I turned yesterday's game off in the sixth inning, just because I assumed they were incapable of scoring a run. With Cags in the lineup, I probably will keep the game on in that situation, at least for the foreseeable future.
But dang, watching Bubic pitch is a delight. And Wacha on Saturday? Also a delight. Sign our pitching development team to lifetime contracts already.
Yeah, I have to say that I'm pretty concerned about next year when Bove is undoubtedly a pitching coach somewhere else. It's not that I think he's the mastermind or anything, but he and Sweeney have proven to be an incredible duo.
A great analysis David! As you well know, I am a Jac fan and will be watching tomorrow night! Massey needs to go down to Omaha and find his swing again. I checked the Omaha stats and MJ is up to a 0.245 batting average which is getting better because he started out in Omaha with very poor hitting! I hope Garcia is not hurt because he has been the lone bright spot for the Royals offensively and Waters is getting better offensively. BWJ has been in a slump lately and striking out way too much! Perhaps, Jac being behind him the batting order will help him get out of the slump! I also agree that the Tigers did not look all that much better than the Royals. There is time to get back in the race! Go Jac and go Royals!!!
Adding something for the mailbag, given Melendez resurgence at the plate, what’s the likelihood he gets traded and what would his possible return be? I feel like it’s unlikely he’ll back up to the Majors with the Royals, but maybe that’s an option as well.
It'll be a bit before the next mailbag, so I won't save this, though it might still be relevant next month. I'm not sure I'd say resurgence necessarily. The thing about MJ is he's always been streaky. Now, with the new stance, maybe that was never going to work, but it seems like he's gone back to his previous stance and swing and he's hot right now. He's hitting .290/.324/.609 over the last three weeks. I very consciously made a point to not care about the first two weeks down there. He was such a big mess that he wasn't going to go to AAA and hit immediately. The third week was still rough, but the last three have been pretty solid and he's been even better the last two.
I don't think he's a definite no to coming back up at some point, though part of the problem is the mental game still exists and if/when he comes back, he'll still be hitting .085. A good month or two in the minors doesn't change your big league scoreboard. I do think he's a very interesting trade piece that maybe gets a deal over the top. I haven't talked to a single person in baseball who questions the pure talent. Every team would love to at least get a shot with him without nearly as much riding on it as the Royals have/had.
Add to that, he's hit 3 HRs in the last two games and five all together. Is he hitting like he was when he hit (I think) 42 HRs in his last AAA season?
Interesting there's no "Massey" in that order (not that there's anything wrong with that)! I'll believe the Royals want to "shake things up" if they send him down; that of course assumes (hopes) there is not an injury issue with Garcia.
I am thinking that Massey needs a little break to get his psyche right. He's the worst qualified MLB hitter in terms of OPS and OPS+ (.486 and 37). He's in a heated battle with Aaron Judge's OBP.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Massey goes down tomorrow. They didn’t have to make a move today but did probably because they wanted to generate buzz and because everyone knew Jac was coming up.
It’s very frustrating to see the “out hit” the opposition as they did in this series yet lose 2 of 3. A lot of two out hits and not scoring or advancing runners for whatever reason. My hope is that maybe Jac can be a factor in correcting that in some way.
They do struggle to get the big hit, probably because they hit a lot of singles and have a lot of holes. Jac should theoretically fill a hole and do more than hit singles.
David, excellent as usual. I have a question I haven't been able to find an answer to, and in fact none of the stories on the game even brought it up. Seems like a big deal to me:
The Royals and Tigers combined for ONE runner in scoring position on Saturday. When was the last time that happened? Maybe you can point me in a proper direction. I can't imagine it having happened for the past several decades, at least. Even in the 1-0 Koufax perfect game in 1965 two runners for the Dodgers reached scoring position (well, one, but he did it twice).
I've been staring at Jac's swing choices for the last week and, yeah, I'm not concerned at all. Almost every chase has been in the shadow of the strike zone on Gameday. With his plate coverage and with how close those pitches were, those decisions are fine.
He DID chase a LOT yesterday. But in hindsight, I kind of wonder if the Royals had already told him he was going to get called up and if that made him antsy? Seems like telling him before the game would be weird timing, but I don't know how these things are normally done. It's also possible he just had an off night. Those will happen to anyone. Ask Bobby or Judge.
Interesting that Blanco is going down to make room for JAC. Maybe the Royals will become more conservative with base running given that it’s probably been as bad as hitting with RISP
If they still want a speedster on the 26 man roster Tolbert might be a better answer. Particularly if they send Massey down in the near future. Tolbert can play the infield and the outfield.
