KC Royals - An OOTP 25 Narrated Playthrough - Day 1

[Biggp07]

Managing the KC Royals – My Journey Starting in 2024 (An OOTP 25 Narrated Playthrough - Completely and Totally Simulated Game Generated Fiction, with some generous author creative license. )

On Friday, March 1st, 2024, I received a call from John Sherman regarding a management opportunity with the KC Royals for the upcoming season. At that time, I was retired and spending time with my family. During our conversation, he explained details about taking on the roles of general manager and manager for the KC Royals starting in the 2024 season, which was set to begin in a few weeks. John found the December 2023 winter meetings unproductive and decided it was time for changes. Despite his reputation for impatience and strict budgeting, he had kept the same front office for years, limiting flexibility in free agency and player contracts. Although KC has a rich sports history and devoted fans, its teams face pressure to win or risk backlash. There were no signs of change in the organization during the off-season, so his shake-up came unexpectedly. The Royals concluded a disappointing season with a 56-106 record and a .356 winning percentage, underscoring the need for significant changes. Since their 2015 World Series win, they have posted losing records each year and failed to maintain their earlier success.

On March 7th, 2024, I visited the Kaufmann Stadium Offices for the first time to evaluate the current situation and develop a strategic plan aimed at transforming the Royals into a consistently competitive organization. The primary objective was to restructure the roster to secure regular playoff appearances and enhance fan engagement. Although achieving a playoff berth this season appeared highly challenging due to limited familiarity with the players and outcomes from spring training, a strong expectation for success persisted—even if John had not explicitly stated it. After setting up my workspace and starting my computer, I received my first email from him, outlining his expectations. Meeting these objectives would be a significant undertaking.

Todd "BigP",
Welcome to the Kansas City Royals organization. I am confident that we will establish a productive working relationship.
Each year, I will provide specific goals I expect you to accomplish. In addition to delivering results on the field and ensuring profitability, meeting these objectives is essential:

• Aim to finish this season close to a .500 record.
• Strengthen the Left Field position.
• Identify a top 20 prospect.
• Develop a top 6 minor league system.
• Increase fan interest.
• Continue building the team with the goal of reaching the playoffs within the next five seasons.

I will review your progress periodically throughout the year. Best of luck.
John Sherman

John explained how to keep him satisfied. As owner and CEO, he needed to raise profits and a growing fan base. He trusted me, and I was confident I could assemble an effective front office to achieve these goals. I took on my new role hoping to energize the team toward a playoff run and championship, even though I had no history— this was a true trial by fire. My goal was to rebuild using the farm system, but our team ranked 29th out of 30 MLB teams and lacked promising prospects. To address this and align with John’s 2026 objective, I dismissed longtime scout and VP of Scouting Danny Ontiveros due to inadequate talent development results. I then brought in Jason McLeod—an accomplished scout with experience on three MLB teams—offering him a five-year, $965,000 contract to spearhead our search for top prospects. I believe he will help revitalize our talent pipeline moving forward.

[Biggp07]

On March 9th, Toronto Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins presented a trade proposal which my Assistant General Manager, J.J. Picollo, strongly recommended I pursue without delay. While I had not been actively initiating discussions with other general managers regarding potential trades, I proceeded to finalize the transaction. Subsequently, it was reported that Kansas City traded catcher Freddy Fermin and shortstop Leonel Valera to Toronto in exchange for second baseman Davis Schneider.

Freddy, our 28-year-old catcher who has backed up Salvador Perez for years, had reached his development peak and held value in trade. I aimed to acquire second baseman Davis Schneider, hoping his versatility would strengthen both our infield and outfield when developed properly. Valera, a marginal performer since joining from the Nationals last year, also provided some trade value. Trading Freddy and Leonel was a move to add much-needed offense and shake up the roster early in my tenure. Of course, I’ll need to assess who we bring up to replace Freddy or where we'll look to trade for a backup catcher. I’ll determine the roster moves later this week when I start putting together line-ups and depth charts. My biggest concern is the catcher-pitcher relationship that I might have fragmented, but we must suffer the consequences of that decision now.

I needed to finalize several proposed budget adjustments recommended on the first day and assess whether any additional personnel matters required attention before Opening Day. Although there was still some time remaining, the start of the season was quickly approaching, and outstanding tasks remained. With Jason joining as our newly appointed scout, I was able to raise the scouting budget from below the league minimum to approximately $14.5 million, anticipating that this investment will help us tap into both international and amateur talent pools during this rebuilding phase. Jason’s expertise gives me confidence in his ability to identify high-potential prospects. The development budget was also increased modestly by a few million dollars to meet the league baseline, given the current lack of detailed information about our farm system. Allowing Jason several months to evaluate our internal talent will inform future decisions regarding necessary changes. By deferring major development upgrades, I was able to allocate additional resources toward scouting, as well as international free agent and draft budgets. While this strategy is not without risk, the coming year will provide valuable insights into its effectiveness.

Our record of 56-106 in the previous season significantly impacted our budget allowance for the upcoming year. John Sherman expressed strong dissatisfaction with the team’s 2023 performance and assigned me the dual responsibilities of General Manager and Manager for the new season. This change considerably increased my daily duties, requiring oversight of line-ups, depth charts, pitching staff rotation, bullpen management, strategic planning, and player development as we aim for improved results. Typically, as General Manager, I would have maintained a more hands-off approach regarding daily line-up decisions and pitching assignments; however, due to Matt Quatraro’s challenges in these areas, I have assumed these additional tasks. I am hopeful that Paul Hoover will provide valuable assistance as we prepare for games throughout the season, especially given his strong defensive insight and positive rapport with the current roster—qualities that should benefit the team moving forward.

Regarding team-manager dynamics, I reviewed the front office personnel with whom I would be working. I identified a few members whose performance will be evaluated within a relatively short timeline. Our hitting coach, Alec Zumwalt, has had limited success in coaching active roster position players and developing prospects, and his relationships with front office staff are not particularly strong. Although Alec has two years remaining on his contract, I intend to assess his impact throughout the current season before considering any changes, as it may be challenging to find a suitable replacement so close to opening day, and I want to avoid disrupting the team's environment early in my tenure.

Similarly, pitching coach Brian Sweeney appears to have stronger connections with batters than pitchers. His contract follows the same timeline as Zumwalt's, so I plan to evaluate both positions equally before making decisions. Additionally, our team trainer, Kyle Turner, does not demonstrate exceptional proficiency in fatigue recovery or pitcher rehabilitation, though he performs adequately in other areas. Improvements could potentially be made, particularly concerning pitcher health and injury prevention. Ultimately, I am evaluating which role is most critical to address for immediate return this year and whether qualified candidates are available, though it may not be feasible to make changes until the off-season.

As far as the farm system, after evaluating personnel, several contracts could be promoted to higher levels on the field and possibly in front office roles during the next offseason. Ari Adut, currently serving as the hitting coach for the Columbia Fireflies at the A level, is recognised for his defensive coaching background and his knowledge of player development and mechanics, particularly with younger athletes in the system. Consideration will be given to moving him up to the major league staff to support team progress. Wilson Betemit, a hitting coach with the DSL Ventura team, demonstrates strong defensive skills and coaching ability. However, he has less experience in development and mechanical instruction for younger players. Plans may involve promoting him within the farm system and potentially transitioning him into a base coaching role or a position on the front office staff in the future.

Most of my focus will be on full-season leagues from A to Triple-A. For example, with the Carolina Fireflies at A ball, Jesus Azuaje lacks coaching experience and skills, struggles with team relationships, and may not remain with the team through the year. High A+ ball requires prompt improvement. Coaches Ryan Powers (hitting) and Derrick Lewis (pitching) lack the necessary coaching skills, despite positive player relationships, and may need to be replaced soon, even with two years left on their contracts. This reflects a broader trend in the farm system, where coaching needs to prioritize player development. Brooks Conrad has three years remaining; bringing in new hitting and pitching coaches could boost player progress at this level. Larry Carter, our AA pitching coach, has two years left on his contract and is nearing retirement at 58. I'll likely let him complete his term and look for a replacement in 2026 or promote from within if budgets and results allow. As for AAA hitting coach Bijan Rademacher, he needs to be replaced immediately due to poor team hitting and a lack of relevant experience. I plan to seek a more qualified candidate or possibly promote someone like Ari from the lower leagues.

[Biggp07]

My first task on this Monday, March 11th, 2024, was to terminate Bijan Rademacher’s employment as hitting coach in Omaha Stormchasers, our triple-A team. I gave it the weekend to marinate and decided it was the best course of action for me. The cost was about $260,000 to buy out his contract, but I had to make a change somewhere, regardless of the cost. We still had some cash to spare for things before opening day. I had looked at the free agent personnel over the weekend and was hoping to get the young Ben Johnson, but the Staten Island FerryHawks beat me to him. I hesitated to make a call and missed an opportunity to bring some high-caliber coaching to our triple-A club. I viewed this as my first mistake but a learning experience, so I got back on the free agent waiver wire right away and found someone who I think can do just as well. Joey Demonte was available. A living legend for hitting and developing young players. He has nearly 20 years of experience, so I made him an offer of 5 years at 190K per year. He was pushing his late fifties, so if I was to get him, I needed to hang on to him as long as I could. Unfortunately, he had no interest in working at Omaha. Wow, are the Kansas City Royals that bad? Whatever, I wasn't gonna haggle with him. I was looking for a guy who excels at teaching contact hitting since that’s the best way to get an advantage in our ballpark. That was also the common denominator being coached in our farm system, so I need someone to polish that at Omaha and the major levels. My next choice was to ask Zack Jones, an unproven 29-year-old from Park Ridge, IL. He has solid coaching skills, and he can relate well with the younger players in the minors, so I felt confident offering him 5 years at 185K per year.

My second firing of the day was Jesus Azuaje at Columbia Fireflies, our Low-A club. It cost about 310K to buy out his contract, but I wanted to get a younger manager in there that at least could provide some better development coaching support to John Hayban and Ari Adut. This was the primary minor league level where I was going to make the most changes in the next year, so I wanted to get someone in the manager position to carry over a few years as we begin to fill the rookie levels with prospects and develop our farm system. My choice as replacement was Willie Concepcion, another unproven 27-year-old with smallball experience and excellent development and defensive coaching abilities. I offered him a 5-year contract at 140k per year. I wanted to keep him around as long as I could and move him up through the system. I'm hoping he pans out as well.

My third firing of the day was the pitching coach, Chris Marte, down in the Ventura DSL. He did not exhibit any coaching prowess, and I could not justify keeping him on down there, especially with those young kids just coming into the farm system. They needed to be focused right away. It was not much to buy out his contract, and still left us in great shape for the upcoming season. My free agent look to replace him found Josh Conway from Smithsburg, MD. He was excellent at teaching pitching, and his coaching skills were solid. With his young age, I could move him up as he developed some young prospects into promising power pitchers. His relationship with the players was perceived to be very good, so I made him an offer for 5 years at 35k per year.

My fourth and final firing was pitching coach Ryan Powers at the High-A Midwest League team, the Quad City River Bandits. He lacked everything I desired from a pitching coach at that level, and would have stunted any development in the kids sent from Columbia or Rookie Ball, so change was needed there. His buyout cost was about 150K, and his firing allowed me to start moving up some of the coaches I thought could help in future seasons at higher levels and eventually make it to the big club. B.J. Roper-Hubbert became available on the free agent personnel wire, so I sent him an offer for 5 years at 130k per year. With this, I felt I had spent enough and could build on it come off-season, hoping I would last that long with the owner.

