Royals Rumblings - News for September 13, 2018

Royals Rumblings - News for September 13, 2018

Eric Skoglund was excited to be back on the mound after missing time due to injury.

Just one pitch, man,” Skoglund said. “It was exciting to be back out there with the guys. Great plays behind me with [Adalberto Mondesi] and [Whit Merrifield]. They also had great ABs to keep us in the game. It felt good. It’s something I can take into the next start and continue to work.”

Skoglund admitted he got a little fatigued at the end.

”The last inning I had good rhythm,” Skoglund said. “But I was getting a little tired. I did everything I could to get through that fifth.”

Rustin Dodd makes the case for Brad Keller to win Rookie of the Year.

In all, he has a 3.26 ERA in 18 starts while posting one of the best ground-ball rates in baseball.

“It’s absolutely incredible,” Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield said. “For the kid to be 23 years old, just to step in from Day 1 and just dominate.”

To put Keller’s season in perspective, just four other American League rookies since 1990 have pitched more than 125 innings and with an ERA-plus better than 140 and a WAR above 3.0.

Brett Phillips talks about his big league experience so far.

“Baseball has given me a platform to help others. I would be doing a disservice to God, who has given me these abilities, to not go out there and take advantage of everything He has given me. I may not be able to control how others act, but I can control how I treat others on and off the field. I hope that whenever my time comes to an end in Kansas City that people will remember me as not just the guy with the funny laugh, but as Brett Maverick: the guy who worked hard, played hard, smiled as much as possible and treated others the way they wanted to be treated, as elementary as that sounds. If I can do something close to that, then my career will have been a success.”

Carson Cistulli determined that in a low-gravity environment, Whit Merrifield would be your home run leader.

On our planet, Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield has recorded just 12 home runs. He strikes out less often than the average hitter, though, and has produced a ground-ball rate of just 34.8%. Among the 152 hitters who’ve recorded 300 or more plate appearances this season, his average launch angle of 16.9 degrees ranks 24th. Merrifield has been worth over four wins this year. In space, he might be an MVP.

Craig Brown at Baseball Prospectus breaks down the numbers on Ryan O’Hearn’s dingers.

As you can tell from the histogram above, O’Hearn is consistently smashing the ball with an exit velocity usually greater than 95 mph. The bars are color coded by slugging percentage. For balls hit between 95 and 100 mph, O’Hearn is slugging .600. When his exit velocity is between 100 and 105 mph, it bumps up to an even 1.000. And 105-110 mph? How about a cool 2.462 slugging percentage. For you nerds (I write with love), his average exit velocity is 93.6 mph. That means O’Hearn is keeping some very exclusive exit velocity company.

Whit Merrifield gives sliding advice to Chiefs quarterback Pat Mahomes.

Lee Judge laments the fact starting pitchers don’t go deep into games anymore.

Former Royals pitcher Sean Manaea will miss most of next season following shoulder surgery.

Will 30 games in a row without an off-day wear down the Cubs?

What is life like for a September callup?

Can we quantify who has been the most exciting team in baseball?

The biggest critic of Brewers manager Craig Counsell is....Kato Kaelin?

There is an internal war brewing over the Mets GM search.

Why the NCAA is wrong about grassroots basketball.

Why canceling football games in the face of a hurricane is the right thing to do, even if the storm doesn’t hit the stadium.

Should teenage students be required to speak in front of the class or be given alternate options for those with anxiety?

Taco Bell has won a poll for strongest Mexican restaurant brand of the year.

Henry Cavill is out as Superman.

Your song of the day is Badly Drawn Boy with Once Around the Block.