Royals Rumblings – News for November 15, 2024

Until Max sneaks out a narrative about it whereas I’m not wanting, the large information for yesterday is extra {hardware} for the Royals! Bobby Witt Jr. was named 1st workforce all-MLB shortstop, Salvador Perez was named 2nd workforce all-MLB catcher, and Seth Lugo was named 2nd workforce all-MLB beginning pitcher.

These line up with Jim Bowden’s picks in The Athletic ($):

Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr., Royals

WAR: 9.4 OPS+: 171

Bobby Witt Jr. is predicted to complete second within the American League MVP voting behind Aaron Choose. The 24-year-old phenom slashed .332/.389/.588 with 45 doubles, 11 triples, 32 residence runs, 125 runs scored, 109 RBIs and 31 steals. He led the majors in hits and batting common. He turned the primary shortstop in MLB historical past with two 30-30 seasons (residence runs, steals). He made his first All-Star workforce and gained his first Gold Glove Award. He completed within the 99th percentile in batting run worth, base operating worth and outs above common (defensive vary). He was within the one centesimal percentile in xBA and dash velocity.

He additionally famous that J.J. Picollo and Matt Quatraro had been within the operating for govt and supervisor of the 12 months.

I really feel like I’m stealing a bit of of Greg’s Thursday thunder with this:

At Cronkite Information (in case you don’t bear in mind who they’re, we went over this earlier within the 12 months), Tyler Bednar wrote an extended profile of Caglianone:

“The Royals and I, you already know, had nice communication all through the entire draft course of and every thing, and with the innings that I threw this previous 12 months, they thought it was finest (to) simply type of shut down and concentrate on hitting this 12 months,” Caglianone stated. “Then, we’ll type of circle again and refigure, you already know, subsequent season, within the offseason, type of speak by means of issues.”

Yesterday was the birthday of a Royals establishment and treasure:

We’ve talked about Witt and his baseball card marriage ceremony invites. At MLB Pipeline, Jesse Borek wrote about prospect Logan Britt’s invite:

“It was fairly sick as a result of I noticed MJ Melendez’s card and he had an image of them taking part in in Kansas Metropolis,” Britt stated of his response to the playing cards. “Ours was really a photograph taken in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, once we had been 13. I’m sitting on a bucket and he’s sitting subsequent to me. He’s received the mullet rocking again within the day, in order that was fairly humorous.”

Appears just like the Crossroads web site is useless for the Royals as the previous Kansas Metropolis Star constructing is now changing into an AI information heart:

“Kansas Metropolis has emerged as North America’s fastest-growing hub for AI and machine studying workloads as a consequence of its central location, low pure catastrophe danger, sturdy fiber optic infrastructure, and inexpensive inexperienced power,” the corporate acknowledged. “Patmos expects to have the primary 40 MW on-line and rack-ready in 18 months with the primary 5 MW on-line subsequent month.”

Whereas battling for Grass Creek is of the utmost significance, the Royals have gained floor on the jap entrance. They’ve scored a significant victory in Sedalia (which is way nearer to KC than St Louis anyway)! Radio station 1050 KSIS will discard their failure-soaked crimson garment broadcasts for the victorious banner of Royal blue.

In fact, we perceive that Cardinals followers have choices, and also you’ll nonetheless be capable to hear their video games on different space stations. We want the Cardinals a lot success, thank the franchise for his or her long-term partnership, and can miss working with them. Nevertheless, at 1050 KSIS, we’re excited to take this new route that retains us nearer to our group, listeners, and native Royals followers.

I imagine that’s business-speak for “so lengthy, loser Cardinals followers”. No phrase on if this can nudge Will out of retirement for one final radio affiliate article. If that miracle had been to happen, possibly then we will want for the 17 biggest Royals subsequent.

Blogs?

David Lesky did one other “JJ for a Day” column, this one about free company ($)

One factor I discovered from this train is that I spotted simply how tough it’s to construct a workforce. I imply, I knew it earlier than, however considering by means of the strikes above, I can consider 4 different methods to get totally different variations of filling the holes on the roster. Some don’t embody buying and selling Singer. Some do. Some embody spending all of the free agent cash on relievers and making trades to fill the opposite spots.

The Royals Reporter, Kevin O’Brien, posted a “Reporter Jottings”. Amongst different notes, he’s one of many many, many people who find themselves transferring away from Twitter over to BlueSky.

I don’t assume this has been posted right here but, though it was from earlier within the week. Over at U.L.’s Toothpick, Darin Watson writes about (the tragedy of) Jose Rosado:

A strained left hamstring value Rosado a very good chunk of spring coaching. In actual fact, his availability for Opening Day was doubtful, and Suppan drew the nod for the primary sport. Rosado did pitch the third sport of the season, choosing up a win in Toronto. However quickly, there was trigger for concern. He was rocked in consecutive begins in New York and Minnesota. His first fastball within the Twins sport was clocked at 79 mph. Finally he received into the low 80s, however his velocity was nonetheless method down. The Royals had him skip a begin, which appeared to assist, as his velocity returned in his subsequent begin, a win over the Seattle Mariners. However 5 days later, he was on the disabled listing with tendinitis in his shoulder.

Additionally, we now have a hyperlink to afterward:

Rosado was in a position to keep in baseball, at the least. He labored within the Yankees’ minor leagues as a pitching coach from 2011-2020, then spent three seasons as pitching coach for the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Group. He additionally served because the pitching coach for Puerto Rico within the World Baseball Basic in 2013, 2017, and 2023. Final December, he returned to the majors because the Mets’ bullpen coach.

Weblog Roundup:

How about a bit of MLB information?

The remainder of the All-MLB first and second workforce gamers might be discovered right here.

