Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

SPRING TRAINING WEEK THREE RESULTS

Royals 2, Rays 3
Kris Bubic: 4 IP, 2 H, BB, K
Daniel Tillo: 1 IP, 2 K
Whit Merrifield: 1-2, 3B, RBI
Vince Fernandez: 1-1, HR (1)

Indians 11, Royals 8
Brad Keller: 3 IP, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Jake Junis: 3 IP, 2 ER, 2 K
David Oppenheim: 2-3, 2B
Gabriel Maciel: 2-2
Ryan O'Hearn: 1-2, HR (1)

Royals 6, White Sox 4
Daniel Lynch: 4 IP, H, 6 K
Elvis Luciano: 1 IP, 2 K
Bobby Witt, Jr.: 1-1, 2 RBI
Dante Biasi: 1-3, R
Troy Stokes: 1-2, RBI, R

Rangers 7, Royals 5
Jackson Kowar: 4 IP, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Dante Biasi: 2-3, 2 2B, RBI
David Oppenheim: 1-2, 2B, RBI
M.J. Melendez: 1-2, 2B

Royals 13, A's 3
Jose De Leon: 4 IP, 3 ER, 5 K
Luiz Gohara: 1 IP, 2 K
Meibrys Viloria: 2-3, R
Nick Heath: 2-2, R, 2 RBI
Michael Massey: 2-2, 2 R, 3 RBI

Royals 1, Astros 8
Kris Bubic: 4 IP, H, ER, 2 K
M.J. Melendez: 1-2, HR (1)
Whit Merrifield: 1-3
Nicky Lopez: 1-3

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Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

SPRING MUSINGS
Thoughts from the first half of camp
03/07/2021
By artoodeetoo

At the halfway point of camp, the Royals sit at 5-10 and in a tie for last place in the Cactus League. There are still sixty players in camp, but the first round of cuts is expected to come later in the week. Over the past few weeks, I've compiled some notes on the action so far, and this is "emptying the notebook" a little.

Dayton Moore's prediction about Bobby Witt doesn't seem so crazy now.

There was some surprise (and skepticism) about Dayton Moore suggesting that Bobby Witt might be in Kansas City by the end of this season, but his play in the spring has been encouraging to that end. If he had played last season in Double-A, there's a chance he might skip Omaha, but there's no way he's going to skip over three levels right to the majors. If he starts in Double-A as has been speculated, he'll likely play a few months there and in Triple-A before heading on to Kansas City if he progresses like Moore thinks he can. On the field, he carries himself like a ten-year vet (having a former pro baseball player dad helps), and has made a pretty seamless transition to third base from shortstop, although he's played a few games at short this spring. If his power comes along as he puts on a bit more muscle mass, the Royals are finally going to have their third baseman that they haven't had since Moose left town during the 2017 season.

The race for the fifth rotation spot has been more robust than originally thought.

As the presumed front-runner for the fifth and final rotation slot, Brady Singer hasn't had a bad spring; but the competition for the final rotation spot has been deeper than most thought coming into the spring. Chris Flexen has come out of nowhere to make a name for himself, and Daniel Lynch has been the best pitcher in camp so far. Kris Bubic has also pitched well, but has just three strikeouts in nine innings. Luiz Gohara is also going to get a start in the coming days, according to manager Mike Matheny, further escalating the competition.

Singer is still likely to get the nod, given his late-season experience from a year ago. The Royals would like to see some improvement from both Lynch and Bubic at the Triple-A level before making the jump, but they've impressed enough to make this a relatively tough decision. Flexen is the wildcard here -- he's a bit older (26), and could also find himself pitching out of the bullpen if he doesn't earn a spot in the rotation outright.

Ryan O'Hearn appears to be falling out of favor.

O'Hearn has seen his at-bats decrease over the past week, with younger players Nick Pratto and Dante Biasi getting more reps and hitting well. Biasi, a converted pitcher and former high draft pick, especially has impressed this spring; posting a .381/.409/.667 line in twenty-two plate appearances, with three doubles and a homerun. In 172 plate appearances a year ago with NW Arkansas, he hit a dozen doubles, a triple, and five homeruns, posting a .294 BA along the way.

While I expect O'Hearn to continue to remain on the roster for the time being, it's getting tougher and tougher to imagine a scenario where he breaks camp with the Royals. He still has options remaining, but Biasi and Pratto are going to need at-bats with Omaha, and it's hard for me to see where O'Hearn fits into the team's future plans unless things turn around, and in a hurry.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

SPRING TRAINING WEEK FOUR RESULTS

Red Sox 1, Royals 8
Jake Junis: 4 IP, 2 H, BB, 5 K
Jake Diekman: 1 IP, 2 K
Gabriel Maciel: 2-2, 2 R
Bobby Witt, Jr.: 1-2, HR (2)
Adalberto Mondesi: 1-2, HR (3), 3 RBI

Royals 2, Yankees 5
Chris Flexen: 4 IP, H, 5 K
Brady Singer: 3 IP, H, 2 K
Meibrys Viloria: 1-2, HR (1)

Tigers 5, Royals 1
Danny Duffy: 4 IP, 5 H, BB
Scott Blewett: 2 IP, 3 K
Whit Merrifield: 2-5, RBI
Emmanuel Rivera: 2-2, R

Royals 5, Orioles 0
Jose De Leon: 4 IP, 5 K
Robert Stephenson: 1 IP, 3 K
Josh Staumont: 1 IP, 2 K
Khalil Lee: 1-3, 2 RBI, 2B
Kelvin Gutierrez: 2-2, RBI, R
Emmanuel Rivera: 2-2, R

Blue Jays 5, Royals 4
Kris Bubic: 4 IP, H, ER, 5 K
Jackson Kowar: 3 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 K
Bobby Witt, Jr.: 1-2, HR (3)
Emmanuel Rivera: 2-2, R, RBI

Royals 8, Mariners 4
Luiz Gohara: 4 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Daniel Lynch: 2 IP, 2 ER, 4 K
Bubba Starling: 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI
Troy Stokes: 2-4, 3B, RBI, R

ROSTER CUTS
C Brian Navarreto (Triple-A)
1B Nick Pratto (Triple-A)
RHP Nick Gardewine (Released)
RHP Kelvin Herrera (Released)
OF Lane Adams (Released)
OF Michael Gigliotti (Triple-A)
RHP Jhon Romero (Triple-A)
LHP Daniel Tillo (Double-A)
RHP Justin Grimm (Released)
RHP Heath Fillmyer (DFA)
IF Kevin Merrell (Triple-A)
LHP Brandon Leibrandt (Triple-A)
RHP Ofreidy Gomez (Triple-A)
1B Dante Biasi (Triple-A)
3B Emmanuel Rivera (Triple-A)
LHP Kris Bubic (Triple-A)
RHP Art Warren (Triple-A)
IF Michael Massey (Triple-A)
3B Bobby Witt, Jr (High-A)
OF Jeren Kendall (Triple-A)

