Royals Rumblings - News for June 7, 2022

Royals Rumblings - News for June 7, 2022

Alec Lewis writes that Salvador Perez may be heating up.

Earlier in the game, Perez doubled to left field. The two-hit night marked his first since he had returned from the injured list.

What changed?

“Like I always say, I’m aggressive,” Perez said. “Sometimes I have to be a little bit more (patient). See the ball up. … If I still swing at the slider down and away or the slider in the dirt or the fastball up for a ball, they’re going to keep throwing me that. They’re not stupid here. I just need to try to see more pitches in the strike zone.”

Salvy recently sought advice from dismissed hitting coach Terry Bradshaw.

“I’m kind of super-aggressive sometimes,” Perez said. “I was working with (coach John) Mabry. By the way, I called Bradshaw two days ago. Talked to Terry. He’s known me for a long time. So I tried to get information, good information that these guys tell me and then try to do it in the game — believe in myself and trust my hands. I think that’s kind of made the difference a little bit.”

Craig Brown at Into the Fountains looked at Brady Singer’s last start against Houston.

What Singer is not doing, is throwing the changeup to right-handed batters. And wouldn’t you know it…the Astros rolled out their usual lineup on Friday with six right-handed hitters.

So even though the change is something that he needs and is something that has been effective in his previous three starts before Friday, he’s still the same two-pitch pitcher to right-handed hitters. As you can see from the chart above, he was catching far too much of the dish with the sinker (and the slider); the sinker was getting crushed. On the night, Singer gave up seven batted balls with an exit velocity above 100 MPH. Six of them came on the sinker. Three of them exited the playing field.

David Lesky at Inside the Crown writes that the Royals should be playing the kids.

And the other one who shouldn’t play even though he’s been generally fine this year is Michael A. Taylor. He plays a legitimately fantastic center field. And that’s great, but is he a part of the next great Royals team? I don’t care if you think it’s 2024 or 2042, he’s likely not. And as I wrote the other day, many teams would be interested in him defensively. Plus, he’s taking some pitches and working walks these days, so he’s got some pretty real trade value right now. Putting him out there every day isn’t going to raise that value. It’s not necessary. Isbel has to play. So does Edward Olivares when he gets healthy, and I’d imagine he’s probably fairly close to a rehab stint. So like I said, this isn’t exactly breaking news, but the Royals need to completely shift their focus and get as many players on the field who could possibly be part of the next great team and not worry about the guys who won’t. I’d include Whit Merrifield here because as well as he’s played lately, he’s not part of that future, but I’m also realistic and know he’s not sitting and likely not going anywhere.

MLB.com lists one trade chip from each team, with Andrew Benintendi listed for the Royals.

Mike Gillespie at Kings of Kauffman wonders if Ryan O’Hearn has found his niche as a pinch-hitter.

The Angels drop their 12th game in a row.

Arizona signs Dallas Keuchel to a minor league deal.

Willson Contreras could be one of the rare instances of an All-Star catcher being traded mid-season.

An elite rotation has helped the Yankees to get off to their best start in 21 years.

Madison Bumgarner could be a popular trade candidate this summer.

Who is the best catcher in baseball right now?

Are the Phillies having more fun now that Joe Girardi is gone?

How Albert Pujols is using his final season to serve as a mentor for the Cardinals.

Texas softball becomes the first unseeded team to reach the championship series, and will face Oklahoma.

The Rams re-work Aaron Donald’s contract to make him the highest-paid non-quarterback.

Most people think their own finances are doing well, but the economy is not.

The case for having fewer friends.

Neve Campbell won’t appear in the next Scream movie.

Your song of the day is Scritti Politti with Perfect Way.