Royals Rumblings - News for August 31, 2021

Royals Rumblings - News for August 31, 2021

Salvador Perez was named AL Player of the Week, writes Pete Grathoff.

“Every time I hit a homer. my mom makes me cry because she calls me and tells me congratulations, I love you and she starts crying,” Perez said after Sunday’s game.

“I thank God and thank my mom for all the sacrifices she (made),” Perez added, “to make my the player that I am right now.”

Lynn Worthy writes about Salvador Perez as an MVP candidate.

When informed that Matheny promoted him as an MVP candidate, Perez said, “It’s amazing. I think every hitter in the minor leagues wants to be an MVP. That’s obvious.

“If they’re going to talk about me, why not. It’s exciting to have some big people say your name, you see that on TV. It makes me feel happy.”

Jay Jaffe at Fangraphs looks at Salvy’s Hall of Fame chances.

I am, to say the least, skeptical. Our pal Sal has 28.7 career WAR (Baseball-Reference version), which ranks 42nd all-time among catchers; 22.9 peak WAR, which ranks 43rd; and 25.8 JAWS, which ranks 44th. By this measure, he’s in the midst of a career-best season with 4.4 WAR, so all of those numbers stand a reasonable chance of increasing over the final month of the season; if he adds a full win, he’ll rise to 26.8 JAWS, tied with Elston Howard for 38th...

I don’t see how one can consider Perez to have a burgeoning Hall of Fame case in that light, particularly if you consider Molina — who by bWAR is just 22nd among catchers in JAWS (41.8/28.7/35.3) but who looks like a much stronger candidate once we reframe the discussion — to be on a path to Cooperstown.

David Lesky at Inside the Crown writes about Salvy’s tear.

He has 17 homers since the break. Only Jorge Soler (25 in 2019), Steve Balboni (22 in 1985), Danny Tartabull (20 in 1987), George Brett (18 in 1977 and 1985) and Gary Gaetti (18 in 1995) have hit more and the Royals have 32 games left! And finally, he’s now 10 away from tying Soler for the single-season home run lead in team history. How likely is that? He has 10 home runs in a 30 game stretch 18 times this year. Of course, some overlap, but he’s currently in the midst of 15 homers in 30 games, so it could absolutely happen. Don’t forget the Royals play four games in Baltimore in September and they still have three in Minnesota where he crushes. That road trip alone could get him close.

Craig Brown writes about how well the Royals have played since the break.

For one thing, their Royals 168 runs scored since the break is the fewest among their rivals in the AL Central. Yet their 166 runs allowed is the best mark in the division, tied with the Tigers. Their +2 run differential yields a Pythagorean record ever so slightly above .500, but with the Royals four wins to the good on the break-even point, it’s not as if they’re wildly outplaying their expected record.

It sets the stage for an intriguing September. The club has nothing to play for, and with the AL Central all but settled and just three games remaining against the White Sox, A’s and the fading Mariners, the schedule isn’t exactly packed with class opponents. Will we see the familiar surge continue which sets the Royals up as paper tigers for 2022? It wouldn’t be a surprise.

Alex Duvall at Royals Farm Report puts context to the season Royals minor league hitters are enjoying.

Mark DeRosa on MLB Network has a good breakdown on what Salvy is doing differently this year.

The Pirates fire hitting coach Rick Eckstein.

The Giants claim pitcher Jose Quintana off waivers from the Angels.

Will Brewers pitchers hold up into October?

The Red Sox acquire pitcher Brad Peacock from the Indians.

How the Giants unearthed the best team in baseball.

The ten prospects that could help contenders.

The best, weirdest, and worst stats from this baseball season.

Is journeyman Patrick Wisdom a viable building block for the Cubs?

Cole Hamels wants to make another comeback.

Baseball writer Jonah Keri pleads guilty to domestic assault charges with some disturbing admissions.

A shady online high school lied their way to a nationally televised game on ESPN against a top-ranked school.

Deshaun Watson won’t waive his no-trade clause to go to Philadelphia, according to one report.

China bans online gaming for minors except from 8-9 p.m. on weekends.

How a robot tax could backfire on workers.

The company Bob Ross, Inc. had some issues with a new documentary about Bob Ross.

Your song of the day is Coolio with Fantastic Voyage.