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

SPRING TRAINING WEEK FIVE RESULTS

Twins 0, Royals 7
Brad Keller: 4 IP, H, 4 BB, 2 K
Bobby Witt, Jr: 1-2, 2B, RBI
David Oppenheim: 2-3, HR (1), 2 R, 3 RBI

Royals 7, Angels 1
Chris Flexen: 4 IP, 3 H, BB, 2 K
Brady Singer: 2 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 K
Salvador Perez: 2-3, 2 HR (4), 2 RBI
Breyvic Valera: 2-4, 2B, 3B

Rays 6, Royals 2
Jose De Leon: 4 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 6 K
Josh Staumont: 1 IP, 2 K
Brett Phillips: 1-2, HR (1), 2 RBI

Royals 3, Indians 7
Jake Junis: 4 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 6 K
Whit Merrifield: 2-2
Adalberto Mondesi: 2-4, 2B, R

White Sox 4, Royals 0
Brad Keller: 5 IP, H, 3 BB, 7 K
Rob Stephenson: 2 IP, 2 K
Khalil Lee: 1-2, BB, 2B

Royals 4, Rangers 5
Luiz Gohara: 4 IP, H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Hunter Dozier: 1-4, RBI
Whit Merrifield: 1-2, BB, RBI

Royals 4, Rangers 5
Chris Flexen: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, 6 K
Hunter Dozier: 2-3, 2 RBI, 2B, BB
Nicky Lopez: 3-3, 2B

ROSTER CUTS
LHP Daniel Lynch (Triple-A)
C MJ Melendez (Triple-A, contract purchased)
OF Michael Gigliotti (Double-A)
C Xavier Fernandez (Triple-A)
OF Vince Fernandez (Triple-A)
OF Bubba Starling (DFA)
1B Ryan O'Hearn (DFA)
OF Nick Heath (Triple-A)
RHP Brady Singer (Triple-A)
LHP Tim Hill (Triple-A)
RHP Elvis Luciano (Triple-A)
RHP Jackson Kowar (Triple-A)
RHP Scott Blewett (Triple-A)
RHP Grant Gavin (Triple-A)

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

2021 SPRING WRAP-UP
Starling, O'Hearn designated; Flexen traded
03/22/2021
By artoodeetoo

Kansas City finalized their roster on Tuesday, dealing pitcher Chris Flexen to the Cincinnati Reds for former Royals second-round pick Brady McConnell, who was dealt to the Reds in the trade for Robert Stephenson less than a year ago. The move opened up the fifth rotation slot for McConnell's former Florida teammate Brady Singer, who will likely be available to pitch out of the bullpen on Opening Day, as the Royals have an off day on Friday to make it five days between outings for him.

The re-acquisition of McConnell was apparently done at the behest of first-year Director of Scouting Roy Clark, who along with Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos, coveted the rangy shortstop in early trade talks with the Royals a season ago. McConnell will likely begin the 2021 season in Double-A, as there is a dearth of middle infield talent in the upper minors.

For the second straight season, the Royals ended any speculation they would carry three catchers as only Meibrys Viloria and Salvador Perez will be on the roster. Rule 5 pick Gabriel Maciel made the team, as did 2020 PCL batting champion David Oppenheim, both in the outfield as reserves. Manager Mike Matheny expects Oppenheim to split DH duties with Ryon Healy, and possibly play a handful of games in the outfield to spell Whit Merrifield on occasion. Merrifield, Brett Phillips, and rookie Khalil Lee are expected to be the team's starting outfield, left to right.

"Gabriel is just so versatile defensively, as he can play any outfield spot," said Mike Matheny of the 21-year-old Maciel. "For a guy that's still so raw, he handles the bat well, and we think he could be a valuable contributor at this level despite that."

Coming off a 26-homerun campaign with the Storm Chasers last season, Lee didn't impress in the spring, but the Royals obviously feel comfortable enough with the surrounding talent to let him develop at the MLB level. The fifth-ranked Royals' prospect, Lee is just twenty-two years old, but is a huge upgrade defensively over Merrifield and Jorge Soler in right; and brings superior speed to the table, having gone 34-of-44 in the stolen base department a season ago.

Veterans Ryan O'Hearn and Bubba Starling were also designated for assignment, meaning that they are likely ticketed for the minors unless they are claimed by another team in the coming days, as teams reshuffle their rosters for one final time before first pitch. In the pitching staff, only Tim Hill's optioning to Omaha was a surprise, even though he was battered around in the spring to the tune of an 9.53 ERA. Luiz Gohara, Jake Diekman, and closer Richard Lovelady are the remaining three southpaws out of the bullpen.

The bullpen is largely unchanged from a season ago, and why would it be? The only real difference is they swapped out Connor Sadzeck for Addison Reed, which is likely an even trade at this point. Josh Staumont and Kyle Zimmer both looked strong in the spring, and those two are backed up by Robert Stephenson and Bryan Brickhouse, who emerged as an unlikely contributor out of spring training a year ago, and ended up posting a 2.72 ERA in 46 1/3 innings in 2020 as a rookie.

CATCHERS (2)
13 Salvador Perez
72 Meibrys Viloria

INFIELDERS (6)
01 Nicky Lopez
17 Hunter Dozier
27 Adalberto Mondesi
32 Breyvic Valera
29 Ryon Healy
47 Kelvin Gutierrez

OUTFIELDERS (5)
14 Brett Phillips
15 Whit Merrifield
16 David Oppenheim
19 Gabriel Maciel
30 Khalil Lee

PITCHERS (13)
22 Luiz Gohara
37 Bryan Brickhouse
40 Jake Diekman
41 Danny Duffy
43 Addison Reed
44 Robert Stephenson
45 Kyle Zimmer
51 Brady Singer
55 Richard Lovelady
56 Brad Keller
63 Josh Staumont
65 Jake Junis
87 Jose De Leon

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

2021 AL CENTRAL PREVIEW
Indians odds-on favorite again
03/23/2021
By MLB.com Staff

1. CLEVELAND INDIANS (100-62)
Key adds: IF Howie Kendrick
Key losses: LHP Brad Hand

New manager Jim Czajkowski has been handed a pretty solid roster for his first managing gig, with the only addition being Howie Kendrick as a bench piece. Every major contributor sans Brad Hand returns for the 2021 season, and still boast one of the deeper bullpens in the AL despite his loss. Logan Allen was superb in his short stint late in the season, tossing 24 2/3 innings of sparkling relief down the stretch for the Tribe. Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco, still dealing with minor health issues, front arguably the deepest rotation in the AL. They extended outfielder Derek Dietrich four years, less than a year after acquiring him via trade prior to the deadline. Franmil Reyes and Carlos Santana are back to provide the thump in the middle of the order, while Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor man the left side of the infield. If there's a real weakness on the roster, it's at second base, where Greg Garcia is a below-average defender, but did contribute a 104 OPS+.

