The Royals' left fielder showed off a new swing on Instagram, and it's interesting. Plus, a look at some bullpen options and a silly tool at MLB Network.
Never want to give up on a guy who has talent, is young, cost controlled, and has just made a pretty big swing change or learned a new pitch. Some of those guys become all stars. And this team really needs at least one more.
They absolutely need another legitimate big league bat. My preference is to take out some of the variance and go get one, but it's not impossible that the bat comes from within. I don't know that I'd give him *another* chance after this year, but I do think he's at least worth being strong side of a platoon.
I have a big and not quite logical soft spot for MJ. And I’ll take everyone’s expert word for it that the swing change is significant. It sure looks pretty.
Man, I don't blame you for getting your money but I signed up for Underdog with your code and lost every bet I placed. Their odds feel all out of whack to me. Not that you or anyone else should care, but I wanna whine and look, here's a text box!
I really like MJ's swing changes. I, like you, noticed that there is far less movement and it seems much more fluid and balanced. I, also like you, worry about what muscle memory is going to do to it as the season goes along. And, of course, when someone makes changes this drastic you have to wonder if it will be effective even at the beginning. I've been banging the drum all offseason that I like giving Melendez one last chance, but I want it to be as the last outfielder or as a platoon guy, not as a guaranteed starter entering spring training. If he enters the year as a starter, I have a lot of fears about how well this season is going to go.
I guess the not-good-case scenario is that the Royals finish with like 75ish wins and are kind of in it until September, which would be far more fun than most years of my fandom. But also while that would have been enough for me last season. If the Royals take a step back this year, it's going to end up a massive disappointment and kill all the good vibes from a really fun period that started in Fall 2023 and lasted until Michael Wacha signed his contract extension.
Yeah, I've noticed the odds are interesting, but I kind of like the simplicity of it.
And sure, with MJ, we're obviously in agreement there. If the outfield is MJ-Isbel-Renfroe, they've messed up. I'll be shouting that from the rooftops. I still don't think it will be, but until they make a move, that's the plan for now. I worry about him competing for a job too because as I said last year, he feels like a guy who is a Cactus League All-Star and has great springs. I do think it'll feel pretty disappointing if the Royals take a step back, which will make 2026 even more important than it already is for this franchise.
The problem with Baty right now is that the Mets need him still. I think they figured they were going to get Bregman or Alonso and be good to go. Right now, they don't have a third baseman if they're shifting Vientos to first. But yeah, I think any would be a boost.
what are the historical precedents for someone completely revamping their swing after a couple of years in the big leagues -- and having success with it?
I'm probably not qualified to say but just on the Royals, Moose and Gordo immediately come to mind. I think we'd all be over the moon if MJ could approximate their careers somehow. That said, Gordon at least had otherworldly discipline. MJ might too, I don't know, but when these guys make a big change like this and don't see immediate success, it's so easy (and understandable) to quickly revert back to what they were doing before.
A lot of guys make wholesale changes. Giancarlo Stanton did, which was kind of surprising because he was successful before it. Jurickson Profar made big changes before last season and they paid off. It's not the most common thing in the world, but talented hitters sometimes just need a different approach.
Thanks David for the video of Melendez changed swing! I always look at the head during a swing because the head cannot move and still track a 98 mph fastball with movement. Hitting starts with the eyes because if you cannot see it, you cannot hit it. Melendez’s head would move with his previous swing lunging at the ball. Renfroe is not the answer, in my opinion, to be on the roster for 2025, eat the money and release him. Again, the remaining OF free agents are not worth big money and let us see what the young Royals especially Cags can do in spring training before making a trade when the farm system is finally getting back to some talent moving forward!
