Baseball Prospectus Kansas City

Trading Places (Or Not) – Episode 139

The trade deadline came and went and while there were fireworks in other places, in Kansas City it passed without any action, save a Jake Diekman trade in the lead up to the deadline.

That means no Whit Merrifield trade, no Ian Kennedy deal. Not even Billy Hamilton. So we discussed some reasons the Royals have stated plus put our own interpretations into the mix. Without seeing the offers, it’s hard to say it’s a missed opportunity, but some fans are nonetheless disappointed.

After covering the Royals, we talked about the big moves in baseball and the value of going for it when the window is open.

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Second Half Surprise (Episode 139)

The Royals have been playing well in the second half so far, with good offensive production and even a couple of shutouts.

We talked about the recent performances of Jakob Junis, Brad Keller, Jorge Soler, and others.

Meanwhile, the trade deadline is coming up quickly, and while the Royals have made some moves already, they have a couple of names who may still be dealt. And if that’s the case, the Royals have some performers in Omaha ready to step in, with strong performances by Ryan O’Hearn, Brett Phillips, and Richard Lovelady.

There’s an expected flurry of moves coming in the next week, setting up an interesting last two months of the season.

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Shaking Up Summer (Episode 138)

The Royals had an active week to open the second half of the season.
In the span of just a couple of days, they called up Bubba Starling, traded away Homer Bailey, and swapped Martin Maldonado for former Royals draftee Mike Montgomery.

And on top of that, they also won three of their first four games (and won on the night we recorded as well). Brad Keller and Jakob Junis had key early second-half performances and the team is scoring some runs, too.

Not a bad way to head towards the trading deadline. Speaking of, we also talked about who might be next to be dealt before July 31st…and who’s less likely to go.

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Reviewing our Preseason Predictions (Episode 137)

At the all-star break, the Royals haven’t been all that good, but there are a few bright spots.

We made a lot of predictions before the season started, and every year at this time, we like to hold ourselves accountable, so we looked at how the first half went compared to our expectations. We were right on for some predictions and way off on others.

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Discussing the Royals’ Draft with Clint Scoles (Episode 136)

This week, we finally caught up with Clint Scoles to talk about the Royals 2019 draft and the state of the Royals’ farm system. Clint’s insight and knowledge is unmatched, and we’re always glad to have him on. He discussed Bobby Witt Jr., college players in the draft, named a few of his favorite picks, and then talked a bit more about the Royals minor league topics like the struggling lineup in Wilmington and the sudden pitching depth in the system.

You can read Clint’s work at RoyalsAcademy.com and by following him on Twitter at @ClintScoles.

We also talked about All-Star news, some returning players (and departing ones), plus a little look at the news that the Royals might use openers later this year.

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Moves and Moves (Episode 135)

The Royals did some roster movement this week, sending Adalberto Mondesi to the IL and calling up Humberto Arteaga to cover shortstop. Meanwhile, they sent Hunter Dozier on a rehab assignment in Springdale (and should be back in Kansas City soon). That’ll lead to another move. And Ryan O’Hearn got sent to Omaha to get his mojo back with Jorge Bonifacio returning to KC.

And through all that, the Royals might be fielding phone calls for some trade targets.

We got caught up on those moves AND the unexpected magic of Homer Bailey.

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Feeling a Draft (Episode 134)

While we were away, the Royals added a lot of talent to their organization by way of the MLB Draft. This year, the Royals had the second overall pick in a draft with two huge prospects at the top of the draft. With a team-record bonus, they’ve signed high school shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.

We discussed his profile along with the rest of the Royals’ draft, in particular their focus on college players (for the second year in a row). Aside from Witt, we talked about a few other names selected by the Royals and how things might shake out.

We also discussed Jorge Soler and all-star potential, trade rumors, and career highs. Plus some discussion of Bubba Starling and why we think he’ll reach Kansas City sooner rather than later.

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Pitching and Prospect Chatter (Episode 133)

This week, the Royals didn’t play much, due to off days but they made some moves, others were speculated, and they got a couple of improved starts from Danny Duffy and Brad Keller.

Pitching – and many times starting pitching – has been a low point in 2019, but there may be some hope if a few starters can rebound and adjust. If not, well, it’ll be a tough season the rest of the way.

It may not need to stay like that though. Maybe not this year, but down the line, the Royals could see a lot of help in the pitching staff. Last year’s draft really reloaded the farm system, and the Royals first six picks from 2018 have all performed well this season and most are pushing for promotions. All that, and the Royals will soon make the second pick in the draft (and THEN they can make some international signings). So it’s not great right now, but it might get better very soon.

NOTE: We’ll be out for the next two weeks with travel getting in the way with Mike out first, then Jeff the next week. We’ll be back after the Royals have made their 2019 MLB Draft selections.

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So It Goes – Episode 132

The big news this week was the call up of infielder Nicky Lopez, one of the more intriguing prospects in the Royals system right now.

We discussed how Lopez will fit in the lineup and what he provides for the players he’s hitting around, plus the general makeup of the team today and going forward.

We also talked about the team’s recent inconsistency, both in scoring runs and from the starting pitching holding games together.

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All Or Nothing (Episode 131)

The Royals offense has been clicking lately. A mix of patience, power, and speed has pushed them into the top five in runs scored in the AL.

Unfortunately, the pitching has not done much with that offense, as the Royals entered Wednesday with the worst record in the league, despite a Pythagorean projection closer to .500.

It mirrors some trends we’ve seen before, with some teams 20 years ago that had lots of talent at the plate … and not as much on the mound. We looked at what might be sustainable as we approach the quarter post, as well as what lessons might be learned from this team.

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