2. MINNESOTA TWINS (83-79)
Key adds: IF Brad Miller, RHP Ryne Harper, IF Cesar Hernandez
Key losses: IF Jedd Gyorko, RHP Jake Odorizzi, RHP Kyle Gibson, IF Asdrubal Cabrera

Righties Kyle Gibson and Jake Odorizzi are now gone, but the Twins behind third-year manager Rocco Baldelli feel pretty good about the depth they have on the pitching staff, with Kenta Maeda and Lewis Thorpe settling into rotation roles, after having served mainly out of the bullpen a season ago. Gibson was part of the deal that sent him and Luis Arraez to San Francisco for Cesar Hernandez, which caused some head-scratching around the league, but the move got the aging, expensive Gibson off the books. Hernandez has just one guaranteed season on his deal, with his $11.1MM 2022 option a mutual one. Ryne Harper is back after a one-year, injury-plagued hiatus with the Orioles, and the addition of Miller gives them some lefty pop who can DH, play first, or even second in a pinch. The bullpen that ranked 9th in the AL last year is largely intact again, but Baldelli and crew are hopeful another year of development improves on that number, especially with Harper back; and the continued improvement of youngsters Fernando Romero and Gabriel Moya. Taylor Rogers, one of the top lefties out of the pen two years ago, is also hoping for a bounce-back season in 2021.

3. KANSAS CITY ROYALS (79-83)
Key adds: RHP Addison Reed, 1B Ryon Healy
Key losses: OF Alex Gordon, OF Jorge Soler, RHP Tanner Roark, RHP Connor Sadzeck, 1B Daniel Murphy, OF Bubba Starling

The bullpen figures once again to be the strength of the team, bringing nearly everyone back from the AL's top-rated bullpen from a year ago. Only Connor Sadzeck is gone, having been dealt back in December to the Dodgers. Replacing him is Addison Reed, who posted a league-high eighty-five appearances a year ago, and was brought in on a $3.75MM deal over one season. Designated hitter Jorge Soler is off to the Mets, who will be tough to replace. But they're optimistic that Healy can at least give the Royals some production against lefties, while giving rookie David Oppenheim some AB's against righties. The talk of spring training was right-hander Chris Flexen, but the Royals dealt him to Cincinnati to get former prospect Brady McConnell back, clearing room for Brady Singer to claim the rotation's fifth slot. The top three of Jake Junis, Jose De Leon, and Brad Keller are solid, but Danny Duffy has clearly lost a step, and Singer is an unknown despite his lofty prospect status. Getting to eighty-nine wins wasn't easy last year; a lot of things broke right for them. Adalberto Mondesi and De Leon played at an All-Star level, and Brett Phillips' bat took a huge step forward. They're going to need them (and Whit Merrifield to be healthy and productive) to come up big again for the Royals to contend in 2021.

4. DETROIT TIGERS (75-87)
Key adds: OF Mitch Haniger
Key losses: OF Kevin Pillar, RHP Michael Fulmer, IF Brett Lawrie, SS Adeiny Hechavarria, OF Melky Cabrera

Matt Boyd and Domingo German should front a fairly competent rotation, but they traded away the oft-injured Michael Fulmer to the Mariners for Mitch Haniger to get some more sorely-needed punch into the lineup. 2016 first-round pick Matt Manning is likely the number-three man in the rotation, and should get plenty of opportunities to show his stuff. They're going to need him to be pretty good out of the gate, as the Tigers were solidly one of the worst offenses in the league a season ago, and aside from Haniger did little to improve it. With a limited budget, they brought back both Francisco Cervelli and Hanley Ramirez on one-year deals, and were forced to see the highly-competent Brett Lawrie and Kevin Pillar walk. The Tigers are still suffocating under the weight of Miguel Cabrera's poorly-contrived contract that is scheduled to pay out nearly $120MM over the next four years, and the only reason that he's sticking around is that there is little in the upper minors that is MLB-ready. Most predictions have them in the upper 60's range for wins, but their pitching should carry them for a time, and they have a chance to crack seventy. They do have a pretty solid bullpen led by closer Kevin Ginkel; and when Devan Watts and Zac Houston get healthy within the first four to six weeks of the season, it'll be even better.

5. CHICAGO WHITE SOX (64-98)
Key adds: RHP Jenrry Mejia, LHP Jalen Beeks, RHP Yonny Chirinos, LHP Manny Parra, RHP David Phelps
Key losses: LF Brett Gardner, RHP Kelvin Herrera, LHP Jordan Mills

Honestly, this estimate is a bit low -- the Chirinos acquisition is solid, even if they had to give up a B-level prospect in Jake Burger to get him in the wake of losing Michael Kopech to an elbow injury for quite possibly the entire season. Parra and Phelps are upgrades to the bullpen, and there is a pretty exciting young core of position players to build around, with Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, Andrew Vaughn, and Nomar Mazara. The rotation has mainstays Lucas Giolito and Carlos Rodon, and power arms in Dylan Cease and Matt Foster to complement the control-minded Chirinos, who walked one batter in twenty-five innings out of the bullpen a year ago. Despite the acquisitions of Parra and Phelps, the bullpen is still the weak link on this team. They're not expected to fill prominent roles; that will fall to youngsters in Zack Burdi and Ian Hamilton to get the ball to hard-throwing southpaw Aaron Bummer, who saved twenty-nine games with a 3.03 ERA a year ago.

Full 2021 season predictions are below.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

2021 SEASON OUTLOOK: KANSAS CITY
Royals enter 2021 with expectations
03/24/2021
By MLB.com Staff

2019 RECORD: 89-73 (2ND, AL CENTRAL)
MANAGER: Mike Matheny, 2nd Year (89-73 with Royals)

OVERVIEW: Kansas City came within an eyelash of earning a playoff berth, finishing just one game out of the division race even after winning nine straight to end the season, including three straight over eventual AL champion Cleveland to finish the regular season slate. They seemed well-positioned to make a splashy free agent signing, or to get Jorge Soler signed to an extension. However, they had a fairly low-key offseason with just one noteworthy free agent signing (reliever Addison Reed, $3.5MM over one year), and one trade to acquire Ryon Healy from the Blue Jays to fill the DH role left behind by Soler, who signed with the Mets.

Even with the 89-win season last year, there is reason to mope -- they received breakout campaigns from a number of players, including pitchers Jose De Leon and Richard Lovelady, shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, second baseman Nicky Lopez, and outfielder Brett Phillips. Unfortunately, with that many breakout seasons, the possibility is there for some regression to the mean. Bubba Starling, who hit eighteen homeruns the past one-plus seasons, struggled in the spring, and the Royals parted ways with the former first-round pick, who was the team's first selection in the 2011 draft.

The Royals are also hoping for Whit Merrifield to return to the player he was from late 2016 through 2019. Knee, wrist, and hamstring injuries curtailed his 2020 season, where he slipped to a slash line of .257/.305/.370 line over 562 plate appearances with a career-low 77 OPS+. Merrifield will now shift from right to left field, taking over for the retired Alex Gordon, as the Royals hope a lighter defensive load might help him stay healthier. Twenty-two year old rookie Khalil Lee is slated to start the season in right, despite hitting .170 in the spring.

