There is no question that 2020 was a mixed bag for Nicky Lopez in Kansas City. On a positive end, Lopez was a finalist for the AL Gold Glove award, and metrically, he certainly made a strong case that he perhaps deserved the award over eventual winner, Cesar Hernandez of the Cleveland Indians. Furthermore, it… Read More Could an “oppo” approach help Nicky Lopez improve at the plate in 2021?
Just before the new year, the United States and Kansas City got some pleasant news, as the CDC approved COVID-19 vaccines for use. With this monumental “green light”, not only has shipping of the vaccine begun, but also the administration of it to health care workers, not just in Kansas City, but across the nation.… Read More Vaccines bring hope, but it will still be far from normal for Royals fans in 2021
Even though the Winter Meetings have passed, general manager Dayton Moore and the Kansas City Royals have continued to be active players on the free agent market, as evidenced by their most recent move on Monday: The move to re-sign Greg Holland felt expected, especially after his strong bounce-back campaign in Kansas City in 2020,… Read More Greg Holland is back; what does that mean for the rest of the Royals bullpen?
On Saturday, the Royals made a minor move, announcing that they had re-signed pitchers Carlos Sanabria and Foster Griffin, as well as outfielder Bubba Starling to Minor League contracts: The news really did not come as much of a surprise to Royals fans. Sanabria was just acquired on waivers from the Astros, so it would… Read More Will 2021 be the last season of baseball for Bubba Starling?
So the Caribbean Winter Leagues have begun and already some Royals players are attraction attention. While the leagues are a little different this Winter without the rowdy crowds in attendance, it has not stopped teams from making Winter League baseball in Latin America something to truly be cherished, as evidenced in this tweet below from… Read More Three Royals prospects making noise in Winter League
This morning, my debut piece on the Internet Baseball Writer’s Association of America “Here’s the Pitch” Daily Newsletter published. The piece can be found here and it’s open to anyone to view and read. In this piece, I talked about the dichotomy between the more “business-focused” MLB organizations that have emerged in the “post-Moneyball” era,… Read More “Business vs. Baseball People”: Dayton Moore and the “Royals Way” (Full article on IBWAA’s “Here’s the Pitch”)
So, the 2020 MLB Rule 5 Draft has passed, and for the first time since 2016, the Royals did not select or acquire anyone in the December player draft either in the Major or Minor League section. With three roster spots open on the Royals 40-man roster, it initially seemed likely that Dayton Moore would… Read More Three things Royals fans learned from the 2020 Rule 5 Draft
There is no doubt that the Kansas City Royals are a better team now after the acquisition of former Cleveland first baseman Carlos Santana, who seems pumped to be a Royal, if his Instagram is any indication: While some national analysts may still be skeptical on the deal and if it will move the needle… Read More Four Royals players most affected by the Santana and Taylor acquisitions
It is not uncommon for MLB general managers to talk about “winning now” in the off-season regardless of how they did the previous season. After all, considering the Winter time is a period of the off-season where not only transactions happen, but season-ticket renewals occur, it’s not exactly in a club’s best interest to overtly… Read More Santana’s signing shows that Royals “win now” talk is not just rhetoric
The 2020 Rule 5 Draft will be coming up this week on December 10th (during the “virtual” MLB Winter Meetings), and it seems likely that the Kansas City Royals will once again be an active participant in the annual event. The Royals made picks in the Rule 5 Draft in 2019 and 2018 (Stephen Woods,… Read More Five possible Royals Rule 5 Draft targets