With all the firings behind me now and offers out to replacements, I was ready to call it a day and see what their responses were. I was hoping for 100% acceptance and was ready to move on to more immediate roster decisions before opening day. I needed to review the salaries, upcoming free agents, and task our scout to look at some of the draft pool prospects we think will help our team. I needed to make some decisions on who was staying up and who I was sending down. Plus, I needed to review the injury status and see who would be coming off soon to give us some depth and spark going into the first several series of games. That was the primary concern for the remainder of the week.

I wasn’t going to pay too close attention to the waiver wire since I didn’t have a good sense of how the active roster was going to pan out, and we had a few months to pick up somebody, if need be, I thought. Plus, I had made some minor league moves of players over the weekend and would continue to do so throughout the week until things looked solid. I just needed to get a feel for how this roster was going to perform under my new management and the staff I had put together the last few days. We were about to find out.

[Biggp07]

I got favorable contract responses from Josh Conway and Willie Concepcion so Tuesday morning, March 12th, started off good.

My scout, Jason McLeod, called from Adelaide, Australia, saying he believes he found a 16-year-old starting pitcher named Bailey Wiebe who could benefit our club in the long run and that we should make a concerted effort to follow his development. Bailey Wiebe is the first international player at 16 years old to be assigned to our international complex. It will be a few years before we know his potential, but hopefully, he proves he can play in the big leagues and help us win some championships. I also asked Jason to look at 7 players in this year’s draft pool and report back to me soon. He said give him about a week and a half, and he’ll provide me with accurate reports back on each of them.

I’m having him look at 2 high schoolers, a starting pitcher and catcher, and the rest are college-level players. One of the college players I’m most interested in is a guy out of Tampa, Florida, a junior attending UF at Gainesville, FL named Jac Caglianone. He looks to be a solid power hitter utility guy who can play 1st base and LF out of the gate. He might even have some utility as a reliever and two-way player in a crunch. With good development and coaching, we have a potential star prospect to grow in the next few years. Maybe we see him debut around the late season of 2025, but more likely, 2026 is his target year. A second guy I want to have a deeper look at is Braden Montgomery, a junior at Texas A&M out of Madison, MS. He shows great power bat and corner outfield ratings, so likely a high pick in this year’s draft.

Of the 2 high schoolers I’m having Jason scout, 18-year-old catcher Cade Arrambide looks to be our most promising. OSA already gives him a 60 framing and 60 arm, along with having good leadership and a work ethic. Still yet to learn his real personality, but even if he has no natural captain skills, he is an asset to have in our system. I’m hoping we get a chance at him early because I’ll pull the trigger fast. Karsten Sweum is the second high schooler, a starting pitcher who would likely develop out to be a back-end rotation starter. Although he seems to have a high work ethic, his intelligence and leadership may be lacking, so we will flesh that out if or when he gets in our farm system.

CF Will Taylor and LF Ian Petrutz are 2 college-level OF draft prospects that we should try to obtain in the draft this summer as well. Each of them looks to have good contact and defensive ratings, so it will be a great value for both our roster and/or trade if we need help sooner than they can develop.
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It’s March 13th, about one week into my new position as GM and Manager for the KC Royals. Josh Conway and Willie Concepcion both agreed to their contract offers, and I got favorable responses from both B.J. Roper-Hubbert and Zack Jones. My plan for the farm improvement is coming together. As the season progresses, it will prove good or bad.

With pre-season winding down, I needed to consider my budget limits for scouting and development. I have about $9MIL in total money available, so I might put a bit more into development to get it to the league baseline at least and try to increase the scouting budget a little. In considering the budget, I knew I needed to look at backup catchers for Salvy since he’s getting older and will likely need to have some heightened relief this year behind the plate. We have 3 catchers working in the minors right now, but I’m not convinced any of them are ready to be called up right away. Rodolfo Duran looks good stat-wise, but none of those stats are in Omaha. He was only picked up as a free agent this past December, and we haven't seen his work up close yet. So, I’d like to give him time there to the All-Star break before we make a call-up decision on him. But there's always the chance he'll be needed sooner, which is why he's there anyway. Logan Porter only had 11 games as a call-up last year and didn’t perform well. In 31 AB, he only got 6 hits and struck out 11 times for a 30% SO rate. Plus, his ability is below average, so he’s a call-up in a pinch at best. Luca Tresh is simply not ready or developed enough yet. But he has some good leadership qualities, so he shows promise.

My free agent wire checks revealed Juan Centeno, a 34-year-old catcher with great charisma, leadership, intelligence, and work ethic, and excellent defensive skills at 60/60 blocking and framing. I made him a minor league offer, and hopefully, he will accept. I’d only need him for the year, so being out of options, we can let him go at arbitration if he doesn’t pan out, but I’m confident he will at least provide some seasonal value.

[Biggp07]

March 14th – Day 8

Hitting coaches B.J. Roper-Hubbert and Zack Jones have both accepted their contract offers. I also decided to up the development budget to the minimum league baseline of 13.5 MIL, but going to delay any increase of scouting until a response from Juan Centeno.
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March 16th – Day 10

Juan Centeno favors our offer for a minor league contract, so good things are happening leading up to opening day. Our scout called from Palau confident that he had turned up a prospect in 16-year-old left fielder Salesi Kuupauolealoha, and he’s been assigned to the international complex. Instead of increasing the scouting budget since Jason seems to be finding international talent well, I put about another 1.5 million into our draft budget.
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March 17th – Day 11

Juan Centeno signed his minor league offer today, so I can now work on line-ups, depth charts, and pitching staff and bullpen with opening day only 3 days away, it’s about to get real for me!

After asking Paul Hoover to give me his first thoughts on lineups since he's got good defensive coaching sense, I structured the new lineups, giving weight to playing Salvy more at first base to relieve stress on his knees and allow Juan Centro to get some play at catcher. I had committed to him in free agency only a few days ago, so I had to try and make it work. Fingers crossed. I realized M.J. Melendez had some decent development at catcher, so that helped alleviate some stress for how and who I was going to play at that position when it started getting bumpy.


So, for right-handed and DH, Salvy would catch with Juan Centero backing him up and M.J. as a third backup. I might try to rotate him every 20 games or so. Nick Pratto on first, Adam Frazier on second, Mikail Garcia on third, and Bobby in short. Drew Waters, Darion Blanco, and Hunter Renfroe in left, center, and right, respectively, and Vinny is DH.

Against lefties, Salvy will move to first base with Juan Centero replacing him at catcher and Mike Brosseau replacing Adam Frazier at second base. I’m trying my best to get L/R hitters against opposing pitchers to gain every bit of advantage I can. And there’s depth where it needs to be, or called up if necessary.


I set up the pitching rotation and bullpen, giving Seth Lugo the starting position, followed by Cole Ragans in the 2 spot, Mike Wacha 3rd, Brady Singer 4th, and Matt Sauer last in the rotation. I’m not sure how Matt Sauer, our Rule 5 pick from the Yankees last December, will turn out, but he gets a back-end starting rotation bid to start the season.


As far as the bullpen goes, Will Smith will be our closer, Chris Stratton and Nick Anderson our set-up men, John Schrieber and John McMillon providing middle relief, Luis Cessa and Jordan Lyles as long relievers and starters in a pinch, and Angel Zerpa is our left-handed specialist. I expect some challenge with Jordan Lyles as he seems self-centered and selfish, doesn’t have the exceptional ability to be getting paid like he is, and he’s not giving back leadership to the team. But he wants every bit of his paycheck at 8.5 million! I expect better from guys his age and tenure in the league, so he’s on a short lease with me. He’s a free agent this year, so we’ll see how things go. We’ve got reliever Josh Taylor coming off the IL in about 6 days for bicep soreness, but I think his injury may need more time to heal. He had 16 relief appearances for us last year and did not perform well, which creates a decision for me even before we play our first regular season game. Most other IL listees are at least a month from returning, and most will be sent for minor rehab unless the situation dictates otherwise.
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[Biggp07]

(March 18th – Day 12)

Our scout sent me some reports today on the draft targets I asked him to provide about a week ago, and there are some good reports in them. I've highlighted 5 of them.


• 18-year-old Cade Arrambide is a big 6-foot-3, 210-pound catcher from Tomball, Texas. He has the flexibility and conditioning to play above-average defense. He should have a patient approach at the plate and will take a walk if he doesn't get a pitch he likes. He has the potential to display average power from the right side of the plate. With enough injuries, Arrambide might force his way into the lineup. His current ability is rated as a 20 out of 80, relative to the MLB. His potential, again relative to the MLB, is 45 out of 80.


• Jac Caglianone is a 21-year-old first baseman who was born in Tampa, Florida. He has tremendous power potential. However, he is expected to be a below-average contact hitter and will need to work hard on his swing. Caglianone can be a second division starter at first base. His current ability is rated as a 25 out of 80, relative to the MLB. His potential, again relative to the MLB, is 55 out of 80.


• 20-year-old Braden Montgomery is a big 6-foot-2, 220-pound right fielder from Madison, Mississippi. He has plus power potential. As he matures, he's expected to be a quality defensive right fielder. He is an average runner who can swipe a few bases because of his baseball IQ. Montgomery has potential to unleash his obvious talent both on the field and at the plate. His current ability is rated as a 25 out of 80, relative to the MLB. His potential, again relative to the MLB, is 55 out of 80.


• 6' 2" high-schooler Karsten Sweum is an intimidating presence on the mound. At 18 years old, his four-pitch arsenal includes a curveball that will make good hitters miss, a slider with some depth, a decent changeup, and a decent fastball. He tends to nibble at the corners rather than going directly after hitters, driving up his walk totals. If Sweum is going to be more than an emergency starter, he'll need to iron out his control problems. His current ability is rated as a 20 out of 80, relative to the MLB. His potential, again relative to the MLB, is 45 out of 80.


• Lean and athletic 21-year-old Will Taylor hails from Irmo, South Carolina. He is a great runner, using his speed to pick up an extra base when he can. He can make hard contact, which should translate to a .240 batting average. He grades out as an above-average center fielder defensively. Taylor is projected to fill an injury replacement or reserve role in the majors as a below-average center fielder. His current ability is rated as a 20 out of 80, relative to the MLB. His potential, again relative to the MLB, is 45 out of 80.

My thoughts on the draft this year come down to this: I'll be lucky to get even one of these guys with the slot being $4,500,000, and all of them will likely accept nothing less. So...

I’ve budgeted $8MIL for the draft this year, which is about $1MIL more than I'm originally budgeted for. The OSA mock draft has us picking Braden Montgomery 6th and Cade Arrambide 9th (39th overall) in the first and supplemental rounds. The second round has us picking at #2 (41st overall) 1B Grant Hussey, third round #2 (77th overall) LF Ian Petrutz, fourth round #2 (107th overall) CF Will Taylor, and fifth round #2 (140th overall) SP Karsten Sweum. The 2 high schoolers are forecasted to be extremely hard to sign, but I’d like to get C Cade Arrambide if I can. He got the best qualities of the 2, so I’ll give him a chance. Jac Caglianone is a late first-round pick at 28 by Houston, though, so we've got a bit of early decision-making to do if we want to get him unless he's taken in the top five before us. Of course, you always hope you can get all the top prospects in the draft, but that is just not feasible with our small market budget, so we’ll have to choose wisely and still take significant risks as they develop. I think these draft picks are solid and not going to change any now, but we’ll see as we get closer to draft day. It’s a flip of the coin at the end of the day.

