One Royal Way (OOTP 23)

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Royal Rumblings (09/09)

Royal Rumblings

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | September 9th, 2022

Long-time Minor League Pitching Coach Retires: Via Twitter, the Royals announced that long-time minor league assistant Mark Davis would not return to the organization next year, as he is going to retire from coaching.

He's been in the organization since 2006 when Dayton Moore was hired, and has served in various roles since then, including for a year as the club's director of minor league pitching.

This season, he's been able to work closely with high draft picks such as Ben Hernandez and Frank Mozzicato, and high-profile international signees like Oscar Rayo as the Arizona Rookie League's Royals Blue squads' pitching coach.

Before that, he's worked with current Royals Brady Singer, Kris Bubic, Jackson Kowar, and Daniel Lynch; as well as other more recent selections like Jonathan Bowlan, Asa Lacy, and Alec Marsh.

"I've played here, coached here for a long time," he said in a statement released through the organization. "It's time for me to step aside and become an observer from a distance, rather than up close. The organization is in good hands going forward."

Payamps Claimed By Los Angeles: With David Price going on the shelf for an extended period of time; and by missing out on Corey Knebel, who signed with the Cubs earlier in the week, the Dodgers claimed former Royal Joel Payamps off waivers. With the Royals, he struggled with nine earned runs over his last two innings (three appearances), leading to his eventual assignment, as he is out of minor league options.

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Series Preview: Detroit (55-82) @ Kansas City (61-77)

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PITCHING MATCHUPS
09/09: RHP Tarik Skubal (6-11, 5.15) vs RHP Brady Singer (10-8, 4.99)
09/10: RHP Matt Manning (3-3, 3.87) vs RHP Jonathan Bowlan (2-0, 5.31)
09/11: RHP Spencer Turnbull (5-7, 5.23) vs RHP Zack Greinke (5-9, 4.11)

WHO'S HOT?
SS Javier Baez, Detroit -- 12-for-32 (.375), 3 HR, 4 2B, 3 BB
1B Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City -- 11-for-24 (.458), 2 HR, 3 2B, 3B
1B Nick Pratto, Kansas City -- 9-for-25 (.360), 4 HR, 2 2B, BB

WHO'S NOT?
IF Harold Castro, Detroit -- 2-for-20 (.100), BB, 7 K
OF Kyle Isbel, Kansas City -- 2-for-25 (.080), 5 BB, 10 K

DETROIT INJURED LIST
RHP Angel De Jesus (elbow) -- 60-day IL
OF Derek Hill (elbow) -- 60-day IL
RHP Carlos Martinez (oblique) -- 10-day IL
OF Austin Meadows (knee) -- 10-day IL
IF Zack Short (ankle) -- 60-day IL
RHP Will Vest (elbow) -- 60-day IL
LHP Joey Wentz (elbow) -- 60-day IL

KANSAS CITY INJURED LIST
SS Adalberto Mondesi (knee) -- 60-day IL
RHP Josh Staumont (shoulder) -- 10-day IL
RHP Nathan Webb (bicep) -- 60-day IL

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Re: One Royal Way (OOTP 23)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Detroit Tigers

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | September 12th, 2022

Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals
Sep 9, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Detroit Tigers (56-82)	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	6	0
Kansas City Royals (61-78)	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	6	0
W: Tarik Skubal (7-11) L: Brady Singer (10-9) S: Jason Foley (2)

Friday, September 9th, 2022
The Royals' struggles with the last-place Tigers continued on Friday night as the Royals dropped a 3-2 decision to Detroit to open a three-game series with their divisional rival. Tarik Skubal held the offense to just two runs in six innings, scattering five hits and one walk with four strikeouts.

In all, three Tiger hurlers combined on the victory, with Skubal, Kyle Funkhouser, and Jason Foley needing a combined ninety-seven pitches to subdue the Royals' hitters. By contrast, Brady Singer threw 103 pitches in 6 2/3 innings, although he still pitched very well in the losing effort.

