Just wanted to get a quick post in on a Friday evening, especially since it’s been a while since I’ve done an edition of the “Jottings”.
So, here’s a few Royals-related news bit from the past couple of days, and some of my thoughts in regard to those “Jottings”.
Salvy Part of the 2022 Fantasy Catcher “Busts”
My latest piece for Pitcher List dropped today, and the focus of the article was catchers who wouldn’t quite live up to their preseason hype on a fantasy end in 2022. After mostly doing “Going Deep” articles which went into more depth into individual players, I was able to write a more “fantasy-focused” piece that touched on the outlooks of a few different catchers.
Here is the piece, shared in the tweet from Pitcher List CEO Nick Pollack, below:
Much to the dismay of hardcore Kansas City Royals fans, I had to list Salvador Perez on that list, especially since he is going in the ADP range of the 30’s in most fantasy draft, as of this moment. As much as I love Salvy, I am not sure if he will live up to all the hype he is receiving this offseason, especially since last year was such an outlier of a season, production-wise.
Here is what I said about the beloved Royals catcher’s outlook at the plate in my Pitcher List post:
Before 2021, he had only played 140 or more games twice in his career (2014 and 2015). Additionally, he has only surpassed the .500 mark in slugging twice in his career (last season and 2020, though that was only a 37-game sample).
In terms of home runs? Last season was not only the first time in his career Perez has hit more than 40 home runs in a season but also the first time he hit over 30 home runs in a single season as well.
With his track record, it seems difficult to imagine that Perez will live up to his projections in 2022…
“2022 Catcher Busts” by Kevin O’Brien; Pitcher List
I still think that Salvy will be the Royals’ most valuable hitter in 2022, and will be well-worth the extension he signed last offseason. That being said, on a fantasy baseball end, I’m being more conservative with Salvy, and I am not necessarily sure he will live up to his preseason ADP (average draft position) hype.
His ADP signals that he may be worth a second or possible first round pick in fantasy drafts. As good as Salvy is as a catcher offensively, I am not sure if fantasy baseball managers should be investing a pick that high on Salvy, even if they are biased as Royals fans.
Royals Farm Report’s Last Podcast on Royals Review
In a bit of surprising news, Alex Duvall of Royals Farm Report announced that their latest podcast on SB Nation’s Royals Review will be their last podcast on the network. For those who don’t know, RFR has been not only one of the best Royals blogs out there (in addition to being the authority on Royals prospect), but has also been quite active on the Royals “podcast” stratosphere.
For Royals fans looking for a “Royals-based” podcast fix, Alex and his team at Royals Farm Report have been the go-to source (I have been lucky to have been a guest on the podcast). Thus, it’s a bit bittersweet to see that Royals Farm Report will no longer be involved with Royals Review Radio, especially since Alex has done a tremendous job on there since taking over as the primary podcaster.
Even though baseball is going through a lockout, the Royals Farm Report pulls no punches on a great final episode on Royals Review Radio:
Alex hints that they may be transitioning to somewhere else with the podcast, so that is exciting to hear. My hope is that they are going to a bigger podcast network, where they will be able to not only cast a wider net with baseball audiences, but also perhaps do more guest-wise.
Regardless, thanks to the Royals Farm Report team for all their hard work, and as a Royals fan, I look forward to where they land next as a podcast team.
Royals Release Response to Delay of Spring Training
With current negotiations between players and owners still at a standstill, Major League Baseball has pretty much conceded that Spring Training won’t start on time.
Not surprisingly, the Royals made an announcement on Twitter in regard to the loss of Spring Training games, due to the lockout. Not surprisingly, it’s a not just a generic statement, but also one that kind of deflects a lot to the players association for not coming to an agreement on the CBA in their latest rounds of negotiations.
In terms of the lockout, I would like to believe that the Royals ownership group led by John Sherman are doing what they can to get baseball on track. After all, the Royals have been pretty progressive in terms of issues that other MLB owners have been more “uncompromising” with in the past (i.e. paying Minor League players; providing Minor League players with decent living conditions, etc.).
However, while their team statement isn’t “bad” by any means (it’s not like the Rockies or Orioles are doing it much better), it doesn’t necessarily give Royals fans a whole lot of hope that baseball is going to start anytime soon.
Oh well…at the very least, we’ll have Bobby Witt, Jr. highlights like this below (as he is allowed to be at Spring Camp because he’s not on the Royals 40-man roster):
The owners and MLBPA are supposed to meet Monday to continue the negotiation process, with the hope that some significant ground can be made next week.
Let’s hope as baseball fans that after Monday’s meetings, some progress is made in regard to starting Spring Training son, and thus, ensure that the regular season starts on time as initially planned.
Because I’m not sure if I can deal with another shortened baseball season after 2020…
Photo Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
The Royals Reporter 