[Biggp07]

👑 Friday Morning, July 4 • Royals Front Office 👑
________________________________________

Mid-season Memo (Manager's Desk)

By this date last year, my mid-season review with Royals owner John Sherman, (known for his impatience and controlling nature), had already happened—and if I'm being honest, I didn't exactly leave him impressed. (2024 Mid-season Review). I'd only been in this dual-hatted seat (GM and manager) for a few months then, still learning how to keep the clubhouse steady while answering to the business side of the building. This year, John picked Independence Day for the sit-down.

Maybe it's a coincidence. Maybe it's symbolic—an owner's reminder that the job doesn't stop just because the country's celebrating. Either way, it lands with weight. You try to wake up feeling like it's July 4th… and instead you feel like you're walking into a report card. It's disorienting, especially with the calendar staring back at me: Game 2 of a four-game set tonight at Kauffman, against a division rival, packed house expected, and the organization's big All-American fireworks show waiting on the other side of nine innings.

That's the reality of this job: you can hear the ballpark already, even while you're still in a conference chair.

And yet—this time, I walked into John's office with something I didn't have last year: a real first half, (the Plan B he was asking for last year). We've exceeded his 2025 benchmarks so far, the clubhouse chemistry is in a good place, and we're carrying momentum into the All-Star break window. I'm proud of the confidence this group is playing with. Not cocky—just connected. That matters.

Figure MS1. Owner Goals Dashboard — 2025/2026/Long-Term Targets



Perspective: Independence Day evaluation snapshot of John Sherman's goal framework: early-season record expectations, continued improvement in runs against, top-prospect acquisition pressure, farm system climb, chemistry maintenance, and the ongoing mandate to raise fan interest.

Owner Evaluation Summary (John Sherman)

John didn't waste time. He opened with the goals he set for me, then read them like a man making sure I understood the difference between “good so far” and “mission accomplished.”

• Team Record (2025 — Average Priority)
John acknowledged the first half: I've done a strong job, and we're playing above the “close to .500” bar he set. The message underneath the compliment was clear: finish it. He wants the second half handled like we belong here.

• Improve Team Stats: Runs Against (2025 — Low Priority)
“So far, so good.” He's pleased that we've improved where he asked, but he's not ready to declare victory. He wants the full-season proof.

Figure MS2. Midseason Team Snapshot — Record, Offense, Pitching/Defense Rankings



Perspective: Midpoint performance panel showing overall record and divisional position alongside team batting and pitching/defense ranks. Included to contextualize John's “so far, so good” tone: strong first-half results, elite run production indicators, and persistent late-inning stress signals embedded in the staff profile.

• Find a Top Prospect (2026 — Very High Priority)
This was the first time he sharpened the tone. Felix Arronde is our best prospect in years, but John isn't sold that Felix is the franchise-forward face we need. He wants me to continue the search for an even higher-end prospect profile—top-of-the-top.

• Build Your Farm (2026 — Very High Priority)
We've climbed out of the basement, but John's point was blunt: “Baseball World praise” doesn't come from being 24th or 25th. He wants a real farm climb—something that signals sustainability, not a one-year spike.

Figure MS3. Player Development & Prospect Pipeline — Budget, Affiliates, Top Prospects, Depth Map



Perspective: Organizational development overview combining budget allocations, minor-league affiliate performance, top prospect list, and depth chart map. Supports the request to expand development capacity (8→10) and illustrates that the current farm system climb is still short of “top-tier” recognition.

• Improve Team Chemistry (2025 — Average Priority)
This one landed well. He specifically credited the club playing greater than the sum of its parts. That's the kind of thing owners notice because it's hard to buy. It has to be built.

• Improve Fan Interest (2026 — Very High Priority)
Another direct message: fan engagement is lagging, and he needs more effort and more results that translate into attention. Winning helps, but he's looking beyond the standings—into identity, story, excitement.

He ended the evaluation the way John always does—measured, not emotional—reminding me that the final scorecard is written at season's end. “Good luck in the second half.”