I got word from the owner today via email that he’s putting us in a “Win Now” mode for the year, although he “only” expects us to play .500 ball. I guess that's winning. He did increase the budget a bit, or that came from him directly, I’m not sure but there’s a bit more money to play with before opening day so I’m going to put more into scouting and development today and get ready for our first series opener game against the Minnesota Twins in a week and a half. Scouting and development will be budgeted $15.5MIL each for the year. That leaves open about $9.5MIL in total cash, of which about $3.25 M is available in ready cash and the rest tagged for extensions. We’ll see how this all pans out soon and if I’ve budgeted appropriately. Season ticket sales have a projected increase of about 2.5% and a roughly 30+% increase projected across attendance and per-game revenue. Hopefully, that will stand at the end of the year.
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(March 20th, Day 14 – MLB Opening Day!)

So, it’s Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, but we are still a week away from our series opener against Minnesota on the 28th. I had to get the budget finalized, though, and lineups, depth charts, and rotations were put out to the team officially today. I got a reminder from the owner that he expects us to stay close to an even record, but he presented it with a warm welcome and a wish for good luck. Let’s hope!

The Top 100 Prospects list was published today, and there’s some great talent there. About a 70-30 split between position and pitcher prospects. Paul Skenes in the Pittsburgh farm system is listed #1, and man, he looks like an incredibly talented starter. He’s going to be an interesting one to follow. I’d love to have him in our system, but we’re not likely to get him without giving up a bunch more. Still, it’s worth dreaming about, right?

I’m going to give one deeper dive through the minor leagues to ensure we got our “top” prospects playing where we want them and that everyone gets an equal look as we progress through the first half of the season. If there are any minors that this additional look seems like they won’t pan out, I’ll decide to release them before going into any season with them. I want to keep our farm system developing only great potential and not wasting time on stagnation or pro service time limiters. I plan to make another deep dive review around the All-Star break, just before the draft and Rookie ball league start. This is when I’ll make promotion or release decisions only during the season. I hope the new coaches I put there will get them off to a good start, but that is TBD for now.

We ended up releasing the nearly 24-year-old C Emmanuel Pire, who has been in the Rookie leagues since 2019 and was only sent up to A ball for a short stint last year. He was terrible, and so with his professional time heading over 5 years now, I thought we should move on from him. He was taking up valuable roster space for our targeted draft pick this year. And we are about a negative $2.7 M budget to start this season. Maybe I should have waited to put that additional $2-3 M into the development and scouting budgets. But I’m committed now.

The opening day series is a 2 games series between the Dodgers and Padres.

[Biggp07]

(March 25th, Day 19 - 3 days until our series opener!)

Our scout traveled through the DR this past week, where he sized up prospects for the organization and came across third baseman Emilio Rodriguez quite by accident. The 16-year-old Emilio Rodriguez is a big 6-foot-2, 200-pound third baseman from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. This young man possesses a very good hitting tool. He has the potential for average strike zone recognition. Rodriguez is on the bubble for holding down a role in the majors. He has been assigned to the international complex. Looking forward to seeing the development of our kids once they come out of the IC. I hope we can pull some great talent there in teh next few years!

So, I’ve overspent the available budget by close to $3MIL dollars but there’s about that left in the extension pot, so it’s break even as far as I’m concerned. Our series opens in 3 days, and we just need to get this season started. I’ll worry about the budget when I get my mid-year review with the owner in late June or July. I may have to make some salary decisions then or closer to the trade deadline.
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(March 27th, Day 21 - 1 day before series opener)

Josh Taylor is eligible to come off the IL, but I’m sending him to minors rehab to see where he’s at. I don’t need to mess with the lineups or bullpen now, not even seeing anyone work in their positions yet.

Well, nothin to it but to do it! HERE WE GO!

[Biggp07]

(March 28th, first game of series opener with Minnesota Twins!)

It’s too early for our scout to comment on the opponent’s season, but he has provided a report on projected pitching matchups and their top 5 players. Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:

RHP S. Lugo (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP P. Lopez (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
LHP C. Ragans (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP C. Paddack (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
RHP M. Wacha (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP J. Ryan (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. CF Byron Buxton (Age: 30, Overall: 80, Potential: 80)
2. CL Jhoan Duran (26, 75, 75)
3. SP Pablo Lopez (28, 70, 70)
4. SP Chris Paddack (28, 70, 70)
5. SS Carlos Correa (29, 65, 65)

Game Summary – March 28th - Royals Clip Twins, 3-2



The Kansas City Royals started the 2024 season with an impressive 3-2 win against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium. Seth Lugo led the way for Kansas City. Chris Stratton earned the save for Kansas City, his 1st of the year. Maikel Garcia helped the Kansas City cause in the bottom of the fifth inning with a run-scoring sacrifice fly. For the game, the third baseman was 1-2 with a walk.

"We're in a marathon, not a sprint," said Lugo. "But I like how we're playing right now."

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Seth Lugo
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Partly Cloudy (46 degrees), wind blowing out to right at 11 mph
Start Time: 3:10 PM CT
Time: 3:05
Attendance: 37523
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Game Summary – March 30th - Royal's Starter Ragans Now 1-0 Following 5-0 Win



Kansas City left-hander Cole Ragans pitched his team to victory over the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium. The final score was 5-0. The Royals, now 2-0, have stormed out of the gates. The famously hardworking Ragans handled the Twins all day, notching 6 strikeouts in 7.2 innings while allowing 3 hits. Ragans goes to 1-0 on the year with 6 strikeouts.

"Cole throwing strikes, pounding the zone, that is exactly what you want to see," said Kansas City manager Todd "BigP" Pollard.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Cole Ragans
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (43 degrees), wind blowing out to center at 11 mph
Start Time: 3:10 PM CT
Time: 2:46
Attendance: 28191
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Game Summary – March 31st - Twins Deal Royals 9-1 Loss



The Minnesota Twins pinned a convincing loss on the Kansas City Royals, 9-1, at Kauffman Stadium. Matt Wallner was a main factor in the win. He was 3-5 with a home run and a double. He scored 2 runs and drove in 2 for Minnesota. Joe Ryan earned the win to go to 1-0. He allowed no runs on 6 hits, with no walks and 3 strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work. Kansas City falls to 2-1. With Minnesota leading 1-0 in the top of the sixth, Wallner hit a run-scoring single off Kansas City hurler Michael Wacha. It was the 5th hit of the season for Wallner and put his team ahead, 2-0.

"I'm just trying to make good contact," said Wallner, "one at-bat at a time."

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Matt Wallner
Weather: Partly Cloudy (49 degrees), wind blowing out to center at 10 mph
Start Time: 1:10 PM CT
Attendance: 26678

Special Notes: Royals' CF Dairon Blanco was injured while throwing the ball due to a herniated disk and will be out for a week. He was replaced by M.J. Melendez, who moved to LF, and Drew Waters shifted to CF.
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Although I'm happy with my first series performance as manager and taking the series win 2-1, that last game we were damn near shutout, and we just could not get anything going. Is the front office coaching staff of Brian Sweeney and Alec Zumwalt already showing its flaws? I'll have to take a hard look at the bullpen, too, so I've got my manager issues to sort out.

[Biggp07]

(April 1st – Day 26)

CF Darion Blanco was placed on the 10-day IL, and our call-up was CF Kyle Isbel. This is Isbel’s 4th time being called up to play with the big club, and he still has 2 option years left. He’ll replace Blanco at CF, and we'll bench Melendez back to his supporting role for now, but try to get him into the lineup as much as possible as a pinch hitter and runner. I adjusted the batting order, putting Isbel at #1 against righties and #2 against lefties. He is crushing the ball in Omaha after 12 AB, hitting a 417/.462/.500, 1 SB, 154 wRC+ and a 142 OPS+. I know that’s a tiny sample, but in his previous years, he showed glimpses of this caliber of play. Let’s see if the kid can break the ceiling with the big club!

Baltimore is projected to match up two LHPs, and the final series game is RHP Burnes. Here's how it goes.

RHP Brady Singer vs LHP Cionel Perez
RHP Matt Sauer vs LHP Derek Holland
RHP Seth Lugo vs RHP Corbin Burnes

Game Summary – April 1st - Orioles Earn 8-5 Home Win



Baltimore first baseman Ryan O'Hearn made his presence felt in the 8-5 Orioles triumph over the Kansas City Royals. O'Hearn went 1 for 3 with a home run and a walk. He scored 2 runs and drove in 2. Dillon Tate, now 1-0, picked up the win in relief. He allowed 1 run on 2 hits in 1.2 innings. Baltimore, with the win, is 3-1.
Cedric Mullins, who finished 2nd in the AL in triples with 3 in 2020, chipped in a 2-run home run for Baltimore in the bottom of the seventh. For the game, the center fielder had 2 hits in 4 at-bats with 1 home run, 1 single, 1 run scored, and 2 runs batted in.
"Winning the game is always the first objective," Mullins said.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Ryan O'Hearn
Ballpark: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Weather: Rain (41 degrees), wind blowing right to left at 8 mph
Start Time: 6:35 PM ET
Time: 3:17
Attendance: 22369

Special Notes: Jackson Holliday and Nick Anderson were ejected in the 7th inning for igniting a bench-clearing brawl.

The media is spreading the rumor (or fact…) that bad blood could be brewing between the Orioles and the Royals due to yesterday's bench-clearing brawl between Holliday and Anderson. Upon hearing that the league office had suspended both players 4 games each, the Orioles front office and I had some harsh comments. It was just noise, and both clubs were warned about the consequences of premeditated retaliation. I don’t think it was premeditated, but I don’t know the history between those two, so I’ll have to keep it calm next time we meet. I hope tomorrow’s game has no incidents. Brady Singer did not have a good first showing, but we’ll give the kid some time to work things out. I’m confident he’ll figure it out.

Great news came from Omaha today about the 25-year-old RF Tyler Gentry. He hit a two-run double in the 1st, hit an RBI double in the 3rd, hit an RBI single in the 4th, hit an RBI single in the 6th, ground out in the 7th and hit a two-run double in the 8th, giving him a .533/.579/.733, 15AB, 224 wRC+, and a 214 OPS+ so far this year. Still too early to say anything other than keep it up. His 5-for-6 hitting performance led the Storm Chasers to an 18-9 win. The Columbus Clippers manager, Andy Tracy, said after the game, "He made it look easy; we never figured out what to do with him. Obviously.”

So far, a few games into the season, we have been coming out on the positive side. But the season is long, and the baseball gods have a funny way of reminding us. I’d be a fool not to remember that!
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Game Summary – April 2nd - Royals Lose to Orioles in Walk-Off



The Baltimore Orioles picked up a win at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, knocking off the Kansas City Royals, 4-3, in 10 innings. Starting pitcher Derek Holland played a key role in the triumph. The loss drops the Royals to 2-3. The Orioles got a clutch hit from left fielder Colton Cowser. In the bottom of the tenth, he delivered a run-scoring single to win the game for the Orioles.

