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Slow news day.
At Royals Farm Report, Alex Duvall interviews brand new Royal Blake Perkins:
Q: The scouting reports are out there for everyone to see, but tell me a little about yourself as a player.
Blake: “I take pride in the way I play defense, so I’m confident in saying that I’m an above average defender. I run the bases well and have high expectations for myself in stealing bases. As a hitter, I’m patient at the plate with a good feel for the strike zone. I take my fair share of walks, but I have work to do still with switch hitting. It’s been an interesting process but I’m confident that I’m headed in the right direction. In summary, I’d say I’m a pretty laid back player that tries to lead by example, loves the game, and strives to be an impact player in every game on every pitch.”
The Star’s Blair Kerkoff writes that Royals draftee Eric Cole has helped propel Arkansas to success in the College World Series:
Cole is listed at 5-foot-11, 195 pounds. With his two hits Wednesday, he raised his batting average to .331. He’s the only Arkansas starter who hasn’t committed an error this season.
Although he’s hit first or second most of the season, Cole could hit in the power spots. His 14 home runs are tied for the team lead. The right fielder came up huge in the game that clinched the College World Series berth, going 3-for-3 with a home run and scoring five runs against South Carolina.
Pete Grathoff gives us the straight dope on how Seuly Matias fared in the Sally League Home Run Derby.
Yohander Méndez got jettisoned back to the minors in advance of his start yesterday after violating team rules with Rougned Odor and some Royals players in a late night for the ages. Anyone taking bets on trash dick action?
KC Kingdom’s Leigh Oleszczak waxes ecstatic about Royal draftee Jackson Kowar’s electric start in the College World Series for Florida.
Two links from The Athletic follow (disclosure: if you end up subscribing after following that link, I get $10):
- First: Rustin Dodd looks at Alcides Escobar’s consecutive starts at one position streak nearing its end.
- Dodd also suggests that the Royals are giving the Orioles a run for their money in the race to be the worst in baseball.
Nick Pratto was named Sally League All-Star Game MVP.
Jeff Sullivan notes that the NL is winning.
Javier Báez made a sweet solo double play.
At BP, Aaron Gleeman takes a closer look at the players outperforming their 90th percentile projections.
Star Wars spin-offs are on hold indefinitely after the failures of Solo.
Kilauea is eating up Hawai’i’s natural wonders.
How do forests rebound from fires?
The song of the day is “Street Fighter Mas” by Kamasi Washington: