it will not be surprising if Matias, Pratto, and Melendez aren’t bumped to Wilmington to join Lee sometime soon.

The Royals might want to bring these players along together as they did their last batch of young stars almost a decade ago. That turned out pretty well for the players and the Royals. It laid out a blueprint for success the organization should try again.

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While it is hard to suffer through this season, and most likely, the next two, the Royals do have some exciting young players. Patience and hope should carry fans through this process, and hopefully, Matias and friends can do what Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, and their teammates were able to accomplish for the Kansas City Royals.

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