Royals Rumblings - News for September 26, 2023

Jaylon Thompson writes about the Royals’ improved play of late.

“We’ve had a lot of close games that haven’t gone our way,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.

“Early on, we were using that as kind of, ‘Well, maybe they are learning to be in close games.’ “Maybe this is kind of the byproduct of that. We were in a lot of close ones that didn’t go our way. Now, some of them are.”

David Lesky at Inside the Crown reacts to J.J. Picollo’s comments about the off-season.

They absolutely know they need starting pitching and one thing Picollo said this week that he also said before the season is that this was a year for some guys to step up. And while there were positives from guys like Kris Bubic (very few, of course due to time) and Daniel Lynch IV, part of being a big league starter is making 25-30 starts and they proved they can’t be counted on. At least from the interviews, it sounds like the Royals are not going to be counting on them moving forward and if they can produce, great, but they won’t be needed to produce. That was the message I was given before the season and it’s the same message right now.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter writes the Royals feel different this September.

Of course, if anyone asks Royals fans about this September, the answer will be pretty much the same:

They have done this before, why should Royals fans be hopeful now?

I get it. It’s hard to be optimistic in a 100+ loss season, their first 100+ loss season since 2019 when they lost 100+ games in back-to-back seasons (2018 and 2019).

That said, there are a lot of signs that this September is different from the ones that spanned from 2018 to last season.

Steve Adams at MLB Trade Rumors has the Offseason Outlook for the Royals.

At the plate, the Royals are 24th in the Majors with 651 runs scored. Their collective 6.9% walk rate is second-worst among all MLB teams, and Kansas City ranks near the bottom of the barrel in terms of batting average (.243, 21st in MLB), on-base percentage (.302, 27th), slugging percentage (.396, 23rd) and home runs (156, 26th).

Complicating this year’s dismal across-the-board performance is the fact that the Royals were relying heavily on young players they hope (or hoped) can bring the team back to relevance in the near future. Many of those players largely failed the test.

The Yankees failed to make the playoffs in Aaron Judge’s first year as captain.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone has not been told about his status for next year.

How Justin Steele became one of the best pitchers in the National League.

Orioles shortstop Jackson Holliday is named Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year.

Braves infielder Charlie Culberson is now trying to make it as a pitcher.

How some design tweaks saved old stadiums like Rogers Centre.

The Rays unveil two new statues at their stadium.

Team Greece has a 57 former big league catcher on their European Championships roster.

How the Dolphins offense is breaking the NFL.

Are the Knicks on the verge of trading for a star player?

Hollywood writers have a tentative agreement to end their strike.

The newest college admission ploy is to pay to have your teen a “peer-reviewed author.”

A reboot of The Office is reportedly in the works.

Your song of the day is Modest Mouse with Ocean Breathes Salty.