20 Comments

Whew, so glad he caught that ball at his face. That would have been an awful end to his career. He's always been such a good fielder and it really saved his brain and his face. So happy to have had him back this year.

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Love seeing Greinke back and in a Royals uniform. IDK about re-signing him for 13M again. Surely, that 13M can get you someone with a little more upside can’t it? In the end, a one year deal doesn’t really matter so its probably worth it and its not my money so you probably do it. He just doesn’t really excite me at this stage in his career. But the numbers are what they are and he was a valuable pitcher for the royals this year. If you are preaching strikes….he’s a good vet to have on the staff with how he doesn’t walk anyone.

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Oct 4, 2022·edited Oct 4, 2022

The combination of good vets and promising rookies is a good one, provided the vets can still play. It's working out very well for the Cardinals this year. I hope the Royals do bring back Zach. And yes, Waters should be a center piece in the outfield for years to come. Kind of an Amos Otis type player. Also, Massey reminds me a lot of Frank White. Some very good pieces to anchor the middle.

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Gotta give it to JJ - getting Drew and a couple of other players for the 35th pick in the draft now looks like a pretty good move. Let's give credit where credit is deserved. No way this was a Dayton Moore move.

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Your dream/yet realistic opening day line-up for 2023? Of course, you can change your thinking as the offseason progresses.

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I don't know that Hanniger is a solution. His injury history scares me. Olivares deserves a chance to see what he can do, if he can stay healthy. I think he will hit and Isbel mskes a decent fourth outfielder. I just wish Isbel would hit more. Greinke has been a great mentor for the kids, but not a great example. Too much pitching out of the zone. When you don't have the stuff, you need to be on the edges. Too many pitches in the zone or way out. Run prevention was Brady Singer. 137 innings isn't much for what Zack was paid. I would have liked him to get a little deeper in games.

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I think I like this lineup:

Salvy C

Pasq DH

Pratto 1b

Massey 2b

Mond or Nicky or Garcia ss

Melendez / Eaton 3b*

Witt rf

Waters cf

Gentry/ Olivares lf*

* platoon

Since I am concerned about pitching I am looking for a strong defense. Melendez would rest Salvy.

I think Witt will adjust better to rf than ss. Gentry and Garcia will likely need a month or two in AAA.

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I'd still try to sign him for next year. I think he's a good influence on the younger guys. I wouldn't worry about his pitch counts. He doesn't throw hard enough to hurt himself. Let him set an example to the younger guys. They need to learn how to pitch into the 7th or 8th inning. That will make the bullpen better. Everytime you change a pitcher you're taking a big chance of losing the game which is exactly what's been going on

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I think waters can improve his strikeout rate. He's shown he's coachable. I'm not a big fan of Melendez. All he can do is take a walk. That's not good enough. He's not a good fielder and he can't hit. With his stance and unorthodox swing, unless he changes I don't see him improving

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