"We can always improve and get better, but we're feeling confident after that win," said Cowser.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Derek Holland
Ballpark: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Weather: Cloudy (43 degrees), wind blowing in from center at 9 mph
Start Time: 6:35 PM ET
Time: 3:40
Attendance: 26657
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Game Summary – April 3rd - Royals Sunk by Orioles



The Baltimore Orioles grabbed a win, 10-4, over the Kansas City Royals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Baltimore first baseman Ryan O'Hearn was 1-3 with a home run and a walk, while scoring 3 and driving in 2. Baltimore pitcher Corbin Burnes got the win, upping his record to 2-0. Seth Lugo got the loss.

The Royals had been locked in a 3-3 tie with the Orioles going into the bottom of the fifth inning. That changed quickly when the 2023 Rookie of the Year Award winner, Gunnar Henderson, came to the plate. Henderson hit a 3-run home run on a 0-1 slider from Kansas City hurler Seth Lugo. It was Henderson's 1st home run of the year.

"We're playing like we're capable of," said Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde. With their winning streak at 4, the Orioles have raced to a strong start this season.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Ryan O'Hearn
Ballpark: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Weather: Partly Cloudy (46 degrees), wind blowing in from left at 8 mph
Start Time: 1:05 PM ET
Time: 3:21
Attendance: 28790
Special Notes: RP Domingo Acevedo was injured while pitching.
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This series with Baltimore was a complete ****show. We've got to do better. We’re just not hitting or pitching the ball well to put anything together during games. We had two games that we held tight to the middle innings but could not finish. Someone needs to figure something out soon, or this season will seem a whole lot longer than 30 weeks.



However, the bright side is that my free agent signing a couple of weeks ago in C Juan Centeno proved a decent decision. He hit well through the series, striking a .636/.667/.909, 11AB, 1 SB, 345 wRC+, and a 324 OPS+.

So, the first week is now in the books, and although I’m not happy, I’m also not discouraged. We've got the talent and attitude to be in playoff contention this year. We just have to put it together.

[Biggp07]

(April 4th - Day 29)

We have a 4-game series at home against the Chicago White Sox kicking off today. Going 2-4 so far this year, the White Sox have compiled a .333 winning percentage. They are in 3rd place in the Central Division, 3.0 games behind the leader. Their 16 runs scored rank 13th in the American League, and their .214 batting average ranks 13th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 26 runs (6th) with their starters compiling an ERA of 4.12, which ranks 6th. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 4.30, ranking 10th.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:

LHP C. Ragans (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP E. Fedde (0-1, 10.12 ERA)
RHP M. Wacha (0-1, 5.14 ERA) vs RHP J. Kaprielian (0-1, 4.50 ERA)
RHP B. Singer (0-1, 7.11 ERA) vs RHP D. Thorpe (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
RHP M. Sauer (0-0, 1.42 ERA) vs LHP G. Crochet (1-1, 1.80 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:

1. SP Garrett Crochet (Age: 24, Overall: 75, Potential: 80)
2. CL Tanner Banks (32, 55, 55)
3. CF Luis Robert Jr. (26, 55, 55)
4. RP Jonathan Cannon (23, 50, 50)
5. 1B Andrew Vaughn (26, 50, 50)

Game Summary – April 4th - Royals Capture Close Win 2-1



The Kansas City Royals used a great performance from 26-year-old left-handed pitcher Cole Ragans to beat the Chicago White Sox, 2-1, at Kauffman Stadium. The win puts Kansas City at 3-4.

"Exciting game to play in," said Ragans. "Getting the win makes it even better."

The Royals got a clutch hit from third baseman Maikel Garcia. In the bottom of the tenth, he delivered a run-scoring single to win the game for the Royals. I like his contact and speed, which I think makes him a great lead-off hitter. We need to get him into the development lab this coming off-season and get his plate discipline up so he can get on base more.



GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Cole Ragans
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Partly Cloudy (40 degrees), wind blowing out to center at 10 mph
Start Time: 6:40 PM CT
Time: 3:27
Attendance: 18896
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Game Summary – April 5th - Royals Beaten by White Sox, 2-0



The Chicago White Sox locked up a win at Kauffman Stadium, knocking off the Kansas City Royals, 2-0. On the mound for Chicago was right-hander James Kaprielian. He played a major role in the triumph. Kaprielian got the win, improving to 1-1. He gave up 7 hits and walked 3 over 7.1 innings. He allowed no runs. Tanner Banks recorded the save for Chicago, his 3rd of the season. Brett Phillips hit a run-scoring triple off Michael Wacha in the top of the seventh, which put the White Sox in front, 1-0. In addition to the triple, Phillips had 1 single and 1 walk, while going 2 for 4.

"Nice to tuck this win away," said Phillips. The loss puts Kansas City at 3-5

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: James Kaprielian
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Cloudy (44 degrees), wind blowing out to center at 10 mph
Start Time: 6:40 PM CT
Time: 3:00
Attendance: 23195

I benched Renfroe since he's already cold, 0 for 21 over 6 games, to give M.J. Melendez a start against RHP James Kaprielian. Let's see who wants the job more.
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Game Summary – April 6th - White Sox Score Late to Beat Royals, 2-1



Kauffman Stadium featured a tense pitchers' duel. The Kansas City Royals wasted an impressive 6-inning effort from starter Brady Singer, falling 2-1 to the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium. The save went to Tanner Banks, number 4 for him. Chicago needed the clutch hitting of Yoan Moncada to seal the deal. The third baseman swatted a 2-run home run in the top of the ninth inning to put the White Sox on top, 2-1. For the game, Moncada had 1 home run and 1 single in 4 at-bats.

"If we play like this, we can win a lot of games," Moncada told the Chicago Gazette. Chicago goes to 4-5.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Brady Singer
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Rain (55 degrees), wind blowing out to center at 11 mph
Start Time: 6:10 PM CT
Time: 3:01
Attendance: 20608

Michael Massey became eligible to come off the IL list after about 4 weeks for back tightness. I’ll give him some rehab time in Omaha and consider bringing him up at the end of the month when I re-evaluate things after a decent sample of work from the guys. We’re bloated for infield at 2B, which now makes me regret the trade we made to Toronto just before kicking off the season. Maybe I just have no idea what I'm doing! We might need to consider some alternative templates for how we go into May and the rest of the season. We've got time to figure it out.

So, considering the bloated infield we have in our top minor clubs, I moved our only top prospect Javier Vaz, currently #172 playing in Triple-A, to learn CF since he has good instincts in the OF and his work ethic is great. He’s already developed as much as he can as a 2B, so I’m going to try and get as much utility as I can out of him. I think he’ll make a great lead-off hitter for us when he’s ready to come up and debut later this season. Garret Hampson, who's currently 29 and 7 years of pro service, has reached full development and needs to be traded. Currently, he's focusing on IF/2B, but he hasn’t developed fully in any position for me to be comfortable bringing him up. His high work ethic does boost his trade value, and our control on him is one year, so we need to decide on him this season. He’s shortlisted as a trade piece value.
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Game Summary – April 7th – Royals Earn Clutch Win, 4-3



Chicago got a terrific performance from pitcher Jonathan Cannon, but it wasn't enough to beat the Kansas City Royals. Kansas City won the Kauffman Stadium contest, 4-3. Cannon threw 7.0 innings of 6-hit ball for the losing team. Kansas City reliever Jordan Lyles got the win, raising his record to 1-0. Tanner Banks was tagged with the loss. Chicago drops to 4-6. Drew Waters was the walk-off hero for Kansas City. With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Royals' center fielder hit a dramatic run-scoring single to send the teams home. He’s also the player of the game in my view!

"This was a good win," said Waters.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Jonathan Cannon
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Partly Cloudy (52 degrees), wind blowing out to center at 12 mph
Start Time: 1:10 PM CT
Time: 3:16
Attendance: 23111

So instead of LHP Garrett Crochet we faced RHP Jonathan Cannon as a change from CWS in the pitching rotation. I hate to be cynical and suggest this is what gave us the win tonight, but I'll take it. We got a day of rest before our next 3-game series with Houston starting on the 9th.

[Biggp07]

With their record standing at 9 wins and 2 losses, the Astros have a winning percentage of .818. They are leading the West Division. The Astros are playing well at the moment, having a 3-game winning streak going. Their number of runs scored of 70 ranks 1st in the American League, and their .297 batting average ranks 1st. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 55 runs (13th) with their starters compiling an ERA of 5.37, which ranks 12th. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 3.77, ranking tied for 10th.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP S. Lugo (1-1, 7.20 ERA) vs RHP R. Blanco (1-0, 0.87 ERA)
LHP C. Ragans (1-0, 0.66 ERA) vs RHP C. Javier (0-2, 18.69 ERA)
RHP M. Wacha (0-2, 3.77 ERA) vs RHP H. Brown (1-0, 4.66 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. LF Yordan Alvarez (Age: 26, Overall: 80, Potential: 80)
2. SP Framber Valdez (30, 70, 70)
3. CL Josh Hader (30, 70, 70)
4. 2B Jose Altuve (33, 65, 65)
5. RF Kyle Tucker (27, 65, 65)

Game Summary – April 9th – Royals Shutout Astros 6-0, Lugo Now 2-1



The Kansas City Royals picked up a win at Kauffman Stadium, dropping the Houston Astros, 6-0. Seth Lugo was the difference-maker. The win has Kansas City at 5-6. Lugo's performance can only be described as masterful. He notched 4 strikeouts in 8 innings while allowing 5 hits. He faced 28 batters, threw 93 pitches with 68 of them being strikes. Lugo goes to 2-1 on the year with 9 strikeouts. He showed his old hand prowess!

Player	W-L	 IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	PI	ERA
S. Lugo	2-1	8.0	 5	0	 0	 0	4	 0	93	4.00

"All in all, I thought Seth pitched a fine game for us tonight," said Kansas City manager Todd "BigP" Pollard.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Seth Lugo
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (50 degrees), wind blowing right to left at 12 mph
Start Time: 6:40 PM CT
Time: 2:47
Attendance: 17424
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Game Summary – April 10th – Royals Win 3-2 Walk-Off



The Houston Astros could not turn a fine performance from pitcher Cristian Javier into a win. Instead, the Kansas City Royals prevailed, 3-2. Javier threw 7.2 innings, allowing 2 runs. Kansas City reliever Chris Stratton was the winner. His record is now 1-1. The losing pitcher was Ryan Pressly. The win puts Kansas City at 6-6.

Drew Waters was the walk-off hero for Kansas City. With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Royals right fielder hit a dramatic run-scoring single to send the teams home.

"The fans went nuts at the end," Waters said.

This was a nice win. However, our boy Ragans is struggling with his control. He only pitched 4.2 innings but threw 95 pitches, walking 5 batters. I wanted to get him a QS, but with his fragility at such a young age, 26, I’d hate to wreck him before he even gets his career started. Plus, his relationship with PC Sweeney is so poor, I don’t think he’s getting any help there at all either.

Player     IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	PI	ERA
C. Ragans 4.2	4	2	2	5	4	1	95	1.47

His character is all positive, and he’s a sparkplug personality, so he’s got the locker room, and I think the fans are going to love him. We still have 3 option years on him, and he won’t come into his arbitration years until 2026, so there’s some time to figure things out. We will have to try and get his control better come this off-season and give him some coaching that he can relate to.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Cristian Javier
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Cloudy (53 degrees), wind blowing out to right at 11 mph
Start Time: 6:40 PM CT
Time: 3:09 Attendance: 19333
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Game Summary – April 11th – Royals Score Late, Clip Astros, 4-3



The Houston Astros got a superb performance from pitcher Hunter Brown, but the Kansas City Royals still won the game, 4-3. Brown threw 7.1 innings, allowing 3 runs. The loss makes Houston 9-5. Had MJ Melendez not delivered a key base hit in the bottom of the eighth, the outcome might have been different. Instead, with two down and runners on 1st and 2nd, Melendez hit a run-scoring single. That made the score 4-3, in favor of the Royals.