I was actually thinking if Cags can get some runs going, maybe they wont need to be as aggresive on the basepaths - because they sure weren't getting enough hits to get runs in
I totally agree. Sixth would be about right, as he is still getting some helpful hits. I wonder if they're afraid of damaging his ego or the egos of his fans.
Mixed emotions on Cags getting called up. Excited for sure- our house has had the stormchasers games on for the last week.
But does anyone else find it strange that JJ Just said within last 48 hours that they didnt want to put Cags in a situation where he would need to be the savior? I guess if Garcia is going on IL that could explain a bit. But I also remember a day after they said they wanted India playing 3B vs 2B so he got same looks he got in LF, they immediately started playing him at second.
Are JJ and Q not as steady as we thought they were? Has Sherman become possessed with the ghost of Steinbrenner? Is Bobby having an intimate relationship with a 14you girl in the Dominican?
We grew very accustomed to a GM saying whatever thought popped in his head and forgot that GMs just say things periodically. He said Singer wasn't getting dealt like two days before he was dealt. I wouldn't worry about any of that. Words are words. Actions are what matter.
Getting called up to face a series against the Sox certainly is better than facing the Tigers. So I’d argue the “savior” need is less and probably a good time schedule wise. Granted a Judge vs JAC showdown storyline after the Sox might be fun too
referring to the career ending exploit of Wander Franco, the young ss the rays gave a huge contract to. I was going soap opera dramatic - and listing possible reasons why they did exactly the opposite of what they said they were going to do. I don't think Bobby even has time to think about something like that- my hunch is he eats, sleeps and dreams baseball- and I love that about him
While I am certainly aware of Wander Franco, I wasn't aware of anything like that. But I get what you're saying. And while Witt Jr. may eat, sleep and dream baseball, I think he's made room for his childhood sweetheart, Maggie, after and before they got married last Dec. 14..
Oh sure, I dont purport to know anything about famous peoples personal lives, but if anyone is a good all around guy my bet is on BWJ.
I was just surprised as they have been refreshingly honest about their intentions and following thru. In the pregame of Jac's debut they basically asked JJ the same question. But Lesky, per usual, was right and provoked me to remember there are tons of variables changing by the minute that the average fan isn't going to (or should) know about.
The comment about Witt and Sherman was meant to be tongue in cheek and certainly no offense intended, I am just not very funny. But if Sherman says something to the effect of "if you can't beat em, buy em" I may delve back into soap opera conspiracy theories ;)
When JJ was in the booth in the first Cardinal game, he said he talked to Cags about that and that he just needs to come in and be himself and some other stuff along those lines that I can't remember. I don't think we need to worry about him. While he went 0-5 in that game, he hit the ball really hard each time, including a couple over 110 mph, I believe.
What's with Witt? Not used to seeing him struggle at the plate like he has. Is he hurt? Have pictures figured him out?
It's so painful to watch Perez at the plate. Do the coaches try to convince him to be more selective, or is he allowed to do whatever he wants because he's the captain?
Is it a good idea to have Perez, Pasquatch and Jac in the same lineup? Neither has speed, so that would seem to make us more susceptible to double plays.
I don't think pitchers have suddenly figured out Witt. He's in a slump. He's chasing a bit, but he's also making hard contact that isn't converting. He's hitting .207/.244/.390 in his last 90 plate appearances. His expected numbers in that time are .279/.315/.512.
Yeah, and Witt's been striking out a lot lately and Salvy's keeps hitting into double plays, which is frustrating to watch. I don't think he's ready for retirement or anything, but I do feel he should be hitting lower down to where he's less likely to continue to kill rallies.
Have to give Vinnie his props, post game Friday night he said he needed to more about getiing guys in , then sure enough Saturday he does it. Idk if it is good he is putting that much pressure on himself, but he certainly seems to be looking more like '24 Vinnie lately
I wish more hitters had Vinny's approach when it comes to driving in runs. I think the real important batting average is how how many hits you get with runners in scoring position.
I know, but it's a huge pet peeve for me when broadcasters use it. Makes me cringe. I know, I know. That's a me thing. Lol. Your post was great, as usual. Thanks!
I'm very excited to see Jac get the call and I've already bought my tickets for the 10th! But I'm also going to miss the saga of his jersey number changing every other night in Omaha. I don't know why, but him being #14 or #41 depending on what jersey the team wore was fascinating.
