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.
"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."