The Rays have reached an settlement to play their residence video games in 2025 in George M. Steinbrenner Discipline in Tampa. The stadium is the Spring Coaching residence of the Yankees. In the course of the common season, it hosts the A-ball Tampa Tarpons. Particulars are nonetheless being labored out.

I do know we simply talked about Taiwan final week, however there was new information this week (although not associated to the CPBL). Shohei Ohtani’s 50/50 residence run ball, the one which was offered for greater than $4M, has a brief residence inside skyscraper Taipei 101.

The customer was later revealed to be Taiwanese funding agency UC Capital. The agency is a tenant of Taipei 101, which was as soon as the tallest constructing on the earth and nonetheless ranks as one of many tallest in Asia.

Till March 2, 2025, the ball can be out there for all to see at an exhibition, behind a glass case and underneath strict guard.

In a segue to our subsequent part, Yasiel Puig signed with KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes.

This week, we proceed our Asian baseball evaluations. Final week, we did the CPBL. This week is the KBO. And subsequent week is NPB. Listed below are the hyperlinks to our season preview and midseason test for the league.

Earlier than we get to the playoffs, let’s speak about our rooting curiosity, the Hanwha Eagles, who had been already talked about above in speaking about Jose Rosado. They’d their finest end since we began following them again in 2020! They had been eighth… (out of 10). Their document of 66-76-2 was their finest since 2018. They’re additionally saying goodbye to Daejeon stadium, which opened in 1964 and was the oldest and smallest stadium within the KBO.

The Eagles will transfer into the model new, 20,000-seat Daejeon Baseball Dream Park in 2025.

The Eagles missed the postseason for the sixth consecutive 12 months in 2024, regardless of making a push and giving their famously loyal fan base hope.

The Eagles set a single-season sellout document with 47 this 12 months, simply surpassing the earlier mark of 36 set by the Samsung Lions in 1995.

The stadium’s final sport was additionally the final within the 20-year profession of KBO veteran pitcher Jung Wooram:

Even with out the Eagles, the pennant chase* was thrilling!

*Is it a pennant chase you probably have a laddered playoff and one league?

After the SSG Landers misplaced 14-5 on Tuesday, September twenty fourth, they didn’t lose once more, successful Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Monday. Nevertheless, the KT Wiz gained Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. Each groups ended the common season at 72-70-2 and performed the primary ever fifth-place tiebreaker in KBO historical past.

Within the tiebreaker sport, The Landers had been up 3-1 within the eighth when Mel Rojas Jr., son of former MLB pitcher Mel Rojas, strode to the plate:

As beforehand talked about, the KBO has a ladder playoff the place the fifth and 4th place groups play. Then the winner performs the third place workforce. The winner of that collection performs the 2nd pla… effectively, you get the thought. Formally the fifth place/4th place collection known as the “Wild Card”. The 4th place workforce begins out with a 1 sport benefit in a finest of three collection and has residence subject for each video games. I’ve additionally advocated beforehand for the MLB to try this mannequin to make the common season extra significant. However I digress.

The Wiz weren’t executed with historical past, but. No decrease seeded workforce in KBO historical past has ever gained the Wild Card collection… till this 12 months. With wins of 4-0 and 1-0 in opposition to the Doosan Bears at their Jasmil Baseball Stadium, the Wiz moved on to play final 12 months’s champion, the LG Twins, within the “Semi-playoff”. This can be a extra conventional best-of-5 collection with a 2-2-1 residence sport format. The Wiz gained sport 1. Nevertheless, the Twins gained sport 2 convincingly and held off a Wiz rally in sport 3. The Wiz gained sport 4 in 11 innings to power a deciding sport 5. Nevertheless, Twins pitcher Im Chan-kyu was simply an excessive amount of, going 6 and giving up 1 run.

The subsequent collection, one other best-of-5, is the “playoff” and featured the second place Samsung Lions in opposition to the third place Twins. The Lions bludgeoned the Twins 10-4 and 10-5 with 7 residence runs between the 2 video games. The Twins gained 1-0 in sport 3 however the Lions returned the favor, ending the collection with a 1-0 win in sport 4.

Whereas the Lions survived the playoff gauntlet, their rewards was a Korean Sequence matchup with the Kia Tigers. The Tigers completed the common season at 87-55-2, 9(!) video games forward of the 2nd place Lions. These two franchises have mixed for probably the most Korea Sequence championships with the Lions successful 8 and dropping the collection 10 occasions. And, whereas this seems like a misprint, previous to this 12 months, the Tigers have been to the Korea Sequence 11 occasions. They’re 11-0!

In the course of the common season, the Tigers had been led by 20yo third baseman Kim Do-yeong, who is predicted to win the league MVP. He hit .347/.420/.647 and ended with 38 HR and 40 SB, falling simply in need of being the second 40/40 participant in KBO historical past. “Kim additionally set a single-season document with 143 runs scored”

On October twenty first, the Lions led 1-0 within the sixth of Recreation 1 however then rain triggered suspension of the the sport. When play resumed two days later, the Tigers rallied for 4 runs within the seventh and gained 5-1. “Recreation 2 started about an hour after the completion of the suspended Recreation 1” and the Tigers scored 5 within the backside of the first, en path to an 8-3 victory and commanding 2-0 collection lead. The Lions gained sport 3 behind the robust pitching of Denyi Reyes.

Nevertheless, that was all they might get within the gentleman’s sweep. The Tigers bludgeoned the Lions 9-2 in sport 4 and one headline for sport 5 learn “A number of postseason residence run information set in Korean Sequence sport”. The Lions had been up 5-1 within the third, however the Tigers had been simply an excessive amount of and rallied to win 7-5 and declare their twelfth title.

We haven’t revisited Ultimate Fantasy IX in years. How about we simply go together with “Battle 1”, the usual battle music?