I'm not surprised that Blanco was the one sent down because it seems like Jac is mostly going to play in RF and there is no way the Royals were going to carry 6 outfielders. Most nights it is liable to be Waters, Isbel and Cags with Rave getting the occasional start when Cags rotates at 1B and Vinnie is at DH, and Waters moving to CF against lefties giving Canha or India the occasional start in LF.
However, that means that India is going to spend most of his time at 2B now, which also means Massey's time as a regular is over (assuming Garcia does not hit the IL). We know that India is a butcher at 2B, so I guess they could keep Massey around mostly as a defensive replacement, but Loftin could probably handle that just as well. I'm guessing they will see if Massey can get his swing right in AAA and maybe challenge for playing time later in the year in if India continues to suck. That also means whomever comes up in his place now is basically going to be riding the pine. I know a lot of people have been advocating for Devanney but I wouldn't be surprised if they brought Tolbert back instead to keep the stolen base potential off the bench. He makes more sense than Blanco because he can play the infield.
India was already spending his time at second base when he wasn't DHing, so that part won't change much. I could see Tolbert coming back in another move tomorrow. The thing about a move today is it was totally unneccessary in terms of timing, so just because they did this today doesn't mean they won't do something else tomorrow.
I think this gives the Royals two months before the trade deadline to see what kind of team they have after they have made every internal move they can make. I’m not sure what direction it will go in the next two months, but it certainly will be more interesting with Cags in the lineup.
I turned yesterday's game off in the sixth inning, just because I assumed they were incapable of scoring a run. With Cags in the lineup, I probably will keep the game on in that situation, at least for the foreseeable future.
But dang, watching Bubic pitch is a delight. And Wacha on Saturday? Also a delight. Sign our pitching development team to lifetime contracts already.
Yeah, I have to say that I'm pretty concerned about next year when Bove is undoubtedly a pitching coach somewhere else. It's not that I think he's the mastermind or anything, but he and Sweeney have proven to be an incredible duo.
A great analysis David! As you well know, I am a Jac fan and will be watching tomorrow night! Massey needs to go down to Omaha and find his swing again. I checked the Omaha stats and MJ is up to a 0.245 batting average which is getting better because he started out in Omaha with very poor hitting! I hope Garcia is not hurt because he has been the lone bright spot for the Royals offensively and Waters is getting better offensively. BWJ has been in a slump lately and striking out way too much! Perhaps, Jac being behind him the batting order will help him get out of the slump! I also agree that the Tigers did not look all that much better than the Royals. There is time to get back in the race! Go Jac and go Royals!!!
Looking forward to the JAC era.
Adding something for the mailbag, given Melendez resurgence at the plate, what’s the likelihood he gets traded and what would his possible return be? I feel like it’s unlikely he’ll back up to the Majors with the Royals, but maybe that’s an option as well.
It'll be a bit before the next mailbag, so I won't save this, though it might still be relevant next month. I'm not sure I'd say resurgence necessarily. The thing about MJ is he's always been streaky. Now, with the new stance, maybe that was never going to work, but it seems like he's gone back to his previous stance and swing and he's hot right now. He's hitting .290/.324/.609 over the last three weeks. I very consciously made a point to not care about the first two weeks down there. He was such a big mess that he wasn't going to go to AAA and hit immediately. The third week was still rough, but the last three have been pretty solid and he's been even better the last two.
I don't think he's a definite no to coming back up at some point, though part of the problem is the mental game still exists and if/when he comes back, he'll still be hitting .085. A good month or two in the minors doesn't change your big league scoreboard. I do think he's a very interesting trade piece that maybe gets a deal over the top. I haven't talked to a single person in baseball who questions the pure talent. Every team would love to at least get a shot with him without nearly as much riding on it as the Royals have/had.
Add to that, he's hit 3 HRs in the last two games and five all together. Is he hitting like he was when he hit (I think) 42 HRs in his last AAA season?
Where do you see Jac landing in the batting order? Are we looking at a big shakeup?
Depending on Garcia's thumb, I'd guess sixth behind him. Something like:
India
Witt Jr.
Pasquantino
Perez
Garcia
Caglianone
Waters/Loftin
Rave/Loftin
Isbel
Interesting there's no "Massey" in that order (not that there's anything wrong with that)! I'll believe the Royals want to "shake things up" if they send him down; that of course assumes (hopes) there is not an injury issue with Garcia.
I am thinking that Massey needs a little break to get his psyche right. He's the worst qualified MLB hitter in terms of OPS and OPS+ (.486 and 37). He's in a heated battle with Aaron Judge's OBP.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Massey goes down tomorrow. They didn’t have to make a move today but did probably because they wanted to generate buzz and because everyone knew Jac was coming up.
