Royals Rumblings - News for March 14, 2024
Happy Pi Day!
Despite being optioned, the Royals are optimistic about the future of John McMillon:
“He made a lot of progress this spring from where he came in,” Quatraro said. “He was a little slowed in the offseason, and he came in here and the velo wasn’t there. His arm strength wasn’t there. He made some mechanical adjustments with the pitching guys and really came on quite a bit, especially those last two outings. His velo was there, his breaking ball was coming back. I was happy with the progress he made, he just needs to continue that.”
McMillon was in the competition for a spot in the Royals’ Opening Day bullpen, and now the field has been narrowed some. Will Smith, Chris Stratton, Nick Anderson, John Schreiber and James McArthur are all locks for a spot, and Rule 5 Draft pick Matt Sauer is likely.
Jaylon Thompson at the Star highlights Tyler Gentry in his Before the Crown series:
Gentry made the swing adjustment midway through the 2023 season. He worked in the batting cage to correct the issue. Additionally, Gentry found he was too loose in his swing path. It contributed to his hips flying open during the swing. “At one point, I was striding out too far and losing my backside,” Gentry said. “... Every time I fixed one thing, something else would come up. Thankfully, at the beginning of July, everything synced up like it was supposed to and I was able to go with it the rest of the year.”
MLB Trade Rumors wrote their summary of the Royals offseason:
For the Royals, the opt-out provisions may have been something of a necessary evil, though. Free agents tend to want to sign in winning situations, and the team lost a whopping 106 games during the 2023 campaign. Even when offering multi-year deals, the Royals’ recent run of futility in the AL Central — one of baseball’s weakest divisions — is a tough sell to free agents who have a decent market. Offering the leverage of a competitive year-one salary with the allure of a return to the market next winter if things go well is a strong sweetener — one at which many clubs would likely balk.
There’s real downside to the gambit. If Wacha were to sustain a major injury or regress to his 2019-21 form, for instance, a team with the Royals’ typically modest payroll would be on the hook for a significant sum. The Padres gave Wacha a series of opt-outs when signing him last offseason, but that was effectively a mechanism to duck the luxury tax. Wacha was guaranteed $26MM on his “four-year” deal but was never likely to trigger a series of $6.5MM player options. In essence, the player options just tamped down the contract’s AAV because they’re considered guaranteed money.
Bo Jackson was elected to the Royals Hall of Fame, becoming the first player enshrined since Mike Sweeney in 2015.
The Royals and Chiefs each contributed another $500,000 to The Committee to Keep the Chiefs and Royals in Jackson County.
Dan Szymborski at FanGraphs picks some boom and bust pitchers for 2024.
Many players and coaches believe Spring Training is too long. ($) Given how active players generally remain in the offseason these days, I agree.
The Chicago White Sox are trading starting pitcher Dylan Cease to San Diego.
Tampa Bay’s Taj Bradley joins the ever-increasing list of pitchers that will start the season on the IL.
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will also start the season on the IL and will undergo more testing to determine the severity of his elbow injury,
Boston’s Lucas Giolito underwent UCL surgery and will likely miss the 2024 season.
I can’t keep up with all these pitching injuries — add Jameson Taillon to the body count.
Shohei Ohtani was very impressed by a magic trick.
Arkansas takes the top spot and Duke jumps to #6 in this week’s college baseball Top 25.
Kobe Bryant’s new Lakers statue is riddled with spelling errors.
The House of Representatives, continuing to focus on the really important issues, are trying to ban TikTok in the United States.
An upcoming Netflix movie features Jennifer Lopez in a mech. Sign me up.
Top 5 pies:
- Pecan
- Apple
- Shepherd’s
- Steak and kidney
- French silk
Sound off in the comments.
Your song of the day is One in a Million by Bebe Rexha and David Guetta.