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]
Jeff Passan with a good breakdown of every playoff team if you want a playoff preview. He's picking the Phillies over the Astros in the WS. Acknowledged having second thoughts since Yordan Alvarez is banged up for Houston but stuck with it because the AL is a group of teams who all have major weaknesses, which isn't wrong.
Kansas City stumbled into the postseason, losing seven consecutive games twice in the past five weeks. Still, it wasn't enough to spoil the Royals' first playoff experience since winning the World Series in 2015. The Royals' pitching, as it has all year, concluded the season projecting strength -- and Minnesota blowing its lead in the wild-card race allowed Kansas City to waste neither Cole Ragans nor Seth Lugo before its playoff series.
The Royals getting to start those two in any order is deeply disadvantageous for the Orioles. Ragans has pitched like an ace this season, and Lugo has been every bit as good. And out of nowhere, the Royals' bullpen has been among the game's best. In the past two weeks, Kansas City sports the second-best reliever ERA at 1.42. The Royals will need all the zeroes they can muster. Beyond Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez, the Royals' offense is iffy, and the likelihood of Kansas City making a run deep into the playoffs will rely on some of the supporting cast learning how not to be iffy. Maybe it's Tommy Pham or Yuli Gurriel, guys who have been there. Or, if they're lucky, maybe Vinnie Pasquantino, who's desperately trying to make his way back from a broken thumb and sounds optimistic about it happening. However far the Royals go, it's a stark reminder: Invest money like owner John Sherman did, and very good things can happen.
Originally Posted by GeorgeZimZam:
TO: KC_CONNECTION
SUBJECT: BELIZE IN OCTOBER FOR THEE
SCHADENFREUDE MO’ FUKKA!
WOMP WOMP
ROYALS GDT CREW
162 GDT’s later, and we’re in the playoffs baby! Even better that it comes to the chagrin of some jealous, petty, sanctimonious, passive aggressive jackwagon masquerading as a Chiefs and Jayhawks fan. But if I had to live in Canada while getting my ass blown out daily by Josh Donaldson’s white trash cock, I’d probably be a little bitter too. [Reply]
