Royals Rumblings - News for March 22, 2024

I tried to write as much as I could of this ahead of time, but if it descends into madness by the end, I blame basketball

Max and Jeremy already covered the big stories yesterday. I guess I’ll just link to other stories below that cover the same ground.

First, Max: Alec Marsh makes the rotation, Jordan Lyles to the pen

• Jaylon Thompson’s story at The Star: Kansas City Royals set rotation. Here’s who got 5th spot (& who’s off to Triple-A)
• Anne Rogers at MLB: Marsh claims fifth starter spot as Royals’ rotation solidifies

Jeremy: The Royals’ new Community Benefits Agreement lacks one important element: the community benefits

• Mike Hendricks, KC Star: What the Royals and Chiefs say they’ll give Kansas City in exchange for stadiums tax
• Brian Kaberline at Kansas City Business Journal: KC School District claims no loss, but few wins in deal with Kansas City Royals
• Nicole Dolan at Flatland in Focus: Pondering Costs and Benefits of Royals and Chiefs Stadiums

I haven’t seen this story yet this week, so forgive me if this is a duplicate. If you want to go to a Royals workout, they’re holding one a day before Opening Day and it’s open to the public:

The team announced Wednesday that it will hold a workout at Kauffman Stadium on March 27, a day ahead of the opener.

Royals fans can watch the practice, which will take place from 3-4:30 p.m. The event is free, but fans will need to get a ticket via the Royals’ website. Here is the link.

Parking is also free. Fans should enter through Gate D. That gate will open at 2:30 p.m.

At Cronkite News in Arizona, James Lotts profiles Carter Jensen:

“It was just a surreal feeling knowing I was going to be a part of the team I grew up watching and I went to the World Series in 2015,” Jensen said.

Jensen still remembers the buzz around the city during that championship run.

Only one member of that World Series winning team is still with the Royals: catcher Salvador Perez. Jon Davis, Jensen’s former coach at Park Hill, said Perez has been Jensen’s inspiration for his entire baseball career.

“He’s always said that’s (Perez) been his favorite player,” Davis said. “I taught him in middle school so I’ve known him since he was about 12 and he’s always been a Salvy guy.”

Listicle? At The Athletic, Keith Law names some breakout candidates for 2024:

Maikel García, 3B, Kansas City Royals

García was never a huge power hitter in the minors, but his rookie season last year was very underwhelming in that department — just four homers and a .358 slugging percentage, which isn’t going to make him an everyday player at a corner. He hits the ball hard, and consistently so, ranking in the 93rd percentile last year for hard-hit rate, but too much of his contact was on the ground. He’s putting the ball in the air more this spring, at least, and it’s such an obvious fix that I am having a hard time imagining any team letting him continue like this, wasting what should be at least 15-20 homer power, if not more. If he really has made a swing adjustment that’s going to last, I think he’ll get into that range, and he’ll become a league-average third baseman.

ESPN has an MLB Opening Day 2024 Guide that mentions KC as well:

Bet you didn’t expect to see the Royals on here

Date of deal: Dec. 15 — Wacha, Renfroe join Royals

What it means for the Royals: They are trying. The Royals lost 106 games last season and own a bottom-10 minor league system. That’s not a great combination. And yet they spent more in free agency than any other American League team, adding a number of midlevel veterans during the offseason. That list includes pitchers Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Chris Stratton, Will Smith and hitters Hunter Renfroe, Adam Frazier, Garrett Hampson and Austin Nola, all via free agency. They also traded for relievers Nick Anderson and John Schreiber, as well as the injured Kyle Wright for a future rotation spot.

That’s a bold offseason for a bottom-feeding club. A cynic might say the team’s effort to lock down a new ballpark development might have played a part in the aggression. An optimist might note that in raising the floor of the roster with the new veterans, Kansas City at least has a shot at reaching .500 which, in the AL Central, is contention. The Royals are the one team in its division that took such an aggressive short-term stance.

How it will shape the 2024 season: All of the newcomers are capable of being contributors on a good team. Even as a group, it isn’t the kind of collection that’s going to carry a team to 90 wins. The Royals must make real improvement at the minor league level but they also need to polish off the development of its key young players in the majors — Vinnie Pasquantino, MJ Melendez, Nick Pratto and Drew Waters. That is where any true upside to this roster is found. If that happens, and Bobby Witt Jr. turns his last two months of 2023 into a full season of stardom, the Royals could be a lot more interesting this season.

Dominoes: For all the praise the Royals have earned for their offseason splurge — and they deserve it — Kansas City remains a postseason long shot. They did, after all, lose 106 games last season. But if the Royals were to manage a surprise run to the AL Central title, the lead execs who tore down (like the White Sox) or took measured approaches to the offseason (Twins, Guardians, Tigers) will have a lot to answer for in their cities. — Doolittle

With the baseball season almost here, Royals blogs are coming back to life! It’s happening so much that they get their own section today.

