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05-11-2024, 09:04 AM
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#1 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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Zero to Hero - A Scotsman in MLB
Introduction
I’m a long time sports simulation player, mostly Football Manager (from when it was Championship Manager in the 90s) and discovered OOTP when I moved to Texas for school in 2009. I’ve played on and off over the years and this year thought I would try something different and write about my save… thanks for reading. I am no baseball (or OOTP) expert but enjoy developing players and the GM side the most although I play as GM & Manager to keep more control over the line ups and pitching. The idea for the save is simple – sim the first three seasons and then take whatever job I am offered at the end of the 2026 season. My expectation is that it will be a team coming off a poor season, which hopefully means a good draft position and an excuse to trade away any talent for a rebuild. My style (nothing original):
The next post will be from the end of the 2026 season where we will find out whose fortunes we will be trying to turn around… |
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05-13-2024, 06:20 AM
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#2 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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Kansas City Royals tab rookie in controversial combined Manager, General Manager role
It’s October, 2026, and only eight clubs have earned the right to call themselves champions of the world since the Kansas City Royals achieved that distinction in 2015. That hasn’t stopped owner John Sherman from making big changes in an attempt bring back the good times to Kansas City. After a playoff appearance in 2024, back-to-back misses have cost Matt Quatraro his job. An unfavourable tiebreaker with Detroit meant a missed wild card place in 2025, while 2026 looked promising at the All-Star break. A late season collapse, however, saw the ballclub finish with a 76-86 record, and a third-place finish in the division. Quatraro leaves Kansas City with an overall 225-231 [.493] record. 2025 Wild Card Standings 2026 Final Standings J. J. Picollo has been shifted sideways to the Assistant GM role because the Royals have appointed Football Manager expert, baseball novice Colin Stewart to the dual role of GM and Manager. The 49-year-old Scotsman will take his first role in baseball with immediate pressure due to his inexperience and lack of name recognition amongst Royals fans. Before reviewing the club that Stewart has inherited, a quick recap on what’s been happening in MLB since 2024 through a Royals lens. |
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05-15-2024, 12:47 PM
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#3 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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2024 Season – Baltimore Streak Stops at 41, Royals make Playoffs
The Baltimore Orioles (95-67) took home their first World Series since 1983, defeating the Chicago Cubs (93-69) 4-1.
The Royals (86-76) got swept by the Texas Rangers (80-82 AL West Champions) in the Wildcard Series, after a third placed finish in the division. In what would become a familiar story, the Royals reached the All-Star break in great shape (57-41 but finished the season 29-35. The season was carried by the bats of a club legend and a future legend in C Salvador Perez and SS Bobby Witt Jr. Witt Jr., fresh off his 14-year contract signed that summer, produced the greatest WAR (8.1) season in Royals history, as well as breaking into the top ten in slugging pct (5th - 0.567), runs (4th – 118), hits (10th – 196), total bases (2nd – 350), and doubles (5th – 47). He finished 2nd in the AL MVP Award. Perez, AL Platinum Stick winner at C, produced top ten all-time Royal seasons in batting average (2nd - 0.342), OPS (7th - 0.948), WAR (10th - 5.8), and RBIs (9th – 116). He finished 3rd in the AL MVP Award. Joey Gallo set the unwanted record of the all-time most strikeouts in a season. The Washington National outfielder had 238 strikeouts. Awards AL Great Gloves NL Great Gloves AL Platinum Sticks (Perez C KC) NL Platinum Sticks AL Reliever of the Year – Robert Stevenson LAA NL Reliever of the Year – Paul Sewald ARI AL Rookie of the Year – Evan Carter TEX NL Rookie of the Year – Michael Busch CHC AL Cy Young – Ty Madden DET NL Cy Young – Justin Steele CHC AL MVP – Gunnar Henderson BAL (2nd Witt Jr KC; 3rd Perez KC) NL MVP – Michael Harris II ATL Major Injuries The Royals avoided major injuries, with only P Nick Pivetta suffering a season ending injury, injured on July 27 (one week after they acquired him) for 5 months with shoulder inflammation. Other notable injuries around the league: PITCHERS
BATTERS
Trades The Royals were active in the run up to the trade deadline, involved in no less than 8 deals in the last two weeks of July.
Draft The 2024 draft saw the Royals with the 6th pick in the draft. Picking one of only two high school players in the top ten this year, the Royals picked up SS Caleb Bonemer. A strong bat was paired with good defense that could have been enhanced through the development lab as Caleb progressed. Bonemer was traded to the Padres this year for a six-month rental 1B, having seen this potential erode over the last two years. The top five picks of the first round were: Round 1, Pick 1 - Cleveland Guardians: RF Charlie Condon, age 21 out of college Round 1, Pick 2 - Cincinnati Reds: 2B Travis Bazzana, age 21 out of college Round 1, Pick 3 - Colorado Rockies: 2B J.J. Wetherholt, age 21 out of college Round 1, Pick 4 - Oakland Athletics: CF Vance Honeycutt, age 21 out of college Round 1, Pick 5 - Chicago White Sox: 3B Tommy White, age 21 out of college |
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05-15-2024, 12:53 PM
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#4 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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2024 Off season
Retirements
Detroit Tigers: Retired #35 in honor of Justin Verlander. St. Louis Cardinals: Retired #50 in honor of Adam Wainwright. Los Angeles Dodgers: Retired #22 in honor of Clayton Kershaw. Extensions & Free Agents The Royals remained flexible and avoided any multiyear contracts over the off season, with the only major acquisition to bolster the team being a trade with Boston for Matthew Boyd, which included over $16m to offset his $18.9m salary The Royals gave up 2022 1st round pick Gavin Cross (now playing IND ball) in the deal. While the plan was clearly to ‘run it back’, several players saw their time in Kansas City come to an end: SP Dovydas Neverauskas free-agent • 26 GS | 172.1 IP | 122 ERA+ | 3.6 WAR SP Nick Pivetta free-agent • 1GS | 1.1 IP SEASON ENDING INJURY RP Luis Cessa free-agent • 30 G | 87.2 IP | 128 ERA+ | 0.7 WAR RP Chris Martin free-agent • 16 G | 20. IP | 148 ERA+ | 0.2 WAR RP Miguel Castro free-agent • 13 G | 18.2 IP | 136 ERA+ | 0.6 WAR RP Kris Bubic not offered arbitration, free agent • 0 G INJURED ALL SEASON RP John Schreiber not offered arbitration, free agent • 30 G 33.1 IP | 90 ERA+ | 0.4 WAR 1B J.D. Davis free-agent • 53 G | 220 PA | 81 OPS+ | 0.2 WAR | .242 / .327 / .351 / 3 HR 2B Adam Frazier free-agent. • 71 G | 158 PA | 80 OPS+ | 0.3 WAR | .231 / .348 / .321 / 1 HR LF Garrett Hampson free-agent. • 72G |170 BA | 85 OPS+ | -0.4 WAR | .226 / .335 / .359 / 1 HR C Austin Nola not offered arbitration, free agent • AAA 90 G | 395 PA | 97 OPS+ | 1.4 WAR | .292 / .385 / .424 / 5 HR Highlight contract extensions around the league included: Baltimore Orioles: 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 7 years $234,500,000. Tampa Bay Rays: 3B Isaac Paredes 5 years $117,800,000. Highlight free agent deals included: New York Yankees: LF Tyler O'Neill 6 years $184,600,000. New York Yankees: 3B Matt Chapman 6 years $169,200,000. Oakland Athletics: 1B Christian Walker 5 years $67,000,000. New York Yankees: SS Willy Adames 7 years $224,900,000. St. Louis Cardinals: SP Corbin Burnes 6 years $106,900,000. San Francisco Giants: LF Marcell Ozuna 4 years $72,000,000. Baltimore Orioles: LF Joc Pederson 5 years $88,000,000. Houston Astros: SP Max Fried 7 years $135,800,000. Los Angeles Dodgers: LF Juan Soto 8 years $298,000,000. San Francisco Giants: SP Blake Snell 6 years $166,800,000. New York Yankees: SP Dovydas Neverauskas to a 4-year contract $41,500,000. Hall of Fame On January 22, Todd Helton 85.1% (7th year) and Ichiro Suzuki 76.2% (1st year) were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Prospects The Top 20 prospects list was updated on Opening Day. Kansas City did not have a player on the list. |
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05-20-2024, 02:19 PM
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#5 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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2025 Orioles Repeat as Royals miss postseason
After ending their 40+ year wait for a World Series in 2024, Baltimore (93-69) cashed in to repeat as champions, defeating the hundred-win Milwaukee Brewers (101-61) 4-3 in the World Series.
The Royals finished with a losing record, 80-82, and in the AL Central. A disappointing season saw them miss out on the playoffs by virtue of their divisional record, with Detroit (80-82) grabbing the final playoff spot. 2025 was a balanced season, reaching the All Star break at 48-50 before playing .500 ball over the rest of the season. With Detroit playing one game under .500 post-All Star, this was an opportunity missed by the Royals. Detroit did gain some revenge for the AL Central, inflicting on the Rangers the sweep the Royals had suffered in 2024. The Royals squandered a second start franchise-history making season from Bobby Witt Jr. in 2025, along with a record setting strikeout pitching battery. Witt Jr. followed up his 8.1 WAR 2024 season with another best-in-franchise-history season, earning the club 8.4 WAR. In addition, he added his name to the all-time lists for slugging pct (6th - 0.565), and OPS (9th - 0.947). He was named the American League MVP in the end of season awards. The pitching staff, led by off season acquisition Matthew Boyd struck out batters everywhere they went. Boyd (3rd – 238) finished 6 strikeouts from the all-time franchise record of Dennis Leonard (1977), while setting a franchise record for K/9 (11.1) and joining the top ten for K:BB rate (10th - 3.35). In addition, Brooks Raley had 40 saves (9th), Carlos Hernandez (4th – 219; 2nd – 10.3) and Mason Barnett (5th – 209; 7th – 8.8) joined Boyd on the season strikeout and K/9 lists respectively. Hernandez also joined the top ten for OAVG (2nd – 0.199) while Anthony Veneziano was a strike out king out of the pen, joining the K/9 top ten (5th – 9). Awards The highlights of Awards Season were (former Royal) Carlos Beltran winning Manager of the Year in his rookie season with Milwaukee, the Cubs' Justin Steele repeating as NL Cy Young winner, and for the Royals, Bobby Witt Jr. becoming their first MVP since George Brett in 1980. AL Great Gloves NL Great Gloves AL Platinum Sticks NL Platinum Sticks (Bobby Witt Jr. SS KC) AL Manager of the Year – Brandon Hyde BAL NL Manager of the Year – Carlos Beltran MIL AL Reliever of the Year – Justin Topa MIN NL Reliever of the Year – James Karinchak PHI AL Rookie of the Year – Coby Mayo BAL NL Rookie of the Year – James Wood WAS AL Cy Young – Shane McClanahan TB NL Cy Young – Justin Steele CHC AL MVP – Bobby Witt Jr. KC NL MVP – Shohei Ohtani LAD Major Injuries The Royals once again avoided major injuries, with none of the roster suffering season ending injury. Notable injuries around the league: PITCHERS
Trades It was a much quieter trade deadline for the 2025 Royals, with only three trades over the final week before the deadline, none of which changed the trajectory of the team or the club.
