In the broad scope, this is as much a debate of old media ideas versus new ones. Traditionally, media companies maximized profits through vigorous and rigid control of access to their content, but young people grew up in a world of flexible and free media content. And they aren’t going back. Most of them will give up on baseball and find something else before they give up on cheap, flexible media.
Whit Merrifield is the Royals’ best player and has been for a few years. As a result, commentators fixate on him as a model for any player who kinda, sorta fits a similar mold. Good at a few positions, not great at any. Some pop, not great pop. Good baseball know-how. Really good hit tool.…
To be clear, most people are wrong about Jackson Kowar. They try to fit him into a well-worn narrative about pitcher development that contradicts every bit of information we have on him. As is the narrative for so many young pitchers, the conventional wisdom on Kowar holds that an underdeveloped breaking ball is all that…
The Royals announced their 30-man roster yesterday. Let’s take a look at all the guys who have less than one year of service time. The Royals have three 0.000 guys on this roster. The first number refers to the year of service and the second three numbers are how many days they have. So guys…
Last week, the Royals traded LHP Tim Hill to the Padres for RHP Ronald Bolanos and OF Franchy Cordero. Bolanos was the Padres 13th ranked prospect and actually made his major league debut last season rising all the way from high-A ball to the majors. I saw Bolanos make a start in Northwest Arkansas last…
The Royals decided not to keep Rule 5 pick Stephen Woods, Jr. on their active roster. Because he was a Rule 5 selection, the Royals had to place him on waivers and then after he was unclaimed, offer him back to the Rays. However, the Royals and the Rays were able to work out a…
I got the idea to do a shadow draft from John Sickels. He always did a shadow draft over at Minor League Ball which was part of SBNation focusing on the minors. The goal is to pick along with your team and follow the guys you “bring” to your system. You have to pick real…
The Royals made four selections to go with the Day One picks Asa Lacy and Nick Loftin. The Royals did not disappoint immediately making a splash with the selection of RHP Ben Hernandez from De La Salle HS in Chicago. Hernandez pitched very well on the showcase circuit and on national television in the Under…
I love this pick for the Royals! He is a big RHP that throws up to 100. Here is the Draft Profile I wrote up on him earlier this spring. Will Klein was not a guy that would have gone high in the draft last year. He might not even have been taken. The problem…
Christian Chamberlain is the next player selected by the Royals at 105th overall. He is a shorter pitcher at 5’10” weighing in at 170 pounds. Most people see him as a reliever in professional baseball but the Royals often give pitchers the chance to start until they can’t. Chamberlain had a fantastic start to the…
The Alabama Crimson Tide OF was off to a great start this spring hitting .429/.554/.750. Gentry had six double and four home runs providing power from the Alabama four-hole. Scouts really like his power giving him a 60 grade. Gentry has a strong arm and profiles in one of the corner outfield spots. His running…
Ben Hernandez was someone I admittedly was not looking at for the Royals at 41. I was really expecting a college pitcher or possibly college bat like Cabrera or DeLoach. However, this is a good pick. By taking a high school kid at 41 after an overnight break, the Royals and Hernandez must already have…
The Royals go with Ben Hernandez from the De La Salle Institute. The 6’2″ RHP was the 72nd rated player on MLB.com. The 18-year-old has a really strong change up to go with his 90-94 MPH fastball. He has touched 95. What has held Hernandez back is the development of his breaking ball. Hernandez has…
The Draft took some crazy and unexpected twists and turns last night. When the Royals pick came calling at number four overall, they had their choice between the best all-around position player in the draft, the best college LHP in the draft, the best college RHP in the draft, and the best high school player…
The Royals have selected Baylor SS Nick Loftin 32nd overall. Loftin is a guy I watched play quite a bit but didn’t write up because the season got canceled. Loftin was named the Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year. Here are my notes on him. Loftin hit third for the Bears and played 2B,…
