Kevin Goldstein over at Baseball Prospectus has put together a list of the best collections of pitching in various farm systems, and the Kansas City Royals come out on the top of the collection of the deepest. As Goldstein explains, it's not filled with studs that are near-guarantees for success like the Atlanta Braves or Arizona Diamondbacks, but the Royals should find some help with Jason Adam, Chris Dwyer, John Lamb, Mike Montgomery and Jake Odorizzi in line.
Goldstein writes, "I wrote last week about the challenges the Royals will face in their search for the pitching they need to become playoff contenders. The good news is that they have plenty of prospects, but the bad news is that Odorizzi is the only player in the quintet to have taken a legitimate step forward in 2011. The Royals need just a forty percent hit rate from this list to move into contention, but at a realistic rate of prospect attrition, that's more difficult than it might sound."
The Royals definitely need someone to begin to help as soon as this season, and Montgomery is the likely candidate of these five. Here's hoping all five pan out and bolster the Royals rotation.