Ryan Royster, nephew of former big leaguer Jerry Royster, didn’t find the results he was looking for in his pro debut last season, hitting just .196 with little power over 208 plate appearances with the Northwest League Everett Aquasox.  He did however show an advanced approach, walking 16% of the time en route to a respectable .332 OBP.

Repeating the level, Royster proved this season that he is ready to work his way up the organizational ladder.  He was one of the league’s best hitters, producing a slash line of .325/.415/.563 over 41 games.  After doing very well for about a week with Midwest League Clinton, Royster was dropped back down to Everett in a puzzling move.  Shortly after he hurt his shoulder diving for a ball on defense, an injury that required surgery and ended his season.

But the .326/.413/.579 line he put up over 208 plate appearances this season cannot be viewed as anything but a success.   Despite the big numbers Royster is still a sleeper.  2010 will be a big year as he tries to catch up to and pass the rest of the 2008 college picks.

Unfortunately, I was unable to see Royster play in person this season.  But he’s intriguing to me nonetheless.  The numbers stand out, even with the help of the short right-center porch at Everett Memorial Stadium, not to mention his athletic build and great reports on his foot speed.

Here are three of his 2009 home runs:

Those are some pretty swings.  There isn’t any glaring mechanical hitches that need to be scrapped.  A little less bat wrap would be nice and will probably have to be addressed as he moves up the ladder, but he has quick wrists that will let him get away with it for a while.

That’s all I’ll say until I see more of this guy in person or come across some good first-hand scouting reports, but he’s definitely on my watch list.  If he can continue his new success in the Midwest and California leagues in 2010 he’ll simply add to Seattle’s great outfield depth in the minor leagues.

You can follow Royster on Twitter @youngroyce.