Just a reminder: David Lesky and Inside the Crown goes paid-only in a couple of weeks (April 2). Today, he does his final roster projection:

Weather permitting, the season will begin exactly one week after today’s newsletter posts. You know what that means - it’s time for the final roster projection of the spring. It hasn’t changed a ton over the first few iterations, but I have hinted at a few things that I thought might shift over the next few days. A couple of them have. Today I’m going to look at the entire roster rather than break it up because it really isn’t that different from what I put out last week. With the stats, I’ll be using what they’ve done this spring because, hey, why not?

Craig Brown wrote about a lot more than this at Into the Fountains, but I loved his intro so you get it here:

The MLBPA is in revolt against their leadership. Shohei Ohtani is looking for a new interpreter after allegedly settling some gambling debts. And you may not have noticed as you’ve been distracted by all these exhibition games, but the regular season started halfway around the world.

Welcome back, baseball!

Patrick Glancy and Powder Blue Nostalgia are back:

Second, I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep up the weekly schedule I maintained last year. A weekly article might not seem like much compared to some newsletters, but throw in the writing and research on top of a full-time job, three kids ranging from seventeen to seven, a wife who likes to have some attention every now and then, and other projects I’m working on, and I’m skeptical I can keep up that same kind of pace.

I still enjoy talking baseball though, so I don’t want to give it up. I will try to write as much as possible, and who knows, maybe I’ll surprise us all. But I don’t want to promise anything I can’t deliver, so the publication schedule just might be a bit more sporadic. If this strongly disappoints you, please make your voice heard and tell me you want me to enable paid subscriptions. If enough people do that, well, I’ll gladly find more time to write. But since I’m not counting on that to happen, this is the way it’s going to be.

So are Hunter Samuels and Swinging Bunts:

The Kansas City Royals’ season begins next week, and since I haven’t written about their busy winter (Bobby Bob Bob contract! Lugo and Wacha! Adam Frazier, for some reason!), I certainly plan to write about them. My kids keep me busy, so I’m sure there will be more parenting essays to come. I’ve pondered some posts on the books, shows, and movies I’ve read and watched in the last several months. And maybe I’ll even dip my toes into some short stories.

Darin Watson’s march through 1984 continues with this sub-header: “Ah, spring training, where you can win and lose on the same day. Also, you won’t believe who is rumored to be buying the Minnesota Twins.”

Blog Roundup:

• Michael Farina at FTF: Alec Marsh lands a rotation spot, Jordan Lyles moves to the bullpen
• Jared Perkins at FTF: Asa Lacy Underwent Tommy John Surgery: A Look Back at His Career Thus Far
• Mike Gillespie at KOK: The KC Royals finally have their fifth starter
• Mike Gillespie at KOK: 4 key things to watch after KC Royals make 2 big roster cuts
• Matthew Gerrity at KOK: Despite demotion, Daniel Lynch IV could have a breakout season for the KC Royals
• Joe Summers at KCK: Andy Reid Picked by Royals For Opening Day Honor

Last week, we started our Asian baseball preview with the CPBL. This week, it’s the KBO. You can guess what next week will be. Also, it’s been nice the last couple of days, waking up to real baseball games that count.

KBO - Korea Baseball Organization

Country: South Korea

Opening Day: March 23 (Hey, that’s today! ...if you remember that the Eastern Hemisphere lives a day in the future)

International Players: Notable names include Guillermo Heredia, Mel Rojas Jr, Roenis Elias, Matt Davidson, and Félix Peña. Erick Fedde used to be on this list but he came back to MLB this season after being named KBO MVP last season. Full list from MyKBOStats

Former Royals: I have to be honest - I stretched the limits of “notable names” above because I spent 15 minutes Googling the entire KBO Foreign Players list above and came up empty on former Royals. I think the closest I can get is that former Jayhawk Wes Benjamin pitches for the KT Wiz.

Rooting Interest: When Max did the official RR guide for the KBO in 2020, polls aside, it was decide by the commentariat that being Hanwha Eagles fans was our lot in life. In the last 30 years, the team has only made the playoffs once. In 2020, 2021, and 2022, the Eagles finished last. In 2023, they improved! Second-to-last! Ninth place! We’re moving on up! As noted last year: “But, hey, they won the 2023 equivalent of the Cactus League crown. Flags fly forever! Is there any doubt who our team is in the KBO? I think not.”

