Royals Rumblings - News for November 25, 2014

Royals Rumblings - News for November 25, 2014

Rany Jazayerli writes about the legacy of the 2014 Royals.

But eventually Game 7 stitched itself into the tapestry of my memory, as if it were something that not only was in the past but had always been in the past, as if I had never experienced it in the present. I’m fond of the Shakespearean line that "what’s past is prologue", and eventually I stopped thinking of Game 7 as something which could have turned out differently in a million different ways, and instead as something which was part of the background of my life. The Royals lost the World Series in 2014 just like they lost the World Series in 1980, when I was five years old, and I’ve never been broken up about losing the 1980 World Series because it was a historical fact as far back as I can remember. Royals fans of the future will learn about the 2014 Royals and they won’t be distraught over the fact that they lost the World Series. They will, however, take immense pride in the fact that their Royals came damn near close to winning it.

The sinking in of that fact is one of the things which, over time, made it easier to accept the way it ended: that while the Royals didn’t win the World Series, they basically came as close as any team can come to winning the World Series without actually blowing it. If they had come any closer to winning, their failure to win would have been their fault.

He also has a fun exercises where he asks, what team would you choose to root for if you could choose any team in MLB history that did not win the championship?

Teddy Cahill at MLB.com writes about some winter ball performances and highlights Royals pitching prospect Miguel Almonte.

Fresh off playing in the Arizona Fall League, where he started the championship game for Peoria, right-hander Miguel Almonte has returned home to the Dominican Republic to play for Gigantes del Cibao. Almonte, the Royals' No. 5 prospect, made his first start of the season Saturday. He struck out five batters in five innings and held Leones del Escogido to one run on three hits and a walk. Almonte, ranked No. 87 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list, has now thrown 134 1/3 innings this year between Class A Advanced Wilmington, Peoria and Cibao. Across the three levels, he has struck out 122 batters, walked 42 and posted a 4.15 ERA.

Our sister site with the Padres, Gaslamp Ball, discusses the Reymond Fuentes trade, which sent the outfielder to Kansas City.

Like the overly-polished G-body Buick in your neighbor's driveway, Rey Mysterio Fuentes' best asset has always been his wheels.  The former sprinter was never a natural defender in center field, but he has worked hard on plying is craft in center and certainly looked to be at least a passable defender with room to improve.  With very little power and occasionally spotty strike zone management, Fuentes will have to make strides as either a hitter or defender to stick on a big league roster.  Tony Gwynn Jr. was similarly underwhelming as a center fielder at the beginning of his time with the Padres, but he steadily re-invented himself into one of the game's elite defenders - carving out a role as a defensive specialist who hit just enough to be a useful piece on a winning team.

Baseball Prospectus discusses the 40-man roster additions to protect players from the Rule 5 draft, and writes about the Royals adding Orlando Calixte.

The slick-fielding shortstop has a plus glove and could provide a club with value as a utility player, but it is hard to envision a team taking a flyer on a bat that has stalled at Double-A for two years now. The swing is aggressive and hard, which has caused issues in consistency and led to soft contact and strikeouts. Calixte has value, but more as an internal option who can be shuttled up and down as needed rather than a player anchored to the 25-man roster for all or most of the season.

Goodbye, Jayson Nix.

Jayson Nix era is over. Royals secured outright waivers on Nix, who elected free agency instead of an assignment to Class AAA Omaha.

— Pete Grathoff (@pgrathoff) November 24, 2014

How will you remember the Nix era?

The Red Sox signed ALL THE PLAYERS, inking Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval to large contracts.

The Mariners inked third baseman Kyle Seager to a $100 million contract, which bodes well for players whose value is tied up in defense, like Alex Gordon.

The Astros are shopping outfielder Dexter Fowler and could use some bullpen help.

Meet the 13-year old kid who broke the news of the Billy Butler signing.

Get better, Eric Berry. The Chiefs safety had his season ended when he discovered a mass near his heart thought to be possibly lymphoma.

Kentucky basketball would beat the Philadelphia 76ers about 22% of the time.

The Florida A&M marching band wins with their internet meme "Kermit the Frog drinking tea." But that's none of my business.

Your song of the day is Judy Collins with "Turn, Turn, Turn."