Some quick and mostly random World Baseball Classic thoughts as we reach the midpoint of the spring training schedule. — It’s not spring training related necessarily, although the World Baseball Classic is an exhibition, but Danny Duffy looked outstanding on Sunday night. Sure, the Canadian lineup isn’t on par with what they have on Team […]
Author: Craig Brown
Walking Away From Eric Hosmer
He is the proverbial face of the franchise. He has a sweet left-handed swing and with his glove can pick balls out of the dirt with ease and grace. By all accounts, he is a great teammate. He will even buy the house drinks when pennants are raised. Eric Hosmer has been front and center […]
Intentional Walk This Way
Had a minor tweet-storm the other day when it was reported that for the upcoming season, MLB would forego the process of having pitchers throw four balls when issuing an intentional walk. Now, there will just be a signal from the dugout. That’s just change for the sake of change. Seriously. Commissioner Rob Manfred is […]
Time To Talk Extension
You knew this was going to come up, right? In the tedium of spring – after the pitchers and players report but before the exhibition games start – questions would be asked. You have to do something to pass the time. So, will the Royals extend any of their potential free agents? You know the […]
Arms Race: Royals Add Travis Wood
That came out of nowhere. On Monday, news broke the Royals signed former starter, current reliever Travis Wood to a two-year contract valued at $12 million. Wood pitched out of the bullpen last year for the World Champion Cubs and hit free agency for the first time in his career. MLB Trade Rumors had Wood […]
PECOTA And The Royals: Why Can’t We All Get Along
Here we go again. Baseball Prospectus (The Mothership as it’s referred to around these parts) released their PECOTA projections on Tuesday. Yep, it’s confirmed. They still hate the Royals. Last place in the American League. 71 wins. A return to the dark days. Jeez. You’d think the ghost of Tony Muser just walked through that […]
Hammel Time: Royals Add To Their Rotation
Determined not to let football steal the show in Kansas City, on Sunday night Ken Rosenthal reported the Royals had reached an agreement with free agent pitcher Jason Hammel. Jeff Passan reported the deal was for two years for a guaranteed $16 million. Details on the breakdown of the contract weren’t available as of this […]
Kansas City Power Company
“Defense, speed, going first to third, that’s all still there. But we play a lot of games on the road, too. We’re going to need to score more runs. I’m looking forward to more home runs. It’s going to be a fun year.” — Dayton Moore As the Royals formally announced the Brandon Moss signing […]
The Demise Of The Kings Of Contact
The kings of contact are dead. All hail the kings of contact. The pennant winning Royals teams of 2014 and 2015 were known for their ability to put the ball in play. Making contact, no matter the type, was meant to put pressure on the defense. From there, the Royals ran the bases with abandon […]
Ace
The funeral was Tuesday. The images and information filtering back from the Dominican told the saddest story imaginable. A young man, not even in the prime of his life, taken far too soon. The last several days have been one of reflection for me when it comes to Yordano Ventura. Much has been written – here and […]