It is ironic that Frazier has two games now where he has basically won the game with plays he’s made. IDK what his WAR is….but really it should be plus 2 with those two games. I’m sure the rest are minuses but still. At least we can point to a couple games with Frazier…not sure we can really do that with Hampson. I’m not a fan of the signing either. We are all on the same page with it. But at least we have something to look at and say he has provided.
Also, if Adam Frazier is hitting two run bombs in the 9th inning to win you a game. Lady luck is on our side this year. And that’s great, we were due.
I've actually thought quite a bit more than I should have about this and I think I'd have been good with Frazier if Hampson wasn't already signed, so I'm okay with keeping Frazier. He's never been this bad and having that kind of depth is important. Plus, yeah, he's kind of won two games, which isn't nothing.
Frazier’s catch and doubling the runner off first was one of the best plays I have seen this season. The 2-run homer got me so excited that I had to take some medication to sleep and what I really liked to see were the Royals players going nuts in the dugout! The will to win is so important in a very long season!
Point more maybe being. When people freak out about the next blown save (which will happen), just look at the game on Saturday. Cause that was won you stole. Someone will hit a game winner on us. The Royals are good enough it will all even out or they will still come out ahead on it. I still have a hard time with 95 wins they are on pace for….but every day that passes you think…we’ll maybe I’m just wrong.
Very true. A big difference between this year's team and most of the last 30+ years is that when the Royals blow a save, they don't return the favor like...ever. This year's team is going to win some games they shouldn't and lose same games they shouldn't. At least through a little more than a quarter of the year, I feel like that part is pretty even.
I had to look because you know I had to look. They won 10 games last year they should have lost and this year they're already up to four. And like half of last year's came after the deadline.
On Lugo. No, he’s not a Cy Young candidate. Lol. I’d still bet money that Ragans ends the year with better numbers than Lugo if both healthy the whole time. Has he been better than I expected? Yes. Maybe he has a career year at 34. But at the end of the day I see him in line with his career numbers which is better than anything the royals have had in the last 5 years. So it’s still great. It’s been a good signing. I expected good though. I expected Wacha to be a little better (think he gets there) but they both know how to pitch and have been around the block a few times. Both have solidified this rotation a ton and if you put them together…about what I expected in general as a two man group numbers.
The only thing about Lugo that we don't know is what his ceiling is as a starter. This is only his second year doing it. He's 34, but limited innings, and all those pitches. I'm certainly not saying that he's going to put up 1.60 ERA and likely will end up about where he was last year, but he's not nearly the known commodity you'd typically see with someone his age. He's just...interesting. Rany and I talked about it on the podcast last night. We both said we'd take Ragans to start a must-win game late in the season, but the fact that it's even a question says way more about Lugo than Ragans.
I loved the week Blanco had! I loved his bunt single yesterday and scoring on the suicide squeeze by Massey! The Royals have played little ball this year much better than last year. Lugo’s curveball was great breaking on the corners which resulted in his 12 strikeouts! Go Royals!!!
It has to be tough on the front office that 2 of their signings (Renfroe & Frazier) have the two worst averages on the team. Renfroe moved all the way up to .153 after the 2 for 4 yesterday. Frazier is up to .188 after 2 for 3 on Friday. We all know they are not that bad but I don't anyone could have predicted they would be that bad. Here's to hoping that they can both consistently contribute and get things going.
I actually don’t think it it tough on the front office though. If Wacha and Lugo are working out….the rest is….just gravy really. Meaning…going into it… I didn’t expect all 6 (six is a lot) FA signings to work out. If the pitching works out and we have to deal with the hitters that’s a lot better than the other way around I think. But a lot of season left to go.
If you take all the FA and put them in one lump sum group. It might really be kinda what was expected. Just how it got there is pretty extreme. Lugo great, Wacha meh….everyone else sucks. So maybe it’s even less than what was expected IDK. But if you take it as a whole. It’s sorta interesting.
Being eight over helps ease that sting a little bit. But yeah, it's also the fact that those were the signings that the most disliked by the fanbase (correctly so far). I think one of the biggest differences we've seen from JJ and his group compared to the last bunch is their willingness to admit a mistake and I'm assuming they'll do that again if things don't turn around.