Singer made one big mistake in the first inning, surrendering a two-run shot to Riley Greene to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead before Skubal even touched the pitching rubber. He struck out four with three walks, scattering six hits and three earned runs in all.

Nicky Lopez and Bobby Witt Jr. each collected a pair of hits, with both of Lopez's coming in his first two at-bats. Combined with his 4-for-4 from Wednesday night, he singled in six straight at-bats, which is a personal best for him. It's still well short of the team record of ten by Joe Randa from June 8-12, 1999.

Another interesting stat from this game -- BWJ's two hits pushed his average to .248, which is the highest it's been since June 4th, when he was at .251.

Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals
Sep 10, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
Detroit Tigers (56-83)	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	6	0
Kansas City Royals (62-78)	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	6	0
W: Scott Barlow (5-5) L: Jason Foley (3-7) S: None

Saturday, September 10th, 2022
With one out in the 10th, Nicky Lopez was running on contact from third base on Brewer Hicklen's bouncer to short. Javier Baez, who was at double play depth, had to charge in to make the play, and with the double play unlikely to happen with the speedy Hicklen going to first, Baez made the only play he thought would work -- but Lopez beat Baez's throw to the plate, scoring the winning run as the Royals snapped a four-game skid to the Tigers, winning 4-3 in extras.

Scott Barlow picked up the win with a spotless tenth, striking out a pair along the way. His record is now 5-5. Jonathan Bowlan got the start, going five innings before Zach Haake picked him up with 2 2/3 scoreless innings. In 1 1/3 innings after that, Kris Bubic struck out four of the five hitters he faced.

"Just some incredible work by the pen and some timely hitting late," said Matheny. "We took a bit of a gamble, especially with men on base, but we had speed coming down the line and speed out of the box, so we figured we would make the defense make a quick decision. It worked in our favor this time."

Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals
Sep 11, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Detroit Tigers (56-84)	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	3	4	0
Kansas City Royals (63-78)	0	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	X	4	7	1
W: Zack Greinke (6-9) L: Spencer Turnbull (5-8) S: Dylan Coleman (2)

Sunday, September 11th, 2022
A threesome of homeruns from the Royals were juuuuust enough to topple the Tigers, as they escaped from their series with Detroit on the heels of a 4-3 victory. MJ Melendez hit a pair of solo homeruns, one in the second, and then hit the go-ahead shot in the sixth. Kyle Isbel also homered for the eighth time this season, a two-run blast in the second.

Their efforts were backed up by Zack Greinke, who picked up his sixth win of the season with six solid innings. He allowed a pair of solo bombs in the first, but settled in to scatter just four hits over that span, including just two in the next five innings. He struck out seven, walking just two.

With Scott Barlow working last night in the 10th, Dylan Coleman picked up the five-out save by retiring all five hitters he faced, coming in relief for Gabe Speier.

The bottom half of the Royals' order did all the work, as the five-through-nine hitters comprised all of the offense. Nick Pratto also reached base twice, going 1-for-2 with a walk, and Ernie Clement also went 1-for-2 while reaching base by getting hit by a pitch.

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MLB News (09/13)

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Royal Rumblings (09/13)

Royal Rumblings

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | September 13th, 2022

Kincanon Optioned; Cuas Re-Called: As the season winds down, the Royals are continuing to evaluate players for next season. The latest roster move was optioning Will Kincanon to Omaha in favor of Jose Cuas, who appeared in a doubleheader early last month, throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings in a 5-4 loss on August 10th against the White Sox.

He has twenty-seven strikeouts in twenty-one innings with the Storm Chasers this season, and a 3.43 ERA. His SIERA, however, is 2.97, and has an impressive strikeout rate of 30.3%, with a walk rate that's a bit elevated at 10.1%.

On the other hand, Kincanon has struggled over his last five appearances, covering 5 1/3 innings. He's allowed eight earned runs and three walks in that span, striking out only five.

