Royals Rumblings - News for May 6, 2021

Royals Rumblings - News for May 6, 2021

The Royals clashed with home plate umpire Angel Hernandez last night, leading to ejections for Mike Matheny, pitching coach Cal Eldred, and pitcher Brady Singer. Some of it stemmed from a hit-batter call that Salvador Perez disputes.

“I heard the bat,” Perez said. “They were maybe confused with what they saw, maybe touched his finger, that’s what they saw. But I heard it. I heard his bat. It was a foul ball, a foul tip, and it should be an out. … When you get hit in the hand, right away, it’s sensitive, so you’re going to [show it] or something. I didn’t see Ramírez do anything. So it’s kind of like — you know. I heard the foul tip.”

Singer got run as well.

“I think he handled it pretty good,” Perez said of Singer. “Sometimes you need to, you know, let them know. That’s what I think. It’s kind of funny, but honestly he made a pretty good pitch. It was a strike, not even like it was close or not close. It was a strike. When we see the iPad, when we see the game, it’s a strike. I don’t know why Angel didn’t call that pitch like that. I don’t know. You already know the history about Angel, so.”

Writers at MLB.com discuss whether the Royals can keep up their hot start.

Rogers: Royals owner John Sherman showed this offseason he was willing to add talent even after a pandemic year in his first season as majority owner. Will that continue in July? I think it’s possible, especially if the Royals are right in the mix. Like every team, pitching depth is going to be key down the stretch, and that could be something they target. I also think the team is ecstatic about the top prospects it has on the way to the Majors this year.

Anne Rogers writes that Dayton Moore is excited about minor league play resuming.

“We’re excited that we’re going to be back performing in the Minor Leagues, especially for an organization that relies so heavily on scouting and player development, and transitioning our homegrown players to the Major Leagues,” general manager Dayton Moore said earlier this week. “… We took advantage of the opportunities we were given [last year].

“But there’s nothing that beats being a Minor League affiliate with fans in the stands and the travel, the competitiveness that you go through when you’re competing against a team with another jersey on. Nothing can beat that.”

Lynn Worthy writes about why the Royals assigned Bobby Witt, Jr. to Double-A.

“When it was all said and done, we just thought for him to be the most prepared, well-rounded player he could possibly be when he’s ready for the major leagues, let’s just start him at Double-A,” Picollo said. “Nothing can really go wrong with him starting at Double-A, minus injury.”

Picollo said he and the Royals’ player development staff weighed the difference between Triple-A and Double-A pitching, believing Triple-A offered more veteran, refined pitching but Witt would face more high-end, high-ceiling pitchers at Double-A.

Lynn also writes about catcher Sebastian Rivero getting the call to the big leagues.

John Perotto at Forbes Magazine writes about the Royals’ return to relevance.

“We had a good team,” first baseman Carlos Santana said. “We’re going out and having fun and believing we can win every game. There is a lot of talent on this team, and it’s starting to come together.”

MLB.com has their latest mock draft out.

7. Royals: Kahlil Watson, SS, Wake Forest (N.C.) HSThe North Carolina public school season is just getting going, so Watson hasn’t been seen much in game action yet, though his 20-20 potential as a quality defender at shortstop should land him in the first 10 picks.

Kevin Goldstein has bullet points each team will want to discuss for their weekly call.

We’re not in a position to make a big move in July, but we can be smart with our small moves. Let’s look at some extra bats (maybe of the platoon variety), some depth starters, and extra bullpen arms with the hope that a series of incremental improvements can add up to one big one.

How are we looking for the draft? We pick seventh and best player available feels like the smart play here. We’ve done well with college arms of late, but we need offense. Sal Frelick just feels like a Royal, no?

Michael Baumann writes about the ten most interesting Kris Bryant trade destinations.

Either team—more likely Kansas City, given the state of the roster and division—could be a plausible playoff contender by the time trade rumor season kicks into high gear. And imagine one of these unassuming small-market franchises beating the rich teams for the biggest name on the trade market—a former MVP and charismatic superstar who’d attain legendary status in either city overnight. Both Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto and Kansas City GM Dayton Moore have made big win-now trades in the past, so such a scenario—while unlikely—is realistic enough to be tantalizing.

Pete Grathoff detailed some of the issues with Angel Hernandez’s umpiring over the years.

Alex Duvall at Royals Farm Report compares Royals prospect lists.

Former Royals minor league pitcher Jacob Condra-Bogan retires.

Kansas native John Means tosses a no-hitter for the Orioles, with the only baserunning coming via strikeout.

Why was it not a perfect game though?

Joey Votto suffers a fractured thumb.

White Sox manager Tony LaRussa was not familiar with the new extra inning rules.

Reds reliever Amir Garrett gets a seven-game suspension for “inciting” a bench-clearing incident, could this be a slippery slope?

Nats reliever Kyle Finnegan tosses an “immaculate inning.”

Yankees fans let the Astros have it for their sign-stealing scandal.

The Blue Jays will play in Buffalo beginning in June.

Is Bartolo Colon the worst hitter to ever hit a home run?

The Mets and Yankees will let vaccinated fans sit in full capacity sections.

Drew Robinson makes a Triple-A roster even after losing an eye.

Who are the NBA MVP candidates?

The New York Rangers fire their front office.

The Pentagon opens a probe into the military’s handling of UFOs.

How Netflix is trying to get you to stop scrolling.

A look at how movies come up with fake bands.

Your song of the day is Saweetie (feat. Doja Cat) with Best Friend.