They signed Salvy after a month and a half and it turned out to be a great investment.
The only thing they have in common is that deals for other players have literally zero bearing on a deal for Pasquantino or any of the other young players.
While I hope the Royals can sign him, if I were Vinnie I'd bet on myself, which is primarily a bet that I can keep my shoulder & back healthy. If he's healthy and keeps developing, the Yankees or Red Sox will break the bank to sign him as a free agent. He's a prototypical hitter for their parks.
Of course, that's not considering the family he's starting, his family back home, etc. If he needs more immediate $$$, then he might sign a deal.
Maybe he also just really loves KC. Yes, players tend to bet on themselves, but some guys like where they are, see a lot of money and just take it. The other side of it is looking at Freeman again. He signed the deal that kept him in Atlanta when he did and still got the bag when he hit free agency after the deal.
I think your second paragraph is something we forget. It’s easy to say that the guy wants to make the most money possible, but maybe he just wants to settle in somewhere. And there’s also the idea that there’s plenty of risk there too. He has 298 career PA. So there are multiple angles there.
I'd give him an extra $5 million if he agrees to do the "Che vuoi?" Italian hand gesture and shout "That's-a one spicy meatball!" every time he crosses home plate after a dinger.
How much do you think records matter to a player? (And I know you're purely speculating!)
For example, if he's healthy, I bet Vinnie could consistently hit 50 homers a year in Yankee Stadium. Do that for 10 years, and he is a perennial All Star and has a chance at the Hall of Fame. He might get half that acclaim by staying in KC as well as little chance at making the HOF.
To your point: Patrick Mahomes seems to genuinely love being in KC. If money were his only concern, he'd be better served on short-term deals and then going to the highest bidder every two or three years.
I think records do matter, sure, but also it’s real easy to say he could hit 50 a year for 10 years. But also nobody has. I don’t think players generally think that way though I’m sure some do. I think they look at winning and money with the order changing on which is first depending on the player.
PS: Of course, the Chiefs have a well-run organization and are committed to winning, which are factors to appeal to Mahomes. I guess we'll see if the Royals can be the same in the future!
There's that, but also the fact that the revenue and payroll structure of the NFL allows the Chiefs to pay a player $500 million while the Royals likely will never do that. If they can is a different store, but that's really comparing apples to sailboats.
Does he have any weaknesses as a hitter? I hate to bring scouting into this, but it looks like he swings a very heavy bat, like it looks like it really lags his body as he's swinging. He doesn't look like a guy with very strong wrists and a light bat that can just flick it and hit one out. I guess he must have elite pitch recognition, if that's the case. What does the data say about how he succeeds?
I personally don't see that, but it doesn't mean it's not there. But like I wrote, he consistently hits the ball hard and when you combine that with the elite pitch recognition good things happen. Could some of his approach limit his ceiling? Maybe, but even if he's a .295/.383/.450 hitter and nothing more, there's plenty good there.
I just wondered if he was feasting on fastballs or straight stuff or something. The league discover's player's weaknesses pretty quickly these days though, so I'd be surprised if that were true.
He hit .316 with a .507 SLG on fastballs, .308 with a .508 SLG on breaking balls and then it did dip to .228 with a .246 SLG against off speed stuff, but the expected numbers were considerably higher than that, so it may be bad luck. I'd have to dig in a little deeper to really know on that front.
Very thoughtful and insightful! Vinnie is the player that doesn't come along every year. Not many have more walks than strikeouts, and he has demonstrated this ability in the minors as well. Watching how they shift, Vinnie and others will benefit from the rule changes. Seeing how hard he hits the ball, regular infielders will not have the opportunity to field what he hits, and more base hits equals increased average. This also applies to several others on the Royals. He can bet on himself, but for every Aaron Judge, there are a dozen O'Hearn's.
Locking up some of the younger players, provided not breaking the bank, will show a commitment to improvement. I believe that will be necessary to keep some of the higher profile players in town. Bobby and MJ, in my opinion, won't be inclined to give the type of contract that Salvy signed. For many players it is about money. But there is something to be said about the culture of winning. Takes players and players take money. Finding the balance is above me. The players that find a community they can relate to, feel comfortable with, are the exception, not the norm.
Can't wait too long to find your new manager and coaches. If you do, the good ones might be gone!
To the point about getting players signed, it's like I said. Some guys need to see winning. People point to the Braves, but they went 90-72 in 2018 and then started signing their guys. They showed they can win. But I think if you can clearly articulate the plan (and honestly, making the moves they did at least show they're serious about holding people accountable), then you might be able to get one or two on board early and maybe it's a snowball effect.
The thing about the manager, though, is I don't think it matters that much if they strike early or late. There are TONS of great candidates. I wrote over on Royals Review this morning that some of the best managers hired during hiring cycles have actually been the last ones hired. That doesn't mean waiting is the play either. I just don't think it matters all that much.
It's not like they can't be negotiating with multiple players at once. Plus, I already wrote about their extensions, so it was Vinnie's turn.
