Royals Rumblings - News for September 29, 2020

Royals Rumblings - News for September 29, 2020

Dayton Moore thinks the Royals just needed more time to get hot.

“I wish we would have had more wins,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. “The COVID thing got us early. We started off 3-10 and we weren’t completely healthy. But every team deals with health issues, as we know. You can’t make excuses. But I do believe if we had another week or two, things could have been a lot different in terms of the postseason. I believe we would have played well and we would have finished with a much stronger record.”

He also talks about what the team needs to do to improve.

Moore: “We definitely need more on-base guys. We need more quality ABs from two other spots in the lineup. This time last year, we talked about lengthening the lineup out. We did that with Maikel Franco. Alex Gordon will be missed. We’ll need to upgrade there as we wait for the arrival of [prospects] Kyle Isbel or Khalil Lee.

“We didn’t get a chance to see [trade acquisition Franchy] Cordero the way we wanted to. There is a lot of ability there. We’ve had our eye on him for five years. We tried to work deals the last three years to get him in Kansas City.”

At Royals Academy, Clint Scoles looks at next year’s outfield.

With the additions of Franchy Cordero and Edward Olivares, the Royals should probably feel comfortable with a pair of outfielders next year. One would think that this season has pushed them on from the Bubba Starling as he’s carrying a sub-.500 OPS. A pair of young players in Khalil Lee and Kyle Isbel could challenge for a roster spot as could Nick Heath. If the Royals want to push Whit Merrifield back to second base, they may need to look to the free-agent market for an outfielder. Their internal evaluation of Isbel and Lee will likely make that decision for them. If they think they’re close, then the Royals can ride with Lopez for a month or two until they push their way up.

David Scharff of Kings of Kauffman was impressed with Jesse Hahn’s bullpen performance.

Hahn pitched 17.1 innings and gave up only 1 run. He ended 2020 with an ERA of 0.52, FIP of 2.56, a walks per 9 of 4.2, and a strikeouts per 9 of 9.9. Hahn also 3 saves in 3 opportunities.

For the Royals, their waiting was worth it. For Hahn, his performance secured him a further look in 2021. With the closer job not pinned down to anybody and a continued need for elevated bullpen performance, a season like Hahn’s will not be easily dismissed.

The Royals are looking to return to the postseason. A bulked-up bullpen helped in 2014-15, and it would help again.

Adalberto Mondesi is named American League Player of the Week.

MLB amends rookie eligibility for 2020.

Who are the lower seed playoff dark horses?

The stats that defined a very strange season.

Sandy Alomar, Jr. will manage the Indians during their post-season run.

D.J. LeMahieu becomes the first modern hitter to win a batting title in each league.

Shane Bieber wins the pitching Triple Crown.

A look at the free agent first baseman class for this off-season.

Is Ronald Acuña Jr the Latino face of baseball for this decade?

Former big leaguer Jay Johnstone, best known for his cameo in Naked Gun, dies at age 74.

Jon Bois looks at the future of college football.

VAR and the new handball rule are ruining Premier League soccer.

How we can actually achieve herd immunity.

Scientists say paradox-free time travel is theoretically possible.

Goodbye, FarmVille.

Your song of the day is Supertramp with Take the Long Way Home.