Draft The 2024 draft saw the Royals with the 21st pick in the draft. For the second year, Kansas City drafted a high school player in the first round, this time SP Marco Paz. A plus fastball and plus slider are part of a four-pitch arsenal that could provide great stuff, with his potential movement and control looking to develop to average. Paz is a starting rotation potential arm, although likely nearer the bottom than the top according to OSA. Two years in rookie ball have seen some development, although his potential stuff has dropped from a 70 to a 55. Round 1, Pick 1 - Colorado Rockies: 3B Ethan Holliday, age 18 out of high school Round 1, Pick 2 - Chicago White Sox: 3B Brady Ebel, age 17 out of high school Round 1, Pick 3 - Miami Marlins: CF Cam Cannarella, age 21 out of college Round 1, Pick 4 - Oakland Athletics: LF Jace LaViolette, age 21 out of college Round 1, Pick 5 - Cincinnati Reds: SS Quentin Young, age 18 out of high school The Royals failed to sign 3rd round draft pick Jack Lafflam but will receive additional pick compensation in the 2026 draft. Next up, the 2025 Off Season |
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05-20-2024, 02:29 PM
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#6 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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2025 Off Season
Retirements
Extensions & Free Agents Ahead of arbitration, the Royals signed a 4-year extension with 3B Maikel Garcia worth a total of $25,460,000. The 2016 International Free Agent is a contact bat with above average speed and a defensive profile that allows him to play across the infield. As in 2024, arbitration and expiring contracts saw the Royals retain the core of the team although with some high-profile contributors amongst the departures: SP David Buchanan, free-agent. • 12 G | 45.2 IP | 95 ERA+ | 0.3 WAR SP Matthew Boyd, free-agent. • 33 GS | 192.2 IP | 99 ERA+ | 3.2 WAR RP Michael Wacha, free-agent. • 37 G (6 GS) | 69 IP | 90 ERA+ | -0.2 WAR RP Hunter Harvey, free-agent. • 45 G | 49.2 IP | 88 ERA+ | -0.3 WAR RP Alex Wood, free-agent. • 59 G | 46 IP | 85 ERA+ | -0.5 WAR RP Alex Young not offered arbitration, free agent. • 13 G | 21.1 IP | 171 ERA+ | 0.6 WAR CL Brooks Raley, free-agent. • 59 G | 64 IP | 181 ERA+ | 1.4 WAR C Salvador Perez, free-agent. • 150 G | 572 PA | 64 OPS+ | -1.8 WAR | .216 / .255 / .352 / 17 HR RF Hunter Renfroe, free-agent. • 113 G | 359 PA | 108 OPS+ | 0.7 WAR | .238 / .312 / .461 / 18 HR C Jake Rogers not offered arbitration, free agent. • 125 G | 448 PA | 67 OPS+ | 1.3 WAR | .185 / .254 / .365 / 20 HR The big decision from the Royals was to let legend Salvador Perez walk. After a historic season in 2024, Perez had a huge regression in 2025 which lost him the starting Catcher job. A painful decision for the heart, this looks like a sensible decision by the front office. Highlight contract extensions around the league included: Tampa Bay Rays: SP Shane McClanahan 5 years $158,200,000. Baltimore Orioles: SP Kyle Bradish 5 years $137,800,000. Milwaukee Brewers: C William Contreras 8 year $320,400,000. Highlight free agent deals included: New York Yankees: SP Framber Valdez 2 years $58,000,000. St. Louis Cardinals: 3B Kou Okamoto 4 years $116,000,000. San Francisco Giants: SP Tyler Mahle 5 years $86,000,000. Atlanta Braves: RF Kyle Tucker 2 year $42,400,000. Toronto Blue Jays: RP Devin Williams 2 year $48,800,000. Washington Nationals: SP German Marquez 5 years $82,000,000. Toronto Blue Jays: SP Eduardo Rodriguez 5 years $165,000,000. Cincinnati Reds: SP Brandon Woodruff 5 years $177,500,000. Hall of Fame On January 21, Adrian Beltre 78.7% (2nd year) was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Prospects The Top 20 prospects list was updated on Opening Day. Kansas City did not have a player on the list. |
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05-22-2024, 06:04 AM
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#7 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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2026 – Braves triumph while Royals owner runs out of patience
The Atlanta Braves (96-66) defeated the Cleveland Guardians (84-78) to win their 5th World Series, and 2nd this decade.
The Royals finished with a 76-86 record, which cost manager Matt Quatraro his job. The final record saw them finish 3rd in the AL Central, and miss out on a Wild Card by a substantial 12 games. After entering the All-Star break ˝ a game out of the lead in the AL Central, this second collapse in three years was a huge disappointment as the Royals went 27-38 after the break. To rub salt into the wound, the Royals had been tied with the Guardians at the All Star break, so this was a season of what might have been – a situation which surely influenced John Sherman’s decision. Bobby Witt Jr. once again led the bats for the Royals, although with several niggling injuries during the season he was unable to match his production of 2024 and 2025, ending up with a 3.7 WAR with a 130 OPS+. The breakout star of the season was 2B Nick Loftin, who was given the everyday chance at 2B in 2026 and responded with an All-Star year, offering 100 OPS+ but adding 3.4 WAR thanks to his elite defence. On the pitching side, Scott Effross (8th – 41) stepped into Brooks Raley’s closer role to notch a top-10 all time Royals season for saves. Starters Carlos Hernandez (4th – 9.6 K/9) and Freddy Peralta (3rd – 9.9) continued to make the Royals a strikeout ballclub. In fun stats of a season not filled with fun, only 4 Royals (David DeJesus, Alex Gordon, Angel Berroa, and Mike Macfarlane) have been hit by more pitches in a season than Josh Smith (16) managed in 2026. Job Opportunities Continuity was the name of the game in 2026 with the only vacancy arising being with the Kansas City Royals. Major Injuries The Royals had a third consecutive season with few major injuries (although Witt Jr.’s niggling time on IL was a major factor in the struggles of the team). They lost RP Yonny Chirinos to a season-ending partially torn ulnar collateral ligament, in Spring Training. Chirinos will be back before Spring Training in 2027.miss 9-10 months. SP Mason Barnett missed 4 months with a torn meniscus, limiting him to 16 starts one year after his 34 start, 5.6 WAR breakthrough season. Other notable injuries around the league: PITCHERS
HITTERS
Trades The Royals were back to being active in the run up to the trade deadline, with 4 deals in the last two weeks of July.
They had an additional couple of trades during the early part of the season.
Draft The 2024 draft saw the Royals with the 18th pick in the draft. They combined their approach of the last two years by picking a college infielder, SS Justin Lebron out of Alabama. Unlikely to stick at SS at the Major League level, Lebron has average tools and speed. OSA note that with enough injuries, Lebron might force his way into the lineup. Not an inspiring pick by the Royals in a draft dominated by high-risk high school players. The top five picks of the first round were: Round 1, Pick 1 - Toronto Blue Jays: SP Kevin Gahagan, age 19 out of high school Round 1, Pick 2 - Miami Marlins: 3B Derward Rosas, age 17 out of high school Round 1, Pick 3 - Colorado Rockies: SS Grady Emerson, age 18 out of high school Round 1, Pick 4 - Oakland Athletics: 2B Chris Bruning, age 18 out of high school Round 1, Pick 5 - Chicago White Sox: CF Brady Harris, age 18 out of high school Kansas City used their 2025 Compensatory Pick on college pitcher Isaac Morton. With only three pitches and behind schedule for his age, Morton’s best route to the Major League would appear to be in relief. The Royals failed to sign 4th round draft pick Spencer Browning but will not receive compensatory picks in 2027. Next, we will meet the Team that Stewart took over... |
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05-24-2024, 07:01 AM
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#8 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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October 2026 - Meet the Team
Having been appointed GM and Manager, owner John Sherman wasted no time in explaining what he expected from Stewart for his $370,000 per year.
Owner Goals Having broadly matched preseason predictions (79-83) in finishing 76-86, the first goal for next season would appear to need some shrewd work in trades and free agency to achieve. Finishing 11th in the American League in Runs Scored needs to improve so that is a baseball-appropriate request; an All Star would be great but it’s unlikely with our financial situation. Building the farm is a much more realistic route to long term success and, while trades will be important, developing drafted players and international amateurs is the preference. Reaching the playoffs in 3 years is not unrealistic and is one more year of patience than the previous manager was afforded so there should be no complaints from the new staff. Finances The Royals have uninterested, small market, disloyal fans in 2026 according to OOTP. Financially, that translates into the 27th budget, and the definition of a small market team. A controlling owner will likely lead to some frustrating changes to financial distribution but the hope is to increase the scouting and development budgets to $15m and $20m respectively. The planned increase in ticket prices is bold but not something to influence this year – tracking attendance, and finances in general, will allow a more educated decision for 2028. Personnel Looking through the club personnel was a whelming experience. Mediocrity abounded across the levels and so a mass clear out was required. The total cost was $15m to buy out all the contracts but the Major League performance and Minor League development will be worth it. Replacing the Scouting Director will mean a slow start to Free Agency with time needed for the new Director to get up to speed. Justin Cowan’s highly favour tools approach will give us higher ceilings but lower floors – with a bare farm this was not an easy decision but longer-term stars will be what makes this club successful. His legendary international scouting should help Sherman’s wish to improve out international finds. Minor Leagues The cupboard is almost empty in the Royals farm. The Minor League set up look like this: AAA Omaha International 6th West 74-75 record AA Northwest Arkansas Texas 5th North 64-73 record A+ Quad Cities Northwest 3rd West 67-65 record A Columbia Carolina 3rd South 71-61 record R Kansas City (ACL) Arizona 1st West 34-15 record R KC (DSL) Stewart Dominican 4th Northwest 31-29 record R KC (DSL) Glass Dominican 4th North 34-26 record With a single Top 100 prospect in the system, and only six Top 200 ranked players, there is a lot of work to do in building a sustainable conveyor belt of talent. The concerning column in the Royals Prospect Pipeline is 'ETA' with 8/10 prospects not expected to hit the Major League until 2029. Major League Roster (40 man) The team seems to have made solid contact with a lot of hits coupled with rarely striking out underpinning a strong average. However, that underscores the lack of power hitters and a failure to draw walks across the team. On the pitching side, a strong zone rating with high strikeouts shows a flexible staff that can record outs on the ground and through the air – the rest of the statistical make-up of the year leaves a lot to be desired. Bats Catchers Rodolfo Duran R Bat | 50 Contact | 55 Gap | 45 Power | 45 Eye | 55/55/65 C Defence Kale Emshoff R | 45 | 50 | 45 | 40 | 45/45/45 Ivan Herrera R | 50 | 45 | 40 | 60 | 65/60/55 Jesus Rodriguez R | 50 | 45 | 40 | 50 | 55/55/60 Herrera (.195 AVE / .273 OBP /.311 SLG / 57 wRC+) really struggled at the plate in 2026 but has the ratings to suggest he can bounce back and the strongest defensive profile at the ball club. Rodriguez (.235/.329/.309/80) backed up in 2026 but Rodolfo Duran will have a chance to win the back-up spot in Spring Training. Emshoff is not good enough and will be DFA. Infielders 1B José Miranda R | 60 | 50 | 50 | 45 | 45/55/55/45 Infield Defence 1B Malcom Nunez R | 55 | 45 | 50 | 50 | 40/35/55/35 1B Robert Perez Jr. R | 45 | 50 | 65 | 50 | 30/30/35/25 2B Nick Loftin R | 60 | 45 | 40 | 50 | 55/60/50/55 2B Josh Smith L | 50 | 50 | 45 | 55 | 55/55/60/55 3B Maikel Garcia R | 60 | 50 | 35 | 50 | 65/65/60/65 3B Charles Leblanc R | 50 | 50 | 45 | 55 | 40/55/65/45 3B Kevin Made R | 50 | 65 | 40 | 45 | 55/65/70/60 SS Bobby Witt Jr. R | 60 | 60 | 55 | 50 | 70/70/70/70 The Infield almost picks itself with Nick Loftin an All Star at 2B, Maikel Garcia on a long-term contract at 3B, and superstar Bobby Witt Jr. at SS. Perez’s (.233/.308/.453/106) power (30 HRs) makes him a front runner for the 1B position although his defence is as close to unplayable as you get so he may slide into the DH position. José Miranda (.294/.334/.471/115) had a good year, although a power hitter to challenge him in Spring Training would be desirable. Kevin Made (.298/.386/.439/129) will play around the infield as a back up in 2026 and aim to force the club’s hand for a starting role while Smith (.244/.324/.403/100) did enough to stick as the 6th infielder, especially as the only left hander in the group. Nunez and Leblanc have no future with the Kansas City Royals. Outfielders LF Tyler Gentry R | 50 | 45 | 40 | 55 | 55/50/55 Outfield Defence LF Steven Kwan L | 65 | 45 | 40 | 55 | 50/65/50 