Many of the statements you make, especially regarding Bubic, I agree with. But...many of the improvements you suggest should have been discovered in the minors, not in the majors.
They are a whole lot more fun. Certainly more enjoyable to pay attention too and probably for you to write about.
Probably time for you to remind me that they are actually going to make changes to the pitching this offseason. You may have to do that…oh IDK…a couple time a month here. I’m still of the belief Bubic is pitching more to his capabilities not over his skies. I felt like we had determined last year that he was a back end of the rotation guy with his strong finish. Whoever it is….gets credit for Singer…Lynch you could say is passable the progress. They shouldn’t get credit for getting Bubic back to being the guy he is. With a strong finish I can see him finishing with the numbers right around the last two years. 4.30-4.50 era, high 1.30’s whip…still too many walks. I just don’t want them to celebrate the progress Bubic is making as a win…..Singer win…Lynch…still in progress. Bubic no. But that’s just me wanting to MAKE SURE changes are made. Lol.
Offense wise, damn, they will be just fine with some more seasoning.
Not that poor pitching is good news, but things aren't going great in the minors, so I still believe pitching changes are coming and I do sort of believe that Bubic is simply back to being the guy he was the last two years, but I think the difference is a bit of maturity on the mound. I don't think there's any credit to be given other than to Bubic and time for that. He's just giving more innings than in the past, but he's certainly a usable part of a rotation.
Oh yeah he’s definitely a usable part of the rotation and I think penciled in for next year for sure. I’m just so gun shy with this FO lol. I actually thought Bubic would be the one guy that would be able to make adjustments quicker and he wasn’t as stubborn. Turns out not exactly the case. I just see him putting up exactly the numbers his baseball card is saying he is at the end of the year. No matter how you get there kind of thing.
I would argue with that. The results haven't come quickly, but he's making adjustments all the time. He's not a tinkerer, which is probably a good thing, but he's definitely working to get over that hump.
Well the baby Royals are fun enough to make me start watching again, even if Cal is still on staff. Singer's start was magical and Barlow's bailout was epic IMO. Even in the loss in the DH blowing Heasley's start there was a feeling of hope and possibility that wasn't there the first half of the season with the 'old guy lineup'. And last night was a pure blast; great start by Bubic and the boys (both young and old "Thanks Salvy") paid that hope off!
IMO there is something to be said for swagger; especially that which doesn't necessarily disrespect your opponent. MJ was talking to his dugout, Hosmer (like him or not lol) was wearing his backpack and Ibanez was talking to his teammates. Swag to me, is positive energy, and yes, positive begets positive, and yes, the Royals are fun to watch again - and it didn't take 30 years. Royals fans rejoice!
I think you have to have some of that swag. And yeah, it's definitely not doing anything toward the other team. The "core" of the last few years just wasn't a winning core. They're all support pieces on a good team and we saw what happens when they're the stars. I think you can see a world where Witt, MJ and Vinnie are new stars with Salvy sort of the father figure having fun. The pitching still needs to get better, but I feel good about these bats.
David, nice analysis on Bubic. Enjoyed watching him work last night. He and Singer have a little bit of bulldoggishness I like seeing. (Oh and Staumont and Coleman -- lights out!)
You are so right on the difference in the team. Not long ago I would have turned it off after the Sox went up, knowing the only team scoring after that point would be Chicago again. I appreciate the swagger and enthusiasm from these guys, and frankly just a different approach. Love the plate discipline and willingness to walk and let the next guy be the hero. No quit.
You could be right about the MJ homer being the turning point, but I'm sticking with Pratto's walk-off Saturday. That was high drama, and they came out Sunday and crushed the Bosox, and seemingly have just kept going.
I like you mentioned Hosmer, because I was watching the Sunday beatdown and wondering what Hoz was thinking about what he was seeing. Maybe some similarities to 2014...?
Hey, it could be the homer Saturday too for sure. I just think sometimes those moments aren't quite as obvious, but why not that homer to show them that they're never done? And yes, the bullpen was awesome and it's just a totally different team to watch. So much more fun!