"Honestly, I'm not frustrated," said Houston manager Joe Espada. "The effort was great."

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Hunter Brown
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Partly Cloudy (56 degrees), wind blowing out to center at 11 mph
Start Time: 1:10 PM CT
Time: 3:09
Attendance: 20333

I’m extremely pleased with this win to close out the series in a sweep. We’ve figured out a couple of things and still got work to do, but we’re moving in the right direction. We’re now in second place in our division standings at .538, just a game and a half behind Detroit. Our win streak of 4 is what I’m most excited about, but we’ve got some tough games ahead of us on the road. A 3-game series against the NL East NY Mets, then it’s back to the AL Central for a 3-game series against our divisional rivals, the Chicago White Sox. We’ve already split a series against them earlier this year, so we’re going to try and better that this time around.



We decided that with Blanco coming off his IL stint for a herniated disc in his back, to put him back at CF since we started the season with him, and my call to bring Isbel up has not proven as fruitful as I’d hoped. If our trainer, Kyle Turner, was any worse with back injuries (he’s not good either), I’d have second thoughts about bringing Blanco back so soon without rehab, but I’ll risk it since it’s early in the season. He’s also the fastest speedster we have on the team. There’s time to adjust if we need to, and this will give Isbel some more time to work on his bat in Omaha and put himself into the regular lineup after the all-star break or the September roster.

Now there’s another school of thought that would say I do the opposite of this and keep Isbel up and let Blanco rehab because of his slightly older age and decreasing value. I guess it’s a flip of the coin for me, only seeing a small sample size to compare either player. Isbel has a slightly better defense, but Blanco seems to have the better bat and wRC+ playing in the big leagues over the past several seasons.



We’re 1st in defensive efficiency at .727 (although the errors are killing us!) but 13th in OPS at .665 and 14th in wOBA at .284. So, yeah, better bats are what we need right now. It’s a toss-up, honestly, and both Isbel and Blanco are battling for the position in my mind, but either of them is a trade piece.

Overall, I’m pleased with this series win. The last 2 games, we managed to find the bats and get guys around the bases in the late innings to win, so it’s a start. A large part of that is that we are leading the league in stolen bases at 26, so we are putting guys in scoring position and then getting them home. I called for some hit-and-run plays at the right time, which gave us the series win.

For now, I get prepared for the road games, the draft pool is released tomorrow, and hopefully, we come back on the plus side of each series.

[Biggp07]

The league office has released the list of players for the first-year player draft and speculation is already beginning about who will end up as the first pick. The list has been posted under the transaction section of the BNN site and will be there for the next 30 days leading up to draft day.

The early favorites to be high picks are the following:
1. Charlie Condon, a 20-year-old 3B out of college.
2. Hagen Smith, 20-year-old LHP out of college.
3. J.J. Wetherholt, 21-year-old 2B out of college.
4. Vance Honeycutt, 20-year-old CF out of college.
5. Peyton Stovall, 21-year-old 1B out of college.
6. Konnor Griffin, 17-year-old RF out of high school.
7. Travis Bazzana, 21-year-old 2B out of college.
8. Bryce Rainer, 18-year-old SS out of high school.
9. Carson Benge, 21-year-old RF out of college.
10. JD Dix, 18-year-old SS out of high school.

Of these early picks, there are four that I like and keep on my shortlist. They are Hagan Smith, J.J. Wetherholt, Peyton Stovall, and Carson Benge. I think we need to focus on college guys to get them into our minor league system quickly and develop them up to the big leagues sooner. There are some promising high school prospects, but I just don’t want to pay a high premium for an eventual bust. I’ll take some risk, but that’s too much for us right now.









Of the earlier drafts that I had scouted, I’ve culled out those I’m still interested in and shortlisted. They are RF Braden Montgomery, CF Will Taylor, LF Ian Petrutz, C Cade Arrambide, and LF Jac Caglianone.

I’ll sit down with the front office soon and decide on our strategy for this year’s draft. Honestly, may just pick the best guys available regardless of position, that’s affordable for us and have decent character and positive attributes. I don’t mind a few that may be less than ideal in a couple of areas, but I just want to avoid the ones with attitude. That disrupts a clubhouse, no matter how good they are.

We’ve already got that in Jordan Lyles and we’re paying him plenty, so don’t want to throw more money there at the risk of him ruining a season cause he’s got attitude.

[Biggp07]

We will meet the New York Mets for a 3-game series in Citi Field, which seats 41922 and plays like a slight pitchers’ park. With a record of 6 wins and 7 losses, the Mets have a winning percentage of .462. They are in 3rd place in the East Division, 2.0 games behind the leader. Their number of runs scored, 66, ranks 2nd in the National League; their .248 batting average ranks tied for 5th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 78 runs (14th) with their starters compiling an ERA of 4.94, which ranks 11th. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 8.33, ranking 15th.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP B. Singer (0-1, 3.65 ERA) vs RHP C. Scott (0-0, 3.75 ERA)
RHP M. Sauer (0-0, 3.38 ERA) vs RHP A. Houser (0-1, 9.31 ERA)
RHP S. Lugo (2-1, 4.00 ERA) vs LHP J. Quintana (1-1, 4.91 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. CL Edwin Díaz (Age: 30, Overall: 80, Potential: 80)
2. SS Francisco Lindor (30, 75, 75)
3. LF Brandon Nimmo (31, 65, 65)
4. 1B Pete Alonso (29, 60, 60)
5. RP Brooks Raley (35, 55, 55)

Game Summary – April 12th – Mets Down Royals, 8-4



The New York Mets grabbed a win, 8-4, over the Kansas City Royals at Citi Field. New York third baseman Brett Baty went 3-4 with a home run and 2 singles, while scoring 3. The victory makes New York 7-7. Mark Vientos had a big 2-run home run for the Mets in the bottom of the sixth inning. With New York trailing 4-3 and a runner on 1st, he sized up a changeup from 27-year-old right-handed pitcher Brady Singer and punished it. The result was his 1st home run of the season, which put the Mets on top, 5-4.

"Trying isn't good enough in this league," said Vientos. "You've got to get results."

Well, he’s right about that! Not a great start to our road series with NY Mets.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Brett Baty
Ballpark: Citi Field
Weather: Partly Cloudy (53 degrees), wind blowing left to right at 12 mph
Start Time: 7:10 PM ET
Time: 3:01
Attendance: 26100
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Game Summary – April 13th – Mets Win at Home, 6-2



New York beat Kansas City on the strength of starting pitcher Adrian Houser's fine effort. The right-hander led his team to a win, 6-2. The winning pitcher was Houser, now 1-1. He tossed 7.2 innings of 4-hit ball, while walking 2 and fanning 2. The Royals drop to 7-8 and continue their mediocre start to the 2024 season. Brett Baty had a big 2-run double for the Mets in the bottom of the first inning. With New York leading 1-0 and the bases loaded, he got a fastball from 25-year-old right-handed pitcher Matt Sauer and swatted a double to right-center. It was his 1st double of the season, and more importantly, it put the Mets ahead, 3-0.

"The key at this level is throwing strike one," said Houser. "Successful pitchers do it."

My management of this game was poor, and I’m not happy with myself. Let’s get that out front right away!

However, Matt Sauer was horrid, giving up 6 runs at the bottom of the first. He was just lobbing balls across the plate for batting practice until he finally figured his rhythm out. But it was too late at that point. I think I need to look across the waiver wire and down in Triple-A to see if we got someone that can replace him in the rotation, then release him back to the Yankees. I made some lineup moves to sit Salvy for this one and put in Pratto against RHP Adrian Houser, but it did not pan out like I thought. Houser was not pitching well after 2 starts and had given up 12 hits and 5 HRs after just 9.2 IPs, so I was hoping we could ding him a little to get a win tonight. I bumped switch hitter Drew Waters to bat second with Blanco batting last, but it kept some baserunning around the order for hopefully some scoring, which didn’t matter either.

I’m sure Renfroe isn’t too happy, but he’s been cold lately, and I’m thinking he may be my first trade offer coming up soon. He’s got a decent bat, but after a few opportunities to produce, he’s just not getting it done. I’m not throwing the towel in on him yet, but he’s walking a tight rope with me, and I need to free up some cash somewhere soon.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Adrian Houser
Ballpark: Citi Field
Weather: Clear skies (47 degrees), wind blowing in from center at 12 mph
Start Time: 1:40 PM ET
Time: 2:56
Attendance: 29296
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Game Summary – April 14th – Royals Beaten by Mets, 2-1



The New York Mets had to overcome a good performance from Kansas City pitcher Seth Lugo to claim a 2-1 win at Citi Field. Lugo went 7.1 innings and allowed 2 runs. Max Kranick, now 1-0, picked up the win in relief. He allowed no runs on 3 hits in 4 innings. Edwin Díaz finished to wrap up his 3rd save. Francisco Lindor drove in one run for New York. The two-time Great Glove Award winner had a key at-bat in the bottom of the sixth. With one out and runners on 2nd and 3rd, he broke a 1-1 tie with a run-scoring ground out off Seth Lugo. It was his 13th RBI of the season. The loss puts Kansas City at 7-9.

"We made a couple of mistakes," said Kansas City skipper Todd "BigP" Pollard, "and it cost us."

Seth was incredible again, pitching 7 innings and only giving up 2 runs. Those 2 runs unfortunately gave the Mets the win. What we couldn’t get going once again were the bats. The top of the 4th was our downfall; Nimmo had a spectacular catch robbing Salvy of a run-scoring double, which would have brought in 2 runs and possibly rallied us for the win.

Player  Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA 
S. Lugo  L   (2-2) 7.1 4 2 2  2  4 0  90 3.55

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Seth Lugo
Ballpark: Citi Field
Weather: Partly Cloudy (52 degrees), wind blowing in from center at 13 mph
Start Time: 1:40 PM ET
Time: 2:41
Attendance: 30668
Special Notes: SP Jose Quintana was injured while pitching.
……………………………………….................
After the game last night, I gave some thought about how to transform this team into a playoff contender this year. I looked at a couple of key areas which I think I need to address soon.

The first is to find a 4th and/or 5th lefty starter that can bring some unpredictability to the starting rotation. We’ve got some pitchers on the IL that will need to be decided on soon, and they could offer us some early trade barter.

26-year-old Kris Bubic looked like he was going to be that guy since about 2021, but he pitched poorly in 2022 and then suffered a torn UCL, and subsequent Tommy John surgery set back his return even more. He’s still got more than a month left on the IL and then rehab, which puts a best-case return date at about the All-Star break. More conservatively, though September roster expansion is when I’d think about bringing him back, since our trainer Kyle Turner plain sucks at rehabbing pitchers back from arm injuries. Something I should have pieced together back in pre-season when taking on this challenge. Anyway, he, Bubic I mean, could be a barter piece in a trade, or depending on how he performs after his rehab time, we put him on waivers and DFA him. Maybe someone else wants him. Overall, he’s a slim, marginal player rated at 40 with little more left for development except maybe his movement. But now with the UCL surgery tagged on him, he’s not going to improve. At least conventional wisdom would suggest that, so he's a money suck, which, if I want to keep my job, I need to fix soon.