I'm a broken record, but I just think the Royals are missing a real chance here to be a favorite not only in the Central, but in the AL. If they could somehow add that big bat and another legitimate bullpen arm, I don't think it's out of the question they'd be right up there with the 2nd tier of the AL behind the Yankees. And then anything can happen. Witt and Ragans are entering their prime, Vinnie should be in it, Salvy hopefully has another good year left. The central is for the taking... Let's go, JJ and Sherman! You can do this :)
I agree that another bat and another arm and I think they go from 84-86 wins with a chance to overperform to more like 88-90 wins, which is probably enough in a division filled with teams not really trying all that hard and the White Sox. I believe that any of the four other teams can win this division, so at least one should make some additions to get there.
I’m in the camp that change of scenery is best for all parties with Melendez. That said, if that swing allows him to hit 9mph fastballs down the heart of the plate. Good for him. He’ll get more chances, they just can’t be as a starter. We’ll see. He might be if they aren’t able to get another outfielder I guess. Time will tell.
Would love another reliever. I hate the idea if they don’t find a bat of doubling down on pitching and picking up two relievers if we can. Just because, I really, really think they need another legit bat. We are getting down to crunch time, all we can do is wait yet.
I think another bat is more important. And I think they'll get one. But you've watched a lot of seasons torpedoed by pitching. It's never a bad idea to double down on arms.
We’ve seen how strong our coaching staff is with pitchers, does the coaching staff (any coaching staff) have the same impact on offense? Or are hitters just naturally good or bad and that’s about it? All last season we kept hearing that MJ was doing all the right things - it just didn’t translate to games consistently.
Do you know if they’ve been working with Cags anywhere other than 1b?
I have some questions about the strength of Zumwalt and his team at the big league level. We just haven't seen great results from them. I like all the coaches, but I wonder if this group would be better served in the roles they were in prior to Terry Bradshaw losing his job a few years ago. So this will be very interesting to see if they can get something more out of MJ/Garcia/Massey even.
As for Cags, he's only at first base for now, but he'll likely get reps in the outfield soon enough.
The real test will come with the next crop of young hitters, but I'd like to see more improvement from this group. Look, Garcia had a solid year in 2023 and then had a 200 PA sample in 2024 that was excellent, so maybe he takes a step back up in 2025. Development is not linear. Massey made strides. But I would definitely like to see more.
It’s still hard to believe we’ve only had two seasons under the new GM/Mgmt/Coaching staff! There was such a turnaround I think my expectations are as if they’ve been here longer!
Easy to have a great swing in BP. In 1405 ABs, which is about 2 1/2 full seasons, he has hit .221 with -.8 WAR. He was worse than that last year. To top it off, he is one of the worst fielders in MLB. A team has to have much better players than Melendez and Renfroe to contend for a championship. I hope there are some strong moves coming.
I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see Cags get a bunch of reps in right field during spring training and in the minors. It appears that they are trying to fast track him to the majors. If the bat continues to progress, RF might be the quickest way to the show. They’re fine at 1B. I’m happy with Salvy and Vinny. Maybe when the right trade or signing didn’t materialize they switched to plan B. Having a stud power hitter with a cannon of an arm waiting in the wings is a nice card to have up your sleeve.
He's 100% likely to work in the outfield. I'm not so sure it'll be in spring training, at least not in the big league portion. When he gets sent to minor league camp, I could absolutely see it. I know for a fact that there are many in the organization who think he could be a big leaguer by July.
I have been eyeing Hays for a while now. His '24 .255 /.303/.396 isn't beautiful, but he did that with some kidney infection that took a bit to diagnose. He has been pretty consistently above league BA and SLG from 2019-2023. He doesn't suck in OF and is 29yo.
And oh yeah he would probably sign a 1 year deal. I would have been good with one year from Profar, but no way would I gamble 3 years on a 31yo whose bat is somewhat suspect and stinks in OF.
As much as I want an OF who can hit, I begrudgingly understand why the Royals have been passing so far - I have seen no deal that I thought "the Royals should have done that". I could get excited about Ward, but not if they sell the farm for him.
Glad there are still some relievers left, definitely could use one or two.
Since you dipped your toes in shreddergate, what are your thoughts on the Dodgers?
I was ok with Sasaki, but when I saw Yates AND Scott i literally threw my hands up.