LF River Town L | 50 | 45 | 40 | 55 | 50/55/50 CF Seth Brown L | 45 | 55 | 60 | 45 | 55/55/50 CF Jazz Chisholm Jr. L | 50 | 50 | 55 | 50 | 65/65/60 CF Kyle Isbel L | 50 | 50 | 40 | 45 | 65/65/50 RF David Dahl L | 50 | 60 | 45 | 45 | 55/60/60 RF Estevan Florial L | 45 | 60 | 50 | 50 | 55/60/75 A glut of outfielders on the 40-man roster is going to have to be cleared. The outfield for the Royals is a challenge with the size of the ballpark meaning all three outfielders need to have extra range to cover the grass. Steven Kwan (.297/.372/.416/117) is a multi-Gold Glove winner who struggled defensively in 2026 but has enough credit to earn another year at LF. Estevan Florial (.266/.338/.436/112) was claimed off waivers during the season from Cleveland and has the glove to play RF, as well as a bit of development potential. Jazz Chisholm Jr. (.293/.344/.528/134) is a fragile free agent who posted a -11.9 ZR in 2026. He is eligible for a QO, with a salary demand of 7 years, $18m. Letting him walk for free seems naďve, a difficult decision to make. Kyle Isbel (.193/.228/.270/31) was a guaranteed out at the plate but provided elite defence with 2.67 RNG and a 14.6 ZR. 2027 would be his 2nd year of arbitration, it seems unlikely he will be offered if Chisholm is offered a QO. David Dahl is a free agent who will not be offered a QO or a contract extension. None of Gentry, Town, or Brown have the defensive profile that fits the Royal long term although if Brown (.220/.229/.402/64) can raise that OBP a tick his power would be a welcome addition to the team. Review C Starter: Ivan Herrera Back up: Rodolfo Duran OR Jesus Rodriguez INFIELD 1B José Miranda 2B Nick Loftin 3B Maikel Garcia SS Bobby Witt Jr. INF Kevin Made INF Josh Smith DH Robert Perez Jr. OUTFIELD LF Steven Kwan CF Jazz Chisholm Jr (QO) RF Estevan Florial OF Seth Brown | Free Agent Arms POS Name T | STU | MOV | CON | PIT | STM | VELO | P1/P2/P3/P4/P5/P6 SP Mason Barnett R | 50 | 55 | 50 | 4 | 60 | 93-95 | 60/50/55/55 SP Carlos Hernandez R | 60 | 50 | 50 | 4 | 50 | 97-99 | 75/65/70/65 SP Freddy Peralta R | 55 | 50 | 50 | 4 | 50 | 94-96 | 65/60/70/60 FAQO BSP Jose Urquidy R | 40 | 50 | 65 | 5 | 60 | 94-96 | 50/45/35/45/35 FA SP Anthony Veneziano L | 45 | 50 | 50 | 3 | 50 | 87-89 | 45/60/50 RP* Julian Aguiar R | 45 | 50 | 60 | 3 | 40 | 91-93 | 45/50/50 RP* Dylan Bundy R | 40 | 50 | 65 | 4 | 55 | 89-91 | 45/45/45/45 FAQO RP* Zach Eflin R | 45 | 50 | 60 | 6 | 55 | 91-93 | 45/45/40/45/45/45 FA RP Hunter Greene R | 60 | 45 | 45 | 3 | 55 | 98-100 | 75/60/75 ARB RP DJ Herz L | 70 | 55 | 35 | 3 | 45 | 93-95 | 65/60/70 RP John McMillon R | 70 |55 | 40 | 2 | 35 | 98-100 | 80/80 RP* Michael Wacha R | 45 | 50 | 50 | 5 | 65 | 92-94 | 45/40/45/45/45 FAQO RP* Brandon Williamson L | 50 | 50 | 50 | 5 | 45 | 92-94 | 50/45/45/55/50 CL Scott Effross R | 50 | 55 | 65 | 3 | 30 | 91-93 | 50/55/55 RP Yonny Chirinos R | 40 | 50 | 55 | 3 | 45 | 93-95 | 40/45/40 FO RP Stephen Nogosek R | 50 | 55 | 45 | 4 | 25 | 94-96 | 55/45/45/45 ARB RP Liu Fuenmayor L | 45 | 55 | 45 | 2 | 30 | 92-94 | 50/45 SP* Bailey Ober R | 50 | 45 | 55 | 4 | 55 | 92-94 | 55/55/55/55 ARB BSP* Ryan Pepiot R | 55 | 50 | 45 | 3 | 50 | 94-96 | 60/55/60 Starters The Royals rotation in 2026 was a solid group who would all be strong 4th or 5th starters but lacked an ace to carry a staff. Barnett (16 GS/ 85.1 IP / 4.03 FIP / 17.8% K-BB / 118 ERA+) and Hernandez (33 / 180.1 / 3.85 / 14.7% / 107) were both solid and will return next year. Freddy Peralta (33 / 173.2 / 3.96 / 18% / 108) and Jose Urquidy (32 / 187.2 / 4.27 / 13.4% / 115) are both out of contract and it is likely only one will be retained. Peralta has the better K:BB rate, as well as the lower FIP which makes him the frontrunner for a new contract. Urquidy is also listed as a Borderline Starter, not a role to back on a longer term contract for a 32 year old. Veneziano (16 / 81.2 / 4.37 / 12.2% / 94) ended the season as a starter, but struggled to offer anything above replacement value, much like Eflin, Williamson and Bundy, who all took turns in the starting rotation. His one remaining option year will likely be used to start him in AAA in 2027. Bailey Ober missed the whole season with injury and will have the chance to start in the rotation in 2027, leaving one space to be filled in the offseason, through promotion or free agency. Relievers The heat throwers – Greene (16 G / 36.2 / 5.10 / 16% / 78), Herz (45 / 51.1 / 4.03 / 11.8% / 80) and McMillon (51 / 79.1 / 3.10 / 21.7% / 137) – will all be back despite Greene and Hertz’s challenges in 2026. Effross (61 / 65.2 / 3.13 / 14.6% / 145) will return fresh off his 41 save season with the hope he will continue to exceed his ratings. Aguiar (53 / 86.2 / 4.52 / 15.2% / 100) gave league average returns and at league minimum offers a safe arm. Williamson and Eflin both struggled as starters, with Williamson also struggling in a relief role. Eflin is a Free Agent and will not return, Williamson has one more option year so will likely be retained but on a short lease. Of the relievers not to throw a big league pitch, Chirinos is a free agent who will not be offered a contract, while Nogosek is out of options and will not be offered arbitration. Fuenmayor has not pitched about AA and his ratings don’t suggest he is ready for a major league role but Pepiot showed enough in Omaha (23 / 85.1 / 5.26 / 11.9 / 99) to at least have a shot at a middle relief spot. Review SP Mason Barnett SP Carlos Hernandez SP Freddy Peralta SP Bailey Ober SP Promotion / Free Agency RP Julian Aguiar RP Hunter Greene RP DJ Herz RP John McMillon RP Brandon Williamson RP Scott Effross RP Ryan Pepiot RP Promotion / Free Agency Next, the offseason as Stewart prepares for his first season in MLB… Last edited by benp28; 05-24-2024 at 07:05 AM. Reason: Missed link |
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05-25-2024, 08:52 AM
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#9 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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2026 Offseason
Awards
The Awards moves to the offseason as it made more sense to post here than at the end of the season. The Kansas City Royals did not make an appearance during Award seasons, reflecting their disappointing season. AL Great Gloves NL Great Gloves AL Platinum Sticks NL Platinum Sticks AL Manager of the Year – Alex Cora BOS NL Manager of the Year – Soo-haeng Lee ATL AL Reliever of the Year – Jhoan Duran MIN NL Reliever of the Year – Wei-Chieh Huang ARI AL Rookie of the Year – Pedro Leon HOU NL Rookie of the Year – Kou Okamoto STL AL Cy Young – Daniel Espino CLE NL Cy Young – Robbie Ray SD AL MVP – Corey SeagerTEX NL MVP – Michael Harris II ATL Development Lab Outgoing Manager Matt Quatraro locked in development lab work for the 2026 offseason before being released. His emphasis was on prospects with only Closer Scott Effross from the 40-man roster being tapped to improve. The plan to work on his stability is an interesting one but seems a stretch for him to move to a starter role. Results Ignacio Marrero
Scott Effross
Luis Cabrera
Andres Villalpando
Gabriel Torres
Ernesto Rosales
Second round The initial plan is to use the second rotation of development labs to work on defence for the Major League roster. Duran
Herrara
Perez Jr.
Loftin
Kwan
Zubia (Rookie)
Pre-Arbitration Extensions Signed SP Freddy Peralta to a 3-year contract extension worth a total of $17,400,000.
Pre-Arbitration Trade (with Seattle) Seattle received: AAA RHP Dan Altavilla 34 | 45 | 50 | 50 | 2 | 25 R RF Cam Maldonado 23 | 40 | 45 | 50 | 50 | 55/55/55 Kansas City received: AAA CF Jorge Ruiz 22 | 60 | 50 | 40 | 55 | 65/65/50 Altavilla was not going to be offered arbitration, so this upgraded the Royals 2025 8th Round pick for a younger, higher floor and ceiling player. Ruiz had over 2 WAR at AA in 2026 so will start 2027 in AAA and may earn a place at Spring Training. Arbitration Bailey Ober awarded a new one-year contract worth $2,970,800 in salary arbitration. The arbitrator ruled in favor of the player. The team had offered a salary of $2,000,000. Qualifying Offer Jazz Chisholm Jr. has accepted his qualifying offer, one year $18,900,000. International Free Agents 32-year old RHP Manonobu Iwamoto out of Japan (45 | 50 | 60 | 3 | 55) was looking for a Minor League contract with $1.3m option which seemed a fair gamble for a team on the look out for a 5th starter. Rule 5 Draft The lack of quality in the farm meant there were few players worthy of adding to the 40-man ahead of the Rule 5 and the potential to find some help for the bullpen and maybe a 4th outfielder. Round 1, Pick 10 - CF Matthew Etzel (50 | 60 | 45 | 55 | 65/60/55), Philadelphia Phillies. Round 1, Pick 11 - Philadelphia Phillies: RP Max Meyer (Free Agent signing). Round 1, Pick 13 - Milwaukee Brewers: RP Alex McFarlane (Free Agent signing). Round 2, Pick 3 - Miami Marlins: 1B Charles Leblanc Kansas City Royals (No Role). Round 2, Pick 10 - SP Gavin Stone (50 | 50 | 50 | 4 | 55), Los Angeles Dodgers. Round 3, Pick 10 - SP Raimon Gomez (65 | 50 | 45 | 3 | 40), New York Mets. Round 4, Pick 10 - RP Joe Jimenez (55 | 45 | 55 | 3 | 30), Arizona Diamondbacks. Round 5, Pick 10 - RP Alex Young (55 | 50 | 50 | 4 | 30), Cleveland Guardians. Etzel will compete for the 4th outfielder role while the arms will have a chance to earn bullpen duty for the season although Gavin Stone may have a shot at that 5th starter role. Meyer and McFarlane had been signed as AAA depth while Leblanc had been identified as surplus to requirements at the club with the existing infielders on the roster. Hopefully the Marlins will give him the chance for a more prominent role. International Amateurs After losing out on two bidding wars, the Royals went all in and offered a $5.7m signing bonus to 17-year-old Dominican 3B Juan Zubia (60 | 55 | 80 | 90 | 45/45/55/40 | High WE, I). At 1.5 stars Ability relative to the DSL, he will spend a year in the International Complex. Financial Situation As the new season approached, owner John Sherman increased the budget by $2m – funds that were allocated straight into Player Development ($22m). Preseason & Spring Training The Royals got through Preseason with no injuries before suffering a few Spring Training knocks. 24 February Steven Kwan 4 weeks (back 20 March) 2 March Scott Effross 5 weeks 9 March Rodolfo Duran 2 weeks (setback +2 weeks) Around the League Retirements
Chicago White Sox: Retired #51 in honor of Chris Sale. Contract Extensions
Free Agent Signings
Major Injuries Pitchers
Hitters
Hall of Fame On January 20, Alex Rodriguez 78.7% (6th year) was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Next up will be the 2027 Roster Preview… |
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05-27-2024, 09:24 AM
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#10 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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2027 Roster Preview
OSA predicts the Royals to achieve their owners’ goal, with an 88-74 record and +38 run deferential.
Hitters Rodolfo Duran’s injury made the catcher backup question a non-event with an OPS of .596 and wRC+ of 59 when he got hurt. Starter: Ivan Herrera Back up: Jesus Rodriguez The infield was firmly entrenched entering Spring Training and will start the season as predicted. 1B José Miranda 2B Nick Loftin 3B Maikel Garcia SS Bobby Witt Jr. INF Kevin Made INF Josh Smith DH Robert Perez Jr. The 4th outfielder role had been Seth Brown’s to lose but the Rule 5 acquisition of Matthew Etzel shook things up. In the end, it was River Town who had the best spring of the contenders but with a wRC+ of only 95 it wasn’t enough to exceed the defensive quality offered by Etzel, who took the last slot. It is an aging outfield though, so Town is in prime position for a call up during the season. LF Steven Kwan CF Jazz Chisholm Jr. (accepted QO) RF Estevan Florial OF Matthew Etzel Honourable Mention: River Town Arms Starters Anthony Veneziano was the surprise of the Spring, offering up 14 Innings across 5 starts with a 3.07 ERA to claim a place in the starting rotation to start the season. Gavin Stone was picked in the Rule 5 Draft as a potential 5th arm but an inability to keep the ball in the park means he will go back to the Dodgers system. SP Mason Barnett SP Carlos Hernandez SP Anthony Veneziano SP Freddy Peralta SP Bailey Ober Bullpen Rule 5 pick Raimon Gomez was the star of Spring Training, giving up 7 hits across 16.2 innings to earn the last slot in the pen. In addition, Scott Effross’ injury during Spring Training allowed Ryan Pepiot to keep a slot that he had probably pitched himself out of – with Liu Fuenmayor also having a strong spring to start the season in the Big Leagues. Rule 5 Pick Joe Jimenez struggled through the Spring and returns to Arizona. RP Raimon Gomez RP Julian Aguiar RP Hunter Greene RP DJ Herz RP John McMillon RP Brandon Williamson RP Liu Fuenmayor RP Ryan Pepiot Injured Reserve RP Scott Effross |
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05-27-2024, 09:32 AM
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#11 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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2027 Prospect Preview
The addition of Juan Zubia from the International Amateur class provides a shot in the arm for the Royal MiL system with Marcos Paz (2025 1st round pick) the only other top 100 prospect.