I don’t have a problem with Frazier, excellent D and a good contact hitter with positional versatility. I don’t see hampson and Renfroe being on the team after the deadline either. After watching Ragans last year and this season I think he’s not throwing as many fastballs this year as last. He seems to be going with more off speed stuff but I could be (and I usually am) wrong. A great change up is fantastic to have but it needs to be changing up off SOMETHING. I still think they need a high leverage reliever. Shrieber is great as a setup guy and for the time being I believe that McAurther is better suited as a setup guy as well. Seeing him give up a long ball yesterday caused me some concern. Yes they had a 3 run lead but ideally you want your closer to function like it’s a one run game. I’d just feel way more comfortable with a proven closer on the roster that’s not named Will Smith. I think that blanco should get more starts but then you lose his late game pinch running ability. All I am convinced about is they are more fun to watch this year than they have been in the recent past.
Ragans is throwing the fastball at basically the same rate - 39.5% this year vs. 40.1% last year. And that's actually more than he threw it in August and September, so basically his whole time with the Royals. I think he's just missing in the middle a little too much. I linked to a great post from Lance Brozdowski a bit ago, but he also has something on Instagram for it too - https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6PoJ_qOXIK/.
I really don't have real worries about McArthur, though the more he struggles, the more I'll worry. I think he's in a bit of a slump and needs to revamp some pitch choices. He was very slider/curve heavy earlier, but his sinker has ticked up and has become a really good pitch. It wouldn't surprise me if he's working on a four-seamer as well in the background and might emerge from this even better than he was earlier this season and in September.
Glad Lugo pitching so well, and that he is in the early stages still of his starter role is a super interesting point to dream on. With still another year and his ''awe shucks' attitude, Lugo is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I will be surprised if Ragans doesn't come out looking like the legitimate ace next start, but glad it is against oakland.
I think I like Hampson the best of the 3 vet signings, I was surprised to see that his line is relatively close to league average, while frazier and Renfroe definitely aren't. (Hampson had a respectable .276/.349/.380 last year) What are the chances all three would be duds?
Maybe when the royals hit a slump their value will be more obvious. And maybe getting rid of one of them this early would hurt the team morale, tbf royals are outperforming my optimistic hopes with the chemistry they have right now. Doubt the answer is in AAA just yet, hoping they trade for an outfield bat real soon (as a fan, but probably not the smartest move).
Hampson has a 66 wRC+, so I wouldn't say he's anywhere near average. Compared to Renfroe, sure, but Renfroe is also fourth-worst in baseball among hitters with 120+ PA.
for sure, but two-times better the line as Frazier and renfroe. I am trying so hard not to bash Renfroe for at least a week:). I am going to go yell at the tv at the ump calls now. Thanks for all the great info and replies!
Ha, but can Frazier cover the outfield as well? wRC+ is a decent stat, but it is still one # (considerably better than ops stat). Hard to define a player by one #. That being said Frazier definitely gets the clutch+ in my eye.
I'm going to ride with the eye test right now and enjoy the over .500 for as long as I can - go Royals!
Early in the season I was worried about our defense in the outfield at the corners. Now, what happened to the bats. Drew Watters and Nate Eaton would be a welcome upgrade.
I'm glad you wrote about Renfroe, Melendez, Velazquez and Isbel. I've been wondering how much longer they can play when they're hitting .200 or below. Are the Royals any different from other teams in how patient they are with struggling players?
Maybe a .200 hitter is what Meledez is. Maybe a .250 hitter is what Pasquantino is. Same with Garcia. Maybe we all need to accept that and respond accordingly. I keep waiting for these guys to be as good as a lot of people think they are, and it doesn't happen consistently. Maybe I expect too much.
You'd have to say that Lugo is the ace. He has certainly pitched like it. When was the last time the Royals had a starter go 6-1 to open the season?
I think the Royals have shown that they're as quick or quicker to pull the trigger than other teams. What happened before last season is pretty irrelevant with how they do business, but most teams are giving guys a quarter to a third of a season. I'm also going to disagree pretty strongly with putting Pasquantino in this group of underachievers. He may seem like he's having a rough go, but he's got a 114 wRC+ this season.
I would have been fine with taking 2 from the Angels. Very very happy with three and over the moon for four. I am very very happy. You are totally correct with the offense. So far so good, but they seriously need to start steeping up.
It is ironic that Frazier has two games now where he has basically won the game with plays he’s made. IDK what his WAR is….but really it should be plus 2 with those two games. I’m sure the rest are minuses but still. At least we can point to a couple games with Frazier…not sure we can really do that with Hampson. I’m not a fan of the signing either. We are all on the same page with it. But at least we have something to look at and say he has provided.
Also, if Adam Frazier is hitting two run bombs in the 9th inning to win you a game. Lady luck is on our side this year. And that’s great, we were due.
