Remember the days when Kowar would have been the only pitching prospect? I'm concerned but not lost hope with Kowar. This article was a good reminder that the path usually isn't straight. I think last years disappointment was more about ALL the pitching prospects we were getting sold on really struggling the first go or not necessarily getting better (Singer, Bubic). If the only real damage done is that you aren't able to trade him in a package for Luis Castillo....then yeah that sucks but he will have plenty of more chances to provide some value to the Royals in the bullpen if all else fails. Its a big year for the pitchers and I'm excited to see where it goes. If there is one problem...its that chances are they are going to have a make a move to get a top of the rotation guy if they want to stay on the timeline......another year of results...if they are good you are keeping them, if they are bad will be tought to trade them. Hopefully some of the dudes behind these guys step up and that's a group they can trade from.
That's a good point on the pitching pipeline. I mentioned that with Jonathan Bowlan quite a bit before his injury. In past years, he'd have been the Royals best prospect by far and he was like their sixth or seventh best pitching prospect. I don't know if they've figured out how to develop arms yet with some of the changes they've made in the minors, but they're definitely throwing some numbers at it.
First of all, I was very excited to read that Mondi is the SS, Nicky 2B, Witt 3B, and Whit RF in early spring practices. I absolutely think that this gives the Royals their best defensive sets, and their greatest potential to win their next championship. It does not give up on Mondi. It realizes that he can be one of the two best players on our team, with Witt. There are not too many (if any?) teams that have 2 Acunas or Tatis. Now, I realize this plan may not work out. There is risk, especially with Mondi's health, and Mondi not becoming who we hope he will. But it is our best hope. And I am glad they are giving it a shot (at least on the first day of camp :) ).
Great thoughts about Kowar! The one I would add is that, what were we thinking? No one can succeed with a straight fastball. No one can locate it well enough, often enough (or were there a select few who could?) for it to be successful. Every major leaguer can hit a straight fastball, no matter how fast it is, unless it is very well located.
So time to ditch it? How did it ever work even in the minors? But I really do like the idea of hoping there is some new pitch, or tweaking of this pitch, that could work, like it did in the great examples you shared. I think we will be trying too hard to make the playoffs this year, and will have other starters, to give Kowar an extended time to bomb, so, if he does, whether in spring training or early in the season, we need to get to work to find out what combination will work for him. Hopefully we have that kind of pitch whisperer in our organization. Maybe better in the minor leagues, away from the failure spotlight. In addition to the great pitcher stories you shared, our very own Alex Gordon is another example of a player who failed, and needed to make some changes to succeed, and did!
I still think Whit doesn't have the bat to carry right and probably not the arm. I think if Witt is going to play third, I'd rather have Mondesi at shortstop than Nicky, but I hate the idea of having to cycle guys in to play shortstop when Mondesi needs a day off or is on the IL. But they have limited time to figure out what to do with Mondesi and this is the best way to find out.
As for Kowar, the fastball is straight and doesn't move enough, but the thought was that his changeup was good enough to overcome it, at least out of the bullpen. What happened was that the fastball brought the changeup down. There are small adjustments than can be made and I really like what the Royals have working with their pitchers on the farm. It remains to be seen if they'll get results, but that's true with the hitters too. It probably wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if he wasn't working with Cal all season.
Your comments above could fit several other potential starters on this team as well. Young pitchers sometimes take time to adjust to the big leagues. They get away with mistakes in the minors that major league hitters will take advantage of. Hitters will pick up on anything that will give them an edge.
That's why I still believe there is a rotation in this group that will be very successful. It takes time to learn what works. At some point, the successful ones are the players who learn how to continually make adjustments throughout their careers. Kowar has the natural talent and abilities to be successful, he just needs to find what works for him. Hopefully soon!
I think people are frustrated, and rightfully so, because not a single one of these came up and hit the ground running. But this is definitely more the norm than the exception. Pitchers take some time. Not all do, but most do. This is definitely a big year for them, but there's no reason to write them off. And with Kowar, yep, the stuff is good. Like I said, he just needs to figure out the tweaks to make it work in the big leagues. He might not, but it's worth finding out.
