Royals Rumblings - News for April 7, 2020

Royals Rumblings - News for April 7, 2020

Alec Lewis looks at who the Royals could take in the draft this summer.

Zac Veen, OF (18) — Spruce Creek High School, Port Orange, Fla. (Florida commit)

The Royals might see college-aged talent aligning better with where they are in their hopes of contention, but if they go with top-end talent, Veen could fit the bill.

The 6-foot-4 outfielder has an athletic build and highly touted bat-to-ball skills. Law said Veen “might have the best swing in the draft class, a smooth, fast left-handed stroke that produces hard contact and big power.”

Jeffrey Flanagan ranks the top second basemen in club history.

2) Whit Merrifield, 2016-present

Key fact: One All-Star Game, led MLB in hits in 2018-19

This is going to scream recency bias, and in truth, it was very hard not to put Cookie Rojas, a Royals Hall of Famer, in this spot. But Merrifield — although he has become more of a super-utility player than a second baseman and was slotted for center field in 2020 — simply is too dynamic at the plate to ignore. And he certainly can hold his own at second base.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter wonders what the Royals will do with Salvador Perez when his contract expires.

With this information being known, it seems obvious that Moore should sign Salvy to an extension after 2021. He’ll be 31, still relatively young, and after recovering all of 2019, he may have an extra year or two in the tank thanks to that year off. After all, catcher is one of the most brutal positions physically on a baseball player, so in actuality, a season off may have benefited Salvy in terms of extending his career, especially behind the plate, which is where he seems to want to be long term (though there has been some talk about him moving to first or DH). So a fresher Salvy in 2020 and 2021 could only mean good things for Salvy: more innings behind the plate, more production at the dish, and better leadership in the clubhouse and with the starting rotation.

David Scharff at Kings of Kauffman projects infield prospect Jeison Guzman.

Jeff Passan writes about what MLB can learn about baseball in Korea attempting to return to action.

Hall of Famer Al Kaline dies of a stroke at age 85.

A study suggests post-season baseballs included balls made prior to 2019.

Let’s construct the MLB season we want to see.

Ten baseball legends who ended their career with a reunion with their original club.

Should MLB look for ideas to shorten extra innings games?

The longest active trade droughts between teams in baseball.

A look at each team’s most dominating player of the 1980s.

A.J. Hinch’s suspension won’t carry over into 2021, even if this season doesn’t happen.

A look at the fascinating career of Edwin Jackson.

If you miss baseball, you may want to check out Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some.

What will a virtual NFL draft look like?

The Masters is moving to November in a completely overhauled golf schedule.

Is Quibi crazy enough to work?

The CBS show All Rise will air a special pandemic episode all from Zoom and Facetime.

The pandemic has made actor Leslie Jordan an Instagram star.

Your song of the day is The Animals with We Gotta Get Out of This Place.