BEST PLAYER: Fresh from being selected in the Rule 5 last offseason, Jose De Leon burst onto the scene in 2020 with an All-Star appearance, a 13-4 mark in thirty-six appearances (twenty-three starts), a 3.05/3.82 ERA/FIP combo, and 184 strikeouts in 171 innings of work. Those numbers have propelled him into the 2021 AL Cy Young conversation, along with teammate Jake Junis, who led the Royals in victories (14) and strikeouts (208), his second straight 200-strikeout season.

BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: I was all prepared to write a blurb about Chris Flexen in this section, but the Royals dealt him two days ago to the Reds for former Royal draftee Brady McConnell, apparently at the urging of new scouting director Roy Clark, who was part of trade discussions about McConnell when he was with the Braves organization. With Flexen now a Red, my attention turns to McConnell's former Florida teammate in Brady Singer; who was likely headed to Omaha to begin the season, but now will likely hold up the fifth spot in the Royals' rotation this season. Most sabermetric evaluations of Singer have him with anywhere from seven to nine wins, with an ERA/FIP combo of 4.00/4.24 and better than a strikeout per inning. If the Royals can get 130-150 innings out of Singer with those numbers this year, I think they'll run, not walk, with that to the bank.

TOP PROSPECT TO WATCH: Despite a poor spring, outfielder Khalil Lee made the team out of camp and is the likely starter in right field to begin play in 2021. The Royals seem content to let him work out his issues down in the order early in the season as other veterans can carry the load offensively, but it's still hard not to like his tools -- he needs to cut down on his strikeouts, but he's one of the more intriguing speed/power/defense combinations at his age in the game right now. Plus, another year at Omaha is not likely to be key in his development, as he hit .270/.374/.493 in 595 plate appearances with the Storm Chasers in 2020. His development will be one to watch over the next few years, as he's still likely growing into his frame at twenty-two.

CONCLUSION: On balance, the team is about the same as they were last year. Ryon Healy isn't going to hit 40+ homeruns, but he'll get some help from the likes of Salvador Perez, Merrifield, Phillips, Hunter Dozier, and Mondesi. They received little out of third base a year ago, so Kelvin Gutierrez has a chance to improve the position just by being league-average there in 2021. The top three of the rotation should good-to-very-good, with Junis, De Leon, and Brad Keller three of the top young arms in the AL. They just need Danny Duffy and Singer to be 4.50 ERA guys at a minimum, and the bullpen should be good enough in that scenario to make the Royals a contender yet again.

PROJECTED LINEUP: LF Whit Merrifield, 2B Nicky Lopez, 1B Hunter Dozier, DH Ryon Healy, SS Adalberto Mondesi, CF Brett Phillips, C Salvador Perez, 3B Kelvin Gutierrez, RF Khalil Lee

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

Links below go back to the *now completed* managerial & free agent tracker:

Managerial/Coaching Tracker
Free Agency Tracker

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

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PITCHING MATCHUPS

03/25: LHP Carlos Rodon (0-0, 0.00) vs RHP Jake Junis (0-0, 0.00)
03/27: RHP Dylan Cease (0-0, 0.00) vs RHP Jose De Leon (0-0, 0.00)
03/28: RHP Matt Foster (0-0, 0.00) vs RHP Brad Keller (0-0, 0.00)

GAME RECAPS

Thursday, March 25th, 2021 - First pitch, 12:05 CST
Chi. Sox (0-1) 4, Kansas City (1-0) 15
Winner: Jake Junis (1-0) Loser: Carlos Rodon (0-1) Save: Brady Singer (1)
HR-CHW: Nomar Mazara (1), Dwight Smith, Jr. (1), Jake Marisnick (1) HR-KC: Adalberto Mondesi (1), Kelvin Gutierrez (1)

MONDESI, K-GUTZ SHINE IN OPENING DAY WHITEWASH

Even if Kelvin Gutierrez got hurt tomorrow and never played another game in his life, he would have ended on quite a high note as he went 4-for-5, stroking three doubles and a three-run homerun to help lead the Royals to an emphatic 15-4 victory on Opening Day. He also scored four runs and drove in four for his efforts. Adalberto Mondesi hit a third-inning grand slam against Carlos Rodon, knocking the long-time Royal nemesis out of the contest.

Nicky Lopez also had himself a whale of a ballgame, going 4-for-5 with three doubles and three RBI of his own, and also stole a base in the first inning. Hunter Dozier knocked in a trio while going 3-for-5 at the dish, scoring once. Lopez himself scored three times, a career-best.

"The ball was hopping pretty good off the bats," said manager Mike Matheny. "I didn't see a lot of balls we hit that were soft contact, or blooped anywhere. We really had them squared up today, and it reflected in the totals."

Jake Junis picked up the victory, going six innings while allowing three runs on six hits. He gave up a couple of homeruns, but didn't walk a batter and fanned seven. Brady Singer began his outing in the seventh, and allowed a leadoff homerun to Dwight Smith, Jr., before settling in to throw three solid innings of relief. He fanned three, walked just one, and allowed three hits to pick up the three-inning save.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Pittsburgh (1-0) 3, Detroit (0-1) 2
Chi. Sox (0-1) 4, Kansas City (1-0) 15
Minnesota (0-1) 4, Baltimore (1-0) 6
Houston (0-1) 4, Texas (1-0) 5
NY Yankees (1-0) 11, Toronto (0-1) 7
Boston (0-1) 1, Tampa Bay (1-0) 2
LA Angels (1-0) 6, Oakland (0-1) 1
Cleveland (1-0) 5, Seattle (0-1) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (0-0) @ Cincinnati (0-0) -- PPD, Snow
Chi. Cubs (1-0) 5, Miami (0-1) 1
St. Louis (1-0) 2, NY Mets (0-1) 1
Milwaukee (0-1) 2, San Diego (1-0) 5
Philadelphia (0-1) 1, Atlanta (1-0) 5
San Francisco (0-1) 3, LA Dodgers (1-0) 5
Colorado (1-0) 4, Arizona (0-1) 2

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Washington RHP Max Scherzer could miss next start with elbow issue
Snow interrupts Opening Day in Cincinnati

Saturday, March 27th, 2021 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Chi. Sox (1-1) 7, Kansas City (1-1) 5
Winner: Dylan Cease (1-0) Loser: Jose De Leon (0-1) Save: Aaron Bummer (1)
HR-CHW: Nomar Mazara (2) HR-KC: None

LATE COMEBACK FALLS SHORT

Adalberto Mondesi had a good game, but he could not keep the Kansas City Royals from falling, 7-5, to the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium. The Kansas City shortstop was 4-for-4 with two doubles and a pair of singles, while scoring twice in the loss.

Khalil Lee went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in a run, while Kelvin Gutierrez went 1-for-4 with a couple of RBI. Jose De Leon lasted just four innings, allowing nine hits and three walks along with seven earned runs and two strikeouts.