Interest will be in how 2026 1st round pick Justin Lebron performs in his first year out of rookie ball, with the same being true for 2024 7th round pick Marc Barnhard. Further up the chain, trade acquisition Jorge Ruiz will look to demonstrate enough contact to earn a shot in the big leagues in 2027. KC Top 500 Prospects RNK POS NAME AGE | 2026 LVL | 2027 LVL | CON | GAP | POW | EYE Bats 17 3B Juan Zubia 2027 IA | 17 | - | INT | 60 | 50 | 80 | 90 101 LF Luis Cabrera 2026 IA | 17 | DSL | DSL | 60 | 50 | 60 | 50 119 SS Justin Lebron 2026 R1 | 22 | R | A | 50 | 50 | 55 | 55 208 1B Luke Adams TRADE | 22 | AA | AAA | 45 | 50 | 55 | 55 223 1B Ernesto Rosales 2025 IA | 21 | R | R | 65 | 50 | 45 | 45 229 LF Braylin Tavera TRADE | 22 | A+ | A+ | 45 | 50 | 55 | 60 267 CF Jorge Ruiz TRADE | 22 | AA | AAA | 55 | 50 | 40 | 55 426 C Edgar Rivera 2026 SC | 16 | - | INT | 60 | 50 | 60 | 60 477 LF Will Gasparino 2026 R3 | 22 | R | R | 45 | 45 | 60 | 50 493 CF Matthew Etzel 2026 D5 | 24 | AA | MLB | 50 | 60 | 45 | 50 RNK POS NAME AGE | 2026 LVL | 2027 LVL | STU | MOV | CON | STA | PIT Arms 73 RHP Marcos Paz 2025 R1 | 20 | R | R | 55 | 50 | 50 | 60 | 4 116 RHP Josh Olaniyan 2026 R2 | 18 | R | R | 55 | 55 | 55 | 50 | 3 172 RHP Kevin McBride 2026 R5 | 19 | R | R | 50 | 50 | 60 | 45 | 4 186 RHP William Schmidt 2024 R2 | 21 | R | R | 55 | 50 | 55 | 50 | 2 217 RHP Isaac Morton 2026 R3 | 22 | R | R | 55 | 50 | 45 | 55 | 3 347 RHP Marc Barnhard 2024 R7 | 21 | R | A | 60 | 50 | 45 | 55 | 4 498 LHP Jesus Mayor 2025 SC | 18 | INT | INT | 65 | 50 | 50 | 55 | 4 Last edited by benp28; 05-27-2024 at 09:45 AM. |
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05-29-2024, 10:33 AM
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#12 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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Royals 51-47 at All Star Break
The Royals are in a familiar position as play gets back underway following the All-Star break with a winning record and in the middle of the playoff conversation.
They sit 3rd in the AL Central, 3˝ games back from the Guardians but also 3rd in the AL Wild Card standings. This leaves the team exactly where they have been the last few seasons, approaching the Trade Deadline in a stick or twist conundrum. The owner goal of a winning record for the season gives some breathing space and it doesn’t seem to make sense to go all in and risk the long-term potential of the club. That might change but deadline moves seem unlikely. The goal of the season was to increase the run generating capability of the team, a challenge currently on track with an improvement from 11th in 2026 to 5th at the ASB. The Royals remain a contact team with the most hits, the 2nd best batting average, and 3rd best OBP in the American League, while sitting 7th in slugging, a pitiful 13th in HR, and 10th in walks. Bringing in Rule 5 addition CF Matt Etzel over the multitude of OFs in the Royals system was controversial but has worked out so far. A batting line of .298/.337/.473 (113 wRC+, 42 RBI), and a positive ZR rating is more than acceptable. LF River Town (.273/.367/.303) has struggled since being called out to cover the injury to Jazz Chisholm Jr. but even then, looked at one point to be squeezing out LF Steven Kwan (.280/.344/.367). Kwan’s line has been saved by a monster July to date where he is hitting .375/.455/.583. CF Chisholm Jr. (.273/.336/.521 123 wRC+) has been very good when available but his body is letting him down and he is currently on a second rehab assignment in AAA. RF Florial is at risk of spending some time in AAA, suffering a second season slump in Kansas City with a 35.7% SO rate fueling a .226/.297/.398 line that doesn’t have enough slugging to make that playable despite being one of only four players in double figures for HRs. The infield has powered the batting performance of the Royals with a non-traditional route of hitting from the middle infield. 2B Nick Loftin (.313/.372/.472 126 wRC+) earned his second All Star call up, backing up his breakthrough season from 2026. SS Bobby Witt Jr. is currently on IR with a strained oblique for the second time in two seasons but if he can stay fit is on course for an almost 5 WAR season from a line of .282/.346/.452 110 wRC+. Those two make up 50% of the HR double figure gang but the runaway leader is Robert Perez Jr. (.210/.283/.452) who has 22 HRs and also leads the team with 69 RBI while settling into an everyday DH role. Jose Miranda (.337/.378/.523), who has beaten out Perez for the 1B position, is putting together a quietly impressive season, with the highest average in the ball club and wRC+ at 141. 3B Maikel Garcia (.265/.329/.346) has struggled with the bat and the glove (-1.0 ZR) and has been spared by the lack of production from potential breakout player, Kevin Made, who has failed to grab his chance, hitting .213/.273/.328 albeit in only 66 PAs. Josh Smith (.215/.305/.367) has filled on all over the diamond and hasn’t excelled anywhere (-5.7 ZR) while Jose Ramos was promoted immeditaly before the ASB to cover the injury to Witt Jr. Both catchers have added value to the ball club, Ivan Herrera (.237/.331/.337 3.1 FRM) primarily with his Catching and Jesus Rodriguez (.304/.364/.380 -0.3 FRM) with his bat. The starting rotation has struggled (10th in the AL). Mason Barnett has been solid with a 1.18 WHIP back to 2025 levels, as is his HR/9 (0.5) and BB/9 (3.2) with a K/9 (9.5) threatening double figures. Anthony Veneziano has been the surprise story of the season on the mound, his 3.32 ERA actually a tick higher than his FIP (3.05). That has been powered by career lows in HR/9 (0.4) and BB/9 (2.6) rates. Carlos Hernandez and Freddy Peralta have both struggled with control issues (11.1 and 10.5 BB% respectively) while maintaining solid K numbers. Bailey Ober never really got a chance as he suffered a torn rotator cuff on May 11, having pitched 7 games. With a 3.4 HR/9 rate across those 7 games, Ober and the Royals will part ways at the end of the season. Minor League free agent signing Jesus Luzardo was called up to replace Ober but has been below average (1.39 WHIP/ 4.97 FIP) and is benefiting from a lack of prospect options near the top of the Royals MiL system. The bullpen, however, has had better results. Led by Rule 5 pick, and 2027 All Star, Raimon Gomez (3.18 ERA 4.21 FIP), they are the 6th best pen in the AL. Gomez’s selection to the ASG fulfilled one of the tasks set by owner John Sherman, a nice bonus. Scott Effross (4.55 4.77) has been solid despite losing his closer role in a pen that favour two Stoppers with six Middle Relievers and his return from injury on April 30 saw Alex Young return to the Guardians. Stevie Edmonds was picked up on waivers from Oakland and has given 34.2 innings across 23 games with an ERA of 3.38 (3.72 FIP). His arrival saw Hunter Greene demoted to AAA and probably signals the end of Greene’s time with the organisation. Of the flame throwers, it has been DJ Herz who has impressed, his 3.63 ERA (3.30 FIP) underpinned by a 31.2% K rate. Trades The Royals were quiet in the first half of the season with no trades to report. Injuries As referenced in review above, SP Bailey Ober tore his rotator cuff and will miss 8-9 months. Minor Leagues Prospect Watch Bats 3B Juan Zubia – turned 18 and will play in the DSL in the second half of the season LF Luis Cabrera – struggled in DSL once again .263/.354/.401; play out the DSL season SS Justin Lebron – POW award with 3.7 WAR, 23 HR in 337 AB; promoted to A+ 1B Luke Adams – .801 OPS in AAA, waiting for ML chance 1B Ernesto Rosales – .681 OPS with a .185 AVE; remain at R LF Braylin Tavera – 1.185 OPS across 304 PA (Midwest Region AS MVP); promoted to AA CF Jorge Ruiz – IR for 7 weeks, .929 OPS at AAA; will have some ML time in 2027 C Edgar Rivera – struggled in DSL with .624 OPS; remain at DSL LF Will Gasparino – 1.163 OPS, 2.7 WAR; promoted to A CF Matthew Etzel – ML roster; .298/.337/.473 (113 wRC+, 42 RBI) Arms RHP Marcos Paz – struck out 67 in 45 innings in R; promoted to A ball RHP Josh Olaniyan – 6.2 BB/9 at rookie ball with a 6.65 ERA across 11 starts; remain at R RHP Kevin McBride – 77K over 52IP, 1,15 WHIP; promoted to A+ RHP William Schmidt – 81K in 53IP, 1.08 WHIP; promoted to A RHP Isaac Morton – 2.23 ERA across 9 starts; promoted to A+ RHP Marc Barnhard – 2.0 WAR but 80 ERA at A; remain at A LHP Jesus Mayor – turned 18 and will play out the season in DSL 2027 Draft The 7th pick of the draft gave the Royals a chance to find a future club legend! Stewart’s approach to the draft comes with a few core principles:
With his first ever pick, GM Stewart selected 21-year-old CF Jimmy Goodman out of Elon University. An overall current 1.5-star player showing appropriate development for his age with 40s across the board, Goodman has solid contact potential, with plus power and plus plus eye potential. He also shows a good work ethic. He likely won’t stick at CF but can play both corners at Kaufman.
Goodman will start in A ball, along with college players 8th round pick C Jonathan Gerew, 14th round pick RP Juan Caraballo, 15th round pick RP Steve Sabotnik, and 16th round pick RP Billy Turner. The rest of the draft class will start in Rookie Ball. The top five picks of the first round were: Round 1, Pick 1 - Colorado Rockies: CF Chase Bethea, age 17 out of high school Round 1, Pick 2 - Chicago White Sox: SP Dan Nichols, age 21 out of college Round 1, Pick 3 - Miami Marlins: SS Korey Reilly, age 17 out of high school Round 1, Pick 4 - Miami Marlins: SP Chris Shepherd, age 21 out of college Round 1, Pick 5 - Houston Astros: CF Andres Vargas, age 18 out of high school The Royals failed to sign 5th round pick HS SP Pat Gigliotti or 7th round pick HS SP Joel Edmund but will not receive compensatory picks in 2028. Around the League At the ASB the American League leaders were: East: Baltimore Orioles (62-35) Central: Cleveland Guardians (54-43) West: Texas Rangers (50-46) The Twins (52-45), the Red Sox (50-46), and the Royals (51-47) were in the Wild Card spots. Over in the National League: East: Atlanta Braves (57-39) Central: St. Louis Cardinals (56-39) West: Los Angeles Dodgers (57-40) It was the Reds (53-44), the Mets (52-45) and the Padres (52-45) leading the Wild Card race. Major Injuries Pitchers
Hitters
Extensions
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05-31-2024, 06:29 PM
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#13 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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2027 ASB – End of Season
Post-ASB Review
It had been a strong second half of the season for the Royals (83-73) as they entered their final two series of the season in 1st place in the AL Central, one game ahead of the Twins, having gone 32-26 since the ASB. In the penultimate series, the Royals drop 2/3 to the Washington Nationals, dropping back into a tie for 1st place and 2 games up in the WC race. In the final short series of the season, the Royals faced the NL East Champion Atlanta Braves while the Twins faced the AL East Champion Baltimore Orioles. Whichever team fared better over the final two games of the season would clinch the divisional pennant and a bye in the playoffs. Importantly, the Royals held the tiebreaker, having won the seasonal series 7-6 over the Twins, off the back of a 10th inning Bobby Witt Jr. RBI-single back in September.