That’s always a concern, but barring them doing something that actually makes people think it’s not a terrible idea, I still don’t *think* he’s back next year.
I feel really bad for Nicky Lopez. He is a great guy and desperately wants to lead this team. Unfortunately, he is just not good enough. The best additions by subtraction now are: not playing Nicky, getting rid of Hunter "I ain't ever going to take any vaccine" Dozier, and not playing MAT. Bring on Lofton, Waters and Gentry.
(1) Cal Eldred is not going anywhere, based on the improvement we've seen from Singer, Bubic, et al. Whether he deserves credit or not, he'll get it from those who count.
(2) Without having done any research, I wonder if this Royals team has more power than any other in franchise history? Salvy is obviously the all-time top Royals slugger (so far) based on his record-tying season last year and his longevity, and MJ, BWJr., Vinnie and Pratto are all (already) legitimate power threats. As much fun as the "keep the line moving" era was to watch, I'd much rather be a pitcher facing that lineup than the one KC will have in the years to come with at least 5 guys who can turn a mistake into a home run.
I obviously can’t see the future, and if this continues for 50 more games, you may well be right but I don’t think it’s anything near a done deal just yet.
But yes, this team has WAY more power potential than we’ve seen. I think Witt, MJ and Salvy can hit 30 bombs. Pratto and Pasquantino maybe too. Massey is a 40 double guy waiting to happen. It’s a much more sustainable way to score runs.
Sure, and there's no guarantee that this pitching success continues (but, boy, I sure hope so!). My point is more that if there's any reasonable path to keeping him, they'll keep him (assuming he wants to stay) and if the current path continues they'll have more than enough justification.
I just don't know if that's true. Of course, most of what I had heard was a month ago and the bats were coming alive but the pitching was still not, so it could have changed, but we'll just have to see, I guess.
These last few weeks and especially this last week has been so much fun as a Royals fan! I'm hoping we will continue to see the improvements with the young hitters as well as the 3 young starters plus hopefully more we've seen last couple of months. Like you said earlier this week I hope Sherman signs off on some spending in off season to maybe another bat, would love Turner, but not likely, not a fan of Correa. Would get behind Swanson, but guessing would have to blow by whatever offer he gets from Braves. Bassit would definitely be a nice signing and would help stabilize rotation.
I know it's not the same as when Zack basically forced himself out in 2010, but do you think we will look back at the comments by Whit and see where they played a part in the turnaround? If he didn't make the comments does he still get traded? It's allowed the younger guys to play and moved an aging player that they insisted on playing everyday. Just something I've been wondering. Great job as always David!
That’s a great question about Whit. I don’t know about his comments making a huge difference because there were thoughts that he was going to get moved before all of them, but certainly moving him along with Benintendi and Santana earlier opened up some fun playing time.
Do you think it'll be long before we start seeing national baseball media start to reflect what the Royals fan base is seeing in this team? Not trying to overreact to a couple of good performances, but the experience of watching this team hits pretty different than the record and in power rankings the Royals are routinely 3rd and 4th to last. Feels like it's based purely on record.
The national media doesn’t care about 58-game stretches or whatever, and that’s okay. They’re still 20 games under and that’s what’s seen for now. But I’ll say that if the Royals win the series against the Dodgers this weekend, they’ll get plenty of attention.
Bubic is looking more and more like an "18 batters and you're done no matter what" guy. Not that there's anything wrong with that as long as he's effective.
(Okay, he can stay in if he has a really low pitch count and a No-No or a Perfecto going. But only until somebody ruins it. Or until he reaches 100 pitches.)
Facing a batter 3 times in one game is a genuine roll of the dice with him. And he should never, ever, EVER face a batter 4 times in one game. As Matheny should have known Wednesday night, with the predictable result being an RBI single. I was just grateful it wasn't worse than that.
