Weekend Rumblings - News for May 11, 2019

Weekend Rumblings - News for May 11, 2019

Sam Mellinger looks at the Royals nearly 40 games into the season.

The moment is, in other words, complicated. The Royals’ record is keeping many fans away, but just underneath the surface is a tantalizing set of moving parts.

Dozier, Mondesi, Whit Merrifield and Alex Gordon are each on pace for more than 4.0 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference. The Royals have never had four position players reach that mark in the same year. The last time they had three was with Carlos Beltran, Johnny Damon and Jermaine Dye in 1999.

Rustin Dodd breaks down why Hunter Dozier is off to such a hot start.

It’s perhaps too early to know if this is the real Hunter Dozier. The season is long. Flaws are exposed. The league adjusts. It seems hard to believe he’ll maintain a 1.000 OPS throughout the summer. But if there’s hope for Dozier and the Royals, it’s not in the pitches he’s hitting over the fence. It’s in all the pitches he’s taking.

“He’s still a young hitter,” Yost said. “He still will chase outside of the zone at times. But he’s gaining a better recognition of what a strike is and what a strike is not.”

Phillies third base coach Dusty Wathan returns home to Kansas City this weekend.

For baseball-loving kids, Dusty and Derek, who played seven seasons in Triple A with five organizations, had a storybook childhood. Their dad played on some great Royals teams that featured exciting talents and personalities such as Brett, Hal McRae and Willie Wilson. The Wathan boys often accompanied their dad to work in the afternoon and got lost in all corners of the stadium with the sons of other Royals players before games.

“We’d play cup-ball under the stands,” Dusty said. “Wad-up an old paper cup and hit it. Cup-ball.”

Clint Scoles looks at the big trio of pitchers from last year’s draft, Daniel Lynch, Brady Singer, and Jackson Kowar.

The Royals first pick Singer is crafty but the breaking ball isn’t a swing and miss pitch and while he can run his fastball in and away from hitters the pitch lacks dynamic velocity. The best pitch in his arsenal is the changeup in my opinion but he lacks confidence in it to unleash it on hitters. His drive will push him as far as his stuff can take him but he needs to make a change to the breaking ball. As it stands Kowar is the highest ceiling of the group with tweaks to command and control needed but the fastball, changeup remains outstanding while I’ve heard more reports that the curveball is coming forward. Of the three he remains the best candidate for a front of the rotation spot that Royals organization is in desperate need of.

Tony Boone at the Omaha World-Herald writes that catcher Nick Dini is off to a hot start for the Storm Chasers.

Soren Petro and Kurtis Seaboldt at 810 WHB discuss Matthew LaMar’s article examining who is part of the future.

Jay Jaffe looks at how team defenses are playing so far.

How the Nationals became a disaster.

Are the Yankees the most likely team to land Dallas Keuchel?

The Twins got an attendance bump by offering $5 tickets.

The Marlins are sending everyone to Spanish class, even Derek Jeter.

Addison Russell discusses criticism from fans about his domestic abuse.

Bradford Doolittle at ESPN Insider writes that centerfielders are the new shortstops.

Jeff Passan looks at how corruption in the international signing process could lead to change soon.

Do the Lakers even want Lebron James?

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be making a cameo on Game of Thrones, so what would you like to see happen to him?

Uber’s IPO stumbles as its stock slides under its offering price.

Was Shakespeare actually a woman?

A list of all the television shows that got cancelled this week.

Your song of the day is Miles Davis with On Green Dolphin Street.