Royals Rumblings - News for January 30, 2020
At Royals Academy, Clint Scoles profiles pitcher Yefri del Rosario.
On pure stuff alone Del Rosario is nearly a Top 10 Royals prospect with as much upside as any in the system. The righty features a fastball that sits regularly in the 94-95 mph range, touches 98 with good life and extension to get on hitters. The curveball improved during his season in Lexington turning into a swing and miss pitch that he gets good depth on and can land in the zone or drop it out the bottom. Next to the fastball and curveball is an average changeup with sinking action though it’s current velo doesn’t offer the separation needed in the future.
Baseball America ranks the top 100 international signings of 2019, with Erick Pena coming in at #3 for the Royals, as well as outfielder Luis Echenique at #99.
Another Venezuelan signing, 17-year-old Luis Echenique, is a quick-twitch, athletic center fielder who trained with Carlos Yanez. He’s a speed-oriented player with strength to his sleek, athletic frame (5-foot-11, 175 pounds) and projects to stay in center field. He has plus speed and an easy gait, gliding around center field with good range and a fringe-average arm. He’s a lefty with a good swing path and bat-to-ball skills, with flashes of better than gap power, but takes a line-drive approach in games with the ability to go the other way.
Royals executive Gene Watson is considered for the top job in Houston.
Kansas City Royals director of pro scouting/special assistant Gene Watson has interviewed with the Houston Astros for their vacant GM job, sources tell ESPN. Watson, who has won World Series with the Royals and Marlins, joins Peter Woodfork and Bobby Evans as known candidates.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 30, 2020
Watson, who has been part of the Royals organization for 13 years, oversees the professional scouting staff. The club promoted him to senior director of pro scouting in 2018. Previously, he’d worked a scout (2006-08), coordinator of pro scouting (2008-12) and director of pro scouting (2012-18).
He worked as a scout under Royals general manager Dayton Moore while the two were in the Atlanta Braves organization in the early 2000s before Watson became a professional scout for the Marlins .
Jordan Foote at Kings of Kauffman writes that the veterans are tired of losing.
Leigh Oleszczak of KC Kingdom wonders what Bubba Starling’s role is now.
Want to take a baseball road trip through the Midwest this summer?
An Astros fan went game-by-game and logged all the bangs he heard from 2017 games.
Details emerge about Mookie Betts’ contract negotiations with the Red Sox.
Ranking next winter’s free agents.
Why Dusty Baker is the right choice to lead the Astros.
Minor league baseball and Major League Baseball accuse each other of spreading false information.
Kris Bryant loses his grievance with the Cubs over service time manipulation.
The Giants bring back Pablo Sandoval on a minor league deal.
Pitcher Scott Kazmir is attempting a comeback.
A look at the weirdest injuries in baseball.
Patrick Mahomes says he wants to play his entire career in Kansas City and I think we should let him.
There is a report the new NHL club will be named the Seattle Kraken.
All those subscription streaming services are starting to add up.
Netflix is turning One Piece, one of the biggest comics ever, into a live-action show.
BoJack Horseman ends with a glimmer of hope.
Your song of the day is Dire Straits with So Far Away.