I left his office holding onto one thought: if we finish near our preseason line and meet at least half of his goals cleanly, this thing stops being a hopeful experiment and starts looking like an operation with a plan.
________________________________________

Front Office Note / Takeaways

Personnel contracts — preliminary direction

John handed me a personnel list: expiring contracts across the system, with instructions to evaluate renewals vs. replacements. Before I left, I penciled in my early leanings—nothing final, just the first pass while it's fresh and the organizational context is clear.

Figure MS4. Personnel Contracts & Staffing — Expiring Deals and System-Wide Coaching Structure



Perspective: System personnel ledger highlighting staff roles across the major league club and affiliates, used to guide renewal vs. replacement decisions. Included as supporting documentation for the offseason “five-slot” hiring cap and the preliminary renewal/promote/new hire notes coming out of the owner meeting.

Northwest Arkansas (AA)
• Manager T. Shields — renewal
• Hitting Coach A. LaRoche — no renewal / new hire

Quad Cities (A+)
• Pitching Coach D. Lewis — no renewal / promote Habyan

Columbia (A)
• Pitching Coach J. Habyan — renewal / promote / hire new
• Hitting Coach A. Adut — renewal / promote (replace Hollins MLB 1B Coach) / promote Castro

Kansas City (ACL)
• Manager L. Sutton — renewal
• Pitching Coach J. Pimentel — no renewal / promote Conway (DSL Ventura)
• Hitting Coach R. Castro — renewal / promote (A) / hire new

Kansas City (DSL Ventura)
• Manager R. Martinez — renewal
• Hitting Coach W. Betemit — renewal
• Pitching Coach (DSL Ventura) — new hire

Kansas City (DSL Fortuna)
• Pitching Coach J. Veras — renewal
• Hitting Coach F. Martinez — no renewal / new hire

Development investment request

I asked John for increased development resources—specifically:

• a bump to the player development program budget, and

• expanding our development slots from 8 to 10.

The reasoning is simple: the minor-league coaching staff finally feels established. The connections are real, the communication is consistent, and the players are responding. This is the right moment to add capacity so our offseason training translates more quickly into major-league readiness.

July 4th context — meeting ends, game day begins

As soon as I stepped out, the day snapped back into baseball time. Tonight isn't just “a game.” It's July 4th at Kauffman—flags everywhere, families in the concourse early, and that big fireworks show waiting behind right field like a promise.

And it’s also Game 2 of a four-game series—the kind of series that can either reinforce our first-half credibility or poke holes in it. The meeting put the long-term lens in my head; the dugout will demand the short-term one. Both are true. Both matter.

I made it back to the clubhouse with John's notes still folded in my pocket, already thinking about lineup cards, bullpen lanes, and how to keep the day from becoming too heavy for the players. They should feel the holiday. I'll carry the evaluation.

Around the League

With the midpoint mark upon us, it's the natural time for baseball to reset its prospect lens. The updated pre-season BNN Top 100 list has 20-year-old CF Walker Jenkins (Twins) at #1 overall, with Roman Anthony, Juan Garcia, and a wave of premium young talent following behind.

It's relevant to us for one reason: it reinforces what John is pushing—elite-level prospect power is the currency of sustained contention, not just a nice-to-have.

BNN Top 10 Prospects:

1) CF Walker Jenkins, 20, Minnesota Twins
2) CF Roman Anthony, 21, Boston Red Sox
3) RHP Juan Garcia, 17, San Diego Padres
4) RHP Alejandro Rosario, 23, Texas Rangers
5) LF Jesus Condz, 17, New York Mets
6) LF Lazaro Montes, 20, Seattle Mariners
7) LHP Robby Snelling, 21, San Diego Padres
8) SS Termarr Johnson, 21, Pittsburgh Pirates
9) LF Julio Lucero, 17, Miami Marlins
10) 3B Nacho Alvarez Jr., 22, Atlanta Braves
________________________________________
👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | Regular Season 2025 – Mid-season Review



(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)