Dylan Cease picked up the win with five innings of work for the White Sox. He allowed two earned runs on five hits, while walking three and striking out five. On the season, he is now 1-0. Aaron Bummer got the save, the 1st for him this season.

Eloy Jimenez had a big bases-clearing double for the White Sox in the top of the fourth inning. With Chicago leading 4-2 and the bases loaded, he got a slider from De Leon and stroked the double to center. It was his 2nd double of the season, and more importantly, it put the White Sox ahead, 7-2.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Pittsburgh (2-0) 5, Detroit (0-2) 1
Chi. Sox (1-1) 7, Kansas City (1-1) 5
Minnesota (1-1) 5, Baltimore (1-1) 4
Houston (1-2) 9, Texas (2-1) 3
NY Yankees (3-0) 7, Toronto (0-3) 2
Boston (0-3) 0, Tampa Bay (3-0) 11
LA Angels (3-0) 7, Oakland (0-3) 4 (Final/11)
Cleveland (2-0) 5, Seattle (0-2) 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (1-0) 7, Cincinnati (0-1) 3 (G1)
Washington (2-0) 5, Cincinnati (0-2) 3 (G2)
Chi. Cubs (2-1) 1, Miami (1-2) 4
St. Louis (1-1) 3, NY Mets (1-1) 5 (Final/15)
Milwaukee (1-2) 1, San Diego (2-1) 3
Philadelphia (1-2) 3, Atlanta (2-1) 2
San Francisco (2-1) 13, LA Dodgers (1-2) 1
Colorado (3-0) 3, Arizona (0-3) 1

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Reds claim RHP Chris Martin off waivers from Atlanta
Minnesota claims RHP Jonathan Loaisiga off waivers from the Yankees

Sunday, March 28th, 2021 - First pitch, 12:05 CST
Chi. Sox (1-2) 3, Kansas City (2-1) 5
Winner: Manny Parra (1-0) Loser: Brad Keller (0-1) Save: Zack Burdi (1)
HR-CHW: Zack Collins (1), Travis Shaw (1), Jake Marisnick (2) HR-KC: Khalil Lee (1)

LEE HOMERS; ROYALS DROP RUBBER MATCH

Rookie outfielder Khalil Lee hit his first MLB homerun; a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning with the Royals down 5-2 against closer Aaron Bummer, but that was all they could get in the late innings as they dropped the deciding game of their opening series against the White Sox by a 5-3 count. The Royals were able to get two men with just one out against Bummer, but Zack Burdi came in and bailed out the closer with a pair of strikeouts.

Adalberto Mondesi and Nicky Lopez each went 3-for-5, with Mondesi notching his first two steals of the season in the loss. In fact, the Royals' top three hitters of Whit Merrifield, Mondesi, and Lopez combined to go 8-for-15 in the game, but received little support from the rest of the order, as they left eleven men on base throughout the contest.

"Yeah, we left a lot on the table out there," said manager Mike Matheny. "Just couldn't come up with the timely hit when we needed one. I thought we did a great job working counts; getting into favorable situations, but they just didn't work out."

Brad Keller absorbed the loss, allowing four earned and six hits over five frames. He walked three and fanned three. Keller also gave up a couple of homeruns, with Travis Shaw homering in the second, and Jake Marisnick hitting his second homerun of the season off Keller in the fifth.

Former Angel Manny Parra got the victory in relief of Matt Foster, going two innings after taking over for Foster, who threw eighty-one pitches in just three innings.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Pittsburgh (2-1) 2, Detroit (1-2) 5
Chi. Sox (2-1) 5, Kansas City (1-2) 3
Minnesota (2-1) 9, Baltimore (1-2) 1
Houston (2-2) 7, Texas (2-2) 4
NY Yankees (3-1) 4, Toronto (1-3) 6
Boston (1-3) 9, Tampa Bay (3-1) 3
LA Angels (4-0) 6, Oakland (0-4) 5
Cleveland (3-0) 5, Seattle (0-3) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (2-1) 4, Cincinnati (1-2) 6
Chi. Cubs (3-1) 5, Miami (1-3) 4
St. Louis (1-2) 0, NY Mets (2-1) 8
San Francisco (2-2) 3, LA Dodgers (2-2) 7

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Blue Jays claim RHP Collin McHugh off waivers from Houston
RHP Mike Loree claimed by Milwaukee off waivers from the Cubs
Rockies activate RHP Justin Lawrence from 15-day IL

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

BLUE BLOODS DIGEST: VOL. 1, ED. 1
Top 100 Prospects list released; Kittredge claimed
03/29/2020
By artoodeetoo

ROYALS LAND FIVE ON 2021 TOP 100 PROSPECT LIST

Baseball America has released their annual Opening Week update of their top one-hundred prospects, and the Royals have jumped all the way from 11th to 2nd from last season in the top farm system rankings thanks to five top-60 prospects, including two in the top fifteen. 2019 first-round pick Bobby Witt, Jr. finds himself in the top ten for the first time, after ranking 15th heading into last season. He's the second-ranked third baseman listed, with Philadelphia third baseman Jan Hernandez listed as the top prospect in all of baseball.

Southpaw Kris Bubic went from 45th to 12th, while fellow lefty Daniel Lynch jumped twenty spots from 56th to 36th. Both appear primed to be with the Royals either later this year, or early in 2022. Kansas City also saw a pair of newcomers land on the list -- catcher Diego Cartaya is ranked 49th, while 2020 first-round pick Aaron Nixon is the 58th-best prospect heading into 2021.

Khalil Lee, who was 81st heading into 2020, fell off the 2021 version of the list, but was one of about twenty other prospects that just missed the cut. Surprisingly, Brady Singer was not amongst the 'just missed' prospects, having ranked 50th on the 2020 list.

Acquired from the Dodgers this past offseason for veteran reliever Connor Sadzeck, Cartaya may be one of the biggest steals for the Royals in recent memory if he lives up to his enormous potential. In 255 plate appearances for the Dodgers' Dominican League affiliate in 2020, he slashed .332/.443/.529 with twenty-six doubles, five homeruns, and forty-six runs scored; all while throwing out 27-of-81 (33.3%) of would-be base stealers.

Unfortunately for the Royals, the rest of the AL Central looks quite strong as well. Of the remaining teams, the Twins are the next highest-ranked farm system at fourth overall, headed by top ten players in shortstop Royce Lewis (4th) and outfielder Alex Kiriloff (8th). They're the only team with two top-10 prospects. After that, it falls off a bit to infielder Wander Javier (89th), and former top 100 prospect Brusdar Graterol fell out of the rankings, thanks to some negative medicals. Chicago checks in at ninth, but both of their top prospects are already slated to be prominent contributors with Andrew Vaughn (11th) and Nick Madrigal (49th), already having broken camp with the White Sox.