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Series Preview: Kansas City (63-78) at Minnesota (78-61)

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PITCHING MATCHUPS
09/13: RHP Brad Keller (3-5, 2.67) vs RHP Joe Ryan (12-8, 3.76)
09/14: LHP Daniel Lynch (6-7, 5.21) vs RHP Chris Paddack (10-7, 3.34)
09/15: LHP Angel Zerpa (1-6, 3.86) vs RHP Dylan Bundy (9-1, 3.13)

WHO'S HOT?
1B Nick Pratto, Kansas City -- 9-for-21 (.429), 3 HR, 2 2B, BB
RHP Dylan Bundy, Minnesota -- 24.2 IP, 22 K, 4 ER (4 starts)

WHO'S NOT?
IF Hunter Dozier, Kansas City -- 2-for-21 (.095), 2B, 7 K
C Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota -- 1-for-20 (.050), BB, 9 K

KANSAS CITY INJURED LIST
SS Adalberto Mondesi (knee) -- 60-day IL
RHP Josh Staumont (shoulder) -- 10-day IL
RHP Nathan Webb (bicep) -- 60-day IL

MINNESOTA INJURED LIST
RHP Chris Archer (elbow) -- 60-day IL
RHP Jordan Balazovic (shoulder) -- 60-day IL
RHP Matt Canterino (elbow) -- 60-day IL
RHP Kenta Maeda (elbow) -- 60-day IL

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Kansas City @ Minnesota (09/13 -- 09/15)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Minnesota Twins

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | September 16th, 2022

Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals
Sep 16, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (63-79)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	4	2
Minnesota Twins (79-61)	1	2	3	3	0	1	0	2	X	12	16	0
W: Joe Ryan (13-8) L: Brad Keller (3-6) S: None

Tuesday, September 13th, 2022
It was a magical day at the plate for Minnesota Twins first baseman Miguel Sanó. The 29-year-old Sanó helped lift Minnesota to a 12-2 win over the Kansas City Royals today at Target Field.

Sanó smacked 5 hits in 5 at-bats to spark his club to victory.

Miguel Sanó singled in the 2nd, doubled in the 3rd, hit a two-run double in the 4th, hit an RBI single in the 6th and singled in the 8th.

Currently Sanó has 32 home runs and a .213 batting average.

Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals
Sep 14, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (63-80)	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	1
Minnesota Twins (80-61)	0	0	0	0	3	2	0	0	X	5	12	0
W: Chris Paddack (11-7) L: Daniel Lynch (6-8) S: None

Wednesday, September 14th, 2022
With a few exceptions, Kansas City couldn't get much of anything going as Minnesota secured a series victory by handing the Royals a 5-1 defeat. Dairon Blanco's triple in the third to score Cam Gallagher was the only run on their side of the box score.

For the second straight start, it appeared that Daniel Lynch had figured something out from his time down in Omaha. However, the second time through the order proved to be more difficult, as Minnesota began getting some better swings against him in the fifth inning, and was also helped by an error from the sure-handed Nick Pratto in that frame.

He was replaced by Dylan Coleman, who surrendered three hits, two runs, and a walk without any strikeouts in two innings of work. Zach Haake pitched a scoreless inning to close out the Twins, but it was a gap too far for the Royals to overcome.

Blanco and Gallagher each collected a pair of hits, while Bobby Witt Jr and Vinnie Pasquantino each went 1-for-4. Lynch went five innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on nine hits, striking out three with no walks.

Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals
Sep 15, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (64-80)	0	0	3	0	0	0	1	1	0	5	12	1
Minnesota Twins (80-62)	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	1	3	4	2
W: Angel Zerpa (2-6) L: Chris Paddack (9-2) S: Scott Barlow (23)

Thursday, September 15th, 2022
The Royals scored three runs in the third, and stayed in front the entire way as they salvaged the final game in Minnesota by a 5-3 score. Bobby Witt Jr reached base all five times he came to the plate, including hitting his 17th homerun of the season in the seventh inning. He also walked and stole a base in addition to three singles.