So who is coming back? Too soon for Ragans. Could it be Devanney?
It can't be Ragans anyway because they already have 13 pitchers. Maybe Devanney, maybe Tolbert. I don't know.
I'd love to see Devanney given a chance, but doesn't he play SS? Somewhere on the IF anyway, I think.
It’s very frustrating to see the “out hit” the opposition as they did in this series yet lose 2 of 3. A lot of two out hits and not scoring or advancing runners for whatever reason. My hope is that maybe Jac can be a factor in correcting that in some way.
They do struggle to get the big hit, probably because they hit a lot of singles and have a lot of holes. Jac should theoretically fill a hole and do more than hit singles.
David, excellent as usual. I have a question I haven't been able to find an answer to, and in fact none of the stories on the game even brought it up. Seems like a big deal to me:
The Royals and Tigers combined for ONE runner in scoring position on Saturday. When was the last time that happened? Maybe you can point me in a proper direction. I can't imagine it having happened for the past several decades, at least. Even in the 1-0 Koufax perfect game in 1965 two runners for the Dodgers reached scoring position (well, one, but he did it twice).
pretty sure I heard jake talking about it, but cant remember the stats for you
Stathead would be where I’d start. I’ll have a little time later to dig into that.
I've been staring at Jac's swing choices for the last week and, yeah, I'm not concerned at all. Almost every chase has been in the shadow of the strike zone on Gameday. With his plate coverage and with how close those pitches were, those decisions are fine.
He DID chase a LOT yesterday. But in hindsight, I kind of wonder if the Royals had already told him he was going to get called up and if that made him antsy? Seems like telling him before the game would be weird timing, but I don't know how these things are normally done. It's also possible he just had an off night. Those will happen to anyone. Ask Bobby or Judge.
Interesting that Blanco is going down to make room for JAC. Maybe the Royals will become more conservative with base running given that it’s probably been as bad as hitting with RISP
Blanco hasn’t even had many opportunities. I think he went down because he just doesn’t play much.
If they still want a speedster on the 26 man roster Tolbert might be a better answer. Particularly if they send Massey down in the near future. Tolbert can play the infield and the outfield.
I was actually thinking if Cags can get some runs going, maybe they wont need to be as aggresive on the basepaths - because they sure weren't getting enough hits to get runs in
How about this for a possible lineup, if Garcia's thumb is a little soe still;
India. 2B
Witt. SS
Garcia. DH
Pasquatch 1B
Jac Cag. RF
Perez. C
Rave. LF
Loftin. 3B
Isbel. CF
They should move Salvy down. But they aren’t going to.
Yea I know they should, but a guy can always hope!!!!
I totally agree. Sixth would be about right, as he is still getting some helpful hits. I wonder if they're afraid of damaging his ego or the egos of his fans.
Mixed emotions on Cags getting called up. Excited for sure- our house has had the stormchasers games on for the last week.
But does anyone else find it strange that JJ Just said within last 48 hours that they didnt want to put Cags in a situation where he would need to be the savior? I guess if Garcia is going on IL that could explain a bit. But I also remember a day after they said they wanted India playing 3B vs 2B so he got same looks he got in LF, they immediately started playing him at second.
Are JJ and Q not as steady as we thought they were? Has Sherman become possessed with the ghost of Steinbrenner? Is Bobby having an intimate relationship with a 14you girl in the Dominican?
We grew very accustomed to a GM saying whatever thought popped in his head and forgot that GMs just say things periodically. He said Singer wasn't getting dealt like two days before he was dealt. I wouldn't worry about any of that. Words are words. Actions are what matter.
Getting called up to face a series against the Sox certainly is better than facing the Tigers. So I’d argue the “savior” need is less and probably a good time schedule wise. Granted a Judge vs JAC showdown storyline after the Sox might be fun too
"Is Bobby having an intimate relationship with a 14you girl in the Dominican?" Really? What prompted that?
referring to the career ending exploit of Wander Franco, the young ss the rays gave a huge contract to. I was going soap opera dramatic - and listing possible reasons why they did exactly the opposite of what they said they were going to do. I don't think Bobby even has time to think about something like that- my hunch is he eats, sleeps and dreams baseball- and I love that about him
While I am certainly aware of Wander Franco, I wasn't aware of anything like that. But I get what you're saying. And while Witt Jr. may eat, sleep and dream baseball, I think he's made room for his childhood sweetheart, Maggie, after and before they got married last Dec. 14..