Of the other pitchers we have riding the IL right now, two more are lefties, Josh Taylor and Jake Brentz, both relievers that don’t have the stamina for even a back-end starter role. Josh Taylor is performing well in his rehab assignment at Omaha, throwing a 3.18 ERA and a 61 FIP- after 11.1 IP across 7 relief appearances. I’m looking forward to getting him back to the clubhouse soon. Jake Brentz, on the other hand, has incredible stuff, but his control is essentially non-existent, rated at 25. So, I honestly don’t know what to do with him. His lack of control hardly makes him a highly valued trade piece, but outside of that, you look at his pitches and overall rating, you’d think he’s a stud.

Finally, there’s Carlos Hernandez and Kyle Wright, both RHPs. A healthy Kyle Wright I see as our 4th or 5th starter, but unfortunately, his return is still a season away, and I can’t wait that long just for a 4th or 5th starter. But what that does mean is he’s our most valuable trade piece come trade deadline or when he’s healthier and other teams show an interest. I might shop him around and see if I get any teams interested in him and see what they want to give up. Carlos is due to come off the IL in about 2 weeks, and he could be a temporary 4th or 5th fill, but I wouldn’t rely on him there in the long term. We have no more options with him, so he’d ride the waiver wire and DFA all season if we get into sticky situations, and we would likely be looking for another guy anyway. But he’s a good near-term solution, and given his rehab time, he could be with us in late May or early June.



The more I review the IL throughout the organization right now, the more worried I get. ALL the major injuries are pitcher arms, and we have a team trainer that couldn’t rehab an arm to save his own life! It just makes me sick and regret not replacing him this past pre-season! This could show our season end right here!

[Biggp07]

We have a 3-game series on the road against the Chicago White Sox kicking off today. The White Sox play their games in Guaranteed Rate Field, which can be described as a neutral park. The building seats 40615 fans. With their record standing at 8 wins and 8 losses, the White Sox have a winning percentage of .500. They are in 2nd place in the Central Division, 0.5 games behind the leader. Their number of runs scored of 43 ranks 15th in the American League; their .225 batting average ranks 14th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 50 runs (1st) with their starters compiling an ERA of 2.93, which ranks 1st. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 3.25, ranking 8th.

When playing against our Royals this season, they have a record of 2 wins and 2 losses.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
LHP C. Ragans (1-0, 1.47 ERA) vs RHP E. Fedde (0-2, 4.19 ERA)
RHP M. Wacha (0-2, 3.98 ERA) vs RHP J. Kaprielian (2-1, 2.75 ERA)
RHP B. Singer (0-2, 5.21 ERA) vs RHP D. Thorpe (2-0, 0.87 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. SP Garrett Crochet (Age: 24, Overall: 75, Potential: 80)
2. CL Tanner Banks (32, 55, 55)
3. CF Luis Robert Jr. (26, 55, 55)
4. SP Drew Thorpe (23, 50, 55)
5. RP John Brebbia (33, 50, 50)

Game Summary – April 15th - Royals Lose, 3-1, at Guaranteed Rate Field



The Chicago White Sox used a great performance from 31-year-old right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde to beat the Kansas City Royals, 3-1, at Guaranteed Rate Field. Fedde picked up the win for Chicago, going 8 innings. He gave up 1 run on 5 hits. He now sports a record of 1-2. Tanner Banks collected his 8th save. Had Brett Phillips not delivered a key base hit at the bottom of the seventh, the outcome might have been different. Instead, with two down and the bases loaded, Phillips hit a 2-run single. That made the score 3-1, in favor of the White Sox. Chicago manager Pedro Grifol commended his team for delivering "maximum effort." The win gives Chicago a record of 9-8.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Erick Fedde
Ballpark: Guaranteed Rate Field
Weather: Clear skies (46 degrees), wind blowing right to left at 10 mph
Start Time: 6:40 PM CT
Time: 3:01
Attendance: 18195
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Game Summary – April 16th – Game Tied Until Rain Out - Game Suspended



I sat Blanco for this game and started Renfroe to find a spark, maybe somehow. Wacha was pitching well, but we were tied until the rain started pouring and the umpires finally called it until tomorrow. Is it an omen or a godsend? I’m not sure.

In the meantime, our minor league system needed about 10 free agent fills to keep the rosters up, so I made some signings of a few good quality guys and distributed them among mostly the low and high A teams. This helped to round out the rosters and keep guys playing the positions I want them to. But I delegated from here on out the free agent signings and releases to the managers with the caveat that there are certain prospects I’ll handle myself. I’ve got enough on my plate that I don’t need to be performing all that management of about 300 guys across 7 minor league teams as well as the major club. But I will have hands-on every once in a while, as the season progresses.

So far, we are 0 and 7 on the road. That is just awful. I’ve got to get this team’s offense turned around and right the ship, or we are sunk before we even get to deep water.

Game Summary – April 17th – Double-header, Double Skid

Royals Beaten By White Sox, 7-3



We resumed the game that was suspended last night with RHP Michael Soroka pitching for the CWS, and we had Jordan Lyles finish the game. We couldn’t capitalize on the suspension, so we dropped another one.

Though the conditions were not ideal, the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals came back from a rain delay to finish their game. The Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals, 7-3, at Guaranteed Rate Field. Yoan Moncada, who finished 3rd in the AL in batting average with .315 in 2019, starred for Chicago. He was 3 for 4 with a home run and 2 singles. He scored 2 times and drove in 2. The winner was Michael Soroka in relief. His record improves to 1-0. Jordan Lyles took the loss. Tanner Banks picked up his 9th save of the season. Moncada had a game-changing home run in the bottom of the sixth. On a 0-1 fastball from Jordan Lyles, he banged a 2-run home run to right, giving the White Sox a 4-2 lead. It was the 2nd home run of the year for Moncada.
"It was a solid team effort," said Moncada after the game. For the Royals, the loss makes their record 7-11.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Yoan Moncada
Ballpark: Guaranteed Rate Field
Weather: Cloudy (47 degrees), wind blowing right to left at 18 mph
Start Time: 11:40 AM CT
Time: 4:15 Attendance: 16268
Special Notes: The game on the original date was suspended in the 5th inning due to bad weather and rescheduled.
.................................................. ....................

6-3 Loss Extends Kansas City Skid



Chicago parlayed a decent outing from starter Drew Thorpe into a solid win over the Kansas City Royals. The final score was 6-3. The save went to Dominic Leone, number 1 for him. The Royals fall to 7-12 and continue their lackluster start to the 2024 season. Luis Robert Jr. went 1 for 4 for Chicago. The 26-year-old center fielder had a key at-bat in the bottom of the third. With one out and runners on 1st and 3rd, he broke a 1-1 tie with a run-scoring single off Brady Singer. It was his 19th hit of the season.

"The vibe's good," said Chicago manager Pedro Grifol. "We've got to keep it going."

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Drew Thorpe
Ballpark: Guaranteed Rate Field
Weather: Cloudy (50 degrees), wind blowing out to right at 11 mph
Start Time: 3:10 PM CT
Time: 2:59
Attendance: 17801
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I don’t know what to think right now. I’m stunned. We are in last place in essentially all offensive stats, apart from Stolen Bases, which we ironically lead in 1st place, and strikeouts, which we stand in 2nd place. On the other hand, our pitchers can’t strike out anybody in the league! Not to mention, we are 0-9 on the road!

[Biggp07]

On the plane ride home last night, I decided I needed to make some changes and figure out how to get us on the winning side. And with this Baltimore series at home coming up, I did not want to lose another series to them. So, I made some roster moves and started some discussions with other team owners about a trade or two. I sent Blanco down to bring Kyle Isbel back up. His defense is much better, and coupled with his decent baserunning and speed, I’ll accept his mediocre bat over Blanco’s subpar performance so far.

I sent 2B Mike Brosseau down to bring up 2B Mike Massey from his rehab stint there. He had 7 days left, but I wanted to make the change now rather than later. Massey rates better overall, and he gets better contact against either-handed pitchers, which is a primary concern I’m trying to address in this offense. I debated with Paul Hoover about a waiver and DFA of 2B Adam Frazier, but he reminded me we have a team option baked in the contract on him, so I was advised it’s probably best to wait and decide on him then. I agreed.

Finally, I sent down LHP Angel Zerpa to bring up LHP Josh Taylor, who’s coming off his rehab time also. He’s got better stuff than Angel and is throwing the ball well, so I want to give him a try in our bullpen. His problem is his stamina though, so I’ll need to use him for short, situational relief appearances. I slotted him as a LHB specialist with secondary role as middle relief.

I’d like to figure something out for a 4th or 5th starter but haven’t put anything together yet. We’re not bad sitting at 6th in the starters ERA stats, but it’s been slowly moving down since the season started. We were 3rd just about a week ago, but after this past road series, we lost some ground. Matt Sauer has 60 days left on his Rule 5 Active status, so there’s time. I just want to do something sooner than later. So, time to prep new line-ups and depth charts for this upcoming series with Baltimore and hopefully infuse some wins in them too!
-----------------------------------------------------
Going 13-5 so far this year, the Orioles have compiled a .722 winning percentage. They are leading the East Division. Their number of runs scored of 117 ranks 1st in the American League, and their .284 batting average ranks 1st. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 81 runs (8th) with their starters compiling an ERA of 4.09, which ranks 7th. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 4.35, ranking 13th. When playing against our Royals this season, they have a record of 3 wins and 0 losses.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP S. Lugo (2-2, 3.55 ERA) vs LHP C. Perez (0-1, 4.70 ERA)
RHP M. Sauer (0-1, 5.40 ERA) vs RHP C. Burnes (3-1, 5.84 ERA)
LHP C. Ragans (1-0, 1.48 ERA) vs LHP D. Holland (1-0, 1.38 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. C Adley Rutschman (Age: 26, Overall: 80, Potential: 80)
2. SP Corbin Burnes (29, 70, 75)
3. RP Craig Kimbrel (35, 55, 55)
4. SS Gunnar Henderson (22, 55, 70)
5. 2B Jackson Holliday (20, 55, 80)

Game Summary – April 19th – Baltimore Beats Kansas City, 4-1



Baltimore left-hander Cionel Perez pitched his team to victory over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The final score was 4-1. In the 5.1 innings, Perez surrendered 1 hit, while striking out 2 and walking 3. He allowed 1 run. The win gives Baltimore a record of 14-5. Who knows how it might've ended, had it not been for Adley Rutschman? The Baltimore catcher had a 2-run single in the top of the fifth inning to put the Orioles on top, 4-0. For the game, Rutschman had 1 double and 1 single in 4 at-bats.

"Watch and learn," said Rutschman. "This is what good pitching looks like."

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Cionel Perez
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (53 degrees), wind blowing left to right at 10 mph
Start Time: 6:40 PM CT
Time: 3:27
Attendance: 18223
Special Notes: SP Seth Lugo was injured while pitching. Seth had a great game going too through 3 innings.

Player Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
S. Lugo L   (2-3) 3.0 2 1 1  0  5 1  39 3.49

There’s that damn arm injury rehab that I’ll have to trust with Kyle Turner. Can things get any worse?