On a more positive note it was really encouraging to see Staumont pitch effectively two nights in a row. I wasn't sure we'd see that again this year after his neck injury (if that's what it really was.) His velocity was down 4-5MPH Wednesday night, compared to Tuesday, but his command appeared excellent to me. Love to see those 1-2-3 innings from him!
The reality is that many pitchers should likely not face a lineup a third time, but there isn't much of an option if you don't want to absolutely destroy your bullpen over the course of a season. And I'd ask if you were saying the same thing about Bubic in his last four starts when he's held opponents to the .192/.276/.321 line after 18 batters.
Guys are going to have to turn a lineup over a third time. In any given game, it can make a big difference, but every out a starter can get is one fewer a reliever has to get and those extra outs catch up to teams in August and September. It doesn't matter for the Royals this year, but I'd rather see Bubic see if he can figure out how to navigate a lineup more than twice now than when it does matter.
No doubt, I'd like to see Bubic do that as well. I suspect that I'm just less confident than you are that it will happen. There will be the occasional exceptional game, of course. And then there will be the other games.
I didn't say I'm confident it will happen, but in his last four games, it did. I think it's certainly possible he can continue to figure some things out. Bubic the youngest of all the young starters and he's only two months older than someone like Vinnie Pasquantino. It's easy to forget he didn't pitch in AAA for the first time in his professional career until earlier this year.
Upon further review.... Doesn't that go a little bit to the issue of bullpen construction? I've always thought it was a good idea to have a couple of "failed starters" out there who are able to give you three innings as needed. That would certainly lighten the load on the 1-inning guys!
Sure, it's great to have guys who can give you innings out there and that's probably something that'll come with the 13-pitcher minimum that managers hate so much.
These are the days we have yearned for . It's not the promise land yet, but for the first time in many years, it feels like we are on the right track leading there. They need to avoid bringing in any old, washed up blockers in the off season. Fun baseball with the kids. Go Royals.
Many of the statements you make, especially regarding Bubic, I agree with. But...many of the improvements you suggest should have been discovered in the minors, not in the majors.
True, but as my Pops used to say, "if you like how the steak tastes, don't worry about how the cow got slaughtered".
They are a whole lot more fun. Certainly more enjoyable to pay attention too and probably for you to write about.
Probably time for you to remind me that they are actually going to make changes to the pitching this offseason. You may have to do that…oh IDK…a couple time a month here. I’m still of the belief Bubic is pitching more to his capabilities not over his skies. I felt like we had determined last year that he was a back end of the rotation guy with his strong finish. Whoever it is….gets credit for Singer…Lynch you could say is passable the progress. They shouldn’t get credit for getting Bubic back to being the guy he is. With a strong finish I can see him finishing with the numbers right around the last two years. 4.30-4.50 era, high 1.30’s whip…still too many walks. I just don’t want them to celebrate the progress Bubic is making as a win…..Singer win…Lynch…still in progress. Bubic no. But that’s just me wanting to MAKE SURE changes are made. Lol.
Offense wise, damn, they will be just fine with some more seasoning.
Not that poor pitching is good news, but things aren't going great in the minors, so I still believe pitching changes are coming and I do sort of believe that Bubic is simply back to being the guy he was the last two years, but I think the difference is a bit of maturity on the mound. I don't think there's any credit to be given other than to Bubic and time for that. He's just giving more innings than in the past, but he's certainly a usable part of a rotation.
Oh yeah he’s definitely a usable part of the rotation and I think penciled in for next year for sure. I’m just so gun shy with this FO lol. I actually thought Bubic would be the one guy that would be able to make adjustments quicker and he wasn’t as stubborn. Turns out not exactly the case. I just see him putting up exactly the numbers his baseball card is saying he is at the end of the year. No matter how you get there kind of thing.
I would argue with that. The results haven't come quickly, but he's making adjustments all the time. He's not a tinkerer, which is probably a good thing, but he's definitely working to get over that hump.
