Weekend Rumblings - December 24, 2016
Lee Judge empties out his drawer of baseball tidbits to end the year.
According to catcher Kurt Suzuki, opposition pitchers should not try to strike out the Royals. Kansas City hitters make contact and a pitcher that’s going for punchouts might throw 100 pitches in five innings.
▪ If you pitch down in the zone you can use the whole plate; any pitch at the knees is a pretty good pitch (a possible exception is down-and-in to lefties). If you pitch up in the zone you have to hit corners.
▪ If you pitch up, you have to be above the swing path.
▪ Numbers without context might be meaningless; or worse — misleading
Leigh Oleszczak of KC Kingdom looks at what the Royals bullpen may look like in 2017.
If I had to guess – I’d say Herrera would be the closer (obviously), Strahm is the eighth-inning guy, and Soria would get the seventh inning. That’s a little terrifying to think about, but no one else in the bullpen would make sense to throw in that role right now.
Some other names to watch this offseason and in spring training are Scott Alexander, Brian Flynn, Kevin McCarthy, and Alec Mills. Peter Moylan is someone that I wouldn’t be surprised to see return to Kansas City either, though he is 38 years old.
Whit Merrifield shares his favorite holiday memories.
MLB.com: What is your family tradition on Christmas?
Merrifield: "We're very big on tradition. We have had the same format forever. Before we start the presents, my mom gets the camera out, then we start. I remember as a kid my sister and I would be upstairs and we couldn't sleep the night before. The local TV stations would have 'Santa trackers.' We thought every red light in the sky was Rudolph."
Jeremy Guthrie and Peter Moylan are enjoying their time Down Under.
Old dudes still doing it!! @TheRealJGuts @MelbourneAces pic.twitter.com/5Fo6tuImCp
— Peter Moylan (@PeterMoylan) December 24, 2016
Salvador Perez stops by Kansas City Kansas Community College for a photoshoot.
Don’t forget Fox Sports Kansas City is airing a Royals marathon today.
Royals minor league pitcher Arnaldo Hernandez is suspended 50 games for a banned stimulant.
Former Royals outfielder Jonny Gomes is not ready to retire.
The Diamondbacks sign former Royals outfielder Reymond Fuentes.
Outfielder Ben Revere signs with the Angels.
The Braves sign a very reasonable extension with outfielder Ender Inciarte.
Will the Red Sox and Yankees play in London in 2018?
Players and coaches continue to be skeptical of defensive metrics.
Curt Schilling’s comments are costing him Hall of Fame votes.
Are the Browns really going to go 0-16?
Deadspin’s favorite sports things of 2016.
Five charts that show humanity is actually getting better.
Wait, is Santa Claus a wizard?
The 20 best Christmas songs of all time.
From everyone at Royals Review, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah.
Your song of the day is Elmo & Patsy with Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.