Year Two of the Matt Quatraro tenure. Time to take a step up this year. Active in free agency and trades this offseason. A new look pitching rotation and bullpen. Will the young players take the leap up offensively? Bobby Witt extension? New stadium? Will Vinny recover from injury? Salvy taking aim at the Royals record book? Will Cole Ragans turn into the best Royals starting pitcher since Greinke 1.0?
Free Agents/Trades Acquisitions
Seth Lugo, SP
Michael Wacha, SP
Kyle Wright, SP
Hunter Renfroe, OF/DH
Will Smith, RP
Chris Stratton, RP
Nick Anderson, RP
Adam Frazier, 2B
Garrett Hampson, INF/OF
Matt Sauer, RP [Reply]
Bobby Witt Jr. is on pace to have an 11.4 fWAR. If he does that, then he will have the 18th highest fWAR in a season. What makes it even more impressive is that he would have the highest fWAR in 20 years. Barry Bonds is the only player in the 2000s to have a higher fWAR than 11.4.
Now let's just include highest single season fWAR since the expansion era began around 1959-1960. We will take out all of the really old time players that didn't have near the competition of today. Where does an 11.4 fWAR rank Bobby Witt Jr in the last 65 years of baseball?
2002 - Barry Bonds 12.7 WAR
2001 - Barry Bonds 12.5 WAR
2004 - Barry Bonds 11.9 WAR
1999 - Pedro Martinez 11.6 WAR
1967 - Carl Yastrzemski 11.1 WAR
2022 - Aaron Judge 11.1 WAR
An 11.4 fWAR puts Bobby at 4th highest since the expansion era. Bobby is gonna have a top 20 season in baseball history and will probably not win the league MVP. [Reply]
The other thing about the MVP race is the Royals lost 106 games last year. They need 13 more wins to be on a short list of teams to lose 100 and have a winning record the next year. The 2017 Twins are the only team to lose 100 and make the playoffs the next year. [Reply]
One more fact you won't believe, after the Phillies loss today the Royals are only 4 games behind them for the best record in baseball. Royals have the 9th best record overall and the 2nd best run differential behind the Yankees. [Reply]
If we can take the Central, an ALCS appearance feels like a very real possibility. From there, who knows? We have three of the most productive bats in the league.
Incredible. The Royals are like that friend that never gets laid, but when he does it’s nothing but the hottest chicks you’ve ever seen. [Reply]
Originally Posted by smithandrew051:
If we can take the Central, an ALCS appearance feels like a very real possibility. From there, who knows? We have three of the most productive bats in the league.
Incredible. The Royals are like that friend that never gets laid, but when he does it’s nothing but the hottest chicks you’ve ever seen.
The real advantage in any of these early rounds is that they're short series. Even if they're a wild card it's a 3 game series. That helps shorten the bullpen since there's only 3 starters. They'll be able to get creative. [Reply]
Originally Posted by tk13:
One more fact you won't believe, after the Phillies loss today the Royals are only 4 games behind them for the best record in baseball. Royals have the 9th best record overall and the 2nd best run differential behind the Yankees.
Was looking a that last night. Very real possibility the Royals can take the division. But, best for me to keep eyes on the next game only. [Reply]
Huge start of the week ahead for the boys in blue. Royals get the Angels at home for 3, while Twins @ Padres (3 games) and Guardians get Yankees (3 home games starting tomorrow). [Reply]
Originally Posted by RockChalk:
Huge start of the week ahead for the boys in blue. Royals get the Angels at home for 3, while Twins @ Padres (3 games) and Guardians get Yankees (3 home games starting tomorrow).
Originally Posted by RockChalk:
Huge start of the week ahead for the boys in blue. Royals get the Angels at home for 3, while Twins @ Padres (3 games) and Guardians get Yankees (3 home games starting tomorrow).
Alright fellas, just 12 series over 6 weeks remain on the slate. And hol-y shee-it--while there are a few irrelevant teams mixed in, the Royals are about to embark upon one helluva stretch run.
We'll host the (tied for last place) Angels for 3 games starting this evening, (Thursday off), followed by a weekend series with the first place Phillies to conclude the home stand. I hope you like first place opponents, because they don't end there.
Not only no days off next week, but a roadtrip that features two 4-game series. That's right--8 games in a 7-day calendar week. Four games at first place Cleveland kicked off with a Monday double header, followed by 4 more at first place Houston.
Two weeks from now: a home stand that starts with Cleveland (hopefully no longer in first place by then), and ends with (currently in second place) Minnesota (after a much needed Thursday off).
Even beyond that three week stretch, we'll travel to the Bronx for a series at (tied for) first place New York that concludes on 9/11, (another Thursday for rest/travel) and a weekend trip at (last place) Pittsburgh. (Don't forget to pack your diapers, Gaby!) Leading up to the Pirates, our preceding six opponents all occupy first place in their divisions (as of today's date), with the second place Twins the lone exception:
Phillies
Guardians
Astros
Guardians
Twins
Yankees
From there, a one-week home stand facing Detroit and San Francisco; and finally, a roadtrip to Washington D.C. and Atlanta to wrap up the regular season. (The Giants are 4.0 games behind the Braves for the final National League Wild Card spot.)
I'm starting to get excited.
Spoiler!
I feel the master...
We bout to be singing WE READY in the ATL that final series? :-):-)