Well the baby Royals are fun enough to make me start watching again, even if Cal is still on staff. Singer's start was magical and Barlow's bailout was epic IMO. Even in the loss in the DH blowing Heasley's start there was a feeling of hope and possibility that wasn't there the first half of the season with the 'old guy lineup'. And last night was a pure blast; great start by Bubic and the boys (both young and old "Thanks Salvy") paid that hope off!
IMO there is something to be said for swagger; especially that which doesn't necessarily disrespect your opponent. MJ was talking to his dugout, Hosmer (like him or not lol) was wearing his backpack and Ibanez was talking to his teammates. Swag to me, is positive energy, and yes, positive begets positive, and yes, the Royals are fun to watch again - and it didn't take 30 years. Royals fans rejoice!
I think you have to have some of that swag. And yeah, it's definitely not doing anything toward the other team. The "core" of the last few years just wasn't a winning core. They're all support pieces on a good team and we saw what happens when they're the stars. I think you can see a world where Witt, MJ and Vinnie are new stars with Salvy sort of the father figure having fun. The pitching still needs to get better, but I feel good about these bats.
David, nice analysis on Bubic. Enjoyed watching him work last night. He and Singer have a little bit of bulldoggishness I like seeing. (Oh and Staumont and Coleman -- lights out!)
You are so right on the difference in the team. Not long ago I would have turned it off after the Sox went up, knowing the only team scoring after that point would be Chicago again. I appreciate the swagger and enthusiasm from these guys, and frankly just a different approach. Love the plate discipline and willingness to walk and let the next guy be the hero. No quit.
You could be right about the MJ homer being the turning point, but I'm sticking with Pratto's walk-off Saturday. That was high drama, and they came out Sunday and crushed the Bosox, and seemingly have just kept going.
I like you mentioned Hosmer, because I was watching the Sunday beatdown and wondering what Hoz was thinking about what he was seeing. Maybe some similarities to 2014...?
Hey, it could be the homer Saturday too for sure. I just think sometimes those moments aren't quite as obvious, but why not that homer to show them that they're never done? And yes, the bullpen was awesome and it's just a totally different team to watch. So much more fun!
The only thing that scares me is that the pitching will all suddenly gel and Cal keeps his job. *shudder*
That’s always a concern, but barring them doing something that actually makes people think it’s not a terrible idea, I still don’t *think* he’s back next year.
I feel really bad for Nicky Lopez. He is a great guy and desperately wants to lead this team. Unfortunately, he is just not good enough. The best additions by subtraction now are: not playing Nicky, getting rid of Hunter "I ain't ever going to take any vaccine" Dozier, and not playing MAT. Bring on Lofton, Waters and Gentry.
Couple of thoughts:
(1) Cal Eldred is not going anywhere, based on the improvement we've seen from Singer, Bubic, et al. Whether he deserves credit or not, he'll get it from those who count.
(2) Without having done any research, I wonder if this Royals team has more power than any other in franchise history? Salvy is obviously the all-time top Royals slugger (so far) based on his record-tying season last year and his longevity, and MJ, BWJr., Vinnie and Pratto are all (already) legitimate power threats. As much fun as the "keep the line moving" era was to watch, I'd much rather be a pitcher facing that lineup than the one KC will have in the years to come with at least 5 guys who can turn a mistake into a home run.
I obviously can’t see the future, and if this continues for 50 more games, you may well be right but I don’t think it’s anything near a done deal just yet.
But yes, this team has WAY more power potential than we’ve seen. I think Witt, MJ and Salvy can hit 30 bombs. Pratto and Pasquantino maybe too. Massey is a 40 double guy waiting to happen. It’s a much more sustainable way to score runs.
Sure, and there's no guarantee that this pitching success continues (but, boy, I sure hope so!). My point is more that if there's any reasonable path to keeping him, they'll keep him (assuming he wants to stay) and if the current path continues they'll have more than enough justification.
I just don't know if that's true. Of course, most of what I had heard was a month ago and the bats were coming alive but the pitching was still not, so it could have changed, but we'll just have to see, I guess.