Nicky Lopez also collected three hits, including a pair of doubles. He leads the Royals in that category with thirty-three. Kyle Isbel added a homerun in the eighth inning, going 2-for-4.

Manager Mike Matheny was asked about Angel Zerpa's status in the post-game press conference, and did confirm that this start would be his final one of the season. He made it a good one, allowing just two hits, two runs, and a walk with six strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings, throwing eighty-nine pitches.

"The goal was around 85-90 pitches, and we fell right in that range," said Matheny. "I'm thrilled to see him go out on a good note. We've talked with him about our plans for him, and he's completely on board."

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MLB News (09/16)

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Royal Rumblings (09/16)

Royal Rumblings

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | September 16th, 2022

Zerpa Shut Down; Lovelady Re-called: Mike Matheny confirmed it after last night's game, and the move was made to shut Angel Zerpa down for the remainder of the season after yesterday's victory.

The Royals re-called lefty Richard Lovelady, who has a 2.45 ERA in nine appearances with the Storm Chasers this season; but has struggled with the Royals with a 29.70 ERA in six appearances, covering just 3 1/3 innings.

Zerpa tossed 6 1/3 innings to get just his second victory of the season against six losses, but has posted overall good numbers -- 3.74 ERA, 21% strikeout rate, while allowing only 8.7% of his hitters faced to earn a free pass, and a SIERA mark of 3.67.

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Series Preview: Kansas City (64-80) @ Boston (72-71)

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PITCHING MATCHUPS
09/16: RHP Brady Singer (10-9, 4.95) vs RHP Tanner Houck (8-11, 4.93)
09/17: RHP Zack Greinke (6-9, 4.12) vs RHP Nathan Eovaldi (9-8, 3.92)
09/18: RHP Jonathan Bowlan (2-0, 5.33) vs RHP Michael Wacha (3-8, 4.37)

WHO'S HOT?
None.

WHO'S NOT?
RHP Tanner Houck, Boston -- 10 IP, 5 K, 10 ER (2 starts)
IF Ernie Clement, Kansas City -- 2-for-23 (.086), BB, 2 K
IF Hunter Dozier, Kansas City -- 3-for-22 (.136), 2B, 7 K
C Salvador Perez, Kansas City -- 0-for-24 (.000), BB, 9 K

KANSAS CITY INJURED LIST
SS Adalberto Mondesi (knee) -- 60-day IL
RHP Josh Staumont (shoulder) -- 10-day IL
RHP Nathan Webb (bicep) -- 60-day IL
LHP Angel Zerpa (arm) -- 10-day IL

BOSTON INJURED LIST
LHP James Paxton (elbow) -- 60-day IL
RHP Connor Seabold knee) -- 60-day IL
IF Trevor Story (knee) -- 60-day IL

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Re: One Royal Way (OOTP 23)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Boston Red Sox

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | September 19th, 2022

Boston Red Sox at Kansas City Royals
Sep 16, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (65-80)	1	0	4	0	0	0	0	1	1	7	8	0
Boston Red Sox (72-72)	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	9	3
W: Brady Singer (11-9) L: Tanner Houck (8-12) S: None

Friday, September 16th, 2022
His start was tainted a bit by a pair of ninth-inning solo homeruns, but Brady Singer was overall very good in a 7-3 downing of the Red Sox in Fenway to open a three-game set on Friday night. He struck out seven in 8 1/3 innings, scattering nine hits and no walks. Jose Cuas cleaned up in the ninth, getting the final two outs to finish out the game.

Salvador Perez snapped an 0-for-24 slump with a double, single, and two RBI; and Nicky Lopez went 2-for-4 with his 34th double, a team high. Bobby Witt Jr also doubled, and stole base in the first inning after reaching on a fielder's choice.

