I wrote about some Royals becoming free agents this offseason this past week, with Tommy Pham and Michael Lorenzen being the focus. I hope to write about the Royals’ 40-man roster this week in a couple of posts, at the very least.
The main focus will be on players who must be added to the 40-man to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft in December. However, I also think it’s worth looking at players on the 40-man roster who are out of Minor League options and what JJ Picollo will do with those players.
Since taking over after 2022, it seems like Picollo has preferred to hold onto players with Minor League options for roster flexibility reasons. Thus, will Picollo part ways with those players, even though they have some intriguing talent? Or will he find ways to make it work with manager Matt Quatraro’s input?
Those will be individual posts for another time.
In this edition of the “Reporter Jottings,” I wanted to look at Salvy’s being awarded his first Roberto Clemente award before Game 3 of the World Series, Carter Jensen’s strong performance in the Arizona Fall League, and some thoughts on this Yankees-Dodgers series that many Royals fans (including myself) initially lamented.
Salvy Earns Roberto Clemente Award
Today, Major League Baseball announced the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award. Kansas City’s Salvador Perez won it for the first time (he had been nominated frequently in the past) and became the first Royals player in history to receive the honor.
Here’s the official description of the Roberto Clemente Award via MLB.com:
The Roberto Clemente Award is bestowed annually to the player who best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.
Every year, each MLB Club nominates a player to be considered for the Award in tribute to Clemente’s achievements and character. This year’s list of nominees features players whose various community and philanthropic activities have focused on important issues ranging from awareness and fundraising to support those with cancer and other illnesses or special needs, education for young people, natural disaster relief, outreach to underserved children and communities in the United States and abroad, and more.
Salvy was recognized for his charitable work in many Latin American countries, not just his home country of Venezuela but also neighboring Colombia. According to his bio via MLB.com, he was also recognized for his fundraising and charity work with the Urban Youth Academy and many Little League and youth baseball organizations within the Kansas City Metro.
Salvy’s affinity for sharing the game with the youth of Kansas City gained national attention this year when he played whiffle ball with some neighboring kids on an off day.
Salvy talked about his charity work, the importance of this award, and the future of the Royals in this pregame interview before the first pitch of Game 3 earlier this evening.
Even though Royals fans have long recognized how vital Salvy is to Kansas City, it’s nice to see him get national recognition for being a “good dude.”
Salvy could have easily opted out of Kansas City and the Royals organization, especially during those lean years from 2018 to 2023, when the Royals lost 100+ games in a single season three times over those six years. Instead, he remains with the Royals and gives back to Kansas City in numerous and tremendous ways.
This Roberto Clemente award recognition shows that his good deeds are noticed in the Midwest and among baseball circles nationwide.
The Royals are lucky to have had a player like Salvy for so long. He seamlessly balances clubhouse and community leadership. Some leaders are great on the field but aren’t active in the community outside of the stadium or the baseball season. Some leaders are amazing community advocates but have seen their best days pass.
Salvy can do both…
He’s pretty much the Miller Lite of KC-Sports/MLB icons.
That is a good thing (even for those who don’t like Miller Lite or beer in general).
Carter Jensen Sizzling With Surprise
The Royals’ 2024 1st overall pick, Jac Caglianone, started as fans’ most anticipated prospect playing in the Arizona Fall League. However, with the AFL beginning to reach its conclusion, Royals fans have realized that catcher Carter Jensen may be the most intriguing prospect to pay attention to when pitchers and catchers report in 2025.
Jensen is hitting .273 with a 1.130 OPS with the Saguaros. He also hit his third home run of the year on Monday afternoon against the first-place Mesa Solar Sox.
A local kid from Park Hill High School, the Royals’ 3rd round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, is coming off a solid 2024 in High-A and Double-A ball.
With the River Bandits, Jensen posted a .382 wOBA, a 0.69 BB/K ratio, and hit ten home runs in 376 plate appearances. He regressed a little in his promotion to Northwest Arkansas but still held his own at that level even though he didn’t reach the legal drinking age until July 3rd.
In 170 plate appearances, he posted a .345 wOBA, a 0.33 BB/K ratio, and hit eight home runs. Even though his walk rate dipped slightly with the Naturals, his ISO improved from .165 in High-A ball to .247 in Double-A.
Jensen proved that his power tool may be Major League ready, as evidenced by the data from this past Minor League season and the AFL and in clips of his swing over the past season.
Another encouraging sign for Jensen and the Royals’ future is that Caglianone and Jensen are bonding in Surprise in the AFL. That is a good sign that Jensen and Cags will be able to not just move through the Royals system and build chemistry together in 2025 but could mesh with other young Royals franchise players like Bobby Witt, Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino soon.
According to most MLB prospect experts (including MLB Pipeline), Jensen is currently a top-5 prospect in the Royals system.
He could ascend to being a Top-3 or higher prospect by Opening Day in 2025, especially if he can perform well in Spring Training and Cactus League play in Arizona.
Big Market World Series Living Up to Hype
I dislike the Yankees and Dodgers on a monumental level.
Part of it is due to being a Royals fan and blogger (i.e., I hate the Yankees) and growing up in Sacramento in a San Francisco Giants family (i.e., I’m not too fond of the Dodgers, naturally). Thus, this World Series didn’t initially attract me much on a “fan” level due to my lack of a rooting interest.
That said, the series has lived up to the massive billing built up for it before a pitch was even thrown.
Game One was a seesaw affair with an incredible ending, highlighted by a Freddie Freeman walkoff grand slam that seemed straight from a Hollywood movie (in Hollywoodland, nonetheless).
After winning game two to go up 2-0, Freeman and the Dodgers continued to pile onto the Yankees in Game Three, even with the change of venue from Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles to Yankees Stadium in the Bronx.
Even though I strongly disdain both teams, I have been absolutely consumed by every storyline in this World Series.
Will Shohei Ohtani bring home a World Series to Japan after languishing in Orange County for so long? Is Freeman going to earn World Series MVP honors despite being the face of the Braves franchise for so long? Will Aaron Boone get the Yankees back in this World Series (and what will happen to him this offseason if he doesn’t)? Will Juan Soto be back in the Bronx or perhaps on the other side of the state in Blue and White (and not Royals blue and white)?
Lastly, even though Aaron Judge will likely be the MVP over Witt, will he be remembered for his mediocre postseason performance in 2024, highlighted by a bevy of strikeouts?
As a fan and blogger of a small-market Midwestern MLB team, I didn’t think I would be paying attention to this World Series between the West Coast and East Coast Goliaths of baseball.
And yet, here I am, locked into one of the most intriguing World Series matchups in quite some time (as well as one of the best postseasons in a while, though the Royals helped with that).
I have to give credit to Major League Baseball when it’s due.
Photo Credit: MLB.com/X