The players strike in the 90's soured me on baseball for many years, and only middle age brought me back to loving the game again. Of course I think the players should get paid vs the owners getting all the riches, but how about throwing the fans a bone now and then? Is a salary cap and salary floor really unamerican? I doubt baseball will ever be the national passtime again, but I hope greed doesn't turn it into WWE
My honest thoughts are probably not going to be shared by many, but the Dodgers are doing what they should be doing. It's the rest of the teams (mostly) who are causing this. Something tells me that if Kirby Yates had been signed when he should have back in December that it wouldn't have been with the Dodgers.
The reality is that baseball isn't going to die as long as they don't lose very real time to any sort of strike/lockout. The players don't want a cap and the owners don't want a floor. The problem is that the commissioner is in place to work for the owners and not work for the game, so there isn't someone in the middle explaining to both sides that their fights have a chance to cause real problems down the road.
IMO, building a strong pen is a smart tactical way for a small market team to make up ground without spending a ton of money, so I agree. I'd like to sign a strong 7th or 8th inning option. I'm rooting for MJ. That's a massive change, but only time will tell. Honestly I don't think MJ is that bad a fielder anymore. Renfroe has a great arm but is a statue out there. MJ has a good arm, objectively worse than Renfroe but still strong. I don't care what the metrics say. MJ > Renfroe defensively at this point in their careers. Certain guys like Jose Baustista have retooled their swing and seen enormous success. Hoping that is the case for MJ. He seems like a good human being.
Boy that's asking a lot of a guy who hit .204/.283/.362 in his only extended big league action and is a career and hit .224/.351/.312 in AAA last season. India also hasn't played third since 2019. I'm not saying it can't be the best option, but I'd probably bet against it ending up that way.
Never want to give up on a guy who has talent, is young, cost controlled, and has just made a pretty big swing change or learned a new pitch. Some of those guys become all stars. And this team really needs at least one more.
They absolutely need another legitimate big league bat. My preference is to take out some of the variance and go get one, but it's not impossible that the bat comes from within. I don't know that I'd give him *another* chance after this year, but I do think he's at least worth being strong side of a platoon.
I have a big and not quite logical soft spot for MJ. And I’ll take everyone’s expert word for it that the swing change is significant. It sure looks pretty.
Man, I don't blame you for getting your money but I signed up for Underdog with your code and lost every bet I placed. Their odds feel all out of whack to me. Not that you or anyone else should care, but I wanna whine and look, here's a text box!
I really like MJ's swing changes. I, like you, noticed that there is far less movement and it seems much more fluid and balanced. I, also like you, worry about what muscle memory is going to do to it as the season goes along. And, of course, when someone makes changes this drastic you have to wonder if it will be effective even at the beginning. I've been banging the drum all offseason that I like giving Melendez one last chance, but I want it to be as the last outfielder or as a platoon guy, not as a guaranteed starter entering spring training. If he enters the year as a starter, I have a lot of fears about how well this season is going to go.
I guess the not-good-case scenario is that the Royals finish with like 75ish wins and are kind of in it until September, which would be far more fun than most years of my fandom. But also while that would have been enough for me last season. If the Royals take a step back this year, it's going to end up a massive disappointment and kill all the good vibes from a really fun period that started in Fall 2023 and lasted until Michael Wacha signed his contract extension.
Yeah, I've noticed the odds are interesting, but I kind of like the simplicity of it.
And sure, with MJ, we're obviously in agreement there. If the outfield is MJ-Isbel-Renfroe, they've messed up. I'll be shouting that from the rooftops. I still don't think it will be, but until they make a move, that's the plan for now. I worry about him competing for a job too because as I said last year, he feels like a guy who is a Cactus League All-Star and has great springs. I do think it'll feel pretty disappointing if the Royals take a step back, which will make 2026 even more important than it already is for this franchise.
I’ve talked myself into being excited for Ward. Him and Bohm are my preferences. Would be fine with Baty/ Garcia. Just want something.