The Royals plated four in the third inning, which put them up 5-0. Catcher Kevin Plawecki's throwing error allowed two unearned runs to score, and that was really the boost the Royals needed to get in, and stay in front.

Boston Red Sox at Kansas City Royals
Sep 17, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (65-81)	1	0	4	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	4	0
Boston Red Sox (73-72)	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	X	2	9	0
W: Nathan Eovaldi (10-8) L: Zack Greinke (6-10) S: None

Saturday, September 17, 2022
With just two runs over six innings, Zack Greinke couldn't overcome the lack of run support as the Royals dropped to 65-81 on Saturday night with a 2-1 loss to the Red Sox, evening up their series at one win each.

Greinke, who who scattered eight hits and three walks, also fanned three. Those three strikeouts pushed him to the 100-strikeout mark for the 2022 season. Richard Lovelady, Jose Cuas, and Dylan Coleman all pitched two-thirds of inning scoreless, each notching one strikeout.

Kansas City's bats largely fell silent, only getting an RBI double from Emmanuel Rivera in the second inning. Nicky Lopez, Bobby Witt Jr., and Edward Olivares were the only other Royals to get a hit.

Boston Red Sox at Kansas City Royals
Sep 18, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (66-81)	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	11	0
Boston Red Sox (73-73)	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	9	1
W: Jonathan Bowlan (3-0) L: Jake Diekman (5-2) S: Scott Barlow (24)

Sunday, September 18th, 2022
In the Royals' 3-2 rubber-match win over the Red Sox yesterday afternoon, the offense came from an unlikely source -- outfielder Dairon Blanco's four hits were the catalyst for the victory. He fell a triple short of the cycle, going 4-for-4 with his second homerun of the season.

Bobby Witt Jr also doubled twice in going 2-for-5, which gives him thirty doubles for the season. He's also just three homeruns shy of twenty, and one stolen base from reaching twenty. He'd be the first rookie in Royals history to turn the feat if he can reach those marks.

For the first time all season, the Royals turned to an opener, as Kris Bubic got the surprise start. However, he was pulled after just one inning for Jonathan Bowlan, who went six-plus innings to pick up the win. He allowed one run on six hits while striking out six, walking just one.

"We really liked the matchups we had in that case," said manager Mike Matheny. "It's not something we normally do, but we talked about it last night (Saturday), and thought it would be something worth doing. We talked to Kris (Bubic), and he was excited for the opportunity to try it out."

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MLB News (9/19)

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Re: One Royal Way (OOTP 23)

Royals Mailbag

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | August 19th, 2022

Since the final "month" of the season bleeds over into October, we'll split the month in half with a mid-month mailbag, and then do a season-ending mailbag a few days after the season to assess where the team is at. The questions have shifted more from in-season topics, to more big-picture items such as where the competitive window for this team is now, and if the Royals are in a solid position going forward vis-a-vis other competition **cough**Detroit**cough**.

Mike Matheny's job status was also a hot item, and that's addressed pretty quickly in this iteration, which has been edited for length and clarity.

Is Mike Matheny's job safe?

In a word, no. I suppose if they go on a 12-3 tear to end the season and get close to .500, it's possible, but that incredible six-game series in Cleveland to end the season is likely (for Cleveland) to decide whether or not they'll go to the postseason, so they'll be geeked up for that one. And they might need every single game in that series to pull it off. Tomorrow begins a pretty crucial series for Minnesota if they have any hopes of catching the White Sox for the division, and to keep the Guardians at bay.

But even if the Royals managed to pull that kind of last-leg kick to end the year and finish 78-84, which would still likely be fourth place in the division -- can you point to anything good that the Royals do well under this staff? They've improved their BA under Alec Zumwalt's tutelage, but they're still 11th in team ERA, 13th in OPS, walks, homers, and runs scored, and 10th in extra base hits. Their run differential is -84. They don't strike out much (4th fewest), steal bases pretty well (4th most), and they defend quite well (25.1 DRS, 2nd most). These are all AL-only marks, in addition.