Yes, Whit is on the decline and questionable to be an above average piece of our next championship core. Hopefully we can make the clear eyed decision we need to when the time comes, maybe even buff up his image as a great utility guy for a trade at the deadline or in the offseason. But he, like Salvy, is such a leader on the team that I fear we will make the mistake of paying undue deference to him and so not develop our best team - which might include Isbel as a better player than Whit in RF. Hopefully they will give Isbel plenty of starts at all 3 outfield starts, to see if he can be one of the next core, and perhaps even save us the money on Benny, who just seems average or above average so not worth the money if we can develop some other young outfielders and also give them a chance to develop.
It's hard to see Isbel on the roster if he's working as a backup. Taylor is going to play every day, at least for now. Benny will play every day except for against tough lefties, but Isbel wouldn't be the guy to spell him there. If Whit's in right, I think that puts Isbel in AAA. That's why this roster doesn't make full sense. I love the idea of a defensive infield of Witt, Mondi, Nicky and eventually Pratto, but Whit has to fit somewhere and I agree that they likely won't make the move they should with him. So it's a bit troubling.
Whit in right is NOT the call. I will say that everyone says its a good thing that the Royals have too many good players to find a place for them. In reality, they probably have a number of "capable" players for a sub .500 team. Capable is certainly better than bad but is Mondesi good? Lopez was good last year...is it sustainable? Whit is clearly on the wrong side of the curve. Defensively....they are all good. Offensively we'll see.
Good point about Isbel not being the guy to spell Benny - so maybe Olivares for that? But, hopefully, Taylor does not play every day, and Isbel gets some real time there in platoon, or at least some real, regular time 1-3 times per week. And, if Whit moves to 2B often enough for Nicky to go short and Mondi to get some regular days off, and also to take Whit out of the ironman role, then that helps to give Isbel enough time to play 2-4 times per week, if his CF defense is acceptable. We need to find out if he will be part of the core.
You can hope Taylor won't play every day, but he's going to, at least at the start of the season. I just really hate guys moving on and off shortstop specifically. Move around sure, but I want stability there. I think you're just asking for trouble.
I actually had him in originally, but it was getting so long that I kept the guys who made obvious repertoire and command adjustments rather than just taking time away for their mental health.
Edit: Boy that sounds bad. Greinke also learned a lot from his struggles and pitching in the bullpen. I just thought the others were better comps for Kowar’s struggles based on what we know.
I remember him saying he didn't know it was OK to throw his upper 90's fastball as a starter. He thought he was suppose to save himself for the whole game. After that, he became the best pitcher in baseball.
Yes, and I think Matheny said last year that he likes stability up the middle, so Mondi at SS (and my idea of regular CF for Isbel) may not work best in that regard. But Mondi at SS is our best hope for highest ceiling for the team, so hopefully they can find some way to make that work. I like that we are going for the highest potential. Hopefully Mondi's health story can end up being as good as Cain's.
Minor changes to the rotation... Hmmm, I certainly hope we didn't eat too much of his salary for a 6+ era reliever. I wanted an arm or two from the Reds, but didn't have Garrett on the radar.
So this has to mean that Bubic is now penciled in and maybe Kowar slides into the 'lock' slot and maybe Heasley becomes your 'red' candidate from yesterday?
Garrett had a 6+ ERA, but I wouldn't say he's a 6+ ERA reliever. He's got a nasty slider and throws mid-90s. Had a rough year and maybe he's just done, but the stuff didn't look too different to me when I saw him. His command was an issue, so we'll see if he fixed it, but I love the move. Especially because it sounds like the cash just covers Minor's option buyout.
Not sure what exactly the Reds are doing. They got rid of Miley and his $10 million and then pick up Minor who is a worse pitcher while taking on his salary. Sounds like they aren’t planning on moving Castillo or Mahle now which might just be posturing. I understand the frustration with Garrett and can see a team moving on from him. It’s a high upside move for the Royals and well worth the gamble. I’d be game for Montas as well even with Grienke in the fold but that would require moving some prospects I don’t get the impression they really want to do at this point.
