Royals Rumblings - News for April 30, 2015

Royals Rumblings - News for April 30, 2015

Alcides Escobar did not break his jaw in last night's game, but he may have suffered a concussion.

"I saw the video," Escobar said. "Wow. That’s hard." Yost said that the club would re-evaluate Escobar on Thursday. The medical staff did not feel he needed to go to a hospital. Yost admitted there was "some concern," about a concussion, but pointed to Escobar’s improving condition as reason for optimism.

Here's the pitch that nailed Escobar in the head.

Ned Yost noticed nervousness out of Brandon Finnegan in his season debut with the Royals.

"This was a guy who just walked into it blindly last year," Yost said. "He had no expectations. And then went through a tremendous summer. getting drafted No. 1, pitching in the College World Series. "And then getting elevated to the major-league level and pitching in the playoffs and having success in the playoffs and the World Series. "Now, you know what’s at stake. Before, it was just like walking into blindly. And now you know. It gives you more time to think about it, and get a little bit more nervous about it."

Lee Judge compares the production of Kendrys Morales to Billy Butler.

But there is a difference: Kendrys runs much better than Billy. Heck, I’ve got a 25-year-old air conditioner that runs better than Billy. (Honestly, I shouldn’t make fun of him; unless there’s a half-price sale on Bud Light, I don’t run anywhere at all.)...

As you might suspect, the difference in their foot speed has shown up in runs: Butler has scored 11, Morales 17. I’m not much good at predicting the future — I thought the Internet was a passing fad — but I’d guess that that gap in runs will widen as the season progresses.

FACE PALM.

Luke Hochevar is nearing the end of his rehab assignment, with the club scheduled to assess his ability to return after the first week of May.

Yost is confident Hochevar can contribute, but he may require some time to adjust to the rigors of big-league competition.

"It’s going to take time for Hoch," Yost said. "Getting back in the swing of things, after Tommy John, it generally takes some time. He’s throwing good, but to get back to where he was, it’ll probably be middle of the year, on."

Greg Holland is also close to returning, possibly by next week.

Holland is eligible to leave the 15-day disabled list on Sunday. Yost indicated Holland could be ready by then, in the best-case scenario. "That’s the hope, but I’m not sure," Yost said. "We’re going to just have to see where we’re at with that. but that’s definitely the hope. And if not, not too far behind it."

Kris Medlen is also inching towards returning from Tommy John surgery.

Medlen has been taking two days off between bullpen sessions, and said his arm has felt fine, other than some expected shoulder soreness. But once his day to throw rolls around, Medlen said his arm has been ready to go. The right-hander said his fastball has felt great, though he's had trouble repeating his changeup on successive pitches.

"That's the pitching part," Medlen said, "that you need to get a feel for all your pitches again."

Dan Syzmborski lists Yordano Ventura as the fifth-best player under the age of 25 according to ZIPS projections.

The worry that ZiPS had before Ventura's rookie season was the risk that his command would backslide a little, but 2014 kind of wiped that out. He doesn't yet strike out as many hitters as you would think, given his stuff, but the K's are still likely to come. ZiPS sees his upside as through the moon, and I agree.

Vahe Gregorian offers his thoughts on what the Royals hot April start means.

Suitors for Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels are starting to line up. Could the Royals be one of those teams?

Wil Myers is probably the worst defensive centerfielder in baseball, but at least he's hitting.

Does eye color affect day/night splits for hitters?

Here's what a baseball game with no fans looks like, as the White Sox and Orioles played a near-silent game Wednesday. Grant Brisbee has the lessons learned from watching a baseball game with no fans.

The NFL draft is tonight. The best available football players will be selected. Here is your Chiefs coverage. Here is your NFL draft coverage.

Fivethirtyeight projects Marcus Mariota to be a better quarterback than Jameis Winston.

You can generate your own ridiculous NFL scouting report on yourself.

How the NFL fleeces taxpayers.

Florida coach Billy Donovan is headed to the NBA.

Jon Bois thinks they should think about postponing the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight until everyone is ready.

Missouri owes its weird shape to one guy.

Before his retirement, David Letterman reflects on 33 years in television.

Twitter may be in trouble.

Your song of the day is The Get Up Kids with "Overdue."