Royals Rumblings - News for February 12, 2019

Royals Rumblings - News for February 12, 2019

Jeffrey Flanagan gives his 25-man Opening Day roster predictions.

Relief pitchers (7): Wily Peralta, Brad Boxberger, Tim Hill, Brian Flynn, Sam McWilliams, Fillmyer, Kyle ZimmerOoh. This was a tough call. Kevin McCarthy likely makes it if the Royals choose to keep five outfielders and not six, and thus carry 13 pitchers instead of 12. But McCarthy has options. Flynn is out of options. I think Kansas City only keeps one Rule 5 Draft guy, and McWilliams was the second pick overall in this year’s Rule 5 Draft. Fillmyer has the stuff to be a strong setup guy if he doesn’t make the rotation. That leaves a wild-card pick among Josh Staumont, Chris Ellis, Zimmer and many others for the final spot. I’m going with the Zim man. Too good a story to pass up.

Alex Duvall at Royals Farm Report also gives his Opening Day roster predictions.

Rustin Dodd writes about storylines to watch in spring training.

Is it rebuilding? Well, sure. But don’t expect general manager Dayton Moore or manager Ned Yost to use that word. Moore swore off it late last summer, during the final weeks of a 58-104 season. That won’t change this year. The club is still focused on development, of course, and there is a growing horde of prospects gathering in the minor leagues. So, in some ways, 2019 will be as much about Brady Singer, Jackson Kowar, Daniel Lynch, Nick Pratto, Khalil Lee and the No. 2 pick in the draft than it is about what happens in Kauffman Stadium. But don’t expect to hear that from anyone in the organization. The goal remains clear: Compete in the first half and, if possible, contend in the second.

At his own Medium page, David Lesky writes about Ryan O’Hearn.

I mentioned Ryan O’Hearn in some of my tweets regarding the PECOTA projections and make no bones, his projection is ugly. Of course, there’s a couple things to keep in mind. One, this is his 50th percentile projection. Some players are more likely to hit their higher percentiles, and I believe the start to O’Hearn’s career last season makes him one of those players who I’d at least believe has a shot to do it. .219/.299/.405 looks awfully ugly, but his ability to lay off non-strikes (25.3 percent O-Swing%) and his ability to maul the ball when he makes contact (91.4 MPH average exit velocity and 44.2 percent hard hit rate along with one of the highest exit velocities in the minors) makes me think there’s a possibility he can be a big league regular and not just a flash in the pan.

Clint Scoles has a new blog about Royals prospects, and he’s excited about Yohanse Morel.

Given the age (doesn’t turn 19 until August), skill level, confidence, and projection lead me into thinking that Morel trails just a small handful of pitchers in the system. His ranking as far as the current starters currently compare similarly to that of Yefri Del Rosario and Carlos Hernandez. I like Morel’s size more than Del Rosario’s but his pitch repertoire at a tick above Hernandez who has the obvious advantage physically. That places him around the top five starters currently in the system with a chance for him to jump inside the Royals top ten prospects at some point this year or next should he pitch to his capabilities.

Trevor Hoot at Kings of Kauffman talks to Royals minor league pitcher Jace Vines.

Did you know Jackie Robinson once played for the Kansas City Royals?

Royals fan Aaron Swartz gives his thoughts on the Royals season.

Brady Singer comes in at #73 in John Sickels’ Top 100 prospect rankings.

Alex Cora says he bombed his first managerial interview.

Justin Verlander lashes out against the slow off-season.

Marlins CEO Derek Jeter wants the team to “win now.”

Kyler Murray commits to play in the NFL over baseball.

Maury Brown at Forbes has numbers on MLB revenues and how much goes to salaries.

Sheryl Ring at Fangraphs considers restricted free agency.

How Tigers pitcher Matt Boyd is using a data-driven routine to get in the best shape of his life.

The Browns sign former Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt.

How Bob Costas got dropped from the Super Bowl and became an NFL outsider.

Mars One goes bankrupt and it looks like it was more hype than a serious project to Mars.

How The Matrix built our reality-denying world.

We get our first look at Will Smith as the genie in the live-action Aladdin remake and you will wish you hadn’t.

Your song of the day is Spoon with The Book I Write.