Royals Rumblings - News for June 3, 2021

Royals Rumblings - News for June 3, 2021

Vahe Gregorian writes about the tantalizing potential of Adalberto Mondesi.

Mondesi still is just 25, which perhaps is an eye-of-the-beholder age by now but nonetheless is young enough that it might be considered that his best years are ahead of him.

In fact, he could still enjoy such a long career that these years are reduced to a blip.

And his ceiling in those years, in this year, for that matter, is nothing short of transformative in what it could offer the franchise.

That’s something about any teammate of his will tell you, something that in itself is another element of what he means to both this group and the future.

Lynn Worthy quotes Andrew Benintendi commenting on his hot streak.

“I feel like I understand the player that I am and what I can do on a consistent day-to-day basis,” Benintendi said. “So I’m just going up there trying to hit the ball hard. That’s all I can control. Swing at good pitches, control the zone and try to barrel it up. Anything beyond that point is luck, honestly. Hopefully it finds some space.”

Danny Duffy is making progress, but his return is not imminent.

The Baseball Prospectus staff comments on the Andrew Benintendi trade so far.

Signs point to Kansas City getting a reasonable return on its small wager: Benintendi’s contact and whiff rates have bounced back from an ugly 2019 and 2020, and while his overall skillset isn’t approaching his peak in Boston, even a halfway return to form is rewarding enough.

Nick Pratto was named Double-A Central Player of the Month and Jackson Kowar, who got his ERA under 1.00 last night, was named Triple-A East Pitcher of the Month.

Kevin Goldstein at Fangraphs has a scouting report on Kowar.

He’s yet to allow more than a run in any of his quintet of outings for Triple-A Omaha, and while the mid-90s fastball and one of the better changeups in the minors have been as advertised, what has changed is his breaking ball, which has gone from fringy-at-best to perfectly average in terms of spin and shape. It’s a much-needed wrinkle for Kowar to succeed as a starter, and he is beginning to line himself up for a big league look after the All-Star break, if not sooner.

Anne Rogers has a full minor league roundup.

“What’s been great about it is, for a year now, we really started to implement a plan and approach that wasn’t so much focused on their swing, their swing mechanics, but more on pitch selection,” Picollo said. “What are you looking to do with this ball? Where are you looking to hit it? … Those guys you mentioned, middle-of-the-order guys and top prospects, but it’s not just them. It’s throughout the lineup that it’s working. It’s really good to see.”

Bobby Witt, Jr. goes yard AGAIN.

Tobias Todd at Inside the Royals writes that Mondesi showed flashes of potential in his return.

The guys at Clearing Waivers talk Mondesi on their latest podcast episode.

The Dodgers set a club record with 11 runs in the first against the Cardinals.

Two Padres collide, then have a confrontation over it in the dugout.

Is it a slump or a three-year slide for Francisco Lindor?

Can Jacob deGrom break Bob Gibson’s single-season ERA record?

Mike Marshall, the first reliever to win a Cy Young Award, dies at the age of 78.

Bob Melvin becomes the winningest manager in Oakland Athletics history.

Four minor league pitchers are suspended for using foreign substances.

The Tampa Bay Rays reportedly told local public officials they were considering moving to Nashville.

Marcus Stroman took issue with comments from Diamondbacks broadcaster Bob Brenly, accusing them of “racist overtones.”

A pro-business group sues MLB for moving the All-Star Game from Atlanta.

Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski will retire after the season.

WWE releases Braun Strowman and other wrestlers in a shocking move.

AMC is giving free popcorn away to meme stonk investors.

Why Etsy dropped $1.6 billion on Depop.

The 50 best teen shows of all time.

Your song of the day is Liz Phair with Supernova.