Weekend Rumblings - News for February 19, 2022

Weekend Rumblings - News for February 19, 2022

Kiley McDaniel at ESPN ranks the Royals farm system #12 in baseball.

The Royals are in a similar spot to the Tigers one spot below, in the same division, coming off of a decent 2021, trying to improve, with some top-100 types about to join the big league team in a division where second place is wide open.

Bobby Witt Jr. could truly be a franchise-changing talent while 2021 revelation M.J. Melendez and Nick Pratto could be the Salvador Perez and Alex Gordon/Eric Hosmer of this next phase.

The big league team still has some holes left, the farm isn’t so good that it can fix them all right now and there probably isn’t tons of money left over, so GM Dayton Moore needs to work some magic to make the most of this situation.

ESPN writers give bold predictions for top prospects.

Bobby Witt Jr. (No. 2): Will already be considered the best shortstop in Royals history — by the end of this season

While that sounds outlandish to say about someone who has yet to play in the majors, know that it’s a very low bar. The career leader in wins above average for K.C. players who played shortstop at least half the time is Rey Sanchez (4.0 WAA). Assuming Witt gets at least half his turns at short (no guarantee), consider that six rookies have topped that figure in one season since 2001. Witt is good enough to make that seven. — Bradford Doolittle

Bobby talks baseball.

Brennan Mense at Overtime Heroics looks at the chances of Whit Merrifield being traded.

What could the Royals get for Merrifield? Well, it’s hard to say, since some analytically-inclined teams may have zero interest in him due to his more old-school player profile, taking away potential suiters (and therefore leverage). His contract and two years of control helps, while his playing style and age do not.

Using the Baseball Trade Values trade simulator, Merrifield’s median trade value is similar to players like Gavin Lux, Austin Slater, Jeff McNeil, and believe it or not, Joey Gallo. His value is also pegged to be similar to that of prospects such as J.J. Bleday (#71 overall prospect) and Matt McLain (#90). Does this mean that the Royals can get a Top-100 prospect for Merrifield? Probably not if we’re being honest.

Baseball America talks Royals prospects on their podcast.

PECOTA standings are out with the Royals projected for 68 wins.

MLB officially postpones the start of spring training games until March 5.

Jeff Passan writes about what that means for the rest of the season.

Will MLB play a 162-game season this year?

Dan Szymborski projects where free agent hitters could end up.

Fans can express their voice by canceling MLB TV.

Rangers third base prospect Josh Jung injures his shoulder.

The Mets may be looking to add to their outfield.

A new potential ballpark in Oakland takes another step forward.

The Tigers opened up minor league minicamp for fans free of admission.

What to look for in college baseball’s opening weekend.

Why fans love the 1987 Topps collection.

Which teams are a quarterback trade away from contention?

Why the college football playoff won’t be expanding.

Skype users can now make 911 calls from their computers.

Why Spotify and Amazon will spark the next podcast bidding war.

A cargo ship carrying 1,000 Porsches catches fire at sea.

Your song of the day is The Strumbellas with Spirits.