I've actually thought quite a bit more than I should have about this and I think I'd have been good with Frazier if Hampson wasn't already signed, so I'm okay with keeping Frazier. He's never been this bad and having that kind of depth is important. Plus, yeah, he's kind of won two games, which isn't nothing.
Frazier’s catch and doubling the runner off first was one of the best plays I have seen this season. The 2-run homer got me so excited that I had to take some medication to sleep and what I really liked to see were the Royals players going nuts in the dugout! The will to win is so important in a very long season!
Point more maybe being. When people freak out about the next blown save (which will happen), just look at the game on Saturday. Cause that was won you stole. Someone will hit a game winner on us. The Royals are good enough it will all even out or they will still come out ahead on it. I still have a hard time with 95 wins they are on pace for….but every day that passes you think…we’ll maybe I’m just wrong.
Very true. A big difference between this year's team and most of the last 30+ years is that when the Royals blow a save, they don't return the favor like...ever. This year's team is going to win some games they shouldn't and lose same games they shouldn't. At least through a little more than a quarter of the year, I feel like that part is pretty even.
So true. I bet we have won more games this year that should have been a loss (like Friday's game) than all of last year.
I had to look because you know I had to look. They won 10 games last year they should have lost and this year they're already up to four. And like half of last year's came after the deadline.
Glad to hear Rany last night and now you climb on the Zack Lugo bandwagon! I made sure there’s plenty of room! Let’s enjoy the ride.
I'm late to the party, but better late than never!
On Lugo. No, he’s not a Cy Young candidate. Lol. I’d still bet money that Ragans ends the year with better numbers than Lugo if both healthy the whole time. Has he been better than I expected? Yes. Maybe he has a career year at 34. But at the end of the day I see him in line with his career numbers which is better than anything the royals have had in the last 5 years. So it’s still great. It’s been a good signing. I expected good though. I expected Wacha to be a little better (think he gets there) but they both know how to pitch and have been around the block a few times. Both have solidified this rotation a ton and if you put them together…about what I expected in general as a two man group numbers.
The only thing about Lugo that we don't know is what his ceiling is as a starter. This is only his second year doing it. He's 34, but limited innings, and all those pitches. I'm certainly not saying that he's going to put up 1.60 ERA and likely will end up about where he was last year, but he's not nearly the known commodity you'd typically see with someone his age. He's just...interesting. Rany and I talked about it on the podcast last night. We both said we'd take Ragans to start a must-win game late in the season, but the fact that it's even a question says way more about Lugo than Ragans.
Your were on Kauffman Corner? I’ll have to listen. Cool
Yup. Soren wasn't feeling great, so I pinch hit.
You did a great job pinch hitting...that was fun to see you on there last night.
Thanks Scott!
I loved the week Blanco had! I loved his bunt single yesterday and scoring on the suicide squeeze by Massey! The Royals have played little ball this year much better than last year. Lugo’s curveball was great breaking on the corners which resulted in his 12 strikeouts! Go Royals!!!
It has to be tough on the front office that 2 of their signings (Renfroe & Frazier) have the two worst averages on the team. Renfroe moved all the way up to .153 after the 2 for 4 yesterday. Frazier is up to .188 after 2 for 3 on Friday. We all know they are not that bad but I don't anyone could have predicted they would be that bad. Here's to hoping that they can both consistently contribute and get things going.
I actually don’t think it it tough on the front office though. If Wacha and Lugo are working out….the rest is….just gravy really. Meaning…going into it… I didn’t expect all 6 (six is a lot) FA signings to work out. If the pitching works out and we have to deal with the hitters that’s a lot better than the other way around I think. But a lot of season left to go.
If you take all the FA and put them in one lump sum group. It might really be kinda what was expected. Just how it got there is pretty extreme. Lugo great, Wacha meh….everyone else sucks. So maybe it’s even less than what was expected IDK. But if you take it as a whole. It’s sorta interesting.
Good point. Tough to see vets brought in for their bats the only ones under .200 in the middle of May.
Being eight over helps ease that sting a little bit. But yeah, it's also the fact that those were the signings that the most disliked by the fanbase (correctly so far). I think one of the biggest differences we've seen from JJ and his group compared to the last bunch is their willingness to admit a mistake and I'm assuming they'll do that again if things don't turn around.
