Royals Rumblings - News for June 26, 2014

Royals Rumblings  - News for June 26, 2014

Andy McCullough reports the Royals are looking for bench help and an upgrade to right field in a possible trade this month as the deadline approaches.

The Royals’ prospect base is rich, but not as deep as in previous seasons.

Moore has said on multiple occasions that he believes the core of this Royals team has already been assembled. But based on recent conversations with multiple team officials, the Royals will be in the market for improvements to their bench and for a possible replacement in right field for the disappointing Nori Aoki. Team officials did not rule out the possibility of a blockbuster-type deal, but those are always difficult to complete.

What's wrong with Pedro Ciriaco and Brett Hayes?

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times also notes the Royals had two scouts in attendance to watch David Price's last start.

Jeff Passan talks to Billy Butler about what its like to face uber-pitcher Clayton Kershaw with a nice detailed account of how hitters prepare for pitchers.

When Kershaw pitches out of the stretch, the advantage strengthens. Most pitchers take about 1.3 seconds to deliver a ball to the plate. That drops to about 1.1 seconds out of a slide step. Kershaw's slide step is like throwing a baseball with four arrows on the DVR's fast-forward button. "He's like a 0.9 to the plate with his slide step," Butler said.

"That makes his 92, 93 play like 100. It's tough. You just can't get your timing off him. … He's so fast out of the stretch, you can't help but sit on fastball."

I don't know if you've noticed it, but Alex Gordon is really good at baseball. Sam Mellinger puts it in nerd-numbers for us.

Gordon, at the moment, is at 3.8 WAR, which is a pace for almost exactly eight. If Gordon got to eight — actually, if he got above 7.6 — he would have, at least by this measure, the fifth-best season in Royals history. He would be bested only by three George Brett seasons and Willie Wilson’s amazing 1980 season: he hit .326, stole 79 bases, and led the league in plate appearances (745), runs (133), hits (230) and triples (15). Plus, he won the Gold Glove.

Remember Kyle Zimmer? He hopes to resume throwing in mid-July, and is probably looking at a lost season in 2014 with the Arizona Fall League a possibility.

David Lesky at Pine Tar Press argues the Royals should try to trade for David Price by swapping James Shields.

For example, if the Royals were to strike up a conversation with the Yankees and the Rays, something could be worked out on all fronts that would make everybody happy. The Yankees are desperately in need of starting pitching. Masahiro Tanaka can’t do it all. With C.C. Sabathia hurt, Ivan Nova out for the year and Hiroki Kuroda up and down, they’re in a bad way. They could really use James Shields. The Rays don’t have any young catching and would want some young pitching to come back their way in any deal for David Price. Enter Gary Sanchez, one of the Yankees top prospects. He happens to be blocked by Brian McCann who the Yankees just signed to a long-term deal. Trade Sanchez and another part for James Shields, ship Sanchez, two of Almonte, Zimmer, Manaea and another piece like a Cheslor Cuthbert, Jason Adam or Jorge Bonifacio to Tampa Bay and bring back David Price. Maybe even ask for Ben Zobrist too. It never hurts to ask, right?

In case you missed it, the pregame ceremony before Tuesday's game had this awesome moment where a military father made a surprise appearance for his son throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. I think its getting a bit dusty in here.

More Royals goodness - the team treated visually impaired kids to a tactile day at the K.

Beyond the Boxscore concludes we have the eighth best outfield in baseball, and that's WITH Nori Aoki!

MLB is adjusting the home plate collision avoidance rule to exempt force plays at home. I think there's also a provision now that it doesn't apply to the Yankees, Red Sox, and Cardinals.

The Associated Press is rolling out a new "faster" and "more engaging" way to produce game stories for baseball games that will likely produce synergy, paradigm-shifting, and value-addedness! "Billy Butler singles home game-winning run in 3-2 Royals win, and what happened next changed my life."

Pugs in Game of Thrones costumes are why the internet was invented.

Your song of the day is XTC's "Real by Reel":