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]
Originally Posted by WilliamTheIrish:
This gem was posted on May 28, 2024 during the 5th inning of a game that ended with the possible lead/winning run at the plate in the top of the 9th. With one of the best players in MLB at the plate.
I post the quote to demonstrate that the quoted poster is an absolute bitch.
After the Royals lose 3 straight after winning 8 straight. Oh and that 3 game losing streak? Over.
Originally Posted by GabyKeepsMeWarm:
Lugo has been an absolute marvel. Anyone wanna do the work to find out the last time we had a pitcher who was 9-1? Without looking, I’d say maybe Appier in ‘95 or maybe Saberhagen in ‘87? For all I know, we may never have had a pitcher start the season 9-1.
But more than Lugo, to finally have a competent rotation is great. Hell, we’ve got one of the best rotations in the entire league, and that’s gonna keep us in the hunt all year. Nice knowing we have Lynch and Bubic perhaps waiting in the wings if anyone gets hurt and we won’t have a significant drop off.
If this continues, I’ll shoot my shot and say this will go down as the best rotation in KC history.
It was Saberhagen in 1987. He went to 12-2 with a 2.25 ERA at the time. Finished 18-10. [Reply]
He was so damn good for a decent stretch, but those 3 consecutive years he was at his best. He didn't have the massive strikeout numbers, but the guy didn't walk anyone. [Reply]
I'm not sure if anyone ever talked to Sal Perez about his 2021, but I'd love to know if he was just full-on "screw it, grip it and rip it" mode that year.
48 HR when he's never had 28 in any other year. 170 K when he's only once topped 120 in any other year. pic.twitter.com/dWpb8ExYQQ
6. Royals — Bryce Rainer, SS, Harvard-Westlake HS, Studio City, Calif.
The Royals have had the most smoke about a prep player of any of the other teams picking inside the top 10. Earlier in the spring Konnor Griffin was the name frequently mentioned with them, though over the last week or so I’ve heard that Rainer might be both the preferred target for Kansas City and more likely to be the first high school hitter off the board.
There are cases for both Griffin and Rainer as the top high school player in the class—the two are ranked back-to-back on the BA board—but model-heavy teams might prefer Griffin due to the fact that he’s nearly a full year younger than Rainer. Rainer does have the lefthanded hitting shortstop profile from Southern California, however, and you probably wouldn’t have to fight too hard to convince scouts that demographic has a better success rate than a prep hitter from Mississippi.
I’ve not heard this specifically, but would anyone be shocked if new scouting director Brian Bridges went after a prep pitcher he really liked in this spot? Given his track record with that demographic I’m not sure I would be—though it could simply be too early for that here at six given the talent available. [Reply]
6. Royals: Nick Kurtz, 1B, Wake Forest (No. 4)
He shook off a slow start and now has 22 homers and a 1.327 OPS for the year. Who wouldn’t want to see him in a lineup with Bobby Witt Jr.? [Reply]
6. Kansas City Royals
Braden Montgomery, RF, Texas A&M
K.C. has been tied to almost every player in the top 10. I think they'd also take any of the first four projected picks if they get to this spot. They've also been linked to the top prep bats -- Bryce Rainer and Konnor Griffin -- but I think those are secondary choices. For later picks, the Royals have been tied to almost every prep pitcher in the draft, so I have a good chuckle whenever I get a phone call that another one comes up tied to them. [Reply]
I like Montgomery quite a bit, and best of those options. He's a switch hitter, he has great tools, and he has been productive in college while also showing a feel from the strike zone. He's dead even on walks and Ks this year, which is encouraging.
True opportunity to be an on-base + power + baserunning + defense guy in a corner, and to be that quickly. [Reply]
I'd really absolutely hate going with a prep player, especially a SS. Montgomery looks like a damn good choice. I like guys that keep there walk numbers close to there strikeout numbers. Guys that do that are rare and it seems to be an indicator that the player will be an average hitter at worst. [Reply]
Speaking of guys that walk around the same rate as they strikeout, wtf is up with Vinnie? He's struck out 19 times in May with only 5 walks. He's had 13 games with a strikeout and 5 this month. He only had 5 double digit strikeout games his entire rookie year and he only had 6 double digit strike out games all of last year. From May 9th to May 30th of this year, so 18 games he had all 5 of those double digit strikeout games. During that 18 game stretch he's had just 2 walks to 17 strikeouts.
I think he's starting to press and is probably frustrated by his shitty luck. He has a .234 BABIP (Avg of last 2 years his BABIP of .279), but his EV is the highest it's ever been 91.8 (Avg of last 2 years 90.1 EV). His hard hit percent is 47% which is just behind his best season which was his rookie season in which he had a 47.1% HH%. It was 40.5% last year.
I'm hoping he doesn't let this go to his head and this is all a case of small sample size. Fingers crossed that his surgery didn't fuck his bat speed. I love the Pasquatch and wanna see him crush it. [Reply]