Remember the days when Kowar would have been the only pitching prospect? I'm concerned but not lost hope with Kowar. This article was a good reminder that the path usually isn't straight. I think last years disappointment was more about ALL the pitching prospects we were getting sold on really struggling the first go or not necessarily getting better (Singer, Bubic). If the only real damage done is that you aren't able to trade him in a package for Luis Castillo....then yeah that sucks but he will have plenty of more chances to provide some value to the Royals in the bullpen if all else fails. Its a big year for the pitchers and I'm excited to see where it goes. If there is one problem...its that chances are they are going to have a make a move to get a top of the rotation guy if they want to stay on the timeline......another year of results...if they are good you are keeping them, if they are bad will be tought to trade them. Hopefully some of the dudes behind these guys step up and that's a group they can trade from.
That's a good point on the pitching pipeline. I mentioned that with Jonathan Bowlan quite a bit before his injury. In past years, he'd have been the Royals best prospect by far and he was like their sixth or seventh best pitching prospect. I don't know if they've figured out how to develop arms yet with some of the changes they've made in the minors, but they're definitely throwing some numbers at it.
First of all, I was very excited to read that Mondi is the SS, Nicky 2B, Witt 3B, and Whit RF in early spring practices. I absolutely think that this gives the Royals their best defensive sets, and their greatest potential to win their next championship. It does not give up on Mondi. It realizes that he can be one of the two best players on our team, with Witt. There are not too many (if any?) teams that have 2 Acunas or Tatis. Now, I realize this plan may not work out. There is risk, especially with Mondi's health, and Mondi not becoming who we hope he will. But it is our best hope. And I am glad they are giving it a shot (at least on the first day of camp :) ).
Great thoughts about Kowar! The one I would add is that, what were we thinking? No one can succeed with a straight fastball. No one can locate it well enough, often enough (or were there a select few who could?) for it to be successful. Every major leaguer can hit a straight fastball, no matter how fast it is, unless it is very well located.
So time to ditch it? How did it ever work even in the minors? But I really do like the idea of hoping there is some new pitch, or tweaking of this pitch, that could work, like it did in the great examples you shared. I think we will be trying too hard to make the playoffs this year, and will have other starters, to give Kowar an extended time to bomb, so, if he does, whether in spring training or early in the season, we need to get to work to find out what combination will work for him. Hopefully we have that kind of pitch whisperer in our organization. Maybe better in the minor leagues, away from the failure spotlight. In addition to the great pitcher stories you shared, our very own Alex Gordon is another example of a player who failed, and needed to make some changes to succeed, and did!
I still think Whit doesn't have the bat to carry right and probably not the arm. I think if Witt is going to play third, I'd rather have Mondesi at shortstop than Nicky, but I hate the idea of having to cycle guys in to play shortstop when Mondesi needs a day off or is on the IL. But they have limited time to figure out what to do with Mondesi and this is the best way to find out.
As for Kowar, the fastball is straight and doesn't move enough, but the thought was that his changeup was good enough to overcome it, at least out of the bullpen. What happened was that the fastball brought the changeup down. There are small adjustments than can be made and I really like what the Royals have working with their pitchers on the farm. It remains to be seen if they'll get results, but that's true with the hitters too. It probably wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if he wasn't working with Cal all season.
Your comments above could fit several other potential starters on this team as well. Young pitchers sometimes take time to adjust to the big leagues. They get away with mistakes in the minors that major league hitters will take advantage of. Hitters will pick up on anything that will give them an edge.
That's why I still believe there is a rotation in this group that will be very successful. It takes time to learn what works. At some point, the successful ones are the players who learn how to continually make adjustments throughout their careers. Kowar has the natural talent and abilities to be successful, he just needs to find what works for him. Hopefully soon!
I think people are frustrated, and rightfully so, because not a single one of these came up and hit the ground running. But this is definitely more the norm than the exception. Pitchers take some time. Not all do, but most do. This is definitely a big year for them, but there's no reason to write them off. And with Kowar, yep, the stuff is good. Like I said, he just needs to figure out the tweaks to make it work in the big leagues. He might not, but it's worth finding out.