Securing the bye was a big result for the Royals as it allowed Witt Jr. some time to recover from a moderate quad strain suffered in the Nationals series. Trades Friday 23rd July The Kansas City Royals traded 29-year old RF Estevan Florial and 23-year old minor league SS Carter Garate to the Los Angeles Angels, getting 17-year old minor league CF Juan Ramirez, 24-year old minor league RHP Drew Beam, and 17-year old minor league RHP Ernesto Mora in return. Injuries
Playoffs The Royals would face the 81-81 AL West Champion Texas Rangers in the AL Division Series in a repeat of the 2024 Wild Card series, which the Rangers swept 2-0. Game 1 in Kansas City: Carlos Hernandez vs. Shane Baz (July 1 acquisition from TB)
Game 2 in Kansas City: Mason Barnett vs. Tyler Ivey (July 2026 acquisition from COL)
Game 3 in Arlington: Anthony Veneziano vs. Mason Black (July 25 acquisition from SF)
Game 4 in Arlington: Freddy Peralta vs. Sandy Alcantara (2027 FA signing)
The Royals season comes to an end in the American League Division Series, the Rangers progressing at Kansas City’s expense for the second time in the last 4 years. A lack of quality pitching cost the Royals as they gave up 5+ runs three times in the 4-game series. However, a season that started with the goal of a winning record that ends with a Divisional Series appearance must be considered a success. Looking back to preseason, the Royals finished one game below their preseason prediction, and aligned with their Pythagorean record. Owner Goals Review Goal Deadline Progress Achieve a Winning Record 2027 Achieved – 87-75 Improve your team Runs Scored 2027 Achieved – 11th to 3rd Acquire an All-Star 2029 Achieved – Gonsolin & Gomez Reach Playoffs 2029 Achieved – Divisional Series More drafted players 2029 No progress Build a top-6 minor league system 2030 29th – 12th Improve IA finds 2033 No progress Minor Leagues Post Season Omaha Storm Chasers [AAA] missed the Playoffs by 6˝ games. Northwest Arkansas Naturals [AA] lost in the Championship Final. Quad Cities River Bandits [A+] lost in the 1st Round of the Playoffs. Columbia Fireflies [A] missed the Playoffs by 3 games. Kansas City (ACL) Royals [R] lost in the 1st Round of the Playoffs. Kansas City (DSL) Royals Stewart [R] won the Championship. Kansas City (DSL) Royals Glass [R] missed the Playoffs by 9 games. Around the League Results After eliminating the Royals, the Rangers came up against another AL Central team in the Twins. The Twins avenged Kansas City, cruising past Texas 4-1 to reach the World Series. Over in the National League, it was San Diego reaching the finals, knocking out St Louis, L.A. and Chicago on the way. And it was the Padres who would clinch the World Series, a 4-2 victory earning their first every World Series. Records The Orioles Jud Fabian equalled an unwanted MLB record by striking out 238 times, matching Joey Gallo’s 2024 record. Major Injuries Pitchers
Hitters
Extensions
Next, 2027 Player Evaluation… |
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05-31-2024, 07:53 PM
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#14 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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2027 Player Evaluation
The 2027 season has to be regarded as a success for the Royals. After two years away, playoff baseball returned to Kansas City. Losing out to the Rangers was disappointing but the base has been set to build on in the future.
The club remains contact-focussed, with Batting Average, OBP, Runs, Hits, and Strikeouts all trending near the top of the AL. The lack of power remains the big gap in the hitting department though, 8th in extra-base hits and 13th in HR. Some more speed might help with the stolen bases and base running performance as well. Catchers Ivan Herrera R Bat | 50 Con | 45 Gap | 45 (+5) Pow | 60 Eye | 65 / 60/ 60(+5) C Def Jesus Rodriguez R | 55 (+5) | 45 | 40 | 50 | 60 (+5) / 60(+5) / 55(-5) The 2026 catching corps returned and rewarded Stewart’s faith with solid production and improvement in 2027. Herrera (.231/.326/.349/82 wRC+) was the everyday catcher as the better defender, improving his line considerably from .195/.273.311 in 2026, while Rodriguez (.306/.360/.395/104) offered some ability to get on base and improved from 2026’s .235/.329/.309 line. In a weak catching AL, Herrera finished 5th in Catcher ERA (4.11) and 3rd in Framing Runs (4.7). Infield 1B José Miranda R | 60 | 45 (-5) | 50 | 45 | 45/55/55/45 Infield Defence 2B Nick Loftin R | 60 | 45 | 40 | 50 | 60 (+5) / 65 (+5) / 55 (+5) / 60 (+5) 3B Maikel Garcia R | 65 | 50 | 35 | 55 (+5) | 65/65/60/65 SS Bobby Witt Jr. R | 60 | 65 (+5) | 55 | 50 | 65 (-5) /70/70/70 DH Robert Perez Jr. R | 45 | 45 (-5) | 65 | 50 | 25 (-5)/30/35/25 INF Kevin Made R | 50 | 60 (-5) | 40 | 50 (+5) | 55/65/70/60 INF Josh Smith L | 55 (+5) | 50 | 45 | 60 (+5) | 55/55/60/55 INF Jose Ramos R | 50 | 60 | 40 | 50 | 55/60/55/55 The infield was very settled throughout the season – with 6 players hitting the 120-game mark. Miranda (.296/.339/.462/114) made the 1B position his own midway through the season; longer-term more power will be needed from this position, but Miranda is a good placeholder who grades out above average for 1B priorities; run generation through power. Loftin (.305/.375/.424/117) earned his second All Star selection and is everything needed at 2B. If he was younger than 29, a long-term extension would be in the offing, but his age does make that a question mark. Garcia (.256/.320/.354/82) was disappointing and a power hitting upgrade would be welcome here – especially as Garcia’s defence at 3B is not elite with a 60 arm. Witt Jr. (.302/.359/.522/132) is a stud, 6.1 WAR (7th best Royals season of all time) from only 120 games is the reason the Royals were a playoff team. 2028 is the big salary jump in his contract, though, which is going to hurt as it goes from $19m to $30m. Perez (.225/.303/.454/99) grades out as league average with wRC+ and OPS both a 99. His route to that grade, though, provides value to the team as he hit the top ten list for a Royals season in HRs (4th – 36) and RBIs (=3rd – 121). He also, however, destroyed the record for strikeouts in a season, his 226 Ks 48 more than Jorge Soler’s 2019 season and the 4th most in MLB history. His 22 HBP total was one short of the all-time Royals record. With some contact growth according to scouts, Perez will retain the DH slot for 2028. Neither Made (.244/.292/.389/80) or Smith (.213/.329/.341/86) were above average as Infield back-ups. While Smith offers a useful LHB alternative in the infield he has his second year of arbitration, and it may be time to move on from him. Made remains on a minimum contract and, having received only 90 ABs in 2027, will be back on the Royals roster in 2028. Ramos came up to back up while Witt Jr. was injured and is not a long-term roster option. Outfield LF Matthew Etzel L | 50 | 60 | 40 | 50 | 65/60/55 LF Jorge Ruiz L | 55 | 50 | 40 | 50 | 65/70/50 LF River Town L | 50 | 50 (+5) | 40 | 55 | 50/55/55 CF Jazz Chisholm Jr. L | 50 | 50 | 55 | 55 (+5) | 65/65/60 RF Steven Kwan L | 65 | 45 | 35 (-5) | 55 | 50/65/50 The outfield is a challenge in a park which almost needs three CF defensively to cover. As a group of centrefielders, the trio of Etzel (.274/.328/.424/100), Kwan (.295/.356/.379/101), and Chisholm Jr. (.290/.349/.503/122) graded out above average with the bat but Kwan’s defence (-7.6 ZR) has fallen off a cliff and there just needs to be more pop from the group. Jorge Ruiz (.267/.348/.333/90) came up in September and offered solid defence (2.7 ZR) and enough bat to ensure he will start on the roster in 2028. Kwan and Chisholm Jr. are free agents whose time in KC is likely coming to an end. Etzel will start with Ruiz while Town (.284/.369/.368/106) is deserving of another chance although his defensive ratings appear a little on the low side. It is clear there is room for at least one additional outfielder in 2028. Secondary Roster C Rodolfo Duran R | 50 | 55 | 45 | 45 | 30/35/60/25 1B Luke Adams R | 45 | 50 | 55 | 55 | 45/45/55/40 1B DJ Gladney R |40 | 55 | 60 | 45 | 40/45/60/45 LF Tyler Gentry R | 50 | 50 (+5) | 45 (+5) | 55 | 55/50/55 Four hitters on the 40-man failed to make an appearance in 2027 with Gentry the only one with a real shot at retaining their place on the 40-man for 2028. The other three will either be traded or DFA’ed. Review CATCHER Starter: Ivan Herrera ARB Back up: Jesus Rodriguez INFIELD 1B José Miranda ARB 2B Nick Loftin ARB 3B Maikel Garcia SS Bobby Witt Jr. INF Kevin Made INF Josh Smith TRADE/FA INF TBC DH Robert Perez Jr. ARB OUTFIELD LF Steven Kwan NO QO LF River Town / TBC CF Jazz Chisholm Jr FA CF Matthew Etzel RF Jorge Ruiz OF TBC The pitching was steady but came up short in the playoffs where the lack of starting aces cost the Royals. The difference in performance between the starting rotation (8th) and bullpen (3rd) indicates where the problem lay. The Royals excelled at Ks (1st), had good HR suppression (3rd), and didn’t give up a lot of hits (1st) but gave up a lot of walks (13th) with mediocre defence (7th Eff, 11th ZR). Starters POS Name T | STU | MOV | CON | PIT | STM | VELO | P1/P2/P3/P4/P5/P6 SP Mason Barnett R | 50 | 55 | 55 | 4 | 50 (-10) | 93-95 | 60/50/55/55 SP Carlos Hernandez R | 55 (-5) | 50 | 50 | 4 | 50 | 97-99 | 75/60(-5)/65(-5)/60(-5) SP Freddy Peralta R | 55 | 50 | 50 | 4 | 50 | 94-96 | 65/60/70/65 SP Anthony Veneziano L | 40 (-5) | 50 | 50 | 3 | 55 (+5) | 85-87 (-2) | 40(-5)/60/45(-5) SP Jesus Luzardo L | 50 | 50 | 50 | 4 | 55 | 95-97 | 60/55/65/55 SP Bailey Ober R | 45 (-5) | 45 | 55 | 4 | 50 (-5) | 92-94 | 55/50(-5)/50(-5)/55 The Bailey Ober (7 GS | 31.1 IP | 7.36 FIP | 14.8 K-BB% | 71 ERA+) experiment lasted until the middle of May when a torn rotator cuff ended his season after a poor first 7 starts. He will not return in 2028. Jesus Luzardo – MiL FA signing in the offseason – replaced Ober and offered replacement level pitching across 25 starts, with a 4.97 FIP and an 82 ERA+. This level of production is readily available and Luzardo will not be resigned. Barnett (32 | 167.2 | 3.46 | 15 | 137) produced another strong year, with 4.3 WAR and a 1.16 WHIP. Barnett has his first year of arbitration and will return in 2028. Hernandez (33 | 165.2 | 3.99 | 12.5 | 106) had another steady year with 3.2 WAR. A multi-year contract is not on the table for Hernandez, but he is likely to receive the QO for one final season in KC. Peralta (33 | 150.1 | 4.87 | 12.4 | 80) was the major disappointment of the season with a FIP almost a full run higher than in 2026 (3.92). On the back of his 3.2 WAR 2026 season that earned him a 3-year contract, the Royals will hope for a bounce back year in 2028. Veneziano (32 | 161 | 3.61 | 11.4 | 120) was the surprise star of the starting rotation. Having failed to impress in 2026 (93 ERA+), it required a strong spring to earn himself a starting slot but the left hander repaid the faith with a 3.9 WAR season. A loss of velocity impacting his stuff, it may make sense to try to utilise any existing trade value as he enters his arbitration years. Bullpen RP* Julian Aguiar R | 45 | 50 | 65 (+5) | 3 | 40 | 91-93 | 45/50/50 RP DJ Herz L | 70 | 55 | 35 | 3 | 45 | 93-95 | 65/60/70 RP John McMillon R | 70 | 55 | 40 | 2 | 35 | 98-100 | 80/80 RP Scott Effross R | 50 | 50 (-5) | 70 (+5) | 3 | 35 | 91-93 | 50/55/55 RP Liu Fuenmayor L | 45 | 55 | 45 | 2 | 30 | 92-94 | 50/50(+5) RP Ryan Pepiot R | 55 | 50 | 45 | 3 |50 | 94-96 | 60/55/60 RP Ryan Brady R | 40 | 50 | 60 | 4 | 60 | 91-93 | 45/40/40/45 RP Stevie Emanuels R | 65 | 50 | 45 | 3 | 55 | 90-92 | 50/60/60 RP Raimon Gomez R | 75 | 45 | 45 | 3 | 40 | 95-97 | 70/60/75 RP Tony Gonsolin R | 45 | 50 | 55 | 4 | 50 | 94-96 | 50/45/45/45 RP Kevin Kelly R | 45 | 55 | 55 | 3 | 40 | 91-93 | 45/45/45 SP Chase Burns R | 60 | 50 | 40 | 4 | 50 | 97-99 | 75/50/65/65 The bullpen was strong with the two stoppers (Herz & Gomez) exceeded 100 IP with a high K-BB% and positive ERA+. John McMillon had a league average season over 55 games, giving up a few too many walks (6.1 BB/9) than would be desirable. Aguiar, Fuenmayor, and Effross were all solidly above league average in terms of ERA+ with double figure K-BB% maintained over 55+ IP. The final spot in the pen was a rotation with waiver claim Emanuels and MiL stalwart Pepiot pitching the most during the season. Neither overly impressed and it is unlikely either will be offered arbitration, so trade or free agency is their destination. Post-September roster expansion gave the chance for MiL Free Agent signings Chase Burns and Ryan Brady to come up to the big leagues. Burns will be looking to force his way into the starting rotation in 2028 but will need to improve his walk rate (5.4 in 19 starts in AA/AAA) to stick while it is likely that Brady (with three option years left) will be in the mix for a bullpen place in 2028. Review STARTERS Mason Barnett Arbitration Carlos Hernandez Qualifying Offer Freddy Peralta Anthony Veneziano Arbitration/Trade Jesus Luzardo Free Agent Bailey Ober Free Agent BULLPEN DJ Herz Raimon Gomez John McMillon Arbitration Julian Aguiar Liu Fuenmayor Scott Effross Arbitration Stevie Emanuels Trade/Free Agent Ryan Pepiot Trade/Free Agent Tony Gonsolin Free Agent Chase Burns Kevin Kelly Arbitration Ryan Brady |
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05-31-2024, 08:08 PM
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#15 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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2027 Front Office Review
Owner Goals
