Back in July, it seemed like reliever Carlos Hernandez and his outlook was a difficult dilemma for JJ Picollo and the Royals front office. At the end of July, Hernandez was posting a 3.57 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and looking like the heir-apparent for the Royals’ closer position once Scott Barlow was traded away (he ended… Read More How Should Royals Fans View Carlos Hernandez’s Rough Second Half?
The Royals pitching staff has been an adventure this season, and that’s putting it lightly. While we know about the Royals’ starting pitching struggles this season beyond Cole Ragans, the bullpen has arguably been just as bad if not worse in 2023. This is disappointing considering the flashes of promise Dylan Coleman and Taylor Clarke… Read More Three Royals Pitchers (And Their Pitches) To Be Optimistic About
At 44-99 going into Sunday’s series finale against the Blue Jays, the Royals have clearly been in evaluation mode since the All-Star Break, trying to figure out who will be a part of this club in 2024 and beyond. Wins unfortunately are not a priority for this Royals club at this time, which is tough… Read More What Kind of Role Could Alec Marsh Have With Royals in 2024?
At 29-73 going into Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians, the Royals are expected to be a “seller” by the August 1st Trade Deadline. It makes sense, as the Royals need to re-stock their farm system and find talent who can contribute at the Major League level in the long term, even if they may… Read More Carlos Hernandez May Be the Royals’ Most Difficult Deadline Dilemma
The Royals lost 5-4 to the Yankees in their first game in the Bronx on Friday, which gave Kansas City their 71st loss of the season. While the losses continue to pile up, there were some positives to be gleaned from the one-run loss against one of the biggest clubs in baseball. First off, it… Read More Gauging the Progress of Alec Marsh and His Long-Term Outlook With the Royals
Going into 2023, there was hope that the Royals’ pitching staff would see some improvement under new manager Matt Quatraro and the pitching team of Brian Sweeney, Zach Bove, and Mitch Stetter. While many of the actual pitchers remained the same from the 2022 squad, there was hope that the new analytical approach of the… Read More Taylor Clarke and the Collective Struggles of the Royals Bullpen in 2023
It hasn’t been an easy year for new pitching coach Brian Sweeney and his team so far in 2023. After a solid, though unspectacular first couple of weeks of the season, things have gone south quickly for the Royals’ pitching staff. Not only did Kris Bubic go down with an injury that required Tommy John,… Read More What Can the Royals Expect from Jackson Kowar (and the Group of Arms in Omaha)?
Brad Keller continues to be an enigma for Matt Quatraro and the Royals coaching staff. The 27-year-old Rule 5 Draft pick is coming off two rough seasons in which he posted a 5.39 ERA in 2021 and a 5.09 ERA in 2022. Over the last two years in Kansas City, he has produced a combined… Read More Brad Keller Remains a Solid Starting Option for Royals Despite Rough Recent Starts
The Royals won in dramatic fashion on Saturday night in Anaheim, as they came back to win 11-8 to snap a seven-game losing streak. There were plenty of positive stories to take away from the Royals’ dramatic win. The offense went 7-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Hunter Dozier collected three hits, including a two-RBI… Read More Despite Rough Start, Royals Fans Should Still Be Optimistic About Carlos Hernandez
The Royals are currently 3-7, and though they missed out on a sweep of the Giants on Sunday after a 3-1 loss, winning a series on the road against a team projected to win 83 games, according to ZiPS, is still a positive development nonetheless. Kansas City now heads down to Arlington to play the… Read More “Reporter Jottings”: Risk-Taking and Improvements in Defense; A Deep Dive Into the Royals’ Early Hitting Struggles