While the Royals starting pitching staff went through their fair share of ups and downs during the 2021 season (they ranked 24th in team ERA and 27th in WHIP), the bullpen was at least a little better, even if it did see some regression from the 2020 season. After ranking 8th in bullpen ERA during… Read More Despite second half struggles, Royals fans should be hopeful about Jake Brentz in 2022
The Royals season is officially over, as they finished 74-88, slightly above most preseason projections. As another playoff season continues without the Kansas City Royals, I decided that it would be good to wrap up the 2021 Royals campaign with a five-part series of posts where I give out certain “awards” from this past season.… Read More Forget WAR; Salvy Saved the Royals this Year (“Royalty Awards” Most Important Player)
The Royals bullpen has been an up and down group in 2021. Luckily, Scott Barlow has been solid, as he leads all Royals relievers (with 10 or more IP) in fWAR (1.5), according to Fangraphs. Unfortunately, beyond Barlow, this Royals bullpen has not demonstrated much consistency, much to the dismay of the Royals overall as… Read More Examining Zimmer and Brentz’s recent struggles, and what that means for the Royals long-term
So the MLB Trade Deadline has officially passed and the Royals kept things pretty tame during this momentous day where plenty of stars were dealt around the league. The White Sox were the primary “winners” in the division, as the acquired Craig Kimbrel from the Cubs up on the North Side, and seem primed to… Read More Did the Royals do enough at the Trade Deadline?
For Royals fans hoping to see a big move at the Trade Deadline, things took a bit of an interesting turn today as Royals general manager Dayton Moore addressed the media in a press conference today. And let’s just say, it doesn’t exactly seem like Moore and the Royals front office are eager to be… Read More Is Dayton Moore showing his ‘poker face’ as Royals approach the deadline?
Oh boy it’s been a long week. While Spring Training game have begun which is amazing as a MLB fan, this week has been an extremely busy one in regard to high school baseball starting (I coach at the high school I work at), the third quarter ending (which requires me to finalize grading), and… Read More “Cactus Royals” Preview: Relief Pitcher Rankings
Last year, a key to the Royals improvement was the bounce back in the bullpen. After a disastrous campaign in 2018 (ranked 29th in reliever WAR) and a ho-hum one in 2019 (ranked 17th in reliever WAR), the Royals took a big step up in 2020, ranking 12th in reliever WAR and 8th in reliever… Read More Are Royals fans not talking about Scott Barlow enough?
There was some hope going into this weekend’s series against the Brewers that the Royals could finish the year around .500. At 21-29 going into Friday’s game, if the Royals went 9-1 over their last 10 games, they would finish the year 30-30. While that seemed like a tall feat, the Brewers, Cardinals, and Tigers… Read More ‘Another Missed Chance’: Three takeaways from the Brewers-Royals series
While it was nice to see the Royals pull of a win on the road, it has been a rough stretch for the Kansas City Royals. The team is still in last place in the American League Central at 15-28, and their -51 run differential is the third-worst mark in the American League in general… Read More Three Royals stories to pay attention to down the stretch (even if it may be rough)
While the Kansas City Royals have been an slightly pleasant surprise at 8-11 going into this weekend’s series in Minnesota against the Twins, one player that has been a disappointment so far in 2020 has been reliever Ian Kennedy. Signed in 2016 to a five-year $70 million contract (which cost the Royals a first-round pick… Read More What should the Royals do with Ian Kennedy for the remainder of 2020?
The Royals Reporter 