Royals Rumblings - News for January 29, 2018

Royals Rumblings - News for January 29, 2018

Maria Torres previews what centerfield might look like for the Royals.

With a bevy of internal options at their disposal, Moore and manager Ned Yost would be jumping the gun if they attempted to pinpoint now, three weeks before pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Surprise, Ariz., who their opening day center fielder might be.

“Make no mistake about it, Lorenzo Cain was one of the elite center fielders in the game,” Moore said. “We all enjoyed watching him play and watching him emerge into the talent that he became. … It’s our job to find the next Lorenzo Cain.”...

In a sense, the Royals have an embarrassment of riches to sort through. It’s just that none of them is the same five-tool player as Cain, and only two have shown offensive upside at the big-league level.

Jason Hammel hopes a change in diet can produce better results.

“I’ve become a pescatarian,” Hammel said on Friday. “That’s basically a vegetarian who eats fish. I know, I had to look it up, too.”

Hammel began his new diet after discussion with a family member.

”Basically, it was a New Year’s resolution,” he said. “But I feel strong. I feel healthy.

”[I’m] just trying to extend [the life in] these limbs. I still miss a steak now and then, a Subway sandwich. We’ll see how it goes in Spring Training.”

David Lesky at Baseball Prospectus Kansas City still wants the Royals to sign a few free agents.

I still think the current market means the Royals should re-think their plan and maybe spend a little money, but as I’ve been saying all offseason, I really would be interested in seeing the Royals bring home Logan Morrison at the very least. Adding him and a center field option like Carlos Gomez or Jarrod Dyson wouldn’t put the Royals over the top, but it would certainly make them more watchable. Some of the reasons the Royals are interested in Hosmer should actually apply to Morrison in that he would take some pressure off young players as they make their way through the system and to the big leagues. With the market as it is and Morrison’s public desire to play for the Royals, I don’t think it’s crazy to think they can get the player who hit .246/.353/.516 in 2017 for a pretty affordable two or three year deal.

USA Today has their Royals team preview for 2018.

Ned Yost is unchanged from his life-threatening injury over the off-season.

Lorenzo Cain fondly looks back at his time in Kansas City.

Royals prospect Emmanuel Rivera is thrilled to be playing winter ball in his native Puerto Rico, even with a truncated schedule due the devastation from Hurricane Maria.

Royals Fantasy Camp is getting a political celebrity.

No Royals made MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects.

Grant Brisbee writes that the Brewers got a lot better this week.

Brisbee was among those nominated for a SABR award for his writing.

Are the Giants a dark horse to get Bryce Harper next year?

ESPN’s David Schoenfield tries to solve the tanking problem.

A look at the 2019 Hall of Fame ballot.

Why are there so few third basemen in the Hall of Fame?

Just how bad is it when you have the worst farm system in baseball?

The Marlins hire the first women in franchise history to work in baseball operations.

Former big leaguer Ryan Kalish is traveling the world to keep his dream alive.

The NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights will ban adults from getting player autographs.

An oral history of the magazine INSIDE SPORTS.

Inside the black market of buying social media followers.

So, what was Stephen Soderbergh doing with HBO’s Mosaic?

CBS orders re-boots of Magnum, P.I. and Cagney and Lacey.

Your song of The Smiths with What Difference Does it Make?