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]
Ok, so I'm a guy that very loosely pays attention to the Royals nowadays. So is this actually a competitive team? I know the awesome current record won't last, but is. 500 baseball a real possibility over the 162 game span? [Reply]
Originally Posted by loochy:
Ok, so I'm a guy that very loosely pays attention to the Royals nowadays. So is this actually a competitive team? I know the awesome current record won't last, but is. 500 baseball a real possibility over the 162 game span?
It is a possibility if the team by and large stays healthy. We have some aging pitching, though (with very little depth). So the vulnerability to lack of durability is likely going to cause issues. This has been a sample size against poor quality competition while mostly all being home games. We'll have a better gauge of the team come May 1. [Reply]
Originally Posted by loochy:
Ok, so I'm a guy that very loosely pays attention to the Royals nowadays. So is this actually a competitive team? I know the awesome current record won't last, but is. 500 baseball a real possibility over the 162 game span?
If the starting pitching holds up, absolutely. That was the main focus of FA.
The bullpen has been terrible at times, but luckily there are some possible reinforcements there down in the minors.
The offense is what it is. It will struggle some days and roll others. Probably will have several stretches of both throughout the season.
But again, that's why you have the starting pitching. To keep the score down and the game within reach when the offense struggles. It will come down to them performing and avoiding injuries. Period. [Reply]
Originally Posted by loochy:
Ok, so I'm a guy that very loosely pays attention to the Royals nowadays. So is this actually a competitive team? I know the awesome current record won't last, but is. 500 baseball a real possibility over the 162 game span?
We’re looking at 90 plus wins, way more than .500. Our run differential is insane so far. Which is why it’s sustainable. [Reply]
Originally Posted by TomBarndtsTwin:
If the starting pitching holds up, absolutely. That was the main focus of FA.
The bullpen has been terrible at times, but luckily there are some possible reinforcements there down in the minors.
The offense is what it is. It will struggle some days and roll others. Probably will have several stretches of both throughout the season.
But again, that's why you have the starting pitching. To keep the score down and the game within reach when the offense struggles. It will come down to them performing and avoiding injuries. Period.
I think Angel Zerpa is a really nice weapon in the pen, too. Good-enough stuff. Left-handed. Tough-minded.
If the starting pitching is solid throughout the year, this team is absolutely good enough to win the Central. [Reply]
Didn't have his best stuff, staked to a big lead, just gutted through 5 to help his BP out a little and retain the lead against a quality club.
Damn near anyone can be good when they bring their A stuff to the mound. The top of the rotation guys are guys who can get you to the finish line with their B stuff. Or guys that can give you 6 with 3 earned when they brought dick to the park that day.
As a kid in KC, Kevin Appier was a guy that could do that for the Royals. Even his bad days were days where he'd mitigate damage and get the job done. A less talented version of him then came to STL in Todd Stottlemeyer. And finally there was the guy I will FOREVER remember as a bulldog, Chris !@#$ing Carpenter. I will forever love that guy not for what he did on days that he was locked in, but for the things he did on days that he wasn't.
Thought it best to put this in the repository as it was too good of a post to be lost in a game day thread.
It’s very true of Appier and Jack McDowell in that 1993 season.
In the 70’s and early 80’s that bulldog was Dennis Leonard. I was fortunate enough to see him when he was completely unhittable with that slider.
But on days he didn’t have that slider he would battle like a mother and, especially at home, the Royals would jump on a mistake by the other team and he could finish or turn it over to Quiz. Most of the time he finished the job himself.
As he was aging and had arm injuries (83-84 and 85) he relied on guile and location. One fine May Day I scored tickets in the 4th row behind home plate against the Orioles. Pretty sure it was 83. O’s had a great lineup. But Murray had been in a slump and hadn’t hit a HR in like 20 games.
Leo was pitching in the 4th and I think there were two on. He got Murray to foul off a couple of pitches but couldn’t get him to fish.
Count was full. Advantage Murray. Leo from the stretch rares back and for the first time I’d ever seen it, threw about an 80 MPH slurve like pitch. (Think vintage CWS Lamar Hoyt).
Murray saw it, but couldn’t trigger. Genuflected at it as it dropped in Sundberg’s glove. As Leonard was walking to the dugout Murray said loud enough for everyone in that section to hear:
“Where the **** did you find that (pitch)”?
Leonard snuck a grin and said “Been saving that for ya”! And kept on trucking to the dugout.
Murray said back to him - and Eddie Murray was a surly MF’er and great player
“**** you, mother ****er”.
Leonard laughed and the entire section broke into laughter.
Murray homered later in the game off Leonard to win it 1-0.
But by then Dennis Leonard wasn’t the same pitcher. Dude would throw 20 complete games a year at his peak. And that story you told reminded me of how tough a competitor he was. [Reply]
The @Royals 2023 first-round draft pick's first professional career home run is an absolute BOMB to deep right field, putting the Fireflies up 7-0 after the 6th pic.twitter.com/gy3zwaJ3Lz
Originally Posted by GabyKeepsMeWarm:
Defensively too.
Bonertown
Population: Royals Kingdom
I've been assured we have no room for Massey, because Adam Frasier and especially Garrett Hampson(super utility man!) are too important to this team. [Reply]
