It’s not rocket science that when you catcher sets up off the plate to start a pitch…and the umpire see that….you aren’t going to get a strike call even if he hits the glove. I know many felt the royals never got close calls last year. Not sure if that’s just being a fan and seeing that side of it, or if they just have the reputation. But I’ve long thought he just needs to set up in the general third of the plate he wants hit. Maybe Matheny didn’t have the clout (former catcher you would think would) or maybe Perez just didn’t listen (kinda lean this way) so if it takes new people to get the message across about time. It was a prime example of the Royals preaching something and then doing the exact opposite on the field. Crap, if they got just 5 more first pitch strikes….that’s probably one less hit or walk in the game. That can change everything.
Olivares……dude can rake but I’ve felt the same way as you for a while. The Royals just aren’t the team for him. They don’t believe in him, or know the defense won’t get better. Something about his game they don’t like because it always feels like they are reluctantly throwing him out there….in which he has always hit. I fully believe Reyes will overtake his spot. I expect it to happen by opening day to be honest. I don’t necessarily think it is the wrong move as maybe he’s never more than what he is now. Just seems like he has never really been a fit here.
I don't feel like the setting up outside the zone is what's causing bad framing. I think it hurts pitchers in efforts to throw strikes as the BA article mentioned. I think the movement is what impacts the framing. I'll be very curious to see where the catchers are setting up during spring and into the early part of the season.
The thing about Olivares, and I really think he can play in the big leagues, is that I do believe he's not *quite* good enough to be a DH and he definitely isn't good enough defensively to play every day. The Royals gave him a real shot last year and he ended up with so few plate appearances because he got hurt. There is unequivocally a spot for .286/.333/.410. I just think if that's the line, it's something you're happy to have but never stop trying to upgrade. I think the Royals believed they could iron out his defense because they've done it in the past with guys and they just couldn't, which leaves his bat as a tweener bat.
I have never seen a crowd of people turn on someone like the crowd at the K turned on Ned during the Wild Card game in 2014. When he came out to the mound to take Ace out in the sixth (after giving up a bomb to Brandon Moss to take the lead), I have never heard boos like that in my life.
I had heard the phrase, "boos raining down" before, but it FELT like Ned's safety was in question walking back to the dugout. I immediately felt sorry for him. Wondered what he could be thinking, getting to this point in the season and having that move backfire in front of the faithful. How could you not be ticked to be booed so loud by people who were supposed to support you?
By not bringing in Kelvin Herrera instead of Ace, (which was a weird thing to do, tendency-wise) I think the crowd all thought they were better managers that inning.
Luckily, all's well that ends well. Ned was a frustrating man to watch get interviewed, but also, could really spin a story if he was feeling it. Congrats to him.
Thanks for getting us through the long cold winter David!
I think part of that is the fans had just turned to liking him. They were 48-50 just over two months before that game. Heads could have easily rolled given what that season was supposed to be. And then they started winning, Ned became a favorite for a bit and all was good. And then he made a mistake (and win or lose, I still think that was a mistake) and it all came flooding back.
The thing about Ned, though, that most people didn't get to see often is just how funny he is. I was in the pregame interview in his office one day in 2015, asked him if Holland was available and he said, "Why would I tell you that?" And that was it. I was annoyed, but whatever. A couple months later when Holland was on the IL, I was there and he said, "Greg's not available tonight if you want to tweet that." But it wasn't malicious. He was just having fun. Good dude, happy for him that he gets honored.
First off let me say I love Salvy being on this team, but I've always wondered if his large body is a major liability. The hitter will just have to see him setting up out of corner of their eyes either inside or out and make adjustments. Plus possibly blocking low strikes from umps view.
Was happy to read about his attitude to learning to change his approach after Pedro's leaving.
I don't think him being so big helps him any, but I also don't know that it hurts him as much as some have said in the past. I do think it makes it tougher for an umpire to see around him and I do think there's something to maybe being able to see where he's setting up because there's just so much of him. But yeah, I'm glad to see some changes coming their way. The pitching hasn't been good, but there are ways to help pitchers the Royals haven't done enough of in the past.
I've noticed with regret for years that Salvy sets the target but then immediately drops his glove to the ground as the pitcher starts his windup, thus the target disappears. As you and I have discussed before he's not the only catcher to do that. But it strikes me as a particularly bad idea with a pitching staff that has so much trouble throwing strikes. I hope that somebody will convince him to stop doing that.