I don’t have a problem with Frazier, excellent D and a good contact hitter with positional versatility. I don’t see hampson and Renfroe being on the team after the deadline either. After watching Ragans last year and this season I think he’s not throwing as many fastballs this year as last. He seems to be going with more off speed stuff but I could be (and I usually am) wrong. A great change up is fantastic to have but it needs to be changing up off SOMETHING. I still think they need a high leverage reliever. Shrieber is great as a setup guy and for the time being I believe that McAurther is better suited as a setup guy as well. Seeing him give up a long ball yesterday caused me some concern. Yes they had a 3 run lead but ideally you want your closer to function like it’s a one run game. I’d just feel way more comfortable with a proven closer on the roster that’s not named Will Smith. I think that blanco should get more starts but then you lose his late game pinch running ability. All I am convinced about is they are more fun to watch this year than they have been in the recent past.
Ragans is throwing the fastball at basically the same rate - 39.5% this year vs. 40.1% last year. And that's actually more than he threw it in August and September, so basically his whole time with the Royals. I think he's just missing in the middle a little too much. I linked to a great post from Lance Brozdowski a bit ago, but he also has something on Instagram for it too - https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6PoJ_qOXIK/.
I really don't have real worries about McArthur, though the more he struggles, the more I'll worry. I think he's in a bit of a slump and needs to revamp some pitch choices. He was very slider/curve heavy earlier, but his sinker has ticked up and has become a really good pitch. It wouldn't surprise me if he's working on a four-seamer as well in the background and might emerge from this even better than he was earlier this season and in September.
Glad Lugo pitching so well, and that he is in the early stages still of his starter role is a super interesting point to dream on. With still another year and his ''awe shucks' attitude, Lugo is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I will be surprised if Ragans doesn't come out looking like the legitimate ace next start, but glad it is against oakland.
I think I like Hampson the best of the 3 vet signings, I was surprised to see that his line is relatively close to league average, while frazier and Renfroe definitely aren't. (Hampson had a respectable .276/.349/.380 last year) What are the chances all three would be duds?
Maybe when the royals hit a slump their value will be more obvious. And maybe getting rid of one of them this early would hurt the team morale, tbf royals are outperforming my optimistic hopes with the chemistry they have right now. Doubt the answer is in AAA just yet, hoping they trade for an outfield bat real soon (as a fan, but probably not the smartest move).
Hampson has a 66 wRC+, so I wouldn't say he's anywhere near average. Compared to Renfroe, sure, but Renfroe is also fourth-worst in baseball among hitters with 120+ PA.
comparing to the .239/.312/.383 he is close to the BA and OBP, but yeah, not great.
I mean I guess, but he’s way below average.
for sure, but two-times better the line as Frazier and renfroe. I am trying so hard not to bash Renfroe for at least a week:). I am going to go yell at the tv at the ump calls now. Thanks for all the great info and replies!
Frazier’s wRC+ is one point higher than Hampson’s for what it’s worth.
Ha, but can Frazier cover the outfield as well? wRC+ is a decent stat, but it is still one # (considerably better than ops stat). Hard to define a player by one #. That being said Frazier definitely gets the clutch+ in my eye.
I'm going to ride with the eye test right now and enjoy the over .500 for as long as I can - go Royals!
Early in the season I was worried about our defense in the outfield at the corners. Now, what happened to the bats. Drew Watters and Nate Eaton would be a welcome upgrade.
I'm glad you wrote about Renfroe, Melendez, Velazquez and Isbel. I've been wondering how much longer they can play when they're hitting .200 or below. Are the Royals any different from other teams in how patient they are with struggling players?
Maybe a .200 hitter is what Meledez is. Maybe a .250 hitter is what Pasquantino is. Same with Garcia. Maybe we all need to accept that and respond accordingly. I keep waiting for these guys to be as good as a lot of people think they are, and it doesn't happen consistently. Maybe I expect too much.
You'd have to say that Lugo is the ace. He has certainly pitched like it. When was the last time the Royals had a starter go 6-1 to open the season?
I think the Royals have shown that they're as quick or quicker to pull the trigger than other teams. What happened before last season is pretty irrelevant with how they do business, but most teams are giving guys a quarter to a third of a season. I'm also going to disagree pretty strongly with putting Pasquantino in this group of underachievers. He may seem like he's having a rough go, but he's got a 114 wRC+ this season.
I would have been fine with taking 2 from the Angels. Very very happy with three and over the moon for four. I am very very happy. You are totally correct with the offense. So far so good, but they seriously need to start steeping up.
At this point I just think of Renfroe and Frazier as two veterans who can help the younger players when they go through offensive slumps!!