The AL Central was one of the weakest divisions in baseball in 2022. The Cleveland Guardians were not just the only team to represent the division in the expanded playoff format, but they also were the only Central club to have an above. 500 record as well. The White Sox and the Twins were expected… Read More One Question About Each AL Central Team And Their Outlook for 2023
On Tuesday, the Atlanta Braves continued their “extension” spending spree that has lasted pretty much since they won a World Series title in 2021. After acquiring catcher Sean Murphy from the Oakland Athletics via a trade on December 12th, the Braves doubled down on the acquisition by announcing an extension for Murphy that keeps him… Read More How Does Salvy’s Deal With Royals Look After This Recent Offseason Splurge on Catchers?
The MLB Winter Meetings officially kicked off today, and there were plenty of moves around the league that caught the attention of baseball fans. The first big story was the announcement that the New York Mets, in response to losing Jacob deGrom to the Texas Rangers in free agency, signed reigning Cy Young award winner… Read More “Reporter Jottings”: Picollo’s Focus During Winter Meetings; and MJ and Salvy on the Trading Block?
This week, the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox announced and introduced their managerial hires, with official press conferences happening for both of them on Thursday. In many ways, the moves were the right for each organization. The Royals need a change in their process, especially when incorporating analytics and continuing player development at… Read More White Sox and Royals Take Different Approaches With Managerial Announcements…Will It Pay Off?
The manager “hot stove” news cycle has been quite scorching this week, as many clubs with openings have announced their hirings for the 2023 season. Texas made the biggest splash, as they coaxed former Giants and Padres manager Bruce Bochy out of retirement, inking him to a three-year deal. The Blue Jays on the other… Read More Ranking the Royals Managers Candidates, Based on Early Reports
It’s been seven years since the Royals last played in the postseason, which doesn’t feel too long for some Royals fans who lived through the Royals’ initial 29-year playoff drought from 1985 to 2014. Granted, the baseball world isn’t focusing on the Royals’ current postseason drought. The story for baseball fans now is on the… Read More JJ Picollo Can Make A Major Mark on the Royals…But It Could (And Should) Feel Different From Dayton Moore
It’s been a few days since it happened. Still, JJ Picollo and the Kansas City Royals decided to part ways with manager Mike Matheny and pitching coach Cal Eldred immediately after the season ended. Kansas City controlled the narrative on this one, as it was the organization, not “sources” or “reports”, who broke the news… Read More The Mike Matheny Era is Over…Will the Royals Give Pedro Grifol His Chance?
The Royals are 51-77 going into Sunday’s series finale against the San Diego Padres. The Royals, as of Sunday, are 11-15 in the month of August with two games remaining after Sunday’s contest at Kauffman Stadium. Even though the second half has been slightly better than the first half of the year before the All-Star… Read More Examining Mike Matheny’s Tenure as Royals Manager (And If He’ll Be Back in 2023)
As a baseball and Royals fan, I wasn’t particularly thrilled with the Tony La Russa hire. While I knew La Russa had name-recognition and was a Hall of Famer, I felt that the game had passed him by (he struggled in a front office stint with the Diamondbacks), and that there were more qualified candidates… Read More Baseball fans should be upset with the White Sox right now after La Russa DUI
The American League Central has been a manager “carousel” of sorts, as both the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox had vacancies for their manager position this off-season. The Tigers knew of their need for a replacement earlier than other clubs, as former manager Ron Gardenhire announced his retirement in the final weeks of the… Read More Pedro Grifol may still be on staff next year, and why that’s good for the Royals, but bad for baseball
The Royals Reporter 