My worry is it's a tough habit to break. He's been doing it in the big leagues alone for 12 years and for years before that too probably. But I think one thing we know about Salvy is that he works hard and I imagine he'll be spending a lot of time on it. It's not something that necessarily will happen overnight though.
Good for Ned. He was sort of a loveable crumudgen who always, always, always had his players back. I liked his old school approach of having a position for every player and a lineup that rarely changed. When the players arrived at the stadium they knew where they were playing and where they hit in the lineup.
Wow Bob, that's so kind and generous of you. I may (and probably will) at some point charge a nominal amount for the site. For now, I won't say no to some support. You can Venmo me @David-Lesky if you'd like, but just know it is absolutely unnecessary!
Woohooo. I'm so excited for this season. I truly feel IF they can get above average pitching this season they could legitimately compete. They have the bats. Young guys yes, but they are all have above average potential. Here we go ROYALS here we go 👏👏
The Reyes signing is very intriguing to me. Way too early to get my hopes up, but if they can fix him, that could be a steal. Seemed like he always killed the Royals when he was in Cleveland- it'd be nice if he could do a little killing for them for a change.
Also, I know Salvy has flaws- especially with framing, which I agree is dumb that it's even a thing, but I acknowledge that it is- but how can anyone who loves baseball not love Salvy. MLB takes a lot of justified criticism for their failure to properly market its star players, and I know he's not Mike Trout in the talent department, but he's also no slouch and couples it with ten times the charisma. WS Champion & MVP, WC Game hero, 7x All-Star, 5x Gold Glover, 4x Silver Slugger, AL HR champ, 2020 Comeback POY, 2x All-MLB first team, and his joyous outgoing personality and love for the game- even accounting for the fact that English isn't his first language and I know the Royals aren't the Yankees, how is he not front and center for MLB's efforts to promote the game?
I agree that Salvy is a great ambassador for the game, and this is a much bigger discussion, but the fact that baseball is so regional just makes it difficult. And Salvy playing on a bad team in a smaller market doesn't help either. I think if done right it wouldn't matter much, but it does make it a little tougher on the league as a whole to promote a guy like him.
I've been saying for years that Perez is the biggest reason for the pitching problem. First I think he sets up too high and also I ve seen him over and over again set up outside the Strike zone when the pitcher is behind in the count. He has a good arm and he has quick reflexes behind the plate but he does not call a good game. That's why I've been saying trade him and his 20 million dollar a yr salary. Even at his age he'd bring a ton in return. Maybe even a couple of top catching prospects. If you look back since 2016 we've lost a lot of games with him catching so he hasn't made a difference. Even his 48 home run season we still.lost a ton of games. I find it interesting that almost every pitcher last year had a problem getting the ball over the plate. I've never seen a year when everyone couldn't get the ball over the plate. Even greinke. Although his walk percentage was good he walked guys in critical moments
Thanks for all three articles this week. Royals have a log jam in a lot of places and I think it's going to be hard for them to fully evaluate everyone without moving some people. Is anyone from the Massey, Eaton, Olivaras, Waters, Beaty group capable of being a contributing piece to a playoff team or are the Royals just evaluating role players?
First off, I wouldn't include Beaty in any list with regard to evaluation. He's a minor league free agent who may or may not make the team and likely will end up as a random name only diehards remember. As for the rest, I personally think both Massey and Waters can be big contributors, but role players are absolutely vital to championship teams, so even if that's "all" they end up being, there is a lot of value in that.
I was surprised David felt that Billy Butler should be in the Royals HoF. To me this HoF is harder to get into than the National Hall. Why would Billy be considered over Beltran or Damon, or both?
First of all, I 100% disagree with your assessment of team HOF vs. MLB HOF. I see the team version as a museum that tells the history while the MLB version honors the best of the best to ever play the game.
But with Butler, he’s also one of the best hitters in Royals history. He’s top 10 in average, hits, total bases, doubles, home runs, RBI, walks, OPS+, runs created, extra base hits, times on base, and intentional walks. I also believed Beltrán should be in the Royals HOF, but I’m not surprised he wasn’t voted in.
It’s not rocket science that when you catcher sets up off the plate to start a pitch…and the umpire see that….you aren’t going to get a strike call even if he hits the glove. I know many felt the royals never got close calls last year. Not sure if that’s just being a fan and seeing that side of it, or if they just have the reputation. But I’ve long thought he just needs to set up in the general third of the plate he wants hit. Maybe Matheny didn’t have the clout (former catcher you would think would) or maybe Perez just didn’t listen (kinda lean this way) so if it takes new people to get the message across about time. It was a prime example of the Royals preaching something and then doing the exact opposite on the field. Crap, if they got just 5 more first pitch strikes….that’s probably one less hit or walk in the game. That can change everything.
