League Championships (10/19 -- 10/22)
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League Championships (10/19 -- 10/22)
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MLB News (10/23)
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Royal Rumblings (10/23)
Royal Rumblings
By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | October 23rd, 2022
Where Do The Royals Go Post-Matheny? It's only been a few days since the Royals and Mike Matheny parted ways, but there's already a host of names out there that have been linked to the job. One has been former Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale, who is currently the head coach at the University of Arizona, and likely wouldn't leave college for anything but a managerial position. Other well-known names include John Farrell (who has multiple ties to Jason McLeod and Kansas City), former Cardinals manager Mike Shildt, and Orioles bench coach Fredi Gonzalez.
Hale and Farrell have also been mentioned for the now-open Angels job in the wake of Joe Maddon's retirement last week. The Royals will also have to compete with that position, and the open Rockies' managerial slot. Two other managerial roles have already been filled, with Toronto hiring Mike Scioscia, and Philadelphia hiring Carlos Beltran two years after losing out on the Mets' job due to the sign-stealing scandal.
Two of Farrell's sons, Shane and Jeremy, were scouts in the Cubs' organization, and have worked closely with McLeod in the past (Shane is now Toronto's scouting head). Is that enough to make him the front-runner for the job? It certainly could, and he has a winning pedigree -- he has a World Series ring from 2013, and made back-to-back playoff appearances in 2016-17, before getting fired after that 2017 season in which they were bounced after the second round. Farrell's other son, Luke, was drafted by Kansas City in 2013, and currenly pitches in the Pirates' system.
Younger names that haven't sat in the lead seat, but are getting tons of run are Boston bench coach Will Venable, White Sox bench coach Miguel Cairo, Rays lieutenant Matt Quatraro, Houston's Joe Espada, and Pirates bench coach Don Kelly. Espada has been linked to other managerial openings in the past few years, including the Royals' position before they hired Matheny. Raul Ibanez, who currently works in the league office, is another respected name around the league that figures to find his way to a dugout again sooner rather than later, and given his past ties to K.C., could be under consideration.
Some other names that could be considered, but are probably several years away from serious consideration for any job -- Giants bench coach Kai Correa, Dodgers base coach Clayton McCullough, Seattle first base coach Kristopher Negron, and Milwaukee first base coach Quintin Berry. K.C.-area native and former Padres manager Jayce Tingler, who is now Rocco Baldelli's bench coach in Minnesota, has been mentioned by multiple writers as a strong candidate.
Royals Claim Poche Off Waivers: The first transaction of the Jason McLeod era is a waiver acquisition, as the Royals have claimed southpaw Colin Poche off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays. The 28-year-old appeared in twenty-two games for the Rays this past season, striking out a whopping 37.5% of opposing hitters this season, while keeping his walk rate at a below-league-rate 7.51%.
However, this season has been the end of a long road for the former Arkansas Razorback, as he had Tommy John surgery back in 2019, which was actually the second such procedure for him in his career, and he missed the last two seasons due to it. He also had the procedure done in 2014 while in college. Prior to even the second surgery, he was throwing in the 95-98 MPH range, throwing a fastball, slider, and the occasional splitter.
In 2022, his fastball velo has dropped from an average of 95.9 back in 2019 to 93.7, but has still managed to keep his peripherals at a borderline elite level thanks to a slider that's amongst the very best in the league, getting swings-and-misses on 19% of those pitches.
You might ask why the Rays would pass on keeping him, but the move from the Rays' perspective appears be a cost-cutting move; as he's eligible for arbitration for the first time this offseason, and the Rays have ridiculous bullpen depth already on the roster and in the upper minors that are within the pre-arbitration range.
Poche will join fellow lefties Richard Lovelady, Jake Brentz, Josh Dye, and Gabe Speier as competition in the spring. Speier is the most consistent of the bunch, posting an FIP of 4.23 and SIERA of 4.57, but dealt with elbow and shoulder issues that limited him to just forty-three innings at the MLB level in 2022.Comment
League Championships (10/23 -- 10/25)
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MLB News (10/26)
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Royal Rumblings (10/26)
Royal Rumblings
By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | October 26th, 2022
Three Candidates Emerge For Managerial Opening: It's been a week since Mike Matheny was terminated, and there's finally some clarity on who is being considered for the position. Unsurprisingly, John Farrell has interviewed for the position and is one of three finalists for the job, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN, who lives in the Kansas City area and is very well-connected with the organization. In a bit of a surprise, Mariners first base coach Kristopher Negron has also interviewed and is a finalist along with Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro, who is also being pursued by the Rockies.
Team president Jason McLeod and owner John Sherman also spoke with Cleveland bench coach DeMarlo Hale, University of Arizona baseball coach Chip Hale, and former Cardinals manager Mike Shildt.
The 60-year-old Farrell is considered the front-runner for the job; but hasn't managed since 2017, and is more of a traditional manager in the mold of Mike Matheny. Farrell has the winning pedigree, however, as he has a World Series ring and is still not old in baseball managerial circles, as there are managers that go well into their late 60's and early 70's these days.
