Here is our take. At 27 years old, Mike is in his prime and it’s very likely there will be an opening for him in Kansas City soon. While the Royals seem to have big man love for Tony Pena's defense, his .160 AVG and his 2 BB to 20 SO are stats that no team can tolerate for long. He’ll be replaced if he can't produce more offensively, especially with a guy like Aviles waiting in the wings. Aviles is tearing up AAA with a high AVG and OPS (.358 and 1.047 respectively) and slugging .660. Mike Aviles should have probably already had a shot at the majors, but for some reason Kansas City, like a lot of MLB clubs, would rather sign over priced and overrated veterans instead of giving a kid who produces every year at every level a shot at the big time. Sorry about that rant, but when you look hard at the minor leagues you see these stories too often...good ball players that just need a break.

Not sold yet?

One thing I like to do is look at the accolades a player earns while moving through the farm system. Check these out:

Maybe this is why Kansas City has struggled for so many years- not getting guys like this up quicker? If you need MI help in deeper leagues, keep an eye out for the Royals to call him up...maybe some day soon.

2007 AAA (26)

.296 AVG 538 AB 78 R 159 H 27 2B 6 3B 17 HR 77 RBI 30 BB 59 SO 5 SB 5 CS .332 OBP.463 SLG .794 OPS

2008 AAA (27)

.358 AVG 159 AB 33 R 57 H 18 2B 6 3B 6 HR 30 RBI 7 BB 16 SO 3 SB 0 CS .387 OBP.660 SLG 1.047 OPS