The Royals scored five runs on Tuesday. Five! Runs! This is an amazing development given they had scored six runs in the five completed games on the current road trip. Five runs in nine innings qualifies as an offensive explosion for this edition of the Royals. Yeah. Scoring runs is a problem. Baseball-Reference has a […]
Author: Craig Brown
Struggles Come Early And Often For Hosmer
Eric Hosmer is off to a miserable start at the plate. At the opening of the season ahead of the waiting treasure chest of free agency, the Royals first baseman chose an inopportune time to struggle. Months away from entering free agency, as part of the Royals core, Hosmer was supposed to help drive the […]
Missing: The Royals Offense
There aren’t many positives swirling around this Royals team. Especially on the offensive side. They have scored just an average of three runs per game, dead last in the majors. They have eight hits in 52 at bats with runners in scoring position. Eight! They just endured a 19-inning scoreless streak where it seemed they […]
What is Raul Mondesi Doing On The Major League Roster?
Through the Royals first eight games, starting second baseman Raul Mondesi owns a line of .143/.143/.143. He’s come to the plate 22 times. He’s whiffed in eight of those plate appearances. He’s laid down three bunts. His current line drive rate stands at 11 percent. He’s overmatched at the plate. The sooner the Royals come […]
The Moustakas Laser Show
The good feelings of a difficult weekend in Houston were washed away in the span of a lazy fly ball that’s a home run only at Minute Maid Park and a bases loaded walk in extras. But let’s focus on something good. And why not? Baseball returns to The K this afternoon. Finally. Anyway, have you noticed […]
Speed Bump
With the transition from PITCHF/x to Trackman on collecting pitching data at all 30 ballparks, the early returns are the velocities are up a tick across the board. This is largely due to the method (meaning the timing of when the ball is picked up by the radar gun out of the hand of the […]
Play Ball
The Royals set their Opening Day roster with a flurry of moves that played like a version of connect the dots. First, they placed newcomer Jorge Soler to the 10-day DL with a strained oblique. The move is retroactive to March 30, so if Soler is ready, the first day he can return would be […]
On Lineups and the Eighth Inning
With 30-plus exhibition games in the books, it’s time to finally (finally!) think about the regular season. With the opener just days away, Ned Yost revealed his probable Opening Day lineup on Wednesday. Alex Gordon – LF Mike Moustakas – 3B Lorenzo Cain – CF Eric Hosmer – 1B Salvador Perez – C Brandon Moss […]
Roster Math, Spring Training Edition
Let’s be honest. This spring has been one long exercise in boredom. Yeah, the crack of the bat and the snap of the ball hitting the glove is welcome. But through Sunday the Royals have played 29 Cactus League games. They have five more before they break for Minnesota and the regular season. Seriously, 34 […]
Nate Karns: Three Pitches And The Truth
Think of the greatest duos in history. Peanut butter and jelly. Batman and Robin. Now picture Nate Karns and his fastball and curveball. (Fine. Technically that’s a trio, but we’re focusing on Karns’ pitches today. OK?) Hyperbole? You bet. How else would you be snookered into reading an article about Karns and his pitch selection? […]