To me, going 12-3 to end the year doesn't change what the other 147 games have been, which have been largely crap baseball. Zumwalt might be the only staffer I'd hold over, and he's probably going to go back to his old role as the organization's hitting coordinator.

Is BWJ's rookie season a disappointment if he doesn't win AL ROY? Who is your pick?

No way. I think his poor start really put him behind the eight-ball, but since the beginning of July, he's looked more like the player we thought he'd be. I mean, he has a chance to post a 30/20/20 season, which would be doubles/homeruns/steals, when all is said and done. No other rookie in the league would claim that. He's already hit the 30-double mark. Also, he's a likely finalist for the Gold Glove at third base if you look at the metrics there.

I think it eventually will be Spencer Torkelson of Detroit, but my ballot would go something like this -- 1. Joe Ryan (Minn.), 2. Torkelson, 3. Steven Kwan (Clev). BWJ would be fourth, and then maybe Pasquantino or Jeremy Pena of Houston fifth. Ryan is amongst the AL leaders in wins, and has one of the best WHIP's in the league at .98.

He doesn't get a lot of play because there was little hype on him coming into the season, but I think he's been the most impactful rookie in the league, especially with how hard-hit the Twins were hit with injuries early on. Long-term, however, I'm putting my money on Witt being the best of the bunch. Torkelson has no defensive utility; and as good a hitter as Kwan is, his ISO mark is .110, which is well below average for a corner outfield hitter.

Who would you rather be right now -- Detroit or Kansas City?

At the beginning of the season, the Tigers appeared to be much further along in their rebuild than the Royals were. Their big issue this season has been health. When healthy, the Tigers are a pretty solid outfit. They've just been missing their big-ticket acquisitions for much of the year, as Javy Baez, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Austin Meadows have all missed significant time in 2022. Even the younger pitchers like Casey Mize have struggled to stay healthy, but when he's been in the rotation, he's been solid. Same goes for Matt Manning. Both Rodriguez and Tarik Skubal are having better seasons than their surface numbers would suggest, as their FIP's and SIERA's are more than a run better than their ERA's.

That said, I think Kansas City has closed the gap significantly. The foursome of Witt, MJ Melendez, Vinnie Pasquantino, and Nick Pratto is one of the best young groupings of position players in the league, and Angel Zerpa looks like a potential solution in the rotation next season to go with Brad Keller and Brady Singer. Is that enough to save J.J. Picollo's job? I don't know. I think that will be up to whomever takes over as the team's POBO. In addition, Detroit should be back and healthy next year, so there's still a lot of work to do from the Royals' perspective.

So, what's the target for competitiveness now?

2023 will probably be another non-competitive year; there are still too many holes on the roster to fill in one offseason. But -- there has to be some progress made, especially if Matheny is back next year. If you can get to seventy-three wins this year (<90 defeats), then some moves could push you towards, and maybe over, .500 the following year (2023). That's 7-8 over the final fifteen games as of the time of writing this. That said, I don't think that will be enough to compete unless the AL just takes a nosedive. Theoretically, your window with Bobby Witt Jr., Nick Pratto, Brady Singer, and MJ Melendez/Vinnie Pasquantino is from 2024-2027, when those guys all approach free agency in that last year.

When does the organization nix the Melendez-in-outfield experiment?

They seem to be banking on the idea that you can hide average to below-average defenders in the outfield if you induce groundballs at a high rate, just to get guys like Melendez some hacks at this level even if he has to learn on-the-job in the OF. I don't think this is a great long-term idea, but I like it in the short-term to get young players more PA's against big-league pitching. This season isn't going anywhere, why not?