These last few weeks and especially this last week has been so much fun as a Royals fan! I'm hoping we will continue to see the improvements with the young hitters as well as the 3 young starters plus hopefully more we've seen last couple of months. Like you said earlier this week I hope Sherman signs off on some spending in off season to maybe another bat, would love Turner, but not likely, not a fan of Correa. Would get behind Swanson, but guessing would have to blow by whatever offer he gets from Braves. Bassit would definitely be a nice signing and would help stabilize rotation.
I know it's not the same as when Zack basically forced himself out in 2010, but do you think we will look back at the comments by Whit and see where they played a part in the turnaround? If he didn't make the comments does he still get traded? It's allowed the younger guys to play and moved an aging player that they insisted on playing everyday. Just something I've been wondering. Great job as always David!
That’s a great question about Whit. I don’t know about his comments making a huge difference because there were thoughts that he was going to get moved before all of them, but certainly moving him along with Benintendi and Santana earlier opened up some fun playing time.
Do you think it'll be long before we start seeing national baseball media start to reflect what the Royals fan base is seeing in this team? Not trying to overreact to a couple of good performances, but the experience of watching this team hits pretty different than the record and in power rankings the Royals are routinely 3rd and 4th to last. Feels like it's based purely on record.
The national media doesn’t care about 58-game stretches or whatever, and that’s okay. They’re still 20 games under and that’s what’s seen for now. But I’ll say that if the Royals win the series against the Dodgers this weekend, they’ll get plenty of attention.
Bubic is looking more and more like an "18 batters and you're done no matter what" guy. Not that there's anything wrong with that as long as he's effective.
(Okay, he can stay in if he has a really low pitch count and a No-No or a Perfecto going. But only until somebody ruins it. Or until he reaches 100 pitches.)
Facing a batter 3 times in one game is a genuine roll of the dice with him. And he should never, ever, EVER face a batter 4 times in one game. As Matheny should have known Wednesday night, with the predictable result being an RBI single. I was just grateful it wasn't worse than that.
On a more positive note it was really encouraging to see Staumont pitch effectively two nights in a row. I wasn't sure we'd see that again this year after his neck injury (if that's what it really was.) His velocity was down 4-5MPH Wednesday night, compared to Tuesday, but his command appeared excellent to me. Love to see those 1-2-3 innings from him!
The reality is that many pitchers should likely not face a lineup a third time, but there isn't much of an option if you don't want to absolutely destroy your bullpen over the course of a season. And I'd ask if you were saying the same thing about Bubic in his last four starts when he's held opponents to the .192/.276/.321 line after 18 batters.
Guys are going to have to turn a lineup over a third time. In any given game, it can make a big difference, but every out a starter can get is one fewer a reliever has to get and those extra outs catch up to teams in August and September. It doesn't matter for the Royals this year, but I'd rather see Bubic see if he can figure out how to navigate a lineup more than twice now than when it does matter.
No doubt, I'd like to see Bubic do that as well. I suspect that I'm just less confident than you are that it will happen. There will be the occasional exceptional game, of course. And then there will be the other games.
I didn't say I'm confident it will happen, but in his last four games, it did. I think it's certainly possible he can continue to figure some things out. Bubic the youngest of all the young starters and he's only two months older than someone like Vinnie Pasquantino. It's easy to forget he didn't pitch in AAA for the first time in his professional career until earlier this year.
Would you agree with me about NEVER letting him face a guy for the 4th time in 1 game? (Barring a low pitch count no-no, I suppose...)
I would not. Way too many variables to ever say never about any situation.
Upon further review.... Doesn't that go a little bit to the issue of bullpen construction? I've always thought it was a good idea to have a couple of "failed starters" out there who are able to give you three innings as needed. That would certainly lighten the load on the 1-inning guys!
Sure, it's great to have guys who can give you innings out there and that's probably something that'll come with the 13-pitcher minimum that managers hate so much.
These are the days we have yearned for . It's not the promise land yet, but for the first time in many years, it feels like we are on the right track leading there. They need to avoid bringing in any old, washed up blockers in the off season. Fun baseball with the kids. Go Royals.