Olivares……dude can rake but I’ve felt the same way as you for a while. The Royals just aren’t the team for him. They don’t believe in him, or know the defense won’t get better. Something about his game they don’t like because it always feels like they are reluctantly throwing him out there….in which he has always hit. I fully believe Reyes will overtake his spot. I expect it to happen by opening day to be honest. I don’t necessarily think it is the wrong move as maybe he’s never more than what he is now. Just seems like he has never really been a fit here.
Olivares feels like a Jose Martinez (traded to the Cardinals in 2016) situation all over again.
He'll get traded to another team, rake for two and half years and then disappear.
I don't feel like the setting up outside the zone is what's causing bad framing. I think it hurts pitchers in efforts to throw strikes as the BA article mentioned. I think the movement is what impacts the framing. I'll be very curious to see where the catchers are setting up during spring and into the early part of the season.
The thing about Olivares, and I really think he can play in the big leagues, is that I do believe he's not *quite* good enough to be a DH and he definitely isn't good enough defensively to play every day. The Royals gave him a real shot last year and he ended up with so few plate appearances because he got hurt. There is unequivocally a spot for .286/.333/.410. I just think if that's the line, it's something you're happy to have but never stop trying to upgrade. I think the Royals believed they could iron out his defense because they've done it in the past with guys and they just couldn't, which leaves his bat as a tweener bat.
The player I think of with Olivares is Mike Aviles. Someone who was a capable big leaguer who the front office was NEVER into.
I have never seen a crowd of people turn on someone like the crowd at the K turned on Ned during the Wild Card game in 2014. When he came out to the mound to take Ace out in the sixth (after giving up a bomb to Brandon Moss to take the lead), I have never heard boos like that in my life.
I had heard the phrase, "boos raining down" before, but it FELT like Ned's safety was in question walking back to the dugout. I immediately felt sorry for him. Wondered what he could be thinking, getting to this point in the season and having that move backfire in front of the faithful. How could you not be ticked to be booed so loud by people who were supposed to support you?
By not bringing in Kelvin Herrera instead of Ace, (which was a weird thing to do, tendency-wise) I think the crowd all thought they were better managers that inning.
Luckily, all's well that ends well. Ned was a frustrating man to watch get interviewed, but also, could really spin a story if he was feeling it. Congrats to him.
Thanks for getting us through the long cold winter David!
I think part of that is the fans had just turned to liking him. They were 48-50 just over two months before that game. Heads could have easily rolled given what that season was supposed to be. And then they started winning, Ned became a favorite for a bit and all was good. And then he made a mistake (and win or lose, I still think that was a mistake) and it all came flooding back.
The thing about Ned, though, that most people didn't get to see often is just how funny he is. I was in the pregame interview in his office one day in 2015, asked him if Holland was available and he said, "Why would I tell you that?" And that was it. I was annoyed, but whatever. A couple months later when Holland was on the IL, I was there and he said, "Greg's not available tonight if you want to tweet that." But it wasn't malicious. He was just having fun. Good dude, happy for him that he gets honored.
- "Maybe it was a look-alike Homer Bailey."
- "I'd change my name to Julius Peppers in a heartbeat."
- "In a tie ballgame, you really try to refrain from walking the first four guys."
- "If we can win this thing today, it's gonna be really fun to watch 35 drunk guys get through customs."
Long live Ned.
The. Best.
First off let me say I love Salvy being on this team, but I've always wondered if his large body is a major liability. The hitter will just have to see him setting up out of corner of their eyes either inside or out and make adjustments. Plus possibly blocking low strikes from umps view.
Was happy to read about his attitude to learning to change his approach after Pedro's leaving.
I don't think him being so big helps him any, but I also don't know that it hurts him as much as some have said in the past. I do think it makes it tougher for an umpire to see around him and I do think there's something to maybe being able to see where he's setting up because there's just so much of him. But yeah, I'm glad to see some changes coming their way. The pitching hasn't been good, but there are ways to help pitchers the Royals haven't done enough of in the past.
I've noticed with regret for years that Salvy sets the target but then immediately drops his glove to the ground as the pitcher starts his windup, thus the target disappears. As you and I have discussed before he's not the only catcher to do that. But it strikes me as a particularly bad idea with a pitching staff that has so much trouble throwing strikes. I hope that somebody will convince him to stop doing that.