Salvador Perez is declining a bit defensively, but he's still one of the top seven or eight backstops around. He's committed just two errors (excellent), is worth 2.1 DRS (good), and has thrown out about 37% of would-be base stealers (also good). But five passed balls is a concern, and has been worth almost ten runs in the red in terms of framing, which is the fourth-worst mark league-wide amongst catchers with at least 800 innings caught. The Royals also are tied for the seventh-most wild pitches in the league (60), which has been Perez's calling card as a defender.

In fairness, thirteen of those have happened under Melendez, but catching a whole different set of pitchers has been quite the adjustment for him. When he's been behind the plate in recent months, he's looked increasingly more comfortable catching veteran pitchers, and has even drawn some praise from Zack Greinke, who is known to be pretty demanding of his catchers.

Next year is the year that Perez's innings behind the plate should start to decline at a quicker rate with Melendez up and productive, but as long as he's raking in $20 million, it's hard for Matheny (or whomever is the manager) to not pencil him in behind the plate.

Who is someone that could come out of nowhere and be a contributor next season?

I'll give you one hitter and one pitcher. The position player I really like is outfielder Tyler Gentry, who was recently called up to Omaha. He's striking out a bit too much for my liking (54 K in 182 PA), but has twenty-five walks and already has nine homeruns. That comes out to a line of .229/.343/.416, which will play at the next level if he can maintain that, even with the low-ish BA. Given that Edward Olivares has not panned out as hoped, it could create an opening for someone like Gentry (or even Nick Loftin, but he's a bit more well-known as a first-rounder) in a platoon with Kyle Isbel at a corner spot.

The pitcher is lefty A.J. Block, who likely would have been selected in the sixth round had there been that many rounds in the pandemic-shortened 2020 draft. He was one of the top available arms at the end of that year's draft, and the Royals scooped him up pretty quickly afterward as an UDFA. He doesn't throw terribly hard (91-94 MPH), but all of his pitches move -- two-seamer, cutter, slider, and a changeup, all MLB average quality or better offerings. As a result, it's difficult to get much hard contact against him, leading to just 108 hits allowed in 135 Double-A innings. His closest MLB comp is none other than Brad Keller.

Both have quite long odds to make the roster -- in Block's case, there are others in front of him (Drew Parrish, Austin Cox) who are further up the prospect food chain that will likely get more opportunities up front, where as Gentry's competition doesn't appear to be as stiff. But they will almost certainly get non-roster invites to 2023 Spring Training, and the Royals have had non-roster players make the team out of camp before in recent years, with Jake Brentz being a notable one prior to last season. Bobby Witt Jr wasn't on the 40-man going into this season, and ended up impressing enough to make the Opening Day roster as well.

[artoodeetoo]

Series Preview: Minnesota (82-65) @ Kansas City (66-81)

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PITCHING MATCHUPS
09/20: RHP Sonny Gray (6-10, 4.76) vs RHP Brad Keller (3-6, 2.83)
09/21: RHP Joe Ryan (13-9, 3.73) vs LHP Daniel Lynch (6-8, 5.13)
09/22: RHP Jharel Cotton (4-5, 3.34) vs RHP Brady Singer (11-9, 4.85)

WHO'S HOT?
None.

WHO'S NOT?
1B Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City -- 2-for-23 (.086), 2B, 3 K
C Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota -- 0-for-23 (.000), BB, 10 K

MINNESOTA INJURED LIST
RHP Chris Archer (elbow) -- 60-day IL
RHP Jordan Balazovic (shoulder) -- 60-day IL
RHP Matt Canterino (elbow) -- 60-day IL
RHP Kenta Maeda (elbow) -- 60-day IL

KANSAS CITY INJURED LIST
SS Adalberto Mondesi (knee) -- 60-day IL
RHP Josh Staumont (shoulder) -- 10-day IL
RHP Nathan Webb (bicep) -- 60-day IL
LHP Angel Zerpa (arm) -- 10-day IL

[artoodeetoo]

Minnesota @ Kansas City (09/20 -- 09/22)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Minnesota Twins