Last Season: The LG Twins were easily the most dominant team in the league last year and defeated the KT Wiz for their first championship in 29 years! The KT Wiz defeated Fedde’s NC Dinos to advance to the Korea Series, as part of the KBO’s ladder playoff format. As noted in last season’s wrapup: “There are actually a number of droughts in the league. Our chosen Hanwha Eagles haven’t won since 1999. However, the longest goes to the Lotte Giants. Like the Twins, they are one of the original six teams in league history, and they haven’t won since 1992.”

Random Nuggets:

• Unfortunately, I could not find any KBO previews as I was writing this. Last year, I had links to previews from the Korea Times and Korea JoongAng Daily. Maybe they’ll have them posted in the morning, ahead of the season starting. I’m just going to assume the Eagles are picked to finish near the bottom again, but they did make headlines this winter. Former Eagle and 10-year MLB veteran Hyun Jin Ryu returns to the team. He signed an eight-year, $12.8M contract, the richest in KBO history. Making a 36yo pitcher the highest paid player in the league and signing him into his mid-40s: Is there any wonder why the team is a perennial cellar dweller?
• Speaking of older players, let’s check in one of last year’s big stories. Shin-Soo Choo’s joining his native KBO was a big story back in 2021. In 2022, he was on the SSG Landers when they won it all. Last year, the 40yo slashed .251/.377/.395 as Father Time is catching up with him. Late last year, he announced that 2024 would be his last season. He’s been named team captain and he’s playing for “free”: “After making 1.7 billion won ($1.3 million) this year, Choo said he will sign for the KBO-minimum 30 million won for 2024 and donate the entire salary to charities”. Heck, it sounds like he just doesn’t want to leave the game he loves: “As important as my own performance will be next year, I am also looking forward to working out with our minor league prospects whenever the team needs me down there... I want to help the team by sharing my experience and thoughts with the younger players.” As I mentioned a year or two ago, he’s living the baseball good life. Trey Hillman was also with the Landers last year in a consultant role, but it’s unclear if he’s still with them; here’s a wiki page that may or may not have completely accurate (and definitely not grammatically correct) information about him.
• Last year, I had a “How to Watch” section, but it’s getting harder and harder as we get away from COVID. KBO Reddit used to have a guide on how to watch games (with VPN); the guide is still there but it’s no longer accurate. AlfreecaTV is gone, replaced by TVing and, lest you think complaining about streaming services is a uniquely American thing, here’s a JoongAng Daily article from last week: “Korean streaming service Tving lambasted for litany of errors as baseball coverage begins”. Last year, I mentioned DreadROK (link to his YouTube channel), who does fun fan broadcasts of games - well, because of this, he’s had to change up what he does, too. I’m just going to paste his post for 2024 here, as it explains a lot of what is going on:

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m an America living in Korea since 2014. I’m a Hanwha Eagles season ticket holder and have been to every stadium. I know the league, culture, players, etc. extremely well. For the last two years I have been broadcasting the Hanwha Eagles away games on AfreecaTV and offering English commentary. As most of you know or will soon find out, that is not an option for the next 3 years as a company called TVing has bought the rights. The games are now behind a paywall and only available in Korea. There has been no information so far on the international rights, so there are no options for people outside of Korea to watch. This year I will be moving my broadcasts to YouTube. I will not be able to show the game anymore, so it will be a play-by-play radio style broadcast in English.

• The KBO will begin using an ABS (Automatic Ball-Strike) system, aka robot umpires, in 2024. It has been used in the minors the last few years and is ready for the Korean big leagues. They will also implement a 15/20 pitch clock, which has decreased preseason games by 23 minutes. “With the new rule changes, the KBO hopes to see a positive correlation between average game time and increased attendance in 2024, similar to Major League Baseball in 2023.” The season will also be starting earlier than usual and ending earlier than usual with a handful of other schedule compressions. The goal is trying to finish the season well in advance of the WSBC Premier12, an international competition. New Royal Adam Frazier talked about his experience at the 2015 Premier12 on MLB Network.
• Finally, at The Athletic, Dennis Lin profiled Daniel Kim, former MLB scout, and his work back in 2020 as an analyst for ESPN when they were broadcasting the KBO during COVID.

Links:

• http://eng.koreabaseball.com/ - The Official KBO site has some parts translated into English
• https://www.reddit.com/r/KBO/ - KBO Reddit
• https://mykbostats.com/ - Good English stats website with a clean interface and lots of data
• https://koreatimes.co.kr/www/section_600.html - The Korea Times sports section usually has a number of KBO stories mixed in with other sports news

I didn’t know the March Madness theme was almost 3 minutes long, but I guess it is. Pump that music straight into my veins. Not much work was done yesterday and I expect similar output today. Anything not done by 11 is probably going to be a Monday problem.