Free Agent Signings:
Carlos Santana
Mike Minor
Michael Taylor
Ervin Santana
Top 10 Prospects:
1 Bobby Witt Jr., SS
2 Asa Lacy, LHP
3 Daniel Lynch, LHP
4 Jackson Kowar, RHP
5 Erick Pena, OF
6 Nick Loftin, SS
7 Kyle Isbel, OF
8 Khali Lee, OF
9 Jonathan Bowlan, RHP
10 Carlos Hernedez, RHP [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mecca:
I do hope the Royals are taking major notes that MJ Melendez being up and taking atleast 50% of the catcher duties is a must.
It's no coincidence that Sal got a year off for the TJ surgery and then the short year last year.. his body finally recovered from all the innings and it made him an offensive monster.
As he gets older I'd like to see a 50/50 split to keep that bat going.
There's no rush on Melendez. Let him master AAA first. He killed it at AA, but has yet to turn it on at Omaha. He's ready as a catcher, but so are Viloria and so is Rivero. Assuming Gallagher is traded or simply released next year (neither a guarantee), Viloria is out of options in '22 and can hold down the backup catcher role temporarily and it's no biggie if he doesn't get more than 30% duty and at-bats. If it's Rivero, he needs to play more, because he's a more significant catching prospect than Viloria. Melendez is likely a 2023 option when Salvy is trending towards full-time DH.
With that said, trips to the IL and other opportunities via trade, etc will sort all this out, ultimately. Melendez and Rivero can't both be the future catcher...so they'll need to make that choice eventually. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Chiefspants:
In the past I think Sal does not resist swinging at that second pitch and getting jammed. He doesn't have a lot more walks, but him being more selective early in the count has been huge for him this year. He's seeing much better pitches later in AB's than he used to. Still swings at bad pitches, obviously, but he is much fresher now than years past -- one thing I love about how Matheny has used him this year.
Originally Posted by Chiefspants:
Sure. I’ll own the asshole charge. But only if you do for routinely responding with :-) to my posts, deal?
If no, we’re just not gonna agree in general, my dude.
I haven’t called for Matheny’s head all season. In fact, after last year I owned up to the fact that I was too quick to judge him based off of his willingness to try new tactics in the game. I was impressed with him last year and I don’t mind if Matheny stays in as our manager. I don’t care for Eldred and prefer we go another direction there, and Bradshaw has had mixed results (loved what he’s done for Sal, though).
But just because I don’t mind Matheny as a manager shouldn’t make him immune from criticism, and when beat writers are directly commenting with thoughts from Royals players that his bullpen management is a problem — well, it probably is, especially when so many players are now going to the DL.
Yost faced criticism for being too inflexible in his bullpen and installed an entirely new veto system for himself before the 2014 players. Managers can adapt, but that will only happen when they feel some heat (from folks like Flanny, Andy, etc).
When the Royals last played a full season (2019) and Yost was the manager and we were heading towards 100 loss finish, a manager who was often criticized for his bullpen management (outside of HDH) didn't 'chase every win'. Why? Because it didn't matter. You don't overwork your bullpen arms when you're not realistically competing for anything. After the 2019 All-Star break, only ONE bullpen arm went on the DL. Jake Newberry on Aug. 22 for right shoulder inflammation. That was it.
Think that maybe that was just an abberation? Let's go back to 2018, another 100 loss season in the making. After the All-Star break in 2018, ONE pitcher (Danny Duffy) went on the IL. I'm not even sure whether he was starting or relieving at that time, but that was it.
Fast forward to 2021, in a non-competitive season (sensing a theme here?) that means nothing other than getting some guys some looks and development time, since Aug. 4th (roughly 3 weeks ago) we have had FOUR bullpen guys go on the IL for should fatigue/impingement (actually think Zimmer's was neck spasms) after being told by several people to 'be on the lookout' for this exact thing, including Flanny, who has also talked up Matheny and has been mostly positive towards him in his tweets, and has a history of being very cordial with the Royals.
Add to this the fact that when Matheny was in St. Louis, this SAME complaint arose with regards to his managing of the bullpen, including particular concerns about their young bullpen arms and being afraid his 'approach' was gonna fry em. And here we stand today being told by some that this is all a conspiracy, this is all made up, or some narrative from the BFIB that has simply made it's way over here, while failing to consider all of the evidence in front of their faces.
Look, if we're competing for a playoff spot down to the end, I get it. By all means, 'chase every win'. But to overwork young BP arms that we're gonna need in the next couple years when we ARE actually competing for something is just ****ing stupid. It's a terrible managerial approach. Anyone with an ounce of baseball sense knows this.
But here we have some saying 'nothing to see here' . . . . . . . . :-) [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mizzou_8541:
I’m glad we stuck with Nicky Lopez. Dude is awesome, as a bottom of the lineup guy.
Seems like the third time the Royals were ready to send a player back to Omaha and then an injury opens up a spot and player stays in KC and improves at the major league level.
Moose in 2014, Yordano one of those years, and Nicky this year.
Nicky has gotten some big hits against some decent pitchers recently. [Reply]
I need Witt Jr to be called up and playing by September 19. Just bought tickets for that game, and if BWJ plays I will have seen him play in Arkansas, Springfield, Omaha and KC this year :-) [Reply]
Originally Posted by jettio:
Seems like the third time the Royals were ready to send a player back to Omaha and then an injury opens up a spot and player stays in KC and improves at the major league level.
Moose in 2014, Yordano one of those years, and Nicky this year.
Nicky has gotten some big hits against some decent pitchers recently.
(Not injury related) But don't forget Whit in 2017!
Was 3rd in line for the 2B job behind Mondesi (okay) and Colon (why?). Should have made the team out of spring training but was optioned right before season began. Kicked butt for 2 weeks in Omaha and they called him back up (also partly because Mondi and Colon were providing nothing with the bat). They send Mondi back down to Omaha a few days later and Whit played so well the next 3 weeks that they ended up finally DFA Colon and the 2B job was Whit's from then on with no looking back . . . . . [Reply]
If Salvy closes in on Bench's record of 45 HRs, expect to see talk about how many games he's played at catcher.
When Bench hit his 45 in 1970, 38 came while he was catching. The other 7 came from when he played the OF and 1B.
Javy Lopez has the record for most HRs hit while catching -- 42, in 2003; he hit one more as a PH.
When Fisk hit his AL-record 37 HRs for a catcher, 33 came when he was behind the plate; the other 4 came as a DH.
So far, 24 of Salvy's 35 HRs have come in his 99 games as a catcher; the other 11 have come in 28 games as DH.
No catcher who hit 40 HRs had more than 7 playing another position. Some (Hundley's 41 in 1996, Piazza's 40 in 97 and 99) hit all theirs as catchers.
By no means am I trying to take away from Salvy's accomplishments (it's not like he's on pace to play only half his games at C -- he's the primary backstop, no question), but I bet you'll see some "WELL, AKSHUALLY" chatter once he hits 40. [Reply]
