Royals 40-Man Bios: Johnny Giavotella

Johnny Giavotella by Gage Matthews

Johnny Giavotella/2b

Bats: R      Throws: R

Height: 5’8”      Weight: 185 lb.

Born: 7/10/87 (24), Metairie, LA

College: N/A

Drafted: 2008, 2^nd round by the Kansas City Royals.

After averaging a stat line of: .305 AVG/.375 OBP/.812 OPS over the span of about 3 ½ minor league seasons, Johnny Giavotella was summoned to the Kansas City Royals on August 5, 2011.

Giavotella went on to hit .247 in 178 at-bats with the Royals, and was their regular duty second baseman from that point forward.  Two days after being called up to the Royals, Giavotella hit his first professional homerun off Detroit Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer.

2012 Outlook:  The 2012 second base job for the Kansas City Royals is Johnny Giavotella’s to lose this spring.  His numbers in limited duty weren’t all that impressive last year, and his defense is/was a concern.  His minor league numbers suggest he has what it takes to be more of an offensive-minded second baseman, and he’ll benefit from having light-hitting competition in Chris Getz.  It is sounding as though Royals Manager Ned Yost is leaning toward inserting Giavotella into the second spot of the lineup.  If the Royals get something closer to what Giavotella did in the minors, they’ll have a solid 1-5 in their lineup.  I’m no baseball scout, but even I can see that Giavotella’s defense is a weakness as he appears to be somewhat stiff, and lacks range.  Simply put, Giavotella must hit, and he should be in a good position to do so, hitting between Alex Gordon and Eric Hosmer or Billy Butler.