Cleveland has one top-25 prospect in Seth Beer, who was acquired from the Diamondbacks back along with Silvino Bracho in 2019 for Oscar Mercado (and also looking like a very lopsided trade in Cleveland's favor right now). But their system is pretty deep with three top-100 guys at Double-A Akron, and righty Lenny Torres beginning 2021 with the Indians' short-season squad. Detroit brings up the rear in 24th, but recently lost both Matt Manning and Willi Castro to the majors, and Casey Mize is on the cusp of the Tigers' rotation, perhaps later this season. He's the only top-50 prospect in Detroit's system (48th).

The rankings for the next 100 best prospects will be released later this month. Lee will likely be on that list, but it is unforeseen what other Royals will end up on that ranking.

NEW TOP 30 RELEASED

In tandem with the freshly-minted Top 100, each team's top thirty prospects were also released to the public. Witt Jr., Bubic, Lynch, Cartaya, and Nixon were the top five. Khalil Lee ranked sixth, while a surprising addition to the team's top ten was southpaw Garrett Davila, who checked in as the seventh-ranked Royals' prospect.

Rounding out the top ten were right-handers Ofreidy Gomez and Albert Hernandez, and catcher M.J. Melendez. Some other notable players that made the list were OF/1B Reed Rohlman (11th), IF Brady McConnell (14th), right-hander Brady Singer (18th!), first baseman Nick Pratto (21st), and outfielder Vince Fernandez (22nd).

Singer's precipitous drop was thanks in part to the following blurb about the former first-round pick -- "While Singer has shown four quality offerings (fastball, sinker, curve, change), his command has yet to be realized, and makes him a more likely candidate as a back-end starter, or as a hard-throwing set-up man or future closer, which limits his value going forward."

The full listing of prospects is linked below.

KITTREDGE CLAIMED; BRICKHOUSE TO INJURED LIST

Former Rays reliever Andrew Kittredge was claimed off waivers by the Royals in the wake of placing Bryan Brickhouse on the 15-day injured list with elbow issues, according to Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com. A former 45th-round pick by the Mariners back in 2008, the right-hander has had an unlikely road to the majors, playing collegiately at Washington for two years before going undrafted and eventually signing with his home-state Mariners despite a 6.47 ERA as a sophomore.

He's spent portions of the last four season with the Rays after being acquired by Tampa Bay in 2011, and working his way through their minor league system. He holds a career 4.26 ERA in ninety appearances, all with Tampa Bay. He has 110 strikeouts in 118 1/3 career innings.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

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PITCHING MATCHUPS

03/29: LHP Danny Duffy (0-0, 0.00) vs RHP Domingo German (0-0, 0.00)
03/30: RHP Jake Junis (1-0, 4.50) vs RHP Alex Faedo (0-0, 0.00)
03/31: RHP Brady Singer (0-0, 0.00) vs LHP Matt Boyd (0-0, 1.80)

GAME RECAPS

Monday, March 29th, 2021 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Kansas City (1-3) 3, Detroit (2-2) 4
Winner: Domingo German (1-0) Loser: Danny Duffy (0-1) Save: Kevin Ginkel (2)
HR-KC: None HR-DET: Jake Rogers (1)

NINTH-INNING COMEBACK FALLS SHORT

Detroit made single tallies in the first four innings hold up throughout the contest, even with a late Royals rally that fell just short in a 4-3 defeat in their 2021 road lid-lifter. Danny Duffy allowed four runs (three earned) over five and one-third innings, fanning five while walking just two, but was tagged with the loss.

One of the Tigers' promising young arms, Domingo German, tossed five and two-third shutout frames; striking out seven with just one walk and four base hits to get the win. Bryan Garcia threw two and one-third shutout innings of relief before things went haywire in the ninth before settling down for Detroit.

Down 4-0 heading into the ninth, the Royals loaded the bases against Joe Jimenez, who faced just two hitters before getting yanked for closer Kevin Ginkel. Two batters and one out later, Ryon Healy hit a bases-loaded double to score a pair to cut the lead to just two. David Oppenheim recorded his first MLB RBI as the next hitter, scoring Salvador Perez on a groundball out to trim the lead to just one, but that's where it ended after Khalil Lee flied out to center.

Lee and Nicky Lopez each had two hits, with one of Lee's a double. Whit Merrifield went 1-for-3 with a walk, and Healy's double was his only hit in four tries, but it drove in two of the Royals' three runs.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (3-2) 4, NY Yankees (4-1) 9
Kansas City (1-3) 3, Detroit (2-2) 4
Baltimore (1-3) 4, Houston (3-2) 5
Chi. Sox (2-2) 2, Toronto (2-3) 5
Texas (3-2) 5, Oakland (0-5) 2
Cleveland (4-0) 3, LA Angels (4-1) 2 (Final/10)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Minnesota (3-1) 4, Pittsburgh (2-2) 3 (Final/14)
Chi. Cubs (4-1) 9, Cincinnati (1-3) 7
St. Louis (1-3) 4, Milwaukee (2-2) 6
Philadelphia (1-3) 2, NY Mets (3-1) 3
Boston (1-4) 0, Miami (2-3) 3
Washington (2-2) 5, Atlanta (3-1) 6 (Final/12)
LA Dodgers (2-3) 3, Arizona (1-3) 10
Colorado (4-0) 5, San Diego (2-2) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Rockies OF David Dahl has oblique strain; placed on 15-day IL
Shohei Ohtani placed on 15-day IL by Angels with back issues
White Sox shut DH/1B Jose Abreu down for season after successful ACL surgery

Tuesday, March 30th, 2021 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Kansas City (1-4) 5, Detroit (3-2) 6
Winner: Joe Jimenez (1-0) Loser: Richard Lovelady (0-1) Save: None
HR-KC: Hunter Dozier (1), Ryon Healy (1) HR-DET: Jeimer Candelario (1), Willi Castro (1)

CASTRO, TIGERS WALK ROYALS OFF IN NINTH

Willi Castro's bases-clearing triple in the ninth off closer Richard Lovelady turned what was an almost assured victory into a defeat, falling 6-5 at the hands of the Tigers for their fourth straight defeat after the Opening Day onslaught. Castro also homered in the first inning, drilling a solo shot to left off Jake Junis to lead off the Detroit half of the first inning, just a handful of pitches into the frame.

Junis allowed three runs over six and one-third inning, but didn't factor into the decision after the ninth-inning collapse. He struck out eight and walked just one, although he did give up a couple of homeruns. Adalberto Mondesi continued his torrid start at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double and a stolen base, his third of the season.

Alex Faedo, one of two rookies in the Tigers' starting rotation this season, allowed four runs over four and two-third innings, striking out four. The contest was tied at three heading into the eighth, as the Royals went up 5-3 on a two-run homerun off the bat of Hunter Dozier, his first of the season. Joe Jimenez, the pitcher that allowed that homerun, still ended up as the winner thanks to Castro's heroics.