I put Seth on 15-day IL until we get his diagnosis on the elbow and figure out where to go from there. I hate to lose him so early in the season because he was one of the few who were giving me hope right now. I called back to Omaha and had them send Zerpa back up since he can start in the rotation at least until I figure out what to do.

Game Summary – April 20th – Burnes Fires 7-0 Shutout in Orioles Win

I’m starting Ragans instead of Sauer since he’s fresh and ready to go sooner from his last start 5 days ago. We need a win today!



Corbin Burnes of the Baltimore Orioles was on top of his game. The 29-year-old tantalized the Kansas City Royals with crisp curves and changeups, mixed in with just enough fastballs to keep the batters honest, shutting them out, 7-0. The Baltimore hurler had 10 strikeouts, gave up 1 walk and surrendered 6 hits in his complete-game effort. Burnes told reporters after the game that "keeping the ball down is the key to being successful in this league."

"If you don't do that, they'll make you pay," he said. This year, Burnes has compiled a 4-1 mark with a 4.28 ERA.

"He had the changeup working," Kansas City manager Todd "BigP" Pollard said in postgame comments. "You knew it was coming, and you still grounded out -- and then he threw it even slower." “It’s almost laughable how bad we are right now!”

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Corbin Burnes
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (53 degrees), wind blowing out to center at 10 mph
Start Time: 6:10 PM CT
Time: 3:07
Attendance: 20073
Special Notes: LF Drew Waters was injured while throwing the ball.

So LF Drew Waters is now out for at least 3 weeks on the IL for bone spurs in the elbow. Things are just going from bad to worse! Renfroe is back in the lineup for now, and I’m bringing Blanco back up to fill the gap and at least give us speed on the base paths.
I’m honestly at a loss for what to do for each game with this team right now. They’re jelling in the clubhouse and seem happy as clams. Don’t they know we're losing games?

Game Summary – April 21st – Orioles Win at Kansas City, 6-3

I told Paul Hoover to take over the lineups and depth charting for this game. If he does better than me, then I’m giving him the reins so I can take a stress break.

Jake Brentz came off the IL today, and I sent him down to Omaha since he hasn’t played a major league game since 2022. Until I know what his control is like, or if he even has any, I delay making a final decision on him since he’s in our system anyway. We still don’t know Seth’s status other than it’s his elbow. Can it get any better?



Baltimore pitcher Derek Holland did his part in helping his team beat the Kansas City Royals, 6-3. The left-hander kept opposing batters from doing too much damage. At 16-5, the 2024 Orioles have been excellent so far. Cedric Mullins hit a bases-clearing triple off Jordan Lyles in the top of the seventh, which put the Orioles in front, 6-3. Mullins had 1 single, in addition to the triple. For the game, he went 2 for 4.

"Derek -- his tempo and rhythm were good," said Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. "He was the key to us winning."

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Derek Holland
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (65 degrees), wind blowing in from center at 12 mph
Start Time: 1:10 PM CT
Time: 3:10
Attendance: 16950

So, I got an email from team trainer Kyle Turner that Seth Lugo has been diagnosed with a sprained UCL and will be out for about 3-4 weeks. That’s just great. And to top it off, the stats show that my best 2 hitters are cold as ice right now, and Blanco has yet to find his spark.



We have lost 9 in a row, both series with Baltimore home and away, and this last series at home. We are ranked 30th out of 30 in the league power rankings.



Where do I go from here…? The only redeeming positive I can find is that we are +1 above our Pythagorean of 6-16 at 7-15. Yay…?

[Biggp07]

We have a 4-game series at home against the Toronto Blue Jays kicking off today. Going 8-14 so far this year, the Blue Jays have compiled a .364 winning percentage. They are in 5th place in the East Division, 8.5 games behind the leader. Their number of runs scored of 80 ranks 11th in the American League, and their .240 batting average ranks 9th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 110 runs (tied for 12th) with their starters compiling an ERA of 5.07, which ranks 11th. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 4.95, ranking 14th.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP M. Wacha (0-2, 4.07 ERA) vs RHP B. Francis (0-2, 3.98 ERA)
RHP M. Sauer (0-1, 5.40 ERA) vs LHP Y. Kikuchi (0-2, 9.87 ERA)
RHP B. Singer (0-3, 6.29 ERA) vs RHP M. White (2-2, 5.24 ERA)
LHP C. Ragans (1-1, 2.30 ERA) vs RHP C. Bassitt (1-2, 4.71 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. C Danny Jansen (Age: 29, Overall: 70, Potential: 70)
2. 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (25, 65, 70)
3. C Alejandro Kirk (25, 60, 60)
4. RF George Springer (34, 60, 60)
5. SP Jose Berrios (29, 55, 60)

Game Summary – April 22nd – Royals Get Hard-Earned Win



The Kansas City Royals beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-4, at Kauffman Stadium. Bobby Witt Jr., who finished 4th in the AL in triples with 6 in 2022, starred for Kansas City. He was 2 for 4 with a home run, while scoring 2 and driving in 2. Nick Anderson snagged the win in relief. He goes to 1-1 on the season. Bowden Francis suffered the loss. The Blue Jays fall to 8-15 and continue their uninspiring start to the 2024 season. The clutch at-bat came in the bottom of the ninth inning, when Kansas City left fielder MJ Melendez, facing Tim Mayza, had a run-scoring ground out. It gave the Royals a 5-4 win.

"This place was electric at the end," Witt Jr. said.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Bobby Witt Jr.
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (51 degrees), wind blowing out to the right at 10 mph
Start Time: 6:40 PM CT
Time: 3:03
Attendance: 18149

Game Summary – April 23rd – Blue Jays Spill Royals, 6-4



Baseball fans saw a good contest between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Kansas City Royals. The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Kansas City Royals, 6-4, at Kauffman Stadium. Toronto was led by two-time All-Star Bo Bichette, who went 3 for 5 with 2 doubles, while adding 3 RBI and scoring once. The Royals fall to 8-16 and continue to sputter in the early going. With Toronto leading 5-4 in the top of the seventh, Bichette hit a run-scoring single off Kansas City hurler John McMillon. It was the 33rd hit of the season for Bichette and put his team ahead, 6-4. "I'm proud to wear a Toronto jersey," Bichette told the Toronto Citizen.

"We played a good game and came out with the win. What more can you ask for?"

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Bo Bichette
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Cloudy (50 degrees), wind blowing out to right at 19 mph
Start Time: 6:40 PM CT
Time: 3:51
Attendance: 10567
Special Notes: Rain delay of 23 minutes in the 3rd inning.

Game Summary – April 24th – Blue Jays Drop Royals, 8-3



Toronto left fielder Tommy Pham played a vital role in his team's 8-3 conquest of Kansas City. He was 2-4 with a home run, while scoring 2 times and driving in 4 for Toronto. The loss makes Kansas City 8-17. With Toronto leading 2-0 in the top of the second, Pham hit a fastball from Matt Sauer for a 3-run home run. It was his 3rd home run of the season and put the Blue Jays ahead, 5-0.

"We'll pop the top on a cold beverage and get back to work tomorrow," Pham said.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Tommy Pham
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (48 degrees), wind blowing out to the center at 12 mph
Start Time: 6:40 PM CT
Time: 3:48
Attendance: 13818
Special Notes: 3B Justin Turner was injured while running the bases.


Game Summary – April 25th – Kansas City Gets Riveting Walk-Off Win



The Toronto Blue Jays got a sterling performance from pitcher Trevor Richards, but the Kansas City Royals still prevailed, 4-2. Richards came in in relief and pitched to 27 batters. Kansas City is still hoping to get on a roll. The win is just their 9th in 26 games. Kansas City got a clutch hit from Nick Loftin. The second baseman launched a 2-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game. It was his only hit in 4 at-bats, but it was a kill shot.

"It's great to get the crowd pumped up," Loftin said.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Trevor Richards
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (61 degrees), wind blowing out to the center at 10 mph
Start Time: 1:10 PM CT
Time: 2:58
Attendance: 17058
Special Notes: SP Chris Bassitt was injured while pitching.

I’ll leave the lineups and depth charts to Paul Hoover for the meantime. He knows these guys better than I do. I now feel some of Matt Quatraro’s frustration. At least Bobby is starting to come around. I wish all the guys would have it at the same time, like Pasquatch and Salvy. If they all can get it together for a nice run, we might have a chance at a winning season at least. The playoffs are a long way off, and it's not even worth thinking about right now. Let’s just try to stay below 100 losses!

[Biggp07]

RHP Carlos Hernandez is eligible to come off the IL today, so I’m making a bold move to bring him up and release our Rule 5 draftee Matt Sauer back to NY Yankees. That frees up a slot on our active roster without paying out anything. And Carlos has the better talent to start than Matt does right now, not to say that Matt can’t develop into a better pitcher, I just don’t like having the mandatory roster spot taken up by him.

We have a 3-game series on the road against the Detroit Tigers, kicking off today. We will meet in Comerica Park, which seats 41681 and plays like a ballpark favoring pitchers.
The Tigers are playing .480 ball this season, compiling a record of 12 wins and 13 losses. They are in 3rd place in the Central Division, 1.0 games behind the leader. Their number of runs scored of 115 ranks 9th in the American League, and their .235 batting average ranks 13th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 127 runs (tied for 11th) with their starters compiling an ERA of 5.38, which ranks 14th. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 3.67, ranking 6th.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
LHP A. Zerpa (0-0, 5.40 ERA) vs LHP T. Skubal (2-1, 3.09 ERA)
RHP M. Wacha (0-2, 4.18 ERA) vs RHP R. Olson (3-1, 4.97 ERA)
RHP B. Singer (0-4, 6.75 ERA) vs RHP J. Flaherty (2-2, 4.71 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. SP Tarik Skubal (Age: 27, Overall: 80, Potential: 80)
2. SP Reese Olson (24, 60, 65)
3. RP Will Vest (28, 55, 55)
4. CL Alex Lange (28, 55, 55)
5. LF Mark Canha (35, 55, 55)


Game Summary – April 26th – Tigers Pull Out Late Win, 6-5



The Detroit Tigers had to overcome a big game from Kansas City center fielder Kyle Isbel to leave Comerica Park with a victory. And they did, winning 6-5. Isbel was 2-3 with a home run and a triple, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once. The loss has the Royals at 9-18. Mark Canha was the walk-off hero for Detroit. With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Tigers' first baseman hit a dramatic run-scoring single to send the teams home.

"The house was rockin'," said Canha.

I’m so disappointed we gave this one away. We had it won.



GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Kyle Isbel
Ballpark: Comerica Park
Weather: Clear skies (50 degrees), wind blowing in from the right at 9 mph
Start Time: 1:10 PM ET
Time: 3:21
Attendance: 26094

Game Summary – April 27th – Naquin 5-for-5 Against Royals



Tyler Naquin of the Tigers was unstoppable in his team's 16-13 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park. He battered them for 5 hits in 5 at-bats. Tyler Naquin hit a two-run single in the 2nd, singled in the 4th, singled in the 5th, singled in the 7th, and hit an RBI double in the 8th. This season, Naquin is hitting .281 with 18 hits, 1 home run, 7 RBIs, scored 7 runs, and played in 19 games.

"Boy, I was on the mark today," said the Detroit right fielder after the game. "I could see the ball really well. It's a great feeling to do this. And besides, 5-for-5 won't hurt your batting average like 0-for-5 will."