John Sherman was delighted with how the 2027 season went for the Royals, so much so he extended Stewart’s contract for two years at $470,000 (a $100k raise). With that extension, came a new set of expectations: 2028 NEW Reach the Playoffs 2029 NEW Acquire a Cy Young winner 2029 Bring more of your drafted players to your team 2030 Build a top-6 minor league system 2030 NEW Reach the World Series 2031 NEW Improve your fan interest 2032 Improve your international amateur finds There should be little argument with any of those goals – starting pitching was the major gap (other than power) in the club in 2027 and signing a Cy Young winner would help with that. It is just easier said than done for a team with a payroll ranked in the twenties. Backing up the 2027 performance and reaching the playoffs again is a reasonable goal and the World Series is the aspiration, even if some luck is involved in playoff baseball and 2030 seems very soon! Finally, the more fan interest, the more ticket sales, the more budget for development and extensions so that is a sensible plan. The Royals fans became a little more loyal this year, moving up to below average. Finances Along with the new goals from John Sherman was a new budget. A $172m budget was $2m less than projected at the start of the last offseason, with a player budget of $75m, which would place us above only the White Sox in total spend. Bobby Witt Jr.’s contract will be over 35% of the total available payroll. 2029 and 2030 both have projected jumps in budget, and associated player costs, so the hope will be that this is a one-off year to navigate rather than the new norm for the Kansas City Royals. Still, it was a source of frustration for Royals fans as it came off the back of an operating profit of $43m in 2027, when season ticket sales grew by 7% and matchday revenue by 3%. Personnel There were several minor league changes for the Royals but only one change at the big league club as former GM J. J. Picollo did not have his contract renewed. There was little surprise around MLB as having the former GM under new manager and GM Stewart was an uneasy relationship. 42-year-old Eric Treat was the left field choice as the new Assistant GM, in a move most viewed as Stewart enhancing his power within the club. In addition, to Treat, there were new highs at AA (hitting coach), Arizona Rookie League (hitting and pitching coaches), and in Dominican Rookie League (hitting coach for Stewart and pitching coach for Glass). Minor Leagues Awards Murf Gray (50/50/50/50) won the Midwest (A+) League Most Valuable Player Award. Ben Kudrna (45/50/40) won the Midwest (A+) League Outstanding Pitcher Award trophy. Retirements 2027 MiL FA SP Spenser Watkins (AAA Omaha) retired from professional baseball. 2027 MiL FA RP JT Chargois (AAA Omaha) retired from professional baseball. 2027 MiL FA RP Tyler Burch (AAA Omaha) retired from professional baseball. 2027 MiL FA RP Ryne Nelson (AA Northwest Arkansas) retired from professional baseball. 2027 MiL FA 2B Kaden Polcovich (AA Northwest Arkansas) retired from professional baseball. 2027 MiL FA SP Taijuan Walker (AA Northwest Arkansas) retired from professional baseball. 2027 MiL FA RP Hoby Milner (AA Northwest Arkansas) retired from professional baseball. 2027 MiL FA RP Adrian Sampson (AA Northwest Arkansas) retired from professional baseball. 2026 MiL FA Seth Brown (AAA Omaha) retired from professional baseball. 2026 MiL FA RP Julian Merryweather (AAA Omaha) retired from professional baseball. 2026 MiL FA RP Alex Vesia (AA Northwest Arkansas) retired from professional baseball. 2026 MiL FA RP Garrett Irvin (AA Northwest Arkansas) retired from professional baseball. 2026 MiL FA RP JP Massey (AA Northwest Arkansas) retired from professional baseball. 2026 MiL FA RP Luke Summers (AA Northwest Arkansas) retired from professional baseball. 2026 MiL FA C Chris Burke (A+ Quad Cities) retired from professional baseball. 2026 MiL FA C Cesar Rodriguez (A+ Quad Cities) retired from professional baseball. 2026 MiL FA RP Jonathan Edwards (A+ Quad Cities) retired from professional baseball. 2026 MiL FA RP Leam Mendez (A+ Quad Cities) retired from professional baseball. 2025 MiL FA RP Wander Guante (AAA Omaha) retired from professional baseball. 2024 MiL FA 2B Leonel Valera (AAA Omaha) retired from professional baseball. 2024 TA LF Nick Vogt (AAA Omaha) retired from professional baseball. 2024 TA 2B Jarryd Dale (AA Northwest Arkansas) retired from professional baseball. 2024 TA 1B Jose Acosta (AA Northwest Arkansas) retired from professional baseball. 2021 7th Rd RP Noah Cameron (AA Northwest Arkansas) retired from professional baseball. 2020 AFA C Kale Emshoff (AA Northwest Arkansas) retired from professional baseball. KC Top 500 Prospects Performance The next post will cover the 2027-2028 offseason |
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06-03-2024, 10:56 AM
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#16 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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2027 Offseason
Development Lab
The plan for the development lab in the 2027 offseason was to use the first round to maximise the potential of those young-ish MLB/AAA level players to gain some incremental improvements for the 2028 season. In the second round, defence will be prioritised for a mix of Major League and Top Prospects. Round 1 Results Drew Beam
Chase Burns
Robert Perez Jr.
Matthew Etzel
Julian Aguiar
Will Banfield
Second Round – Defensive Ability Nick Loftin 2B
Wyatt Langford LF
Caleb Lomavita C
Jorge Ruiz CF Poor No regression Juan Zubia 3B
Ken Adams RF
Awards The Royals were shut out of Awards season, although Raimon Gomez was runner up for AL Reliever of the Year, while Bobby Witt Jr. (MVP) and Mason Barnett (Cy Young) both received votes in their respective awards. AL Great Gloves NL Great Gloves AL Platinum Sticks NL Platinum Sticks AL Manager of the Year – Reuben St. Amand MIN NL Manager of the Year – Mike Shildt SD AL Reliever of the Year – Jovani Moran MIN NL Reliever of the Year – Keynan Middleton CIN AL Rookie of the Year – Thatcher Hurd HOU NL Rookie of the Year – Malcolm Moore MIA AL Cy Young – Shane McClanahan TB NL Cy Young – Justin Steele CHC AL MVP – Gunnar Henderson BAL NL MVP – Jackson Chourio MIL Pre-Arbitration Extensions Signed SP Mason Barnett to a 4-year contract extension worth a total of $36,000,000.
Pre-Arbitration Trades Traded 30-year-old SS Josh Smith to the Arizona Diamondbacks, getting 24-year-old LF Jacob Jenkins-Cowart and 26-year-old LHP Liam Norris in return.
Traded 28-year-old minor league LF River Town and 21-year-old minor league 1B Ernesto Rosales to the San Diego Padres, getting 26-year-old CF Jakob Marsee and $500,000 in cash in return. Arbitration José Miranda was awarded a new one-year contract worth $5,323,200 in salary arbitration. The arbitrator ruled in favour of the player. The team had offered a salary of $4,800,000. Qualifying Offer Carlos Hernandez declined the qualifying offer to test free agency. International Free Agents It was another weak international free agent pool with the Royals only showing interest in reliever Jorge Villegas, who accepted a MiL contract with a $1.2m option. Rule 5 Draft With the Minor Leagues still reasonably bereft of talent, there was little need to make many 40 man roster additions in the run up to the Rule 5 Draft. Catcher Caleb Lomavita and DH Hunter Owen were both added along with several replacement level Relievers. There were only two transactions involving the Royals in the draft:
International Amateurs In a change of approach, the Royals signed a seven-player class of International Amateurs, highlighted by 16-year-old Venezuelan SS Alfredo Pastora, who received a $3m signing bonus. Rest of the class was: SS Alejandro Estrada MEX - $1.3m LF David Tovar DOM - $450k 2B Jesus Anaya DOM - $400k 3B Alejandro Espinoza VEN - $210k C Jorge Lona DOM - $190k CL Ignacio Barrios VEN - $150k Offseason Trades & Free Agents Friday, December 31st, 2027
Monday, January 10th, 2028 Traded 25-year old C Jesus Rodriguez, 23-year old minor league SS Justin Lebron (2026 1st Round pick), 24-year old minor league 3B Murf Gray (2025 4th Round pick), and 26-year old LF Jakob Marsee (retaining 100%) to the Texas Rangers, getting 26-year old LF Wyatt Langford in return. The performances of Lomavita (added to the 40 man ahead of the Rule 5 draft) made Rodriguez a tradeable piece that saw the Royals upgrade the power in their outfield. Marsee had come over in the River Town trade but Langford is a far superior bat. Giving up 2026 1st round pick Lebron wasn’t too difficult with Witt Jr. locked into SS for years to come while the Royals cashed in on Murf Gray’s stellar A+ season (MVP winner), scouts viewing his chances of making the Majors slim. Retaining Marsee’s contract for the season helped to close the deal. Langford had signed a 5-year deal in Texas last season worth $40m. Topping out at $10.5m in his age 29 and 30 seasons, this is a very manageable contract for an everyday (gap) power bat. Saturday, February 26th, 2028
Tuesday, February 29th, 2028 Signed free agent 1B Luis Garcia to a 3-year contract worth a total of $31,000,000. Traded 29-year old 1B José Miranda (retaining 100%) to the Pittsburgh Pirates, getting 23-year old RF Angel Rodriguez, 24-year old minor league RHP David Hagaman, and $250,000 in cash in return. Garcia had sat on the FA list all winter and with Miranda entering the final year of arbitration and looking for $10m+ for a long-term deal, this sign and subsequent trade became interesting. The Royals will overpay ($17m) for Garcia in 2028 but with years two and three both Team Options at $7m the contract has a big potential upside for a player who should be at minimum a younger version of Miranda at a cheaper price. The increase in fan interest from 73 to 74 showed a positive reaction to the signing. The acquisition of Garcia made Miranda’s trade inevitable, even in a weak market for replacement level, low power first baseman. Rodriguez has an interesting profile with time for a potential increase in contact (40/40) that could make his power (70/75) elite to go with an above average eye (55/55). Hagaman was included as additional arm depth for the Minors, while the Royals absorbed Miranda’s salary in 2028. Departures Carlos Hernandez signed a 7 year $144m deal with the Houston Astros, taking his to his age 37 season. A great deal for Hernandez justifying his rejection of the QO, this wasn’t a contract the Royals would have been close to matching and happily accept the supplemental 1st Round pick in the 2028 draft. The lack of fan disappointment showed the sense of this move. Jazz Chisholm Jr. signed a 4 year $64.8m deal with the Mets. This was a more reasonable deal with some regret shown by the decrease in fan interest from 74 to 73. However, the No Trade clause for a fragile player on an age 30-33 contract has more risk than the Royals would have been willing to take. Financial Situation Owner John Sherman was once again generous with his offseason budget review, increasing the team's budget from $172,000,000 to $190,000,000 on January 18. $8m was put straight into Player Development (now $30m) with the remainder available for any in-season salary acquisition decisions. Preseason & Spring Training The Royals went 12-12 during the Spring, matching the Tigers and the Twins in the AL Central. Injury wise, there were only a couple to note:
Around the League Retirements Kansas City Royal Legend Salvador Perez hung up his glove at the end of the Minor League season. It had been widely debated whether the Royals would retire his number given his service to the club, but controversially there was no announcement from the club. Tommy Nance retired from professional baseball. Giancarlo Stanton retired from professional baseball. Robbie Ray retired from professional baseball. Christian Yelich retired from professional baseball. Jeff Johnson retired from professional baseball. Josh Bell retired from professional baseball. Patrick Wisdom retired from professional baseball. Sean Manaea retired from professional baseball. Liam Hendriks retired from professional baseball. Vince Velasquez retired from professional baseball. Jakob Junis retired from professional baseball. Salvador Perez (AAA) retired from professional baseball. Contract Extensions Minnesota Twins: C Ryan Jeffers 6 years $135,200,000. Texas Rangers: C Logan O'Hoppe 4 years $89,600,000. St. Louis Cardinals: 2B Nolan Gorman 5 years $142,000,000. Los Angeles Dodgers: C Will Smith 5 years $179,500,000. Toronto Blue Jays: SP Ricky Tiedemann 6 years $176,700,000. Arizona Diamondbacks: SS Jordan Lawlar 8 years $150,200,000. Cleveland Guardians: 3B Oneil Cruz 3 years $89,400,000. Cincinnati Reds: 1B Noelvi Marte 4 years $81,300,000. Arizona Diamondbacks: SP Cristian Mena 5 years $76,140,000. Boston Red Sox: SS Marcelo Mayer 8 years $205,000,000. Cincinnati Reds: SP Chase Petty 5 years $37,580,000. Pittsburgh Pirates: 2B Termarr Johnson 8 years $170,400,000. Seattle Mariners: C Harry Ford 8 years $210,700,000. Atlanta Braves: SP Hurston Waldrep 5 years $45,840,000. Washington Nationals: LF James Wood 8 years $183,900,000. Free Agent Signings Los Angeles Dodgers: RP Devin Williams 2 years $57,200,000. Los Angeles Dodgers: LF Ketel Marte 4 years $72,800,000. Los Angeles Dodgers: SP Justin Steele 5 years $192,500,000. Los Angeles Angels: SP Kolby Allard 4 years $84,000,000. Houston Astros: SP Carlos Hernandez 7 years $144,600,000. Chicago White Sox: RF Kyle Tucker 4 years $84,000,000. Major Injuries Pitchers
Hitters
Hall of Fame On January 19, no less than four players were inducted into the Hall of Fame. It was 6th time luck for Carlos Beltran (84.5%), 4th for CC Sabathi (80.3%) while two first balloters made the cut with Albert Pujols (98.7%) and Robinson Cano (82.2%) joining Beltran and Sabathia in the class of 2028. |
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06-05-2024, 08:29 AM
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#17 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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2028 Roster Preview
OSA predicts the Royals to regress in 2028, with a 78-84 record and -58 run deferential. Clearly the changes in the outfield and in the rotation haven’t been favourably viewed and early season results may set the tone for a challenging season with the playoffs the stated owner goal!