The problem with Baty right now is that the Mets need him still. I think they figured they were going to get Bregman or Alonso and be good to go. Right now, they don't have a third baseman if they're shifting Vientos to first. But yeah, I think any would be a boost.
Maybe all the Royals need to do is change MJ’s name to MJ Santander-Profar, our power hitting OBP left fielder!
That's next offseason. Can't change too much at once.
what are the historical precedents for someone completely revamping their swing after a couple of years in the big leagues -- and having success with it?
I'm probably not qualified to say but just on the Royals, Moose and Gordo immediately come to mind. I think we'd all be over the moon if MJ could approximate their careers somehow. That said, Gordon at least had otherworldly discipline. MJ might too, I don't know, but when these guys make a big change like this and don't see immediate success, it's so easy (and understandable) to quickly revert back to what they were doing before.
A lot of guys make wholesale changes. Giancarlo Stanton did, which was kind of surprising because he was successful before it. Jurickson Profar made big changes before last season and they paid off. It's not the most common thing in the world, but talented hitters sometimes just need a different approach.
Thanks David for the video of Melendez changed swing! I always look at the head during a swing because the head cannot move and still track a 98 mph fastball with movement. Hitting starts with the eyes because if you cannot see it, you cannot hit it. Melendez’s head would move with his previous swing lunging at the ball. Renfroe is not the answer, in my opinion, to be on the roster for 2025, eat the money and release him. Again, the remaining OF free agents are not worth big money and let us see what the young Royals especially Cags can do in spring training before making a trade when the farm system is finally getting back to some talent moving forward!
There was way too much movement before. You could see the talent when he did make contact, but it was way too difficult before.
I'm a broken record, but I just think the Royals are missing a real chance here to be a favorite not only in the Central, but in the AL. If they could somehow add that big bat and another legitimate bullpen arm, I don't think it's out of the question they'd be right up there with the 2nd tier of the AL behind the Yankees. And then anything can happen. Witt and Ragans are entering their prime, Vinnie should be in it, Salvy hopefully has another good year left. The central is for the taking... Let's go, JJ and Sherman! You can do this :)
I agree that another bat and another arm and I think they go from 84-86 wins with a chance to overperform to more like 88-90 wins, which is probably enough in a division filled with teams not really trying all that hard and the White Sox. I believe that any of the four other teams can win this division, so at least one should make some additions to get there.
I’m in the camp that change of scenery is best for all parties with Melendez. That said, if that swing allows him to hit 9mph fastballs down the heart of the plate. Good for him. He’ll get more chances, they just can’t be as a starter. We’ll see. He might be if they aren’t able to get another outfielder I guess. Time will tell.
Would love another reliever. I hate the idea if they don’t find a bat of doubling down on pitching and picking up two relievers if we can. Just because, I really, really think they need another legit bat. We are getting down to crunch time, all we can do is wait yet.
Meant 90 mph. Lol
I think another bat is more important. And I think they'll get one. But you've watched a lot of seasons torpedoed by pitching. It's never a bad idea to double down on arms.
We’ve seen how strong our coaching staff is with pitchers, does the coaching staff (any coaching staff) have the same impact on offense? Or are hitters just naturally good or bad and that’s about it? All last season we kept hearing that MJ was doing all the right things - it just didn’t translate to games consistently.
Do you know if they’ve been working with Cags anywhere other than 1b?
Thx David!
I have some questions about the strength of Zumwalt and his team at the big league level. We just haven't seen great results from them. I like all the coaches, but I wonder if this group would be better served in the roles they were in prior to Terry Bradshaw losing his job a few years ago. So this will be very interesting to see if they can get something more out of MJ/Garcia/Massey even.
As for Cags, he's only at first base for now, but he'll likely get reps in the outfield soon enough.
Y i wonder if Zumwalt and Co will be under JJs microscope this year.
Wonder if MJs swing was revamped by Royals or others.
I agree. I know they had their hands full with our pitchers, but I feel like something is missing with our young hitters.
