Meibrys Viloria Breaks Through With MVP Year

Meibrys Viloria (Photo by Bill Mitchell)

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Catcher Meibrys Viloria is like a top-fuel drag racer going from zero to 300 mph within seconds.

The 19-year-old went from zero extra-base hits in 2015 at Rookie-level Burlington to the MVP of Rookie-level Pioneer League in 2016.

Viloria led the PL with a .376 average, 28 doubles and 55 RBIs (in 58 games) at Idaho Falls. His 1.042 OPS and 37 extra-base hits ranked second. His .606 slugging percentage and 54 runs were third, while his .436 on-base percentage was fourth.

Nobody, including the Royals, saw that coming.

“If we would have said he’s going to lead the league in hitting and be MVP of the league
. . . we wouldn’t have predicted that,” assistant general manager J.J. Picollo said. “But he does have ability. He has a ton of ability.”

Viloria put together a PL-best 20-game hitting streak from July 7 to Aug. 7. His streak included a five-hit game with a home run and double on July 10 at Orem.

“He’s a good hitter,” Picollo said, “and he certainly was more locked in and more prepared for this year. He’s a good player. He’s a leader on the field. He’s got a lot of energy. He has fun playing the game, so it was good to see him go there and do that.”

He also has a good eye, drawing 20 walks and striking out 36 times in 259 plate-appearances. The Royals signed Viloria, a lefthanded batter, out of Colombia in July 2013 at age 16.

He hit .306/.383/.450 in 33 games in 2014 in his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League, and the Royals selected him as that affiliate’s player of the year. Viloria also led the PL by throwing out 33 basestealers.

“He’s got good arm strength,” Picollo said. “He’s more of a bat-first guy than defense, but he does a good job back there.”

Viloria will likely begin next season at low Class A Lexington.

ROYALTIES

• Outfielder Khalil Lee, the 2016 third-rounder who led the Rookie-level Arizona League with 43 runs, six triples and 88 total bases and ranked second with a .396 OBP, switched agents and is now represented by the Boras Corporation.

• Lefthander Daniel Stumpf, who pitched 34.2 innings this year after serving an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, is scheduled to pitch in the Dominican League. The Royals lost Stumpf to the Phillies in the Rule 5 draft last December, but Philadelphia returned him after he recorded a 10.80 ERA in seven relief appearances.