But seriously, the idea that they have to do this before they can do that doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If Vinnie is ready to sign now (not that he is, just if) and those guys aren't, then you get it done with Vinnie.
Oh I was just joking about that part. But I really don’t think it matters much who goes first as long as someone goes. The Braves signed Albies before anyone else but Acuña, for example.
I really like pasquintino. I think he needs to lose a little weight and muscle up a bit but I followed him in the minors and was afraid they were going to give him the Whit Merrifield treatment. The royals don't seem to have the ability to judge talent. They're high on pratto and I've never liked him. He could hit 40 home runs and I still wouldn't like him because he'd hit 190 and strikeout over 200 times. That is not a royals type of hitter. They need to get back to line drive gap hitters who always made them successful. I didn't even care for the 14 and 15 teams because they stuck out way too much and would not take a walk. Strikeouts are a little easier to take if you can also take a walk. Line drive gap hitting teams are always better teams because you can't get them out and they are a pain on the base paths. Line drive gap hitters usually develop some power with out trying to hit home runs so I have a real problem with high strikeout guys. Even Witt jr. I know he'll get better with time and he did drive in quite a few in his rookie year but towards the end of the year all he did was strikeout and hit an occasional single to keep his average around 250 or so. These guys will always leave more guys on base than they drive in. I see it as wasted opportunities
Great column. Smart assessment. Reading it I thought back to the insanity of the Padres signing Hosmer for $144 million and $24 million a year for the first four. Not sure I have the numbers correct.
I know, I can't believe it. I think it was 5/105 and then an opt-out and 3/39 after. He's finally into the 3/39 portion at least, for their sake. Which, yes, they're still paying it (at least most of it) even though he's in Boston.
I like the idea of him being first among the youngsters to sign a long-term deal. There's an implied leadership role there that I think he's ideal for. It would be nice to see BWJ and MJ and some of the others follow in his footsteps!
The Mets are done. Now we just need the Guardians to find a way to rid us of the Yankees.
I ❤️ NY ballplayers watching the playoffs on TV rather than in person. I really want to hear the audio of John Sterling calling the last out as the Yankees go down to defeat. Come to think of it, I can't imagine any other time I'd want to hear audio of John Sterling.
The Royals signed Dozier after one good year, and it turned out to be a bad investment.
They signed Salvy after a month and a half and it turned out to be a great investment.
The only thing they have in common is that deals for other players have literally zero bearing on a deal for Pasquantino or any of the other young players.
Also at no point in his career has Dozier ever been as good as Vinnie's been.
Doggone it Nate, ya beat me to it!
Proving once again that people are never as right as when they agree with me!
While I hope the Royals can sign him, if I were Vinnie I'd bet on myself, which is primarily a bet that I can keep my shoulder & back healthy. If he's healthy and keeps developing, the Yankees or Red Sox will break the bank to sign him as a free agent. He's a prototypical hitter for their parks.
Of course, that's not considering the family he's starting, his family back home, etc. If he needs more immediate $$$, then he might sign a deal.
Maybe he also just really loves KC. Yes, players tend to bet on themselves, but some guys like where they are, see a lot of money and just take it. The other side of it is looking at Freeman again. He signed the deal that kept him in Atlanta when he did and still got the bag when he hit free agency after the deal.
I think your second paragraph is something we forget. It’s easy to say that the guy wants to make the most money possible, but maybe he just wants to settle in somewhere. And there’s also the idea that there’s plenty of risk there too. He has 298 career PA. So there are multiple angles there.
I'd give him an extra $5 million if he agrees to do the "Che vuoi?" Italian hand gesture and shout "That's-a one spicy meatball!" every time he crosses home plate after a dinger.
To be honest, I’m not sure it would take $5 million to get him to do that.
How much do you think records matter to a player? (And I know you're purely speculating!)
For example, if he's healthy, I bet Vinnie could consistently hit 50 homers a year in Yankee Stadium. Do that for 10 years, and he is a perennial All Star and has a chance at the Hall of Fame. He might get half that acclaim by staying in KC as well as little chance at making the HOF.
To your point: Patrick Mahomes seems to genuinely love being in KC. If money were his only concern, he'd be better served on short-term deals and then going to the highest bidder every two or three years.
I think records do matter, sure, but also it’s real easy to say he could hit 50 a year for 10 years. But also nobody has. I don’t think players generally think that way though I’m sure some do. I think they look at winning and money with the order changing on which is first depending on the player.
PS: Of course, the Chiefs have a well-run organization and are committed to winning, which are factors to appeal to Mahomes. I guess we'll see if the Royals can be the same in the future!
There's that, but also the fact that the revenue and payroll structure of the NFL allows the Chiefs to pay a player $500 million while the Royals likely will never do that. If they can is a different store, but that's really comparing apples to sailboats.
