Carlos Rosa

Rosa spent most of 2009 in Triple-A Omaha refining his mechanics and control and before getting a September callup. Appearing in seven games, Rosa posted a 3.38 ERA with four strikeouts in 10.2 innings. Rosa has slowly become one of the Royals' top pitching prospects topping out at 97 mph to go along with a plus slider and heavy sinker. Rosa is a power arm option (10.4 K/9IP at Triple-A) for the Royals, but has a history of injuries. If he can stay healthy and have better command of the strike zone, Rosa could be a valuable late-inning option for manager Trey Hillman in 2010.

Rosa has gradually become one of the Royals’ top pitching prospects, though his injury history may limit him to bullpen work once he reaches the majors. He sports a fastball that can touch 96-97 mph to go with a plus slider and sinker. He had 86 strikeouts (to 19 walks) split between Double-A and Triple-A last season, and should compete for a spot in the major league bullpen during spring training.

Rosa dominated in four starts at High-A Wilmington, but struggled a bit in his transition to Double-A. He still maintained a great G/F ratio (1.52), but was moved from the rotation to the bullpen before the season was done. He remains one of the team�s top pitching prospects, with some flat-out dominating stuff, but he will probably need some time back at Double-A before advancing through the organization.

Rosa dominated the low-A Midwest League and earned the Royals' minor league pitcher of the year honors. In three late-season starts for high-A High Desert, however, he was 0-1 with a 7.15 ERA. The Royals thought enough of the 6-foot, 160-pound righty to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He'll likely spend the season in high-A before moving on to Double-A Wichita. He has a few years yet before becoming relevant to the major league squad.