Royals Rumblings - News for November 10, 2015

Royals Rumblings - News for November 10, 2015

One of the Royals' fans biggest fans is golfer Tom Watson, who enjoyed the playoff run.

One of Kansas City’s biggest baseball fans couldn’t help but draw the connection between success and character when it came to the Royals’ World Series title run.

The charge for home-field advantage that followed the late-season swoon, the comebacks in eight of their 11 postseason victories — including three against the Mets in the World Series — legendary golfer Tom Watson saw more than talent pull the Royals through.

"What does it tell you about the character of this team?" Watson said. "The character of the team is what matters most. These players showed what they had."

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article43904382.html#storylink=cpy

Kings of Kauffman takes a look at some cheaper free agent pitching options, including Mat Latos.

Before his injury woes in 2014, Latos was one of the more promising young pitchers in baseball. He posted a 55-40 record with a 3.35 ERA and a 1.170 WHiP, striking out 785 batters against 257 walks in 849.2 innings. Can a healthy Latos get back to that level once again?

That is the question that the Kansas City Royals, and other interested teams, will have to ask themselves. At 28 years old when the regular season begins, Latos is supposedly at the beginning of his prime. On a one year contract, he could certainly be the type of pitcher that would outperform his contract. With the Royals defense behind him, Latos could have that resurgent season he would hope for.

According to Lee Judge, the Royals are the anti-Moneyball team, so it's nice to know that the Royals are indeed a Moneyball team.

So if walks and slugging percentage are the keys to scoring runs, and scoring runs is the key to winning ballgames, how do you explain the Kansas City Royals?

During the 2015 regular season the Royals ranked 29th in walks and 11th in slugging percentage, but they also struck out less than any other team. After the Royals won the World Series, a champagne-soaked Rusty Kuntz said: "We showed the value of putting the ball in play."

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/judging-the-royals/article43733337.html#storylink=cpy

An oft-overlooked part of the offseason needs: getting some additional bullpen help.

No segment of a baseball roster overturns with more volatility than a bullpen. Even the elite arms of the Kansas City Royals are not immune. As the team prepares for its World Series defense in 2016, they will enter the offseason with only three full-time relievers in house: Wade Davis, Kelvin Herrera and Luke Hochevar.

This is a formidable trio upon which to build. But what separated the Kansas City bullpen from the pack in 2015 was the depth of its relief corps. The team must rebuild that group for the coming season, with Ryan Madson, Franklin Morales and Chris Young heading into free agency, while Danny Duffy and Kris Medlen head to the rotation.

As the Royals scan the market for external reinforcements, they face decisions on familiar options like Madson, Duffy, Tim Collins and Greg Holland.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article43789443.html#storylink=cpy

Tweets

The new #Royals posters are here. RT @WuShocks: @jeff_rosen88 @KCStar I found it here: https://t.co/AeO5bB0tOw pic.twitter.com/n41Ik9ftR6

— Jeff Rosen (@jeff_rosen88) November 10, 2015

Check please ✋ #Crowned pic.twitter.com/WZZeLjvpTj

— Royals (@Royals) November 9, 2015

KC is open to trades, but they really don't have much to deal. Hard to see them moving core guys, and the prospect pool is depleted.

— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughStar) November 9, 2015

So this week is about setting the stage for the rest of the winter, trying to plug holes in rotation, bullpen and both outfield corners.

— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughStar) November 9, 2015

Mark Buehrle has not retired yet, according to his agent, Jeff Berry, who is at GM meetings. Still possible Buehrle pitches in 2016.

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 9, 2015

Top 10 FA: https://t.co/oM0AB9MVNK 1. Price 2. Greinke 3. Davis 4. Heyward 5. Upton 6. Gordon 7. Cueto 8. Cespedes 9. Zobrist 10. Wieters

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 9, 2015

Other items of interest

SeaWorld is ending its controversial killer whale show. Or, well, maybe not.

You can read this because of the fascinating series of important, underwater internet cables.

President Obama has Facebook now. Seriously.

It turns out that general election polls this far out from the actual election mean little more than a swish of an otter's tail.

It's a big day in video game releases, as Fallout 4 and Rise of the Tomb Raider come out today; take a look at these reviews to help you decide what to pick (or buy both if you want to go crazy).

Tuesday classic

Mozart's 40th Symphony is one of his most well-remembered. It premiered in 1788, 70 years after Bach's Brandenburg Concertos were played for the first time. The 40th represents the pinnacle of the classical symphony, incorporating winds, horns, and timpani in addition to strings. This expansion of orchestral voices would continue throughout the 19th century after Mozart's death.