Ka'aihue Decision

I just wanted to drop a quick note about Kila Ka'aihue (pronounced Ka-ay-hoo-ee), who currently plays for the Omaha Royals -- check out his stat line:

.285/.445/.561 with 7 HR, 23 RBI, 38 BB and 30 SO in 36 games.

You might remember this name from last year when he banged out 37 HRs between Double-A and Triple-A. Kila started off slow this year but is coming on strong now that the weather is heating up. In his last 10 games he's hitting .432 with 7 2B, 4 HR, 10 BB and just 5 SO.

So how does this affect the Kansas City Royals?

As long as Jacobs and Butler stay healthy, there's no way Ka'aihue makes it to the Royals before September. But his performance at Triple-A will likely make the Royals choose between Jacobs and Ka'aihue for 2010.

Maybe it's not fair, but I see a lot of Carlos Peña in Ka'aihue. Peña bounced around from Texas to Oakland to Detroit (where he had a couple decent seasons) to Boston before finally landing in Tampa Bay. He's erupted for 90 HR in the last 2.25 years -- his age 29, 30 and 31 seasons.

I think Kila could put up similar numbers (maybe only 60-70 HRs over the same time period) and to be fair, Jacobs might, too. But Kila brings the total package - good 1b defense, strike zone knowledge and power. And don't forget about the price tag -- Kila will likely cost at least $3 Million less than Jacobs next year.

All Ka'aihue can do is keep hitting. All I can do is keep hoping the Royals make some room for him.