Hanley Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, while Jeimer Candelario went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI for Detroit. Ryon Healy hit his first Royals homerun, a solo homerun in the fourth off Faedo.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (1-4) 5, Detroit (3-2) 6
Baltimore (1-4) 1, Houston (4-2) 3
Chi. Sox (2-3) 2, Toronto (3-3) 8
Texas (4-2) 9, Oakland (0-6) 4
Cleveland (4-1) 2, LA Angels (5-1) 3 (Final/11)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Seattle (0-4) 0, San Francisco (3-2) 6
Chi. Cubs (5-1) 3, Cincinnati (1-4) 0
St. Louis (2-3) 4, Milwaukee (2-3) 3
Philadelphia (2-3) 6, NY Mets (3-2) 0
Boston (2-4) 12, Miami (2-4) 1
Washington (2-3) 5, Atlanta (4-1) 9
LA Dodgers (3-3) 9, Arizona (1-4) 6
Colorado (4-1) 5, San Diego (3-2) 9

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Oakland RHP Tanner Roark to miss remainder of season with torn UCL; placed on 60-day IL
Royals RHP Bryan Brickhouse to miss three to four weeks with tendinitis; placed on 15-day IL
C Kevin Plawecki claimed off waivers from the Dodgers by Pittsburgh

Wednesday, March 31st, 2021 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Kansas City (2-4) 3, Detroit (3-3) 2
Winner: Brady Singer (1-0) Loser: Matt Boyd (0-1) Save: Richard Lovelady (1)
HR: None

ROYALS ESCAPE DETROIT WITH VICTORY

Brady Singer's second career MLB start wasn't his sharpest compared to his MLB debut a season ago, but still managed to throw five innings of scoreless baseball as the Royals eked out a 3-2 victory to snap a four-game losing skid. He allowed three hits, but walked four while striking out two to pick up the victory. He's now 2-0 in his two MLB starts.

In his debut last season, Singer fanned five over six innings, allowing just one run on one hit (a homerun), with just two walks in a 2-1 victory over Oakland on August 27th. He made seven relief appearances after that, eventually posting a cumulative 3.26 ERA in his shortened stint in late August into September from a year ago.

The Royals did all their damage in the third, with Adalberto Mondesi and Hunter Dozier each driving in runs with singles, and Mondesi later scoring on a wild pitch by Matt Boyd. Hanley Ramirez hit a two-run double in the sixth against newcomer Andrew Kittredge to cut the lead to just one; but Tim Hill, Josh Staumont, and Richard Lovelady all combined to hold the Tigers in check the rest of the way. Lovelady picked up his first save with a 1-2-3 ninth, fanning two in the process.

Dozier and Breyvic Valera each had two hits for the Royals. All seven of the team's hits were singles. Mondesi also stole a base in addition to his run scored and RBI, going 1-for-4. Kelvin Gutierrez also snapped an 0-for-11 streak with a single and a run scored, also stealing his first base of 2021.

Kansas City continues their road trip with another divisional opponent, this time the defending AL champion Cleveland Indians beginning on Friday night through Sunday afternoon.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Texas (4-2) @ Oakland (0-6) -- PPD
Kansas City (2-4) 3, Detroit (3-3) 2
Tampa Bay (4-2) 1, NY Yankees (4-2) 0
Baltimore (2-4) 7, Houston (4-3) 3 (Final/13)
Chi. Sox (3-3) 6, Toronto (3-4) 5
Cleveland (4-2) 1, LA Angels (6-1) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Seattle (0-5) 0, San Francisco (4-2) 1 (Final/12)
St. Louis (3-3) 4, Milwaukee (2-4) 2
Philadelphia (2-4) 0, NY Mets (4-2) 4
Washington (2-4) 1, Atlanta (5-1) 5
LA Dodgers (4-3) 11, Arizona (1-5) 0
Minnesota (3-2) 1, Pittsburgh (3-2) 8
Colorado (5-1) 7, San Diego (3-3) 6 (Final/10)

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Twins RHP Kenta Maeda to miss 2021 season with torn elbow ligament; placed on 60-day IL after surgery
D-Backs 2B Ketel Marte could miss up to one month with back strain; placed on 15-day IL
Royals to place RHP Addison Reed on 15-day IL with shoulder issue

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

Text Goes Here

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

BLUE BLOODS DIGEST: VOL. 1, ED. 2
Royals' minor league affiliates kick off Thursday
04/02/2021
By artoodeetoo

MINOR LEAGUE PREVIEWS

The Royals' top four minor league affiliates begin play on Thursday, with top affiliate Omaha heading into the 2021 campaign as the defending Pacific Coast League champions. Longtime skipper Brian Poldberg retired, with former Pirates bench coach Tom Prince hired in early January to take over the team's fortunes from the dugout. Prince will have some of the best talent in the entire minor leagues at his disposal, with top pitching prospects Daniel Lynch, Kris Bubic, and Jackson Kowar fronting his rotation, and outfielders Troy Stokes and Vince Fernandez providing the punch in the middle of the order.

NW Arkansas, the Royals' Double-A affiliate, had the best record in the Texas League a season ago, but was ousted in the first round after posting a 79-60 mark in the regular season behind first-year manager Leonard Davis. Some of their better players have moved on to Omaha (Nick Pratto, Kevin Merrell, John Rave, Emmanuel Rivera, Grant Gavin), but the Texas League's MOP (Most Outstanding Pitcher) award in left-hander Josh Dye returns, and the Naturals should get a lot of local media attention with Bobby Witt, Jr., beginning the 2021 season as the team's starting third baseman. Witt's 2019 draft classmate Brady McConnell is also on the squad, along with rising outfield prospect Kyle Isbel.

Some top prospects to watch at the High-A level are catcher Diego Cartaya (4th), and southpaws Anthony Veneziano (28th) and Zack Phillips (30th) for the Blue Rocks. Single-A Lexington is a bit more robust in terms of talent, with infielders Jean Carvajal (22nd) and Javier Sanchez (25th), along with outfielder Ricardo Mendez (23rd). Wilmington manager Gregg Olson is back despite a 57-84 mark in 2020, and has lost major contributors such as lefty Garrett Davila, catcher M.J. Melendez, outfielder Jhailyn Ortiz, and infielder Mike Massey to promotion.

Meanwhile, the Lexington squad will look to build on their 71-70 record from a year ago with second-year manager Brooks Conrad. The most exciting player to watch could be a player that's not even on the radar, as right-hander Yohanse Morel should front the Legends' rotation after striking out 98 hitters in just sixty-nine innings with the Royals' Dominican League affiliate last year in his age-19 season. Morel throws four pitches, and is already touching the mid 90's with his fastball on a 6-foot, 170-pound frame.

REED PLACED ON INJURED LIST WITH ELBOW ISSUE

The Royals lost two relievers in the span of days over the past week, with newcomer Addison Reed headed for likely a lengthy IL stint with elbow tendinitis, according to Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com. He reported some elbow discomfort after his outing on Saturday against the Tigers, striking out two in a scoreless inning of work. MRI's on the elbow came back negative for any damage, but was diagnosed with tendinitis, and will likely miss six-to-eight weeks according to manager Mike Matheny.