Yes, Whit is on the decline and questionable to be an above average piece of our next championship core. Hopefully we can make the clear eyed decision we need to when the time comes, maybe even buff up his image as a great utility guy for a trade at the deadline or in the offseason. But he, like Salvy, is such a leader on the team that I fear we will make the mistake of paying undue deference to him and so not develop our best team - which might include Isbel as a better player than Whit in RF. Hopefully they will give Isbel plenty of starts at all 3 outfield starts, to see if he can be one of the next core, and perhaps even save us the money on Benny, who just seems average or above average so not worth the money if we can develop some other young outfielders and also give them a chance to develop.
It's hard to see Isbel on the roster if he's working as a backup. Taylor is going to play every day, at least for now. Benny will play every day except for against tough lefties, but Isbel wouldn't be the guy to spell him there. If Whit's in right, I think that puts Isbel in AAA. That's why this roster doesn't make full sense. I love the idea of a defensive infield of Witt, Mondi, Nicky and eventually Pratto, but Whit has to fit somewhere and I agree that they likely won't make the move they should with him. So it's a bit troubling.
Whit in right is NOT the call. I will say that everyone says its a good thing that the Royals have too many good players to find a place for them. In reality, they probably have a number of "capable" players for a sub .500 team. Capable is certainly better than bad but is Mondesi good? Lopez was good last year...is it sustainable? Whit is clearly on the wrong side of the curve. Defensively....they are all good. Offensively we'll see.
Good point about Isbel not being the guy to spell Benny - so maybe Olivares for that? But, hopefully, Taylor does not play every day, and Isbel gets some real time there in platoon, or at least some real, regular time 1-3 times per week. And, if Whit moves to 2B often enough for Nicky to go short and Mondi to get some regular days off, and also to take Whit out of the ironman role, then that helps to give Isbel enough time to play 2-4 times per week, if his CF defense is acceptable. We need to find out if he will be part of the core.
You can hope Taylor won't play every day, but he's going to, at least at the start of the season. I just really hate guys moving on and off shortstop specifically. Move around sure, but I want stability there. I think you're just asking for trouble.
One other name I would add to the list, Zack Greinke. His early career here wasn't a disaster, but they put him in the bullpen for a reason!
I actually had him in originally, but it was getting so long that I kept the guys who made obvious repertoire and command adjustments rather than just taking time away for their mental health.
Edit: Boy that sounds bad. Greinke also learned a lot from his struggles and pitching in the bullpen. I just thought the others were better comps for Kowar’s struggles based on what we know.
I remember him saying he didn't know it was OK to throw his upper 90's fastball as a starter. He thought he was suppose to save himself for the whole game. After that, he became the best pitcher in baseball.
Yep. That definitely didn’t hurt his turnaround. I think he’d have still been good even if he never figured it out, but that made him great
Zack Is Back! He is such a competitor, his presence should help Kowar and company
Here's hoping!
Yes, and I think Matheny said last year that he likes stability up the middle, so Mondi at SS (and my idea of regular CF for Isbel) may not work best in that regard. But Mondi at SS is our best hope for highest ceiling for the team, so hopefully they can find some way to make that work. I like that we are going for the highest potential. Hopefully Mondi's health story can end up being as good as Cain's.
Sounds like Kowar needs to find something that plays best with his changeup. Looking forward to seeing what pitch that is.
Minor changes to the rotation... Hmmm, I certainly hope we didn't eat too much of his salary for a 6+ era reliever. I wanted an arm or two from the Reds, but didn't have Garrett on the radar.
So this has to mean that Bubic is now penciled in and maybe Kowar slides into the 'lock' slot and maybe Heasley becomes your 'red' candidate from yesterday?
Garrett had a 6+ ERA, but I wouldn't say he's a 6+ ERA reliever. He's got a nasty slider and throws mid-90s. Had a rough year and maybe he's just done, but the stuff didn't look too different to me when I saw him. His command was an issue, so we'll see if he fixed it, but I love the move. Especially because it sounds like the cash just covers Minor's option buyout.
Not sure what exactly the Reds are doing. They got rid of Miley and his $10 million and then pick up Minor who is a worse pitcher while taking on his salary. Sounds like they aren’t planning on moving Castillo or Mahle now which might just be posturing. I understand the frustration with Garrett and can see a team moving on from him. It’s a high upside move for the Royals and well worth the gamble. I’d be game for Montas as well even with Grienke in the fold but that would require moving some prospects I don’t get the impression they really want to do at this point.