In what I hope becomes a more light-hearted weekly column, Seth talks about bat flips and beer.
BAT FLIPPING IS FUN DAMMIT
- Tomahawking the bat over your own dugout into the now-extended netting in front of the crowd
As if flipping the bat was bad, two-handed heaving a 2-pound hunk of wood seemingly into the fans is an absolute power move. It’s the second inning, the pitcher has already given up 4 runs, and it’s looking desolate. Having to look at a bat stuck 25 feet up into the safety netting for the rest of the game as a reminder of you getting taken yard is just setting yourself up for extreme failure.
Travis makes the case for Humberto Arteaga.
Last year in his first full year at AAA he finished second on the team in hits behind only Frank Schwindel and lead the team in batting average at .292 (minimum 400 ABs). He was third on the team in RBIs behind Ryan O’Hearn and Frank Schwindel. He is not a power hitter but still managed six home runs. So far in 40 AAA games this season he is fourth on the team with a .291 BA, third with 50 hits, and fourth in RBIs with 20.
Why haven’t the Royals DFA’d Lucas Duda yet?
This year Duda has only appeared in 18 games, hitting safely in five and batting for a pedestrian average of .174. Not only does Duda present an easy out, but really the only thing left he has to do is prevent younger guys, like Bubba Starling or Erick Mejia, from getting big league at-bats.
Bubba Starling isn’t the Royals only option, writes Marcus.
But even if his BABIP drops, which it probably will at some point, his increased plate discipline allows him to remain offensively valuable. If his BABIP falls, and consequently his average and on-base drop 20 points, he’ll still be getting on base at a .370 clip, which is great for someone with a utility profile.
And maybe a t-shirt?
Photo Credits: Jay Biggerstaff – USA Today Sports
Royals Farm Report 