Quatraro, who will be 49 on November 14th, has been on the Rays' staff since 2018, and their bench coach since 2019 under manager Kevin Cash. Since being named bench coach, the Rays have been to the postseason four straight years, including an AL crown in 2020. He's also been on the major league staff with Cleveland from 2014 through 2017.
With arguably the lightest resume of the three, Negron is considered an up-and-comer in the profession. After just one season as the Triple-A Tacoma skipper in which he was named the Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year, he was tabbed by Scott Servais to serve as his first base coach for this past season. However, he's only thirty-six, and has been brought up in the coaching world at a time when more decisions are made with hard data, as opposed to the eye test.Comment
League Championship Series (10/27 -- 10/28)
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MLB News (10/29)
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Royal Rumblings (10/29)
Royal Rumblings
By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | October 29th, 2022
Royals To Tab Negron As Skipper: Considered a long-shot for the job at the outset, the Royals have hired Mariners first base coach Kristopher Negron as their new manager. The 36-year-old would be the youngest dugout head in Royals history at the time of their hire.
Negron was introduced at a press conference alongside owner John Sherman, team ops president Jason McLeod, and interim GM Travis Greenleaf. He'll wear number forty-five, meaning that current outfielder Travis Demeritte has to give that number up.
"Both Cesar (Geronimo) and I have seen him up close as a player," said McLeod, who helped bring him in as a minor league free agent with the Cubs in 2015, and later signed with Arizona for 2016, playing in the postseason for the D-Backs that year. "We actually had conversations about his post-playing career, and I think he's always had the fire in him to continue to give back to the game when he was done playing."
Despite having scant coaching experience since retiring as a player after the 2019 season, he's well-regarded around the league as an up-and-coming candidate for higher positions. Before taking the first base coach job with the M's this season, he worked in the Mariners' player development shop for the 2020 season before becoming the manager of their Triple-A affiliate for the 2021 season. He won the PCL Manager of the Year, leading the Tacoma Rainiers to seventy-eight wins two seasons ago.
He was a member of six organizations throughout his career as a player-- Boston, Cincinnati, Los Angeles (NL), Chicago (NL), Seattle, and Arizona.
And he'll be bringing people with him most likely -- McLeod noted that their minor league infield instruction coordinator, Louis Boyd, would likely be on the staff in some capacity as they're finalizing a deal with him as well. Boyd is also young himself (28), and has been a minor league staffer for the past four years in Seattle.Comment
World Series Preview (10/30)
WORLD SERIES PREVIEW
WHITE SOX KEY STATS
1st in team BA (.269)
4th in runs scored (809)
5th in differential (+98)
3rd in team OPS (.770)
15th in team ERA (4.09)
13th in team FIP (4.03)
5th in team strikeouts (1,509)
DODGERS KEY STATS
3rd in team BA (.259)
1st in runs scored (906)
1st in differential (+174)
1st in team OPS (.807)
16th in team ERA (4.14)
17th in team FIP (4.14)
4th in team strikeouts (1,535)
THREE STORYLINES TO WATCH
1. These teams are mirror images of each other
If you covered up the names of the teams, and looked at the stats objectively, you wouldn't be able to tell them apart -- the Dodgers have the better offense, but only slightly so. Both teams also have some flaws in their pitching staff, as the White Sox especially struggled throughout the season to get games to their closer, Liam Hendriks (although they generally had the offense to overcome that most nights). Despite having middling pitching according to the stats (White Sox 4.03 FIP, 13th; Dodgers 4.14 FIP, 17th), both staffs can still miss bats at an alarming rate as they rank fifth (Chicago, 1,509 strikeouts) and fourth (1,535 strikeouts), respectively.
2. Clayton Kershaw will need to step up
He had easily the worst season of his career heading into free agency this offseason (5.52 ERA, 4.66 FIP, 49% GB%), and he's been hot-and-cold in his three post-season starts so far. He gave up the most homeruns in the entire league (37) in 160 innings, which was almost triple his career rate. B-R and Fangraphs disagreed on his overall contributions as B-R had him with a 1.1 WAR mark, while Fangraphs decreed him a net negative on the Dodgers (-0.2 fWAR). He's scheduled to take the ball tonight and in Game 5, so he'll be a central figure of the Dodgers' fortunes in this series yet again, unless one of the teams pulls off a sweep.
3. Tony LaRussa would cement his HoF legacy with a win
A World Series win here would be Tony LaRussa's fourth Fall Classic title, and would become the third manager in league history to win titles with three different teams. He's going to be in the Hall win or lose, but he would join Bill McKechnie and Dick Williams as the only three to turn the feat.
He's hinted that this could be his last season -- he just turned seventy-eight and would be the oldest skipper to win a title -- but hasn't confirmed either way. Nonetheless, it might be one of his better managing jobs in his career, as he's been without star players like Eloy Jimenez, Michael Kopech, Andrew Vaughn, and Jose Abreu for long stretches of time, the latter being out for the entire postseason to date.Comment
World Series: Game 1 (10/30)
Chicago White Sox at Los Angeles Dodgers Oct 30, 2022 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Chicago White Sox (0-1) 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 7 13 0 Los Angeles Dodgers (1-0) 3 0 1 0 1 1 1 2 X 9 12 0 W: Craig Kimbrel L: Liam Hendriks S: None
A pair of homeruns, three runs scored, and four RBI from Will Smith was the big offensive performance of the game from the Dodgers, but Trea Turner's two-out, two-run double was the deciding hit as the Dodgers broke a 7-7 tie in the eighth, and went on to win in the ninth by a 9-7 score to take Game 1 of the 2022 World Series.