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | September 23rd, 2022

Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals
Sep 20, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Minnesota Twins (82-66)	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	2	7	0
Kansas City Royals (67-81)	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	3	8	0
W: Dylan Coleman (5-3) L: Cody Stashak (7-7) S: None

Tuesday, September 20th, 2022
Edward Olivares' two-run single with two outs in the ninth walked the Twins off in a 3-2 victory on Tuesday night, opening the last homestand of the season. Both Twins' runs came off the bat of Carlos Correa, as he hit solo homeruns in the sixth and ninth innings, both against starter Brad Keller. The latter homerun led off the ninth, which finally chased Keller from the game.

However, the winning run likely doesn't score if the Twins didn't make a questionable decision in the field two batters prior to the game-winning hit. With no outs, the infield in and runners on the corners, Nicky Lopez hit a grounder to second baseman Nick Gordon, who threw to first for the out after freezing the runner at third.

After closer Cody Stashak got Bobby Witt to bounce out to short with two men in scoring position, that brought up Olivares, who lined a 2-2 fastball into left to score the runners from second and third. Had Gordon thrown to second to get the runner going to second, Witt's grounder is a tailor-made double play ball to end the game.

"Nick did the right thing by holding the runner at third, but I'm not sure he would have gotten the runner out at second," said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli as he defended his player in the post-game press conference. "His momentum was going forward, it would have been an difficult throw for him to make, so he took the best out he thought was there. It just didn't work out for us in the end."

Keller went eight-plus innings, allowing just the two solo homeruns with four strikeouts. Dylan Coleman picked up the victory with a scoreless ninth inning. Bobby Witt Jr. also stole a base, giving him twenty for the season, which is the most on the squad.

Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals
Sep 21, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Minnesota Twins (83-66)	0	2	0	1	0	0	2	0	1	6	8	2
Kansas City Royals (67-82)	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	5	2
W: Dylan Coleman (5-3) L: Cody Stashak (7-7) S: None

Wednesday, September 21st, 2022
Homeruns from M.J. Melendez and Salvador Perez weren't enough to overcome the more balanced Minnesota offensive attack, dropping a 6-3 decision in the next-to-last game between the two teams on Wednesday night. Four different Twins hitters drove in runs, with Jorge Polanco and Miguel Sano leading the way with two each, both via homerun.

With three earned runs on three hits over six innings, Daniel Lynch once again posted a strong start since returning from Triple-A a couple of weeks ago. He struck out four while walking just two. Gabe Speier went two innings in relief, allowing two earned runs. Zach Haake walked a pair and allowed a run in the ninth.

Bobby Witt Jr's double in the first inning on Wednesday extended his hitting streak to seven games. He's 11-for-29 in that stretch, with five doubles and a homerun.

Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals
Sep 22, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Minnesota Twins (83-67)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	7	0
Kansas City Royals (68-82)	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	X	2	10	0
W: Brady Singer (12-9) L: Joe Ryan (13-10) S: Scott Barlow (25)

Thursday, September 22nd, 2022
After allowing an RBI single in the first inning, Brady Singer wasn't touched for the next six innings as the Royals held off the Twins 2-1 to take the series last night. MJ Melendez was the entire offense for the Royals, but it was enough -- solo homeruns in the fourth and sixth innings by the rookie against Joe Ryan were the difference.

It was also disclosed after the game, however, that the Royals would be placing Singer on the injured list the following day with a shoulder impingement problem. Manager Mike Matheny said that he was told he felt the shoulder pain beginning in the sixth inning, but managed to get through the seventh without any additional issue.

"It's really a shame for him as he was pitching so well, but I think for next season, it's important we don't overload him," Matheny lamented. "He was able to go out on a good note, which is nice to see."

Singer struck out eight with no walks over seven innings, scattering six hits. Dylan Coleman and Scott Barlow cleaned up in the eighth and ninth innings; although Barlow had to work around a one-out single and two-out walk to pick up the save, his 25th of the season.