Tag: Mike Matheny

“Reporter Jottings”: Risk-Taking and Improvements in Defense; A Deep Dive Into the Royals’ Early Hitting Struggles

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

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“Reporter Jottings”: Royals “Playing Pepper” on Cards Conclave; Was World Baseball Classic Worth It for Witt and Singer?

In this quick edition of the Jottings, I share a slew of season preview questions I answered for Cards Conclave, a St. Louis Cardinals-centered blog, and look at Bobby Witt, Jr, and Brady Singer and their participation with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, which wraps up with the championship this evening. Let’s get… Read More “Reporter Jottings”: Royals “Playing Pepper” on Cards Conclave; Was World Baseball Classic Worth It for Witt and Singer?

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Three Pitchers Royals Fans Should Be Concerned About This Season

If you are a Royals fan, and you haven’t subscribed to David Lesky’s “Inside the Crown” substack, that needs to change pronto. Because today, Lesky wrote a great piece about the starting pitching being a real concern of this squad for the upcoming 2023 season, even with the positive moves being implemented by the new… Read More Three Pitchers Royals Fans Should Be Concerned About This Season

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What Can Royals Fans Expect from Witt, Jr. in 2023? A Few Rolling Charts Could Tell the Tale

Bobby Witt, Jr. has been the story of the Royals’ offseason, especially coming off a season in which he hit 20 home runs and stole 30 bases in 150 games and 632 plate appearances. While the triple slash (.254/.294/.428) and wRC+ (99), left a little to be desired, it was still an impressive rookie campaign… Read More What Can Royals Fans Expect from Witt, Jr. in 2023? A Few Rolling Charts Could Tell the Tale

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Matt Beaty Has Been a Cactus League Success (But Will He Find a Spot on the Royals’ Roster?)

The Royals have been a tremendous success story this Spring as they sit at 14-2, which puts them clearly at the top of the Cactus League standings, as of Monday, March 13th. Granted, Royals fans can debate how relevant their W-L record will be in regard to it transitioning to regular season success. This is… Read More Matt Beaty Has Been a Cactus League Success (But Will He Find a Spot on the Royals’ Roster?)

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Can Bench Coach Paul Hoover Help the Royals’ Catchers Improve Defensively?

It’s not a surprise that the Royals were one of the worst defensive teams under former manager Mike Matheny from 2020 to 2022, especially on a framing end. Last season, the Royals ranked dead last in framing with a -21 mark, 10 runs worse than the second-worst club in baseball (the Padres), according to Baseball… Read More Can Bench Coach Paul Hoover Help the Royals’ Catchers Improve Defensively?

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Predicting the Royals’ Opening Day Roster (Version 1.0)

I was hoping to have this post out on Tuesday, but it’s been a busier-than-expected couple of days of work. Nonetheless, while this post didn’t go out yesterday as planned, the Royals Spring camp did officially begin, with some early shots surfacing from the Royals camp in Surprise, Arizona. Safe to say, those photos should… Read More Predicting the Royals’ Opening Day Roster (Version 1.0)

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How Does Jon Heasley Fit Into this Royals’ Pitching Equation?

The Kansas City Royals seem set roster-wise for Spring Training, and a key for the Royals in 2023 will be how their pitching develops under new manager Matt Quatraro, pitching coach Brian Sweeney, and the Royals coaching staff. It’s been a frequent point of discussion this week, as MLB.com Royals beat writer Anne Rogers made… Read More How Does Jon Heasley Fit Into this Royals’ Pitching Equation?

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Zack Greinke Is Back; How Does That Affect the Royals’ Rotation?

Early this morning, Bob Fescoe of 610 AM Radio reported that Royals pitcher Zack Greinke would indeed come back to Kansas City for at least one more year, per Twitter: Later in the morning, nearly every major reporter, including Ken Rosenthal and MLB.com Royals beat writer Anne Rogers, confirmed Fescoe’s report. In addition, Mark Feinsand… Read More Zack Greinke Is Back; How Does That Affect the Royals’ Rotation?

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Three Crucial Questions Regarding the Royals’ Signing of Aroldis Chapman

Just when we thought that it would be a “tame” winter for the Kansas City Royals in their first Dayton Moore-less offseason, JJ Picollo and the Royals go out and make this move: According to Feinsand, Chapman has agreed to a one-year deal worth $3.75 million (though he could earn more if he reaches certain… Read More Three Crucial Questions Regarding the Royals’ Signing of Aroldis Chapman

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