Hitters Catcher With the departure of Jesus Rodriguez in the offseason, there was an open spot to back up Ivan Herrera at Catcher. Rodolfo Duran was given another (final) chance up against offseason 40-man addition Caleb Lomavita. In the end it wasn’t close as Lomavita’s 86 wRC+ and .738 OPS meant that Duran (10 wRC+, .448), out of option years, will be DFA’ed. Starter: Ivan Herrera Back Up: Caleb Lomavita Infield Major offseason acquisition 1B Luis Garcia didn’t have the best of springs (83 wRC+, .695 OPS), but having arrived on the final day of February there is faith he will produce once the season starts. 2B Nick Loftin, SS Bobby Witt Jr. and DH Robert Perez Jr. all had great springs and are ready to go. 3B Maikel Garcia struggled with a .674 OPS, struggling to outperform 2027 utility infielder Kevin Made (85 wRC+, .663 OPS) – with both players performing better against lefties, this is a position to watch as the season develops. For the final INF position, Rule 5 pick Gregory Barrios severely struggled in his first Spring and the Big Leagues might be too much for him at this point. His ratings, however, suggest otherwise, and his rival for the position is a 38-year old Nick Ahmed who has under .575 over the last two seasons in MLB. In the end youth won the day with Ahmed traded – eating 70% ($1.8m) of his salary – to the Angels for MiL pitching prospect (2024 8th Rounder), Sam Gerth. Luke Adams and DJ Gladney look like AAAA 1B. With two options years left each they will start the season at AAA, but time is running out for them to make it with the Royals organisation. Jose Ramos took some Spring training innings and can play defensively if there are middle infield injuries but is not a regular Major Leaguer. He has two more option years so will be a useful AAA player again. 1B Luis Garcia 2B Nick Loftin 3B Maikel Garcia / Kevin Made SS Bobby Witt Jr. INF Kevin Made / Maikel Garcia INF Gregory Barrios DH Robert Perez Jr. Outfield Offseason trade acquisitions Wyatt Langford (109 wRC+, .784 OPS while learning 30/60 RF) and Jacob Jenkins-Cowart (53 wRC+, .606 OPS) had very different springs. Meanwhile, Tyler Gentry (out of option years) mashed .837 with a 120 wRC+ to earn a spot on the opening day roster. Jorge Ruiz did enough to secure the CF spot while Matthew Etzel’s ability to play all three positions meant that it will be Jenkins-Cowart who starts at AAA. Gentry will be asked to learn 1B on the fly with Perez unplayable there now. LF Tyler Gentry CF Jorge Ruiz RF Wyatt Langford OF Matthew Etzel DH Hunter Owen has an interesting profile (45 Contact | 70 Power | 60 Eye) and with Perez Jr. entering arbitration years he will remain at AAA but ready to make his debut if the appropriate occasion arises before challenging Perez in 2029. His Spring certainly made an impression combining a BB rate of 30% with a SO rate of 40%. Arms Chase Burns and Drew Beam both did enough to earn positions in the starting rotation to start the year although Burns walk rate (19.6%) will have to improve in-season for him to be a long-term solution. Last year’s surprise package Anthony Veneziano struggled during the spring with an unsustainable 2.3 HR/9 rate and there are fears of severe regression but the only left-handed pitcher in the rotation keeps his job, for now. Rounding out the rotation are newly extended Mason Barnett alongside Freddy Peralta, who is playing for a TO contract in 2029. The bullpen was fairly settled coming into the offseason with seven returning pitchers at Spring Training. However, the arrival of Liam Norris as part of the Josh Smith trade, along with FA agent signing Jose Ruiz meant some competition was inevitable. Indeed, both Norris and Ruiz pitched well enough to start in the bullpen, with 2027 high performers Raimon Gomez, DJ Herz, and Julian Aguiar all returning. Gomez and Herz will act as stoppers to start the season while it was encouraging to see Aguiar’s development lab success help him to a team low 2.39 FIP over the Spring. Scott Effross is on the decline and it may be a ‘heart decision’ but he will start his final season with the Royals. Likewise, Kevin Kelly pitched well when promoted in September last year but a 16.7% walk rate in the Spring has him on a short leash. Ryan Brady and Cade Cavalli had poor springs and will start the season in AAA while Hayden Wesneski suffered a strained calf which hindered his encouraging Spring so he will join them to get back up to speed. He will be top of the list for a call up when the need arises. That left the final spot between 2027 over achiever Liu Fuenmayor and 2026 FA signing and AAA starter Josiah Gray. Fuenmayor and Gray really struggled through the Spring but Gray’s superior stuff gave him the final spot with Fuenmayor headed to AAA for the first time after going straight from AA to the Big Leagues last year. SP Mason Barnett SP Drew Beam SP Chase Burns SP Freddy Peralta SP Anthony Veneziano RP Julian Aguiar RP Raimon Gomez RP DJ Herz RP Liam Norris RP Jose Ruiz RP Scott Effross RP Kevin Kelly RP Josiah Gray |
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06-05-2024, 08:36 AM
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#18 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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Prospect Preview
Jimmy Goodman will have Royal fans’ eyes on him as the 25th ranked prospect opens at AA level. A strong season could see him on the fast track to the 2029 roster although some thought he would have been better placed opening at A+ after less than 200 PA in A ball in 2027.
Alongside Goodman at AA is Angel Rodriguez, acquired as part of the Miranda trade. His power and eye should guarantee home runs and walks, but his challenge is to manage his strikeout rate. On the pitching side, Marcos Paz and William Schmidt should provide a strong 1-2 combination at A+ and will be hoping both have a short stay there on the road to opening 2029 in the top of the minor leagues. Isaac Morton will aim to show that his stuff is still dominant at the AA level after registering 62K in 51IP at A+ in 2027 but will need to see his walk rate (4 BB/9 at A+) reduce to continue his progress. KC Top 500 Prospects RNK (PREV) POS NAME AGE | 2026 LVL | 2027 LVL | CON | GAP | POW | EYE Bats 12 (15) 3B Juan Zubia 18 | DSL | DSL | 55 | 50 | 75 | 75 25 (25) CF Jimmy Goodman 22 | A | AA | 55 | 55 | 55 | 75 85 (93) SS Jeremy Rogerson 22 | COL | R | 55 | 50 | 60 | 50 182 (177) LF Luis Cabrera 18 | DSL | DSL | 55 | 50 | 60 | 50 198 (207) 1B Marv Hubbard 19 | DL | R | 60 | 50 | 65 | 55 226 (208) LF Braylin Tavera 23 | AA | AAA | 45 | 50 | 55 | 65 252 (308) RF Ken Adams 18 | DL | R | 60 | 60 | 65 | 45 299 (281) 1B Luke Adams 23 | AAA | AAA | 45 | 50 | 60 | 55 384 (405) CF Juan Ramirez 17 | DSL | DSL | 60 | 55 | 55 | 55 417 (491) C Edgar Rivera 17 | DSL | DSL | 55 | 50 | 65 | 60 487 (NR) LF Angel Rodriguez 23 | A+ | AA | 40 | 40 | 75 | 55 RNK (PREV) POS NAME AGE | 2026 LVL | 2027 LVL | STU | MOV | CON | STA | PIT Arms 95 (68) RHP Mike Hoffer 19 | HS | R | 65 | 50 | 60 | 55 | 4 181 (189) RHP Josh Olaniyan 19 | R | R | 45 | 50 | 55 | 50 | 3 243 (188) RHP Marco Paz 21 | A | A+ | 55 | 50 | 50 | 60 | 4 297 (291) RHP William Schmidt 22 | A | A+ | 55 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 3 331 (322) RHP Isaac Morton 23 | A+ | AA | 50 | 55 | 45 | 55 | 3 344 (234) RHP Chase Burns 25 | MLB | MLB | 60 | 55 | 45 | 50 | 4 MLB Top 20 Prospects Juan Zubia is the Royals’ sole representative, the 3B prospect ranked as the 12th overall prospect in baseball, headlining a Kansas City Farm that now ranks as the 13th best in baseball. Next update will be at the 2028 All Star Break |
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06-07-2024, 11:07 AM
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#19 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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Royals limp to 47-51 All Star Break Record
If the aim was to build on the success of 2027, the first half of the season did not go to plan for the Kansas City Royals (47-51) as the league prepares to restart following the All Star Game. One winning month (14-13 in May) across the first three months of the season is a not a recipe for a successful season, as the standings show. Luckily for the Royals, while a Wildcard seems out of reach with the Royals 7 games back, the AL Central is a division of mediocrity and the Royals are 1˝ game out of 1st place. All to play for over the last 64 games, then, for a franchise looking for back-to-back playoff appearances for only the second time this century.
