Royals Rumblings - News for May 23, 2019

Royals Rumblings - News for May 23, 2019

Brad Keller had a strong performance in the first game of yesterday’s doubleheader.

“I felt like my misses were a lot more around the zone, sliders in the dirt — not hanging,” said Keller, who retired 10 consecutive batters during one stretch. “That last inning, just some splitters got away from and kind of sailed. For the most part, I felt like the fastball was close.”

Drew Osborne at Royals Farm Report breaks down pitching prospect Jon Heasley.

I know that Heasley’s fastball was overpowering to this Asheville lineup, but I would like to see more of his off speed as he moves forward. If he is going to be a starter long term, he is going to have to use those pitches more. I will say that his movement in this game was extremely good and kept hitters from squaring him up.

Jason Kamlowsky at Prospects Live gives his notes on the Wilmington Blue Rocks.

Much like Matias, M.J. Melendez is young and he strikes out a lot. That said, I like the potential that’s here for him at the catcher position because he is built like a middle-infielder and he moves well behind the plate. Defensively he had a few lapses but his arm is terrific. At the plate, Melendez has a bigger leg kick than I would like but I believe it is something that can be tamed over time. He will likely unlock more power as he continues to grow into his body. In general, the swing is nice (albeit, big) but the contact rate needs to improve. The second swing of the at-bat below is why I have reason for optimism: It is toned down from the first swing and his front shoulder didn’t fly out. Making these adjustments during the at-bat is a sign of maturity.

David Hill at Call to the Pen thinks Frank Schwindel deserved more of a shot.

Bradley Potter at KC Kingdom looks at the postives and negatives of this season.

Giancarlo Stanton is shut down for 7-10 days.

Bobby Witt, Sr. is an agent, representing his son, who is expected to be a top draft pick.

Michael Brantley might be the best free agent deal from last winter.

Ryan Feierabend has brought the knuckleball back to the big leagues.

Who could be a surprise All-Star this year?

From The Athletic, how the Astros experiment and get the most out of their pitchers.

The San Francisco Giants had a dynasty and now it is over.

Kansas City will host the 2023 NFL draft at Union Station.

Some remote islands in the Pacific have mountains of plastic washing up on its shores.

Amazon shareholders try to push back on facial recognition technology being sold to law enforcement agencies.

The showrunner for Battlestar Galactica talks about what its like to write a series finale the fans didn’t care for.

Your song of the day is Superchunk with What a Time to Be Alive.