The real test will come with the next crop of young hitters, but I'd like to see more improvement from this group. Look, Garcia had a solid year in 2023 and then had a 200 PA sample in 2024 that was excellent, so maybe he takes a step back up in 2025. Development is not linear. Massey made strides. But I would definitely like to see more.
It’s still hard to believe we’ve only had two seasons under the new GM/Mgmt/Coaching staff! There was such a turnaround I think my expectations are as if they’ve been here longer!
Easy to have a great swing in BP. In 1405 ABs, which is about 2 1/2 full seasons, he has hit .221 with -.8 WAR. He was worse than that last year. To top it off, he is one of the worst fielders in MLB. A team has to have much better players than Melendez and Renfroe to contend for a championship. I hope there are some strong moves coming.
I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see Cags get a bunch of reps in right field during spring training and in the minors. It appears that they are trying to fast track him to the majors. If the bat continues to progress, RF might be the quickest way to the show. They’re fine at 1B. I’m happy with Salvy and Vinny. Maybe when the right trade or signing didn’t materialize they switched to plan B. Having a stud power hitter with a cannon of an arm waiting in the wings is a nice card to have up your sleeve.
He's 100% likely to work in the outfield. I'm not so sure it'll be in spring training, at least not in the big league portion. When he gets sent to minor league camp, I could absolutely see it. I know for a fact that there are many in the organization who think he could be a big leaguer by July.
I have been eyeing Hays for a while now. His '24 .255 /.303/.396 isn't beautiful, but he did that with some kidney infection that took a bit to diagnose. He has been pretty consistently above league BA and SLG from 2019-2023. He doesn't suck in OF and is 29yo.
And oh yeah he would probably sign a 1 year deal. I would have been good with one year from Profar, but no way would I gamble 3 years on a 31yo whose bat is somewhat suspect and stinks in OF.
As much as I want an OF who can hit, I begrudgingly understand why the Royals have been passing so far - I have seen no deal that I thought "the Royals should have done that". I could get excited about Ward, but not if they sell the farm for him.
Glad there are still some relievers left, definitely could use one or two.
Since you dipped your toes in shreddergate, what are your thoughts on the Dodgers?
I was ok with Sasaki, but when I saw Yates AND Scott i literally threw my hands up.
The players strike in the 90's soured me on baseball for many years, and only middle age brought me back to loving the game again. Of course I think the players should get paid vs the owners getting all the riches, but how about throwing the fans a bone now and then? Is a salary cap and salary floor really unamerican? I doubt baseball will ever be the national passtime again, but I hope greed doesn't turn it into WWE
My honest thoughts are probably not going to be shared by many, but the Dodgers are doing what they should be doing. It's the rest of the teams (mostly) who are causing this. Something tells me that if Kirby Yates had been signed when he should have back in December that it wouldn't have been with the Dodgers.
The reality is that baseball isn't going to die as long as they don't lose very real time to any sort of strike/lockout. The players don't want a cap and the owners don't want a floor. The problem is that the commissioner is in place to work for the owners and not work for the game, so there isn't someone in the middle explaining to both sides that their fights have a chance to cause real problems down the road.
IMO, building a strong pen is a smart tactical way for a small market team to make up ground without spending a ton of money, so I agree. I'd like to sign a strong 7th or 8th inning option. I'm rooting for MJ. That's a massive change, but only time will tell. Honestly I don't think MJ is that bad a fielder anymore. Renfroe has a great arm but is a statue out there. MJ has a good arm, objectively worse than Renfroe but still strong. I don't care what the metrics say. MJ > Renfroe defensively at this point in their careers. Certain guys like Jose Baustista have retooled their swing and seen enormous success. Hoping that is the case for MJ. He seems like a good human being.
I think they may already have the bat. Stick Wiemer in as your RF and platoon MJ with Renfroe. India at third. Massey at 2B
Boy that's asking a lot of a guy who hit .204/.283/.362 in his only extended big league action and is a career and hit .224/.351/.312 in AAA last season. India also hasn't played third since 2019. I'm not saying it can't be the best option, but I'd probably bet against it ending up that way.