Thanks David, It can be a fun year. Really anything around .500 is a fun year as you still get to dream and think through real possibilities yet. Time for the Royals to be that….as we’ve said many times…..a .500 club really shouldn’t be THAT hard. I did think the Pratto move was the most interesting. Mainly because I think it kinda tells you what the Royals really believe yet with Pratto. There is still something they are concerned about…or need him to show them for a more extended time. Which is fine. Cause if Velasquez does struggle and Pratto keeps hitting that is a move that will get made. It just tells me there is still a concern somewhere with him they want to see more of.
I think that's accurate. He did what they asked him to do, Velazquez struggled and he still ended up in AAA. That definitely says something. I'm just pleased they're in a position where they actually have options and don't have to bank on a monster spring hoping it'll continue into the regular season. If Velazquez is hitting .190/.232/.312 on April 22 and Pratto is tearing up Omaha, I'll bet they make the switch.
I hope that Pratto comes to Omaha and absolutely tears it up. If the Royals don't want him, perhaps he can be turned into a pitching prospect. It seems the Royals never have enough pitching.
Last year I got a 7 day trial of Bally's Plus.....and cancelled after 3 games and didn't watch another game live all season. As a fan I need this year to be more fun. I am signing up for Bally's again....and I really hope that I am still forking over 20 bucks a month in July ....... 😂
Hey, I get that. If I didn't have it with my cable provider (and didn't do this), I'm not sure I'd have paid either. To be totally candid, I need them to be good too! Traffic dwindled as the season went on here and picked up again in the offseason. I'd like it to stay up!
David, we will see very quickly if the Royals are really improved as they play some excellent teams in the first 40 games! Between the Royals and the Diamondbacks, I am looking forward to watching a lot of GOOD baseball this season!
They do have a tough start. Nine of the first 13 against playoff teams from last year and 25 of the first 38. But there's also three against Detroit and three against the Mets who should both be better than last year, so they've got a tough go of it to start.
So far so good, but I think the real litmus test of the "new Royals" will be when (not if) Massey returns to the line-up. His injury basically "kicked the can" down the road on what to do with Loftin/Frazier, and I am as baffled about the Frazier signing as you are. We all know that Massey is the starting second baseman when he returns, and if Loftin/Frazier continue on their Spring trajectory, the "new Royals" should cut ties with Frazier: I don't see that he has any long-term value to the team.
I think quite a bit of that depends on when Massey gets back. If it’s in two weeks, there’s basically no shot they cut Frazier. Like it or not, there are real implications on a personal level on doing that to someone you signed in the offseason. Could they look to make a trade? Sure. But cutting a guy after giving him a free agent deal at a time when rosters aren’t nearly as fungible is probably bad business. Doesn’t make the signing any better but also it doesn’t mean that not cutting him on April 14 or whatever says anything about the way they’re handling the roster.
Like you, definitely excited this season for the first one in a while. I really hope that the veteran utility infielders (saying that so I can just group them together) fill their role and nothing more — I think if we're trotting the two of them out there every day, something is amiss at the Circle K.
But, with the schedule the way it's laid out, April 30 could give us a pretty good idea of how the team compares, and if Omaha has some roster boosters or not, too.
That first month will definitely be a test. On the other hand, teams don’t always gel until a little later so maybe it’s a good time to be catching those teams.
Thanks David, It can be a fun year. Really anything around .500 is a fun year as you still get to dream and think through real possibilities yet. Time for the Royals to be that….as we’ve said many times…..a .500 club really shouldn’t be THAT hard. I did think the Pratto move was the most interesting. Mainly because I think it kinda tells you what the Royals really believe yet with Pratto. There is still something they are concerned about…or need him to show them for a more extended time. Which is fine. Cause if Velasquez does struggle and Pratto keeps hitting that is a move that will get made. It just tells me there is still a concern somewhere with him they want to see more of.
I think that's accurate. He did what they asked him to do, Velazquez struggled and he still ended up in AAA. That definitely says something. I'm just pleased they're in a position where they actually have options and don't have to bank on a monster spring hoping it'll continue into the regular season. If Velazquez is hitting .190/.232/.312 on April 22 and Pratto is tearing up Omaha, I'll bet they make the switch.
I hope that Pratto comes to Omaha and absolutely tears it up. If the Royals don't want him, perhaps he can be turned into a pitching prospect. It seems the Royals never have enough pitching.
Sure, the best case scenario is they have like 20 bats for 13 spots and can use the excess for something they're lacking in.
Last year I got a 7 day trial of Bally's Plus.....and cancelled after 3 games and didn't watch another game live all season. As a fan I need this year to be more fun. I am signing up for Bally's again....and I really hope that I am still forking over 20 bucks a month in July ....... 😂
Hey, I get that. If I didn't have it with my cable provider (and didn't do this), I'm not sure I'd have paid either. To be totally candid, I need them to be good too! Traffic dwindled as the season went on here and picked up again in the offseason. I'd like it to stay up!
David, we will see very quickly if the Royals are really improved as they play some excellent teams in the first 40 games! Between the Royals and the Diamondbacks, I am looking forward to watching a lot of GOOD baseball this season!
They do have a tough start. Nine of the first 13 against playoff teams from last year and 25 of the first 38. But there's also three against Detroit and three against the Mets who should both be better than last year, so they've got a tough go of it to start.
Love the way you break down stats, etc., for those of us that don't do nearly enough research. Thank you and go Royals!
Thank you, Mark!
I find myself in unfamiliar territory—I agree with all of the Royals’ decisions! I feel uneasy and excited at the same time.
It’s pretty unsettling. And even if you disagree with one of them, there’s at least sound logic behind it. What is this world?
Bizarro Royals.
So far so good, but I think the real litmus test of the "new Royals" will be when (not if) Massey returns to the line-up. His injury basically "kicked the can" down the road on what to do with Loftin/Frazier, and I am as baffled about the Frazier signing as you are. We all know that Massey is the starting second baseman when he returns, and if Loftin/Frazier continue on their Spring trajectory, the "new Royals" should cut ties with Frazier: I don't see that he has any long-term value to the team.
I think quite a bit of that depends on when Massey gets back. If it’s in two weeks, there’s basically no shot they cut Frazier. Like it or not, there are real implications on a personal level on doing that to someone you signed in the offseason. Could they look to make a trade? Sure. But cutting a guy after giving him a free agent deal at a time when rosters aren’t nearly as fungible is probably bad business. Doesn’t make the signing any better but also it doesn’t mean that not cutting him on April 14 or whatever says anything about the way they’re handling the roster.
Like you, definitely excited this season for the first one in a while. I really hope that the veteran utility infielders (saying that so I can just group them together) fill their role and nothing more — I think if we're trotting the two of them out there every day, something is amiss at the Circle K.
But, with the schedule the way it's laid out, April 30 could give us a pretty good idea of how the team compares, and if Omaha has some roster boosters or not, too.
That first month will definitely be a test. On the other hand, teams don’t always gel until a little later so maybe it’s a good time to be catching those teams.