Tim Hill was recalled, and pitched one-third of an inning, recording just one out to get out of the seventh inning of the Royals' 3-2 win on Sunday afternoon.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

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PITCHING MATCHUPS

04/02: RHP Jose De Leon (0-1, 15.75) vs RHP Shane Bieber (1-0, 1.50)
04/03: RHP Brad Keller (0-1, 7.20) vs RHP Carlos Carrasco (0-0, 6.75)
04/04: LHP Danny Duffy (0-1, 5.06) vs RHP Mike Clevinger (0-0, 3.00)

GAME RECAPS

Friday, April 2nd, 2021 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Kansas City (3-4) 7, Cleveland (4-3) 1
Winner: Jose De Leon (1-1) Loser: Shane Bieber (1-1) Save: None
HR: None

ROYALS RACE TO VICTORY

After a poor start in his season debut, Jose De Leon looked like the pitcher from a season ago; striking out six over seven innings as the Royals pulled away late for a 7-1 victory to kick off a three-game series at Cleveland. Adalberto Mondesi and Khalil Lee supplied the offensive punch, combining to go 4-for-8 with four RBI, two triples, and a double. Mondesi tripled twice, while Lee went 2-for-3 with a double, single, and a trio of RBI.

Franmil Reyes' RBI double in the third against De Leon was all Cleveland could muster; as he, Jose Ramirez, and Francisco Lindor all collected a pair of hits. Shane Bieber surrendered three earned runs over five and one-third innings, striking out four and walking one.

Breyvic Valera drove in a pair of runs as part of the Royals' four-run eighth, turning a 3-1 lead into a 7-1 rout.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (3-4) 7, Cleveland (4-3) 1
Baltimore (2-6) 2, NY Yankees (6-2) 3
Toronto (4-4) 9, Texas (4-5) 3
San Diego (4-4) 8, Houston (5-3) 12
Oakland (2-7) 4, LA Angels (7-1) 6

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (6-1) 5, Colorado (5-3) 1
Cincinnati (3-4) 4, Pittsburgh (3-4) 3
Chi. Cubs (6-2) 0, Milwaukee (3-5) 2
LA Dodgers (5-3) 4, San Francisco (4-3) 1

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Diamondbacks RHP Luke Weaver (elbow) and LHP Brett Cecil (shoulder) both placed on IL
Arizona OF Yo****omo Tsutsugo to make season debut tomorrow night

Saturday, April 3rd, 2021 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Kansas City (4-4) 6, Cleveland (4-4) 4 (Final/11)
Winner: Kyle Zimmer (1-0) Loser: A.J. Cole (0-1) Save: Richard Lovelady (2)
HR-KC: Salvador Perez (1), Whit Merrifield (1), Adalberto Mondesi (2), Hunter Dozier (2) HR-CLE: None

ROYALS WIN IN EXTRAS

Falling just a triple short of the cycle, Adalberto Mondesi went 3-for-5 as the Royals won their third straight in extra-inning fashion, toppling the Tribe 6-4 in eleven frames. Mondesi's second homerun of the season came in the sixth against Carlos Carrasco, and was just one of four homeruns hit by the Royals in the contest.

Whit Merrifield hit his first homerun of 2021, with Salvador Perez finally snapping an 0-for-20 start with his first homerun of the season. Hunter Dozier also went deep, hitting a solo homerun in the 11th to put the Royals up two, 6-4. Brett Phillips broke the tie with a sac fly against A.J. Cole just one hitter earlier.

Kyle Zimmer picked up the victory with two scoreless innings of relief. It wasn't pretty, as he walked a pair, but fanned two in the process. Richard Lovelady picked up the save, his second.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (4-4) 6, Cleveland (4-4) 4 (Final/11)
Tampa Bay (6-2) 7, Boston (2-6) 5
Baltimore (3-6) 11, NY Yankees (6-3) 4
Seattle (0-7) 0, Minnesota (5-2) 2 (Final/12)
Detroit (3-5) 2, Chi. Sox (5-3) 3
Toronto (4-5) 1, Texas (5-5) 2
San Diego (5-4) 4, Houston (5-4) 3
Oakland (3-7) 4, LA Angels (7-2) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
NY Mets (6-2) 11, Washington (2-6) 3
Arizona (2-6) 1, St. Louis (4-4) 3
Atlanta (6-2) 4, Colorado (6-3) 5 (Final/13)
Miami (3-5) 3, Philadelphia (3-5) 7
Cincinnati (4-4) 2, Pittsburgh (3-5) 1
Chi. Cubs (6-3) 2, Milwaukee (4-5) 12
LA Dodgers (5-4) 2, San Francisco (5-3) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Nationals LHP Patrick Corbin to begin rehab assignment Thursday
Dodgers place LHP David Price (elbow) on 15-day IL, could miss next 2-3 starts

Sunday, April 4th, 2021 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Kansas City (4-5) 4, Cleveland (5-4) 7
Winner: Mike Clevinger (1-0) Loser: Danny Duffy (0-2) Save: Silvino Bracho (4)
HR-KC: Khalil Lee (2) HR-CLE: Curt Casali (1), Jose Ramirez (1)

ROYALS ESCAPE DETROIT WITH VICTORY

The top three of Cleveland's batting order made the Royals' life tough in the series finale, as they combined for eight hits in fifteen at-bats, driving in five of the Tribe's seven runs as they knocked the Royals around in a 7-4 defeat, snapping their three-game winning streak.

Danny Duffy took the loss, allowing seven earned runs over five innings; walking three and striking out three.

Hunter Dozier and Adalberto Mondesi each had two hits, with Mondesi already with three triples in the season's early going. Dozier doubled twice and drove in a run as part of his 2-for-4 day. With his triple and single, the Royals' shortstop leads the league in hits through the first week-plus of the season, and has a nine-game hitting streak going.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (4-5) 4, Cleveland (5-4) 7
Tampa Bay (7-2) 9, Boston (2-7) 0
Baltimore (3-7) 0, NY Yankees (7-3) 16
Seattle (0-8) 3, Minnesota (6-2) 5
Detroit (4-5) 7, Chi. Sox (5-4) 5
Toronto (5-5) 3, Texas (5-6) 1
San Diego (5-5) 10, Houston (6-4) 12
Oakland (4-7) 6, LA Angels (7-3) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
NY Mets (7-2) 0, Washington (3-6) 5
Arizona (2-7) 2, St. Louis (5-4) 5
Atlanta (7-2) 5, Colorado (6-4) 2
Miami (3-6) 1, Philadelphia (4-5) 2
Cincinnati (4-5) 6, Pittsburgh (4-5) 7
Chi. Cubs (7-3) 6, Milwaukee (4-6) 3
LA Dodgers (6-4) 5, San Francisco (5-4) 2

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
A's claim 1B Jose Osuna off waivers from Pittsburgh

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

Text Goes Here