Anne Rogers writes about the pitchers working on new pitches this spring
.Add Schreiber to the list of pitchers working on a kick-changeup, a pitch he introduced last season but then worked on consistently the entire offseason. The right-hander posted a 3.80 ERA and will be a reliever the Royals turn to in middle- to high-leverage situations again, but he has to be able to get lefties out. Last season, left-handed batters had a .754 OPS in 111 plate appearances against Schreiber compared to a .671
OPS in 154 plate appearances for right-handers. With his four-seam, sinker, sweeper and cutter, Schreiber has the east-to-west movement plot covered.
Stephen Kolek was scratched from his outing on Wednesday due to tightness in his side.
“If they can figure out what it is [inside at the complex], we’ll have an answer,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “If not, we’ll have to get him more testing. But we were just being cautious and not forcing him out there.”
Jaylon Thompson writes about how Noah Cameron is preparing for his sophomore season.
So this offseason, Cameron did some scouting of his own — some self-scouting. He went back and looked at some of his starts with the Royals and found that his optimal success came from suppressing his pitch count and being effective in the strike zone.
“I think in the minor leagues, it’s pitch however long you can and have as good of stats as you can,” he said. “You know, feel the best and that’s all you can do. But here (in the majors), it doesn’t matter how you feel and how sexy your stats are. It’s just to help the team, pitch deep and limit their runs. That’s just the name of the game.”
Pete Grathoff writes that Royals broadcasts this year could feature drones.
Craig Brown writes about whether Bailey Falter can add velocity to his repertoire.
Touching 96 mph is a nice goal and everything, but I feel like it’s important to note that Falter has topped 95 mph with his fastballs just twice in his major league career. He did it one time last season, on a sinker, right before he was traded to Kansas City. Of course, all these guys are looking to add velocity these days…and visiting different pitching labs and training facilities with their own coaches to find that edge that will get them a tick more. Especially guys who know they are fighting for a spot on the club and the rotation. This will be an interesting development to monitor going forward.
David Lesky writes about Seth Lugo’s first spring start.
Nothing was in the middle. Last year, after the break, it felt like he was either missing big out of the zone or leaving a pitch right in the middle of the plate to get crushed. I think if my math is right, he’ll make one more start in Royals camp before leaving for the WBC, though I may be off on that, depending on how the Royals set that up. But I’ll be curious to watch the command and that slider in his next outing. It’s easy to lament giving him $20 million per year for the next two, and it would hurt if he pitches like he did in August again, but if he can give the Royals even just league average for 175 innings per year, that’s a reasonable cost to pay for that
And Witt’s drive to improve is relentless. J.J. Picollo, the head of baseball operations for the Royals, wrote in a text, “[Witt] is so easy to deal with because he takes such good care of himself that we have little-to-no concern. More of what we discuss with him is how we can keep him fresh and strong throughout the season.
“Some of the finer points of base stealing are things that are always being discussed, but he is clearly a very good baserunner.”
He is clearly very good at everything.
Kevin O’Brien at Royals Keep wonders if the curve is the key to Lugo’s success.
Buster Olney at ESPN ranks Bobby Witt Jr. as the top shortstop in the game.
And Witt’s drive to improve is relentless. J.J. Picollo, the head of baseball operations for the Royals, wrote in a text, “[Witt] is so easy to deal with because he takes such good care of himself that we have little-to-no concern. More of what we discuss with him is how we can keep him fresh and strong throughout the season.
“Some of the finer points of base stealing are things that are always being discussed, but he is clearly a very good baserunner.”
He is clearly very good at everything.
Keith Law ranks Carter Jensen tops on his rookies list.
Jensen has a long history of getting on base, the power is real and he’s a strong defensive catcher. I understand the desire for loyalty, especially given Perez’s tie to the 2015 World Series winning team, but Jensen should be the Royals’ primary catcher this year, with Perez backing him up and maybe playing some first or DHing if there’s a need. Assuming the Royals go that route, Jensen will be a strong contender for Rookie of the Year.
The Yankees are still open to adding a platoon bat.
The Padres shut down pitcher Matt Waldron after a hemorrhoid procedure.
Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day.
Angels owner Arte Moreno says fans don’t really care about winning that much.
What are teams paying per-win in free agency these days?
Tarik Skubal will only pitch once for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
The Yankees will retire the number of pitcher CC Sabathia.
The Pirates are open to a long-term deal with top prospect Konnor Griffin.
Should the Rays have a 5.5-man rotation?
Harrison Bader dents a food truck with a home run, and signs the truck.
An umpire has five consecutive pitches overturned on ABS challenges.
Would you let Jacob Misiorowski throw a fastball to hit an apple on your head?
MLB players want to participate in the 2028 Summer Olympics.
How Salt Lake City is becoming a frontrunner for MLB expansion. [$]
The NFL is not expected to get a proposal to ban the “tush push.”
Bodø/Glimt pulls off one of the biggest upsets in Champions League history, knocking out Inter Milan.
An FCC study shows TV station consolidation has led to lower quality for viewers.
Phil Collins, Lauryn Hill, Mariah Carey, Oasis, and Pink are among the nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Do we really need this much protein?
Your song of the day is Sebadoah with On Fire.
