:-)
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The other major part of this is the CBA is about to run out. If they change the service time rules in favor of the players next year... there's a risk they could end up burning a year of service time for guys like Pratto that we couldn't get back. But that's all speculation really. Nobody really knows.
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Maybe we are showcasing Wade Davis too?
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You have been scoffing at this point since July, but there are members inside the Royals own organization who disagree with you.

Fact of the matter is, Flanny said on July 5th that his people inside the Royals org predicted that multiple bullpen arms would end up on the DL due to Matheny's overuse after the ASB. Since that tweet, 3 arms have ended up on the DL as predicted.

The "chase every win" approach dramatically alters how Matheny uses his pen compared to an average manager, this shouldn't be surprising to anyone paying attention.
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If a relief pitcher can't do one inning 2 or 3 times a week, what is the point of even having them on the roster?
Guys don't get injure their arms by pitching 2-3 innings a week...unless there is some other underlying matter. Their daily throwing routines are more strenuous than pitching 1 inning.

I'm pretty ambivalent about Matheny in general, but I don't see how you can call this "overuse." You can't have a bullpen full of guys who can only pitch 1 inning a week.
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I’d agree with you if 3 of our bullpen arms weren’t all in the Top 5 in appearances in the majors when Flanny made those tweets (July 5th). That was a clear message from the locker room and there was no reason why Matheny should have been leaning so hard on Barlow, Brentz and Holland in a season that was already well lost by that time.
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Bullpen abuse isn’t just about raw appearances (though that’s a big factor). It’s also about getting guys “up” and ready multiple times a game.

That was an area where Yost shined. He leaned on his key guys, but he also used them predictably and NEVER would get a guy hot multiple times a game.

Matheny has done that/will do that. No way to track it, but if you watch each game or even most games and pay attention, you’ll see how often Zimmer or Brentz or Staumont or Barlow is “up.”
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Fans generally are too hard on how managers handle the bullpen, but Matheny has a history of doing this so people are going to keep an eye out on it. Particularly when two of our best relievers are in the top 8 in games pitched, one just went on the DL with a shoulder issue and the other led the league in appearances last year and threw 70 IP the year before that. And with Brentz out they might lean on Barlow more. It's a legit concern.
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Royals were 5th in bullpen IP in 2015
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And not a single Royal was inside the Top 20 for individual appearances. In 2021 we had 3 in the Top 20 before Holland went down for injury and still have two in the Top 10, as TK13 pointed out.

Zero reason this should be the case in a lost season like this.
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Why is Petro literally harping this idea that the Royals need to trade MJ Melendez and pitching prospects for a CF, I've caught him doing this 3 times now.

Constantly trading Melendez is on his mind.
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Herrera was 6th
Davis was 15th
Madson was 19th
Morales was 23rd

And keep in mind that more appearances doesn't necessarily mean more innings, and only a few appearances makes a big difference in the rankings.
Basically, if you're reasonably effective for an inning at a time and not injured, you're going to end up in or near the top 20.
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I’m getting tired of his narratives that he constantly drives into the ground. I know, I know, sports talk radio …
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Where are you seeing those ranks?

This one shows Herrera 22nd and he’s the highest on the list.

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.as...=6,d&page=1_50


Petro is weird about baseball. In football, he’s all about hoarding picks and freaks out about it. In baseball, he’s all about trading prospects for marginal returns.

Trading from the Royals’ system depth for an established CF is not a bad idea. Trading MJ Melendez js very much a bad idea unless the return is ridiculous.

This IS the man who was pounding the table to trade Wil Myers for Jair Jurrjens in 2012, after all.
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Santana impressed with how he ran the bases this year for an older player who broke in as a catcher. I thought it showed that he worked on his conditioning.

If he had not tried to score on that play earlier in the game, he might not have pulled up lame the next time.
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