Oh sure, I dont purport to know anything about famous peoples personal lives, but if anyone is a good all around guy my bet is on BWJ.
I was just surprised as they have been refreshingly honest about their intentions and following thru. In the pregame of Jac's debut they basically asked JJ the same question. But Lesky, per usual, was right and provoked me to remember there are tons of variables changing by the minute that the average fan isn't going to (or should) know about.
The comment about Witt and Sherman was meant to be tongue in cheek and certainly no offense intended, I am just not very funny. But if Sherman says something to the effect of "if you can't beat em, buy em" I may delve back into soap opera conspiracy theories ;)
When JJ was in the booth in the first Cardinal game, he said he talked to Cags about that and that he just needs to come in and be himself and some other stuff along those lines that I can't remember. I don't think we need to worry about him. While he went 0-5 in that game, he hit the ball really hard each time, including a couple over 110 mph, I believe.
definitely impressive, i have floating days off and took today to watch the double header
What's with Witt? Not used to seeing him struggle at the plate like he has. Is he hurt? Have pictures figured him out?
It's so painful to watch Perez at the plate. Do the coaches try to convince him to be more selective, or is he allowed to do whatever he wants because he's the captain?
Is it a good idea to have Perez, Pasquatch and Jac in the same lineup? Neither has speed, so that would seem to make us more susceptible to double plays.
I don't think pitchers have suddenly figured out Witt. He's in a slump. He's chasing a bit, but he's also making hard contact that isn't converting. He's hitting .207/.244/.390 in his last 90 plate appearances. His expected numbers in that time are .279/.315/.512.
Yeah, and Witt's been striking out a lot lately and Salvy's keeps hitting into double plays, which is frustrating to watch. I don't think he's ready for retirement or anything, but I do feel he should be hitting lower down to where he's less likely to continue to kill rallies.
A lot is relative. Even during a slump, his strikeout rate is league average and boosted by the four strikeout game.
Have to give Vinnie his props, post game Friday night he said he needed to more about getiing guys in , then sure enough Saturday he does it. Idk if it is good he is putting that much pressure on himself, but he certainly seems to be looking more like '24 Vinnie lately
I wish more hitters had Vinny's approach when it comes to driving in runs. I think the real important batting average is how how many hits you get with runners in scoring position.
RBIs is a term that drives me nuts. RBI is already plural (when necessary)
But also colloquially correct now.
I know, but it's a huge pet peeve for me when broadcasters use it. Makes me cringe. I know, I know. That's a me thing. Lol. Your post was great, as usual. Thanks!
That one slightly irks me as well. Runs Batted Ins?
I'm very excited to see Jac get the call and I've already bought my tickets for the 10th! But I'm also going to miss the saga of his jersey number changing every other night in Omaha. I don't know why, but him being #14 or #41 depending on what jersey the team wore was fascinating.
Yeah, I was super confused by that too.
I'm not surprised that Blanco was the one sent down because it seems like Jac is mostly going to play in RF and there is no way the Royals were going to carry 6 outfielders. Most nights it is liable to be Waters, Isbel and Cags with Rave getting the occasional start when Cags rotates at 1B and Vinnie is at DH, and Waters moving to CF against lefties giving Canha or India the occasional start in LF.
However, that means that India is going to spend most of his time at 2B now, which also means Massey's time as a regular is over (assuming Garcia does not hit the IL). We know that India is a butcher at 2B, so I guess they could keep Massey around mostly as a defensive replacement, but Loftin could probably handle that just as well. I'm guessing they will see if Massey can get his swing right in AAA and maybe challenge for playing time later in the year in if India continues to suck. That also means whomever comes up in his place now is basically going to be riding the pine. I know a lot of people have been advocating for Devanney but I wouldn't be surprised if they brought Tolbert back instead to keep the stolen base potential off the bench. He makes more sense than Blanco because he can play the infield.
I just asked about Devanney below (buried in another thread), but Tolbert makes sense because they need a spot for Ragans soon.
Also, I've seen enough of Loftin's defense to believe he is more than capable at 2B/3B.
India was already spending his time at second base when he wasn't DHing, so that part won't change much. I could see Tolbert coming back in another move tomorrow. The thing about a move today is it was totally unneccessary in terms of timing, so just because they did this today doesn't mean they won't do something else tomorrow.
I think this gives the Royals two months before the trade deadline to see what kind of team they have after they have made every internal move they can make. I’m not sure what direction it will go in the next two months, but it certainly will be more interesting with Cags in the lineup.