It was ugly for both starting pitchers, as Lucas Giolito had to leave after just two-thirds of an inning with a hip injury, while Clayton Kershaw was jumped all over for five runs in 1 2/3 innings. Giolito surrendered three earned runs, all on RBI doubles -- Turner, Smith, and Max Muncy all collected RBI on two-baggers against Giolito out of the gate.
David Price was able to stem the tide a bit after replacing Kershaw, allowing just one earned run with four strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings. This allowed the Dodgers to catch up, as they scored single runs in the third, fifth, and sixth innings to tie the game at six. Smith's second homerun broke that tie, only to see the White Sox knot the score again in the top of the eighth with a double from Adam Engel, who homered in the second inning.
"This was a pretty fun game if you're in the stands, or watching as a neutral observer," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "Not if you're a player in one of the two dugouts, or a coach."
Craig Kimbrel, who entered the game in the eighth inning, got the victory after being charged with a blown save. Giolito was diagnosed with what was termed as a mild hip strain, and is listed as day-to-day. He's scheduled to start Game 5 if it gets to that point, but his status for that game is in doubt.Comment
World Series: Game 2 (10/31)
Chicago White Sox at Los Angeles Dodgers Oct 31, 2022 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Chicago White Sox (1-1) 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 3 5 1 Los Angeles Dodgers (1-1) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 6 0 W: Joe Kelly L: Brusdar Graterol S: Liam Hendriks
Three solo homeruns, including back-to-back solo jacks from former Dodgers Yasmani Grandal and A.J. Pollock in the seventh inning, were just enough to post a 3-2 victory and tie the World Series at one win each. Tim Anderson also added a solo shot of his own in the second inning, coming against Dodgers starter Tyler Anderson.
Trea Turner cut the deficit in half leading off the eighth with a solo homerun against Liam Hendriks, but he settled in and retired six of the next seven hitters he faced to pick up the save. Michael Kopech's pitch count ran a bit too high in the early going, as he was replaced by another former Dodger, Danny Duffy, with two outs in the fifth. Duffy got the final out before Joe Kelly took over in the sixth.
Anderson was cruising along through six, having thrown seventy-three pitches with just two hits and a run allowed. Dave Roberts decided to go with Brusdar Graterol, who surrendered the back-to-back homeruns in the seventh that was eventually the difference. Graterol would finish the game, largely without issue.
"Bruce has been nails throughout the entire postseason, and with the bottom of the order, all righties coming up, it was a good matchup," Roberts lamented of his star reliever. "Or so we thought, but gotta give the credit where it's due."Comment
MLB News (11/01)
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World Series: Game 3
Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago White Sox Nov 2, 2022 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Los Angeles Dodgers (1-2) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 9 2 Chicago White Sox (2-1) 2 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 X 8 10 1 W: Dylan Cease L: Julio Urias S: None
Chicago jumped all over Dodger starter Julio Urias early on, tagging him for seven runs in the first three innings as the White Sox took the first game at Guaranteed Rate Field by an 8-2 score. They were also helped by an error in the third inning by Justin Turner, leading to four unearned runs charged to Urias' ledger.
The White Sox now hold a 2-1 series lead as they head into tonight's Game 4 with Walker Buehler opposing Lance Lynn on the mound.
Luis Robert also played a big role in the victory, hitting a two-run homerun in the first against Urias, and then a two-run double in the third off Urias. Jake Burger had the final blow, driving home a pair with a single to chase Urias from the game.
After having to go to the bullpen fairly early in Game 2, Dylan Cease picked up the victory with seven innings, striking out eight and walking just one as he scattered six hits to pick up the victory.Comment
World Series: Game 4
Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago White Sox Nov 3, 2022 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Los Angeles Dodgers (2-2) 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 7 0 Chicago White Sox (2-2) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 3 6 2 W: David Price L: Lance Lynn S: None
Will Smith hit his fifth homerun of the postseason, a three-run homer, in the first inning to give the Dodgers a jumpstart; as they went on to win Game 4 by a 5-3 count. Walker Buehler cruised through the first four innings before a nearly two-hour rain delay pushed the end of the game past 1 AM Central.
With the long rain delay, it forced both starters out of the game. David Price pitched 2 1/3 innings in relief to pick up the victory, while Lance Lynn was charged with the loss after just 4 1/3 innings. Kendall Graveman and Dallas Keuchel finished out the game, with the latter tossing three scoreless frames.
Max Muncy also pounded his fifth homerun of the postseason, and also notched his second steal this month. Chris Taylor drove in the other Dodger run with a single in the first.
With the series now tied at two wins each, the Game 1 matchup between Clayton Kershaw and Lucas Giolito will be reprised on the Southside for Game 5.Comment
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