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Royals Prospect Bubba Starling Profiled By SB Nation's John Sickels

Kansas City Royals outfield prospect Bubba Starling is putting together a solid season for Burlington in the rookie-level Appalachian League. He hit his 10th homer Monday and is hitting .277/.369/.514 with eight doubles, two triples, 32 RBIs with nine stolen bases in 10 attempts.

Minor League Balls' John Sickell recently looked at Starling, the Royals' 2011 first-round pick, ultimately grading him out at a B+ and a high-upside, high-risk player with some big strengths but possible weaknesses.

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"Drafted in the first round last year, the outfielder out of high school in Gardner, Kansas, has performed in line with his scouting reports this summer: he's showing plenty of power, uses his speed well, will take a walk, and his defense in center field draws strong reviews. On the negative side, he strikes out a lot, and it remains to be seen if his pitch recognition and plate discipline skills will hold up at higher levels. He turned 20 this month, a little older than ideal for a guy just a year out of high school, but he has fewer baseball reps under his belt than many high school guys, given his multi-sport, small school, cold-weather background."