Here are the latest happenings in Royals news from last week!
ICYMI: The Royals Reporter is coming to Farm to Fountains! That’s right, THE Kevin O’Brien has joined the Farm to Fountains team as Lead MLB Writer.
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Royals News
The Royals optioned one of their top prospects Tyler Gentry to Triple-A: “For Gentry, it’ll be yet another chance to prove himself. In 2023, he took the trip to Omaha to start his season and stayed there all year. In the first half for the Storm Chasers, Gentry slashed a pedestrian .231/.336/.383 with an 11.7% walk rate. Then, after the All-Star Break, he took off.”
The Royals optioned top reliever John McMillon to Triple-A: “We got a taste of what that combo can do at the major league level and should still see plenty of it in Kansas City this season. His walk rate was also a concern in prior seasons, but he has seen massive improvement in that area. The Whammer should get ample opportunity to earn his stripes in the back end of the Royals’ bullpen this season, it might just not happen as quickly as we thought.”
Bo Jackson was elected to the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame: “We may never see another all-around athlete like Bo Jackson in our lifetime. His ability to be incredibly successful in two completely different sports is arguably unmatched. We were blessed enough to be able to see him donning a Royals’ uniform, even if we had to shield our eyes from the black and silver he wore during the MLB off-season. Thank you for all the memories, Bo, and congratulations on an honor well deserved!”
Royals Analysis
Preston Farr dives into the career of Alec Marsh thus far: “It’s been a long, hard journey for Alec Marsh to reach this point, but he’s finally on the cusp of major league success. He’s far from the pitcher he was back in 2019 for Arizona State. Hell, he’s nowhere near the pitcher he was in 2022 for the Naturals. So much has changed, for better or for worse. The path to this point has been full of detours and challenges, but 2024 could be the season it all comes together for Marsh.”
Kevin O’Brien gives his lineup and bench predictions for the Royals: “The biggest surprise in my lineup is Pratto, the Opening Day first baseman, and in the eight-hole. As I said in a post on “Farm to Fountains,” Pratto has done everything this spring to not only be a candidate to make the Opening Day roster but also bump Nelson Velazquez off of it.”
Kevin O’Brien gives his opening day pitching staff predictions for the Royals: “I am not ready to put Lynch in the rotation until we receive more information on Lyles. However, if Lyles starts the season on the IL or perhaps misses more time due to this back injury and is required to begin the year in extended Spring Training, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Lynch start the season in the Royals’ rotation.”
Jacob Milham looks at where Steven Cruz stacks up against the rest of the Royals bullpen: “I do not think Cruz reaches 44 appearances in 2024, or even half of that. The Royals added plenty of bullpen arms this offseason, while prospects like Will Klein and John McMillon are competing with Cruz. There is no need to rush him and abandon him refining his control. He has never been a polished reliever, but he can still improve on his marks from last year”
Anne Rogers digs into the Statcast data on Cole Ragans and Maikel Garcia: “Some other interesting things we gleaned from Statcast regarding Ragans on Tuesday was that his average cutter velocity of 93.2 mph was 1.4 mph more than it averaged last year. That has been the case all spring, and it varies as his fastball velocity varies. But Ragans is OK with the harder cutter as he works to make the pitch more effective this year.”
Farm System
Jackson Wilks looks at the potential for Gavin Cross to bounce back in 2024: “Gavin Cross has the distinction as the final first-round pick of the Dayton Moore era. While he has no control over this, it may leave a bad taste in some fans’ mouths. Nonetheless, there is no doubt that everyone is eager for him to succeed. Cross dazzled early in his debut season and earned a quick promotion to Low-A after just three rookie ball games. That success didn’t quite translate to his first full season and he struggled to make good contact in High-A for Quad Cities last season. He’ll come into 2024 trying to fine-tune his swing and find his way further up the system.”
Preston Farr looks at storylines to watch for the Royals Spring Breakout Game: “No matter what happens or how the game goes, it will be a fun opportunity to see these prospects on a new stage and in a new light and a unique chance for each player to showcase their skills to a more widespread audience. Beyond that, however, there will be a handful of important storylines that could matter well beyond this spring’s Breakout Series.”
MLB News
The Seattle Mariners sign Ryne Stanek to a one-year deal
New York Yankees Gerrit Cole is expected to miss 1-to-2 months with an injury