That was awesome. Never quit and got it done.

God bless Salvy, he’s given his heart and soul to our Royals.

Good one.

Salvy will have a Statue at Kauffman soon enough. He may not be the dominant HoF player that Brett was over the course of his career, but he brought us as many championships and has been one of the most loved people in this city for the past decade.

https://meme-generator.com/wp-conten...aba0fa6b-1.jpg

September 12th.

First day of Chiefs season.

Dear god it's going to be a long two months.

If Mahomes wasn't the most popular NFL player in the world, Salvy would own KC.

Good win last night. Glad Benni got a BD Dong.

This is like when you said KC was more of a baseball town instead of football. You dont even live here please quit speaking for us. Kelce would be the most popular KC athlete if Mahomes wasn't here

Dayton knows how to build a bullpen. Is this reputation true?



fWar bullpen rank:

2007 10
2008 14
2009 25
2010 25
2011 18
2012 1
2013 2
2014 3
2015 3
2016 4
2017 10
2018 29
2019 17
2020 12
2021 27


Avg: 13.4. A touch better than avg.

Top 5 for 5 consecutive seasons (and one of the greatest bullpens of all time) seems pretty good. They were virtually unbeatable if they had a lead after 6 innings in 2014-2015. Top half of the league 9/15 seasons. Find better things to complain about.

That was mostly spoken during his golden years of 2012-2015. So it became common overplay which probably carried beyond the years he was actually successful in this aspect.

Flanny offering some pretty insightful critiques of Matheny’s handling of the locker room on Twitter right now for those interested. With the way he’s wording the tweets, there’s a good chance they’re coming from Whit, Duffy or Salvy (or I suppose Holland, Davis or Erv).

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I get asked a lot about Mike Matheny. I have covered Wathan, McRae, Boone, Muser, Bell, Trey and Ned. Hal was the best overall manager I covered. But Matheny is by far the most intellectual. Every thought or question you have about this team he already has pondered 50 times. (2)</p>&mdash; Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlannyMLB/status/1412922823937597443?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I was fascinated by Matheny’s “chase every win” approach, which wasn’t harmful in last year’s 60-game sprint. But over 162, it is not practical. Keep an eye on bullpen injuries over these last three months. And there is a mental toll on all players with this approach, too. (4)</p>&mdash; Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlannyMLB/status/1412925421268652033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I will repeat: Mike Matheny could still be the perfect hire here. He has adapted to modern-day analytics (the ones that actually matter to teams, not the crap, that is a topic for my next rant) he is terrific in public and with the media. I strongly believe in his skill set. (6)</p>&mdash; Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlannyMLB/status/1412928698165121029?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">But I still think Dayton’s hiring of Matheny will pan out. Matheny has made a ton of adjustments since his St.Louis days but he will have to make more to win this entire clubhouse. The Royals are close, and with all that young pitching on the rise, the future is bright. But ..(8)</p>&mdash; Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlannyMLB/status/1412932738156535814?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It does no good to say it now, but I was never a fan of the Matheny signing. I thought he underachieved with a clearly superior Cardinals roster the last few years he was there and couldn't see him doing any better with a lesser roster here.

I’m still hoping Sherman cleans house. A fresh start with a new philosophy would be wonderful.

Yeah that's pretty clearly coming from the clubhouse and Flanagan doesn't work for the team anymore so he can let it rip. Matheny has changed a lot, I'm not sure I've seen a professional coach change analytically like he has. He actually applies a lot of modern strategies to the game, which was supposed to be a huge weakness. But overall his teams here are looking like they did in St. Louis, just a little too sloppy and too many bad mental errors. Like Taylor getting picked at 3rd today. Just inexcusable. His teams aren't complete disasters but they make some really terrible mistakes at bad times. Not sure if that's being too loose or too tight on the guys, but you'll never win doing stuff like that. If he starts piling up bullpen injuries watch out.

There are enough vets on the roster who had Yost during the World Series runs that whoever is talking to Flanny has plenty of cover. Regardless, this is the most critical I have ever seen Flanny of anyone hired by the Royals. Even earlier this year, he was steadfast in his defenses of Matheny and was never, ever critical of Yost while hired with the team or in retirement.

The bullpen stuff is interesting. With Matheny, he is leaning on Barlow, Holland, and Brentz really, really hard. It is not a good thing that they are all near the top of the league in appearances. We were critical that Yost had 7th, 8th, and 9th inning guys, but before the playoffs, he very much protected his arms and they all seemed overwhelmingly loyal to him for that.

The Royals play like a team full of dudes with no baseball IQ, they constantly **** up the little things winning teams do.

Also for the bullpen, every team in baseball has multiple dudes coming in throwing 99, if you're a bad team all relievers should be up for trade. Even for the best guys 3-4 years is about what you get before they rapidly decline.

There is no defense of Mike Matheny. He is a ****ing boob as a Manager. Full stop.

That was straight and to the ****ing point. ROFL

Bullpen over usage has been mainly because the starting pitching has been dog shit.

Pitching is the currency of baseball / Dayton


27th fWar pitching staff ^

The Angels should have pulled some bullshit to keep Ohtani out of the HRD.

Flanagan is still sucking on Mathenys dick.

Him saying Matheny is the smartest manager is the dumbest shit I've ever read about Matheny. The dude is a meat