The team batting stats show a sorry regression towards 2026 after the highs of 2027. No power (14th) or walks (15th) are nothing new, but paired with poor OBP (12th) and hits (7th), leave the Royals with the 11th best runs scored total (371) in the American League. On the pitching side, there has been a reversal from 2027 with the starting pitching owning the 2nd best ERA in the American League (3.90) but the bullpen struggling (7th). The Royals give up too many Home Runs (121 – 12th) and walks (340 – 13th) but in most other statistics are performing well, including leading the AL in hits allowed, opponents AVG, and strikeouts. The fielding has seen a sharp increase, leading both defensive efficiency and zone rating in the AL. It seems clear, then, that the Royals need to find some more hitting, and to improve the bullpen to give up less HRs and Walks. Sorting the batters by At Bats and one of the main issues in the first half of the season becomes clear – availability. None of two-time All Star Nick Loftin (53%), MVP superstar Bobby Witt Jr. (57%) or big off season outfield power bat Wyatt Langford (53%) have appeared in more than 60 games. Starting center fielder Jorge Ruiz has been out since May 8 with a ruptured tendon in his foot while even major offseason FA signing Luis Garcia is currently halfway through a five-week absence with a fractured wrist. While trades on the hitting side shouldn’t be ruled out, the best route to the postseason for the Royals is fitness. The Catching corps have been adequate with both Herrera (2.8) and new back up Lomavita (0.4) offering positive framing. Their bats have been similar with Lomavita (.244/.302/.385/ 86wRC+) hitting for slightly more power but walking less and striking out more. Lomavita has some growth left in his bat and will be given a slightly bigger role in the back half of the season to see what development he can show. At first base, Luis Garcia (.280/.330/.418 / 97 wRC+) is showing good swing mechanics (12.3 SO%) but needs to put more balls in play when he comes back from injury. Garcia’s injury opened a path for Hunter Owen (2024 4th Rd) to make his big-league debut. Having only started learning 1B at AAA this year, Owen has been almost a revelation; at 6’ 6” he is built for the position, but a 7.77 RNG and 0.6 ZR through his first 125+ innings in the position is beyond the best of hopes. A line of .237/.277/.542 / 112 wRC+ with 6 HR in his first 60 ABs will prove a nice problem on Garcia’s return. At 2B, Loftin’s (.263/.333/.387 / wRC+ 97) injury has left a big hole in the line-up. Rule 5 acquisition Gregory Barrios(.217/.263/.270 / 43 wRC+) has stepped into the everyday role but has struggled. Fans second guessing the decision to trade Ahmed at the start of the season to retain Barrios have plenty of ammunition. Loftin is on a rehab assignment in Omaha and will be back before the end of the month. 3B Maikel Garcia (.253/.312/.359 / 83 wRC+) is coming to the end of the line with the Royals organisation. The hoped for bounce back has not appeared with his stat line broadly in line with 2027 (-.003/-.008/.005). The challenge is likely to be finding a taker for his $10m 2028 season salary. Kevin Made will not be the answer as his performance (.224/.254/.343 / wRC+ 57) was so bad he was sent down to AAA before Loftin’s injury. In what would be a defensive regression, the solution may be to move Luis Garcia to 3B and slot Owen in as the everyday 1B. Shortstop has been a rotational challenge with Bobby Witt Jr. (.252/.294/.411 / 86 wRC+) spending more time on the IL (7-8 weeks across 4 injuries) this season – hopefully some time in the development lab over the coming off season will put an end to these problems. Jose Caballero, the winter MiL FA signing, has spent some unconvincing time in the Majors - .177/.275/.271 – and recently 2027 back up Jose Ramos has had some at bats, with some success. Witt Jr. is healthy now and the Royals will be looking for him to anchor the line up over the last 68 games. The new look outfield has been decimated by injury and performance. Tyler Gentry (.184/.281/.262 / 49 OPS+) was unplayable and after a considerable run of 42 games, and out of options, he was DFA and will play out the season in AAA. Centrefielder Jorge Ruiz’s ruptured tendon saw trade acquisition Jacob Jenkins-Cowart called up – with Matthew Etzel moving to CF – and he has performed very well, 16 HRs to go with a .279/.333/.543 line and 133 wRC+. Wyatt Langford was out for 6 weeks with a high ankle sprain but, when fit, has also offered the expected pop - .282/.336/.503 / 126 wRC+. Braylin Tavera came up to provide some extra CF cover when Langford was injured but has really struggled and the Royals are counting down the days for Ruiz to return. An everyday outfield of Langford / Ruiz / Jenkins-Cowart should provide more than enough offence while retaining defensive cover for the pitching staff. The second best ERA in the AL from starters is underpinned by a breakout season from Chase Burns and an historic season from Mason Burnett. No Royals pitcher has ever had a season ERA under 2.00 but Barnett is flirting with the record, an ERA of 1.73 through 20 starts earning him a first All-Star nomination (he was named starting pitcher although did not pitch during the game) while holding opponent batters to a .161 average. A .198 BABIP suggests there will be some regression before the end of the season but his performance is already paying back that offseason 4 year extension. Burns (108 ERA+) is the only starter with a FIP under 3.50, with his 3.04 a full half a run lower than Barnett's. A 31.5% strike out rate is elite and a .327 BABIP suggests his performance is not an outlier. Drew Beam has been adequate in his first rotation season – 4.71 FIP, 16 K-BB%, 98 ERA+ – while Veneziano (5.32 FIP, 100 ERA+) has regressed from his 2027 numbers and Peralta (4.94 FIP, 85 ERA+) is not looking like a pitcher who will have his 2029 option picked up by the team. With five of the bullpen holding FIP under 3.90, there is a strong base of arms. The challenge is that the two struggling pitchers still in the pen (Herz and Gomez) are the team’s stoppers and have been collectively bad. Gomez was still selecting to his second All Star game, pitching one shutout inning and collecting the win. McMillon, who returned to the bullpen immediately following his recovery from injury, may give Herz a rest as a stopper for the rest of July, but the Royals will definitely be on the lookout for a reliever or two in the run up to the trade deadline. Their one acquisition to date, Reid-Foley, has been disappointing and it is likely that Josiah Gray (starting in AAA) will be seen back in the big leagues well before roster expansion. Kelly, having won the last place in the bullpen in Spring Training, struggled in 15 games and is back to AAA. Nick Margevicius, former Royal and 2026 MiL FA signing, replaced him and has offered adequate relief, poorly supported with a FIP (3.63) over 2 runs lower than his ERA. Unfortunately, former closer Scott Effross has struggled all season and the ASB has seen him demoted to AAA. A 7.99 ERA is simply unplayable and this could be the end of a Royals career that peaked in 2026 with his 41(8th All-time for the Royals) saves. Trades May 3rd, with the Royals sitting at 13-17, RP Sean Reid-Foley was claimed off waivers from Cincinnati. RP Josiah Gray was optioned to Triple A Omaha. Injuries Wednesday, April 12th , 2028
Saturday, April 15th , 2028
Tuesday, May 2nd , 2028
Friday, May 12th , 2028
Friday, June 2nd , 2028
Friday, June 23rd , 2028
Minor Leagues Bats 3B Juan Zubia DSL – the 19-year-old is having a solid (.286/.465/.381) season but will stay in DSL to finish the season. CF Jimmy Goodman AA – the concerns about over promotion maybe true for Goodman who has struggled with a .199 average at AA level. He will remain there for the season and hope he can turn it around. SS Jeremy Rogerson R – excelled in Rookie Ball (1.041 OPS) and will move up to A+ LF Luis Cabrera DSL – another difficult season (.283/.372/.358) for the 19yo, who will remain at DSL. 1B Marv Hubbard R – solid numbers (.250/.361/.462) from the 19yo but he will finish up the Rookie ball season. LF Braylin Tavera AAA – made his ML debut but has struggled (.425 OPS) so will head back to AAA. RF Ken Adams R – like Hubbard, the 19yo has performed well (.757 OPS) but will finish Rookie season. 1B Luke Adams AAA – has excelled (1.129 OPS) but was overlooked for Hunter Owen when a 1B was needed. CF Juan Ramirez DSL – at 18yo, finishing the season at DSL is not bad thing after a so-so season so far (.790 OPS). C Edgar Rivera DSL – like Ramirez, will remain at DSL albeit with better performance (.871 OPS). LF Angel Rodriguez AA – too much power (.490 SLG) for AA and promoted to AAA to finish the season. Arms RHP Mike Hoffer R – 12.4 K/9 rate is excellent, will finish up the Rookie season. RHP Josh Olaniyan R – 6.0 BB/9 is holding him back, will finish up the Rookie season. RHP Marco Paz A+ - 94 ERA+ with 12.6 K/9 had him close to promotion but he will stick in A+. RHP William Schmidt A+ - 72 ERA+/12.2 K/9 meant he wasn’t quite as close as Paz for a promotion. RHP Isaac Morton AA – 109Ks in 101 IP with a 131 ERA+ earned Morton a promotion to AAA. RHP Chase Burns MLB – has done everything asked of him at the ML level. 2027 Draft After their pennant winning 2027, the Royals had their lowest 1st round pick in years, making the 25th pick. With Hernandez rejecting his QO, they were also armed with a supplementary pick, the 35th overall. SS Tim Storer is an elite infield defender who could play up the middle, or at 3B if his power develops. The potential plus power is paired with a plus plus eye – forcing teams to pitch in his zone with the ability to knock the ball out of the park. A 35 current contact rating means he will start in R ball but is likely to make rapid progress next season. 3B Danny Petty was the Royals’ supplementary 1st round pick, and he will start in A ball. Petty can play in any corner position, infield or outfield, with a well-rounded hitting profile with above average power. Petty is a two way player, with mid rotation potential based on above average stuff and three quality pitches. Round 2, Pick 28, SP David Garza, age 17 out of high school Round 3, Pick 21, CF Enny Mijhail Van Dyke, age 18 out of high school Round 4, Pick 23, SP Lazaro Espinal, age 21 out of college Round 5, Pick 23, CF Tim Spears, age 18 out of high school Garza rejected the Royals signing bonus and will stay in education. The Royals will receive a supplementary draft pick in the 2029 draft. Espinal will start in A ball, while the rest of the Royals will start in Rookie ball with the exception of 20th round pick RP Tim Boone, who will start at A+ as Closer. The top five picks of the first round were: Round 1, Pick 1 - Oakland Athletics: SS Chris Ryder, age 18 out of high school Round 1, Pick 2 - Miami Marlins: SS Rusty Kopp, age 21 out of college Round 1, Pick 3 - Houston Astros: C Dana Barndt, age 22 out of college Round 1, Pick 4 - Seattle Mariners: LF Mike Miller, age 21 out of college Round 1, Pick 5 - Philadelphia Phillies: SS Steve Melendy, age 21 out of college Around the League Major Injuries Pitchers Boston and the Dodgers lost two starting pitchers for the season while Carlos Hernandez, who signed a $144m, 7-year contract with the Astros after rejecting the Royals QO, ruptured his ulnar collateral ligament and will miss the next 12 months.
Hitters 1B were a high risk investment with three teams losing their starters for an extended period. Cleveland felt jinxed, losing their starting Catcher and their two-time All Star for the season on the same day.
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06-08-2024, 09:10 AM
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#20 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Apr 2024
Posts: 464
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Royals miss out on 2028 Post Season
Post-ASB Review
It was a disappointing second half of the season for the Royals, a 31-36 record seeing them limp home 5 games behind AL Central champions the Cleveland Guardians (and 7 games out of a Wild Card spot) with an overall 77-85 record. OSA felt smug as Kansas City finished within a game of the preseason prediction of 78-84. Within a frustrating season, September really put paid the Royals hopes as a 10-16 month was too poor to escape even a mediocre AL Central. Trades The Royals had made one pre-Trade Deadline change to try to ignite the ballclub for the run in. Waiver claim Sean Reid-Foley hadn’t performed well since arriving, and adding in AAA 24-year-old Sam Gerth (acquired in the Nick Ahmed trade), allowed the Royals to pick up 34-year old RHP Trevor Megill (retaining 50%) from the St. Louis Cardinals, with the Cardinals retaining 50% ($2.6m) of his salary. Injuries The Royals did manage to stay reasonably healthy through the back half of the season, although losing Bobby Witt Jr. for 5 weeks to end the season just about summed up the team’s September. October
Owner Goals Review Goal Deadline Progress Reach the Playoffs 2028 Failed Acquire a Cy Young winner 2029 No progress Bring more of your drafted players to your team 2029 No 2028 MLB draftees Build a top-6 minor league system 2030 From 28th to 14th Reach the World Series 2030 No progress Improve your fan interest 2031 From 74 - 68 Improve your international amateur finds 2032 No 2028 MLB signees Minor Leagues Post Season Omaha Storm Chasers [AAA] won the Championship. Northwest Arkansas Naturals [AA] won the Championship. Quad Cities River Bandits [A+] lost in the Championship Final. Columbia Fireflies [A] missed the playoffs by 17 games. Kansas City (ACL) Royals [R] lost in the 1st Round of the Playoffs. Kansas City (DSL) Royals Stewart [R] won the Championship. [back-to-back] Kansas City (DSL) Royals Glass [R] missed the Playoffs by 6 games. Around the League Results The Mets (87-75) made it back-to-back National League Champions, sweeping the Rangers (87-75) for their title since 1986, 42 years ago. The Mets did it the hard way after finishing runners up in the NL East and claiming a Wild Card. On the American League side, all three Wild Card places were taken by teams from the AL East, the Blue Jays coming 4th in the division with a 84-78 record. Records Braden Montgomery DET continued the modern trend by setting a new single season record for strikeouts (242) with a 250 strikeout season seemingly only a matter of time. Seven of the top ten strikeout seasons of all time have been recorded in the last three years. Major Injuries Pitchers
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