Does he have any weaknesses as a hitter? I hate to bring scouting into this, but it looks like he swings a very heavy bat, like it looks like it really lags his body as he's swinging. He doesn't look like a guy with very strong wrists and a light bat that can just flick it and hit one out. I guess he must have elite pitch recognition, if that's the case. What does the data say about how he succeeds?
I personally don't see that, but it doesn't mean it's not there. But like I wrote, he consistently hits the ball hard and when you combine that with the elite pitch recognition good things happen. Could some of his approach limit his ceiling? Maybe, but even if he's a .295/.383/.450 hitter and nothing more, there's plenty good there.
I just wondered if he was feasting on fastballs or straight stuff or something. The league discover's player's weaknesses pretty quickly these days though, so I'd be surprised if that were true.
He hit .316 with a .507 SLG on fastballs, .308 with a .508 SLG on breaking balls and then it did dip to .228 with a .246 SLG against off speed stuff, but the expected numbers were considerably higher than that, so it may be bad luck. I'd have to dig in a little deeper to really know on that front.
Very thoughtful and insightful! Vinnie is the player that doesn't come along every year. Not many have more walks than strikeouts, and he has demonstrated this ability in the minors as well. Watching how they shift, Vinnie and others will benefit from the rule changes. Seeing how hard he hits the ball, regular infielders will not have the opportunity to field what he hits, and more base hits equals increased average. This also applies to several others on the Royals. He can bet on himself, but for every Aaron Judge, there are a dozen O'Hearn's.
Locking up some of the younger players, provided not breaking the bank, will show a commitment to improvement. I believe that will be necessary to keep some of the higher profile players in town. Bobby and MJ, in my opinion, won't be inclined to give the type of contract that Salvy signed. For many players it is about money. But there is something to be said about the culture of winning. Takes players and players take money. Finding the balance is above me. The players that find a community they can relate to, feel comfortable with, are the exception, not the norm.
Can't wait too long to find your new manager and coaches. If you do, the good ones might be gone!
To the point about getting players signed, it's like I said. Some guys need to see winning. People point to the Braves, but they went 90-72 in 2018 and then started signing their guys. They showed they can win. But I think if you can clearly articulate the plan (and honestly, making the moves they did at least show they're serious about holding people accountable), then you might be able to get one or two on board early and maybe it's a snowball effect.
The thing about the manager, though, is I don't think it matters that much if they strike early or late. There are TONS of great candidates. I wrote over on Royals Review this morning that some of the best managers hired during hiring cycles have actually been the last ones hired. That doesn't mean waiting is the play either. I just don't think it matters all that much.
It seems to me it might be better to try to get BWJ, MJM, or /and BS signed to some longer term contracts first.
It's not like they can't be negotiating with multiple players at once. Plus, I already wrote about their extensions, so it was Vinnie's turn.
But seriously, the idea that they have to do this before they can do that doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If Vinnie is ready to sign now (not that he is, just if) and those guys aren't, then you get it done with Vinnie.
I had forgotten that you wrote about the others. My bad.
Oh I was just joking about that part. But I really don’t think it matters much who goes first as long as someone goes. The Braves signed Albies before anyone else but Acuña, for example.
I really like pasquintino. I think he needs to lose a little weight and muscle up a bit but I followed him in the minors and was afraid they were going to give him the Whit Merrifield treatment. The royals don't seem to have the ability to judge talent. They're high on pratto and I've never liked him. He could hit 40 home runs and I still wouldn't like him because he'd hit 190 and strikeout over 200 times. That is not a royals type of hitter. They need to get back to line drive gap hitters who always made them successful. I didn't even care for the 14 and 15 teams because they stuck out way too much and would not take a walk. Strikeouts are a little easier to take if you can also take a walk. Line drive gap hitting teams are always better teams because you can't get them out and they are a pain on the base paths. Line drive gap hitters usually develop some power with out trying to hit home runs so I have a real problem with high strikeout guys. Even Witt jr. I know he'll get better with time and he did drive in quite a few in his rookie year but towards the end of the year all he did was strikeout and hit an occasional single to keep his average around 250 or so. These guys will always leave more guys on base than they drive in. I see it as wasted opportunities
Great column. Smart assessment. Reading it I thought back to the insanity of the Padres signing Hosmer for $144 million and $24 million a year for the first four. Not sure I have the numbers correct.
I know, I can't believe it. I think it was 5/105 and then an opt-out and 3/39 after. He's finally into the 3/39 portion at least, for their sake. Which, yes, they're still paying it (at least most of it) even though he's in Boston.
He's not my cousin, but Vinnie is the real deal!
I like the idea of him being first among the youngsters to sign a long-term deal. There's an implied leadership role there that I think he's ideal for. It would be nice to see BWJ and MJ and some of the others follow in his footsteps!
The Mets are done. Now we just need the Guardians to find a way to rid us of the Yankees.
I ❤️ NY ballplayers watching the playoffs on TV rather than in person. I really want to hear the audio of John Sterling calling the last out as the Yankees go down to defeat. Come to think of it, I can't imagine any other time I'd want to hear audio of John Sterling.