My worry is it's a tough habit to break. He's been doing it in the big leagues alone for 12 years and for years before that too probably. But I think one thing we know about Salvy is that he works hard and I imagine he'll be spending a lot of time on it. It's not something that necessarily will happen overnight though.
Thanks for the info on Reyes and a good point of view on Yost.
Franmil Reyes 🤝 Jorge Soler
I don't dislike that at all.
Good for Ned. He was sort of a loveable crumudgen who always, always, always had his players back. I liked his old school approach of having a position for every player and a lineup that rarely changed. When the players arrived at the stadium they knew where they were playing and where they hit in the lineup.
Please publish an address where I can mail a physical check to support your work.
Wow Bob, that's so kind and generous of you. I may (and probably will) at some point charge a nominal amount for the site. For now, I won't say no to some support. You can Venmo me @David-Lesky if you'd like, but just know it is absolutely unnecessary!
from an old schooler with no Venmo, Can you add a "one time donation" to the "pledge your support" page?
That's just not something Substack has built in, so unfortunately not.
Woohooo. I'm so excited for this season. I truly feel IF they can get above average pitching this season they could legitimately compete. They have the bats. Young guys yes, but they are all have above average potential. Here we go ROYALS here we go 👏👏
The Reyes signing is very intriguing to me. Way too early to get my hopes up, but if they can fix him, that could be a steal. Seemed like he always killed the Royals when he was in Cleveland- it'd be nice if he could do a little killing for them for a change.
Also, I know Salvy has flaws- especially with framing, which I agree is dumb that it's even a thing, but I acknowledge that it is- but how can anyone who loves baseball not love Salvy. MLB takes a lot of justified criticism for their failure to properly market its star players, and I know he's not Mike Trout in the talent department, but he's also no slouch and couples it with ten times the charisma. WS Champion & MVP, WC Game hero, 7x All-Star, 5x Gold Glover, 4x Silver Slugger, AL HR champ, 2020 Comeback POY, 2x All-MLB first team, and his joyous outgoing personality and love for the game- even accounting for the fact that English isn't his first language and I know the Royals aren't the Yankees, how is he not front and center for MLB's efforts to promote the game?
I agree that Salvy is a great ambassador for the game, and this is a much bigger discussion, but the fact that baseball is so regional just makes it difficult. And Salvy playing on a bad team in a smaller market doesn't help either. I think if done right it wouldn't matter much, but it does make it a little tougher on the league as a whole to promote a guy like him.
I've been saying for years that Perez is the biggest reason for the pitching problem. First I think he sets up too high and also I ve seen him over and over again set up outside the Strike zone when the pitcher is behind in the count. He has a good arm and he has quick reflexes behind the plate but he does not call a good game. That's why I've been saying trade him and his 20 million dollar a yr salary. Even at his age he'd bring a ton in return. Maybe even a couple of top catching prospects. If you look back since 2016 we've lost a lot of games with him catching so he hasn't made a difference. Even his 48 home run season we still.lost a ton of games. I find it interesting that almost every pitcher last year had a problem getting the ball over the plate. I've never seen a year when everyone couldn't get the ball over the plate. Even greinke. Although his walk percentage was good he walked guys in critical moments
Thanks for all three articles this week. Royals have a log jam in a lot of places and I think it's going to be hard for them to fully evaluate everyone without moving some people. Is anyone from the Massey, Eaton, Olivaras, Waters, Beaty group capable of being a contributing piece to a playoff team or are the Royals just evaluating role players?
First off, I wouldn't include Beaty in any list with regard to evaluation. He's a minor league free agent who may or may not make the team and likely will end up as a random name only diehards remember. As for the rest, I personally think both Massey and Waters can be big contributors, but role players are absolutely vital to championship teams, so even if that's "all" they end up being, there is a lot of value in that.
I was surprised David felt that Billy Butler should be in the Royals HoF. To me this HoF is harder to get into than the National Hall. Why would Billy be considered over Beltran or Damon, or both?
First of all, I 100% disagree with your assessment of team HOF vs. MLB HOF. I see the team version as a museum that tells the history while the MLB version honors the best of the best to ever play the game.
But with Butler, he’s also one of the best hitters in Royals history. He’s top 10 in average, hits, total bases, doubles, home runs, RBI, walks, OPS+, runs created, extra base hits, times on base, and intentional walks. I also believed Beltrán should be in the Royals HOF, but I’m not surprised he wasn’t voted in.