Royals Rumblings - News for May 1, 2021

Song of the Day

“Good News” by Mac Miller

Alec Lewis held a Q and A yesterday with readers.

I think the most positive development for the Royals is what Jakob Junis has been able to do. Yes, Danny Duffy has been exceptional. And Brady Singer, too. And Salvador Perez’s performance has been wildly impressive. Carlos Santana has hit. Nicky Lopez has bounced back. All of those things are positive signs.

But nobody thought Junis would take a step like this. His xFIP is higher than Trevor Bauer’s. His 0.7 fWAR ranks among the top 30 pitchers in baseball. This is a guy whom the Royals thought would be a nice bullpen piece. For now, it seems like he’s a really solid starter. Maybe this means good things for a run toward the end of the season. Or maybe it means a potential trade chip around the deadline. Regardless, it’s a damn good testament to Jakob Junis’ ability, his work ethic, and how much his brother, Noah, knows about pitching.

Jim Bowden ranked the “must-watch pitching prospects” for the minor league season and a couple different Royals lefties were among the 12 ranked.

3. Daniel Lynch, LHP, Kansas City Royals

Age: 24

Height: 6-6 Weight: 203

REPERTOIRE: FB: 65 CB: 50 SLI: 65 CH: 55 CTL: 55 CMND: 50

Daniel Lynch is developing rapidly, so don’t be surprised if he’s promoted as early as June. His fastball velocity is consistently in the 95 to 99 mph range with sink and deception thanks to his lanky all-legs-and-arms delivery. His slider is a true wipeout, nasty, filthy, see-you-later-type pitch. His change-up is above average, and he’s not afraid to throw it in any count. His curveball is serviceable. It’s been difficult for Lynch to command his pitches in the strike zone, but that has more to do with his height and wing span than mechanics. He has ace upside.

7. Asa Lacy, LHP, Kansas City Royals

Age: 21

Height: 6-4 Weight: 215

REPERTOIRE: FB: 60 CB: 55 SLI: 60 CH: 65 CTL: 50 CMND: 45

Asa Lacy, whom the Royals drafted at No. 4 last year, was projected to take one of the quickest paths to the big leagues among the 2020 picks. He gets a unique downward angle on his delivery that adds deception to his mid-90s fastball, which he fills up the strike zone with early in the count. Lacy has two above-average breaking balls: His slider, which comes in at 88 mph with late break and tilt, is probably his best off-speed pitch, but his 12-6 downward curveball is also a lethal weapon. He has an above-average change-up that he can spot on either side of the plate. It’s a four-pitch menu that appears unstoppable. Now, Lacy needs to master his control and command of his repertoire. Once he does, he’ll be in the big leagues for a long time.

Joe Posnanski reviewed this week of baseball while also spotlighting Dayton Moore’s time with the Royals so far.

And in the early years, none of it seemed to be working. He talked about the Royals’ “process” so often that the very word became a punchline in Kansas City. The Royals finished a 100-loss season in his first year and then lost between 87 and 97 each of the next six years. He took a flier on an intense and similarly minded manager named Trey Hillman, who’d never been in a big-league clubhouse but had won as a skipper in Japan. That didn’t work out. He hired Ned Yost, who had taken Milwaukee to the brink of success before the organization determined in a panic that they had to fire him in order to get that success. That hire looked doomed, too.

But all the while, Moore didn’t waver. He’s this sort of person: After he first took the general manager’s job, he was driving around The Plaza in Kansas City — a lovely outdoor area of shops and restaurants — and thought: “This would be a great place for a World Series parade.”

Anne Rogers with MLB contributed to the site’s 5 early-season surprises in the AL Central with the Royals’ biggest surprise.

Lopez immediately showed improvement in his swing. Entering Thursday, he’s hitting .254 with a .673 OPS, and he has been a big part of the Royals’ 15-8 start to the season by placing perfect bunts, moving runners over and using his speed on the bases. He’s only struck out eight times in 63 at-bats. That’s the kind of hitter the Royals need him to be, and when Mondesi does return, adding his production on top of Lopez’s is only going to help the offense.

Also with MLB.com, Will Leitch chose the best players in baseball at each position through April. One Royal made the cut. Can you guess who it is?

It’s tougher to find such an obvious pick in the American League, but the surprising Royals have to be on this list somewhere — and what better player to represent them than Perez? The longtime Royal is healthy and raking again.

MLB Network’s, Mark DeRosa, had a BWJ take that’s gonna ruffle some feathers.

David Scharff at KoK praises the Royals’ patience.

Mike Gillespie also at KoK answers some questions about the Royals that you might be asking yourself.

Whataburger was announced as an official sponsor of the Royals earlier and the first location in KC broke ground. That location is at the corner of 135th St. and Antioch in Overland Park.

Roberto Alomar was placed on the league’s ineligible list after and investigation into sexual misconduct allegations from 2014.

The Chiefs made their first picks of the 2021 Draft last night selecting Nick Bolton (MLB from Mizzou) and Creed Humphrey (Center from Oklahoma). Both should provide some great depth in their first seasons with some solid potential for contributing right away.

Adrenaline Rush of the Week

The First Night in a New House

You might recall a month or so ago that I had entered the chum ridden waters of the Kansas City housing market. I’m pleased to report that we are now completely done with that and in our new house. Last night was the first night in our house and the adrenaline was PUMPING.

After a long day of last second packing, loading, unloading, and “necessity of life” unpacking, it was time to put the children to bed. Hey, did you know that children do not like sleeping alone in unfamiliar places? Who’d have thought, right? No one under 18 years old slept for longer than 90 minute stretches from 9:00PM to 4:30AM. And when one would get there, another would awake, and the comforting began anew from my wife and/or I. Sometimes they overlapped and everyone in the house was awake. It was a brutal game of whack-a-mole where we all only lost.

There was a time where we all were asleep. I remember looking at the clock at 2:15 dreading the alarm and slowly drifting off.

Around 3:30, my wife and I were awoken by the same repeated sound from outside...

It wasn’t a growl from a dungeon-y basement or the giggle of a little ghost girl in the attic. Nope, it was the sound of a rabbit pleading for the new occupants to save it from something.

Around the time I was able to place the sound and find an appropriate YouTube video to compare it to, it was suddenly silent and a wave of relief came over me saying “Josh it’s fine. The rabbit’s mother came and cradled it into it’s short little arms and carried it to safety.

The silence was broken by a blood curdling screech followed by the hoot of an owl. That rabbit’s fate was sealed.

Suddenly the hall light came on and the voice of my rabbit loving daughter was heard asking what that noise was.

“Siri, play Circle of Life by Elton John”

Have a Saturday, ya’ll.