The hits just kept coming this game, but we came out on the losing end still. At least we finally found some offense. Bringing Carlos Hernandez directly from the IL might have hurt us, though. For the 7 runs we gained at the top of the second, he gave 6 of those right back to Detroit! We managed a substantial lead again at the top of the 5th but gave it all back and more in the 8th with subpar relief appearances from McMillion and Anderson! Man, do we suck.

It was such an emotional roller coaster to then be completely crushed at the end of the ride. I punched the water cooler and kicked chalk bags all over the place. I could have choked the life out of a friggin' horse, I was so pissed! I damn near thought of quitting. But I regained my composure and looked at what we did well; we found some hitters and contact and scored well through some innings! That’s a start.



GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Tyler Naquin
Ballpark: Comerica Park
Weather: Partly Cloudy (54 degrees), wind blowing in from the right at 10 mph
Start Time: 6:10 PM ET
Time: 3:51
Attendance: 25044

Game Summary – April 28th – Royals Sneak Past Tigers, 4-3



The Kansas City Royals scored a tight, 4-3 win versus the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Kansas City pitcher Michael Wacha held his own in the contest. Chris Stratton notched the win in relief. The right-hander allowed no runs on 1 hit in 2.1 innings. His record now sits at 3-1. The Royals have stumbled out of the gate, getting only their 10th win in 29 games. Who knows how it would've ended, had it not been for Maikel Garcia? The 24-year-old third baseman Garcia stroked a run-scoring single in the top of the tenth inning to put Kansas City up, 4-3. For the game, he was 2 for 5, including 1 double and 1 single. In postgame comments to the Kansas City

Today, Garcia said, "If the effort is there, the wins will come."

Player   IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA   
M. Wacha 7.2 7 3 2  0  5 1 102 3.83

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Michael Wacha
Ballpark: Comerica Park
Weather: Partly Cloudy (58 degrees), wind blowing out to the right at 11 mph
Start Time: 1:40 PM ET
Time: 3:17
Attendance: 23073
.................................................. ....................
Well, I guess we don’t officially suck the worst in the league. Cincinnati is not even in double-digit wins yet at 8 and 21. We just made it to 10 wins in a month, and our division rivals Cleveland Guardians, are right at the bottom with us at 10 and 19..

[Biggp07]

The Toronto Blue Jays, our next opponent in an upcoming 3-game series, play their games in Rogers Centre, which can be described as a neutral park. The building seats 50598 fans.
With their record standing at 11 wins and 18 losses, the Blue Jays have a winning percentage of .379. They are in 5th place in the East Division, 9.0 games behind the leader. Their number of runs scored of 114 ranks 11th in the American League, and their .244 batting average ranks 9th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 133 runs (10th) with their starters compiling an ERA of 4.86, which ranks 10th. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 4.11, ranking 12th. When playing against our Royals this season, they have a record of 2 wins and 2 losses.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP B. Singer (0-4, 6.75 ERA) vs RHP M. White (3-2, 4.91 ERA)
LHP C. Ragans (1-1, 2.35 ERA) vs RHP C. Bassitt (1-2, 5.22 ERA)
LHP A. Zerpa (0-0, 5.51 ERA) vs RHP J. Berrios (3-1, 3.10 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. C Danny Jansen (Age: 29, Overall: 70, Potential: 70)
2. 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (25, 65, 65)
3. C Alejandro Kirk (25, 60, 60)
4. SP Jose Berrios (29, 60, 60)
5. RF George Springer (34, 60, 60)

Game Summary – April 29th – Toronto Wins, 5-4, Over Royals



The Toronto Blue Jays picked up a win at Rogers Centre, dropping the Kansas City Royals, 5-4. Mitch White, who is tied for 9th in the AL in wins with 3, was the difference-maker. Tim Mayza was called on to finish, recording his 1st save. The Royals fall to 10-20 and continue their uninspiring start to the 2024 season. Tommy Pham, who finished 4th in the NL in stolen bases with 25 in 2017, came through for Toronto with a 2-run double in the bottom of the eighth. The left fielder went 2 for 5 for the game, including 1 home run and 1 double. He scored 1 run and collected 3 runs batted in.

"Thought I threw pretty well and overall, I felt good," said White.

Our pitching is what took us out of this game. I’m having doubts about Brady Singer performing better, and I’ve doubted this bullpen since the season started, except for a couple of standouts. I’d like to see them turn it around soon.

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	  Rslt	 (W-L)	IP 	H 	R 	ER 	BB 	K 	HR 	PI 	ERA
B. Singer 		5.0 	4 	2 	2 	4 	3 	1 	86 	6.31
L. Cessa H (1) 		2.0 	3 	1 	1 	0 	2 	0 	33 	4.63
N. Anderson L BS (3)(1-2) 1.0 	3 	2 	2 	1 	1 	0 	31 	6.75

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Mitch White
Ballpark: Rogers Centre
Weather: Roof closed, 43 degrees
Start Time: 7:07 PM ET
Time: 3:07
Attendance: 26274

Game Summary – April 30th – Royals Win at Toronto, 5-1



The Kansas City Royals picked up a win at Rogers Centre, knocking off the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-1. Starting pitcher Cole Ragans was a big reason why. Ragans yielded 1 run over 7 innings to notch the win. He scattered 2 hits, walked 3, and struck out 4. His record improves to 2-1.

The Blue Jays fall to 12-19 and continue their lackluster start in 2024. With no one out in the bottom of the eighth, Cavan Biggio had a chance to do some damage. Toronto was trailing 3-0 but had runners on 1st and 3rd. Biggio came to the plate against John Schreiber and hit into a double play. But it was not enough to complete a Toronto comeback.

“This one feels good, really good!” said Todd “BigP” Pollard in the press conference after the game. “We put a solid performance together, and the guys really jelled tonight!



Cole Ragans had another great outing. He’s carried the team well since Seth’s injury, and it will be nice to get him back so they both can pitch great games in succession.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Cole Ragans
Ballpark: Rogers Centre
Weather: Roof closed, 45 degrees
Start Time: 7:07 PM ET
Time: 3:04
Attendance: 21080

Game Summary – May 1st – Toronto Decked by Renfroe, Royals



Led by Hunter Renfroe, the Kansas City Royals downed the Toronto Blue Jays, 10-2. Renfroe went 3 for 4 with 2 home runs and a walk, while scoring 3 and driving in 4 for the Royals. Angel Zerpa was the winning pitcher. Over 5.1 innings, he allowed 2 runs on 6 hits, with 2 walks and no strikeouts. The Blue Jays fall to 12-20 and continue their unimpressive start to the 2024 season. The game turned with two out in the top of the fourth. That's when Renfroe hit a 2-run home run off Jose Berrios. It propelled the Royals into the lead, 2 0.

"I really like what we did out there today," Renfroe said after the game.



I like what we did in this series! We took the series 2-1 and put 2 great games together with offense and decent pitching. I’m glad we have ended this month on 2 consecutive wins and some solid play. I’m optimistic about our chances, but not going to fool myself with any delusions of more than a winning season. We’re still a long way off from the playoffs and have many obstacles to overcome before we start thinking about that.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Hunter Renfroe
Ballpark: Rogers Centre
Weather: Partly Cloudy (53 degrees), wind blowing out to the right at 14 mph
Start Time: 3:07 PM ET
Time: 3:41
Attendance: 22542

[Biggp07]

Although we ended the month of April with a 9-19 record overall, we were able to end the Toronto Series with a 2-1 overall series win and solid offensive performances by several of the players. We are finally starting to build on the chemistry we started the season with, and should be warmed up after 32 games into it. I think it’s given me a good sample to start assessing how I start fine-tuning this team and getting us into a wildcard at least. Of course, that holds many complexities, and how I navigate those over these next few months will be a determining factor in the outcome. But that is my goal.



So, looking at the overall stats up to now, our offense still lacks in most areas except for strikeouts, stolen bases, and baserunning. Our pitching is middle of the road and staying competitive, but we need to get better, especially our bullpen. What hurt us the most is our 0-7 record against left-handed pitching, which I think correlates with our poor on-the-road record of 2-12. I need to find some ways to improve our lineup against LHPs and defensive depth across our infield.

The highest paid player on the payroll right now is Salvador “Salvy” Perez at $20MIL, which increases to $22MIL next year, 2025, and includes a no-trade clause (NTC). After that, he’s on a team option as a franchise player, so I’m reluctant to even think about doing anything with him cause the fans love him and he is extremely popular locally and internationally. The fan base we have is steady, and they come to games mostly to see him and Bobby, so if I were to do something drastic, I’d lose them fast and probably never regain their trust. So, I’m committed to keeping Salvy a part of the team until he retires and I can make him a coach.

We are building the team around Bobby Witt Jr. and Cole Ragans. That is my template for this season. Some of the players are starting to get hot and show their mojo, so let’s see what happens over May. That will give us enough sample for some of the prospects coming up, and we’ll see who wants a chance at a cup of coffee before the All-Star break. That may help us navigate the draft pool as well.



As far as pitching is concerned, I still want to find a 4th and 5th starter and improve the bullpen. Of the 8 relievers in the rotation right now, 7 are 30 years old or older and essentially showing their age. They’re not all bad, but I do not have enough trust in their ability to get us out of tight spots during games. And most are overpaid, which will make including them in trades of little value unless they start to earn it. RHP Jordan Lyles is my biggest concern right now, and I have no idea how to fix it. He’s getting paid $8.5MIL and is already showing regression after 15.1 IP across 5 RA. He started the season with subpar stuff at 40, now he’s 35 and declining. Not good, and probably just another money suck.

The starter I’m most concerned with is RHP Brady Singer, earning $4.85 in this, his last year. His 2023 season did not impress with a 5.52 ERA and 4.43 WHIP, which tells me he should have been released or traded during this past off-season, but for whatever reason, he was kept on the roster. He’s my problem now.

[Biggp07]

We’ve got some tough opponents coming up in May, the first being the Texas Rangers. They are a hitting club right now and have one of the top shortstops in the league with Corey Seager. It will be a battle of wits for our pitching staff, which has me worried.



My concern with our PC Brian Sweeney, back during pre-season, continues to present itself as I look at his relationships with the staff going into May. I’m thinking I should have paid closer attention to the relationships among the players as a coach. It seems he is more interested in relating to the positional players than my chosen pitching staff and relievers. It’s confusing me what the dynamic is between him and most of the pitching staff, which is causing him to provide little coaching to them. It gives me a reason to consider looking for someone else soon to coach our pitching crew this season.



The same dynamic seems to be happening with my HC, Alec Zumwalt. His coaching relationships are so much better with the pitchers than the position players.

What is going on here?

I think I’ll see what happens after a couple of weeks and assess it again prior to the series with the Oakland Athletics on the 17th. Maybe it’s collegiate, and both coaches are building some cohesion. I don’t honestly know. I’ll just have to decide what to do at the point I need to decide without knowing when that will be.



Finally, in my first month’s review of how the ball club has performed, I had to consider our salary position and what we have coming up in the next few years. Having already decided that Salvy, Bobby, and Cole will remain with the club for the next season and beyond, there are a few trade pieces and upcoming free agents on the books that we might be able to leverage come trade deadline.

I think my targets right now for trade are a 4th/5th starter and a power hitter against left-handed pitchers to supplement Bobby, Pastquatch, and Salvy.

So, going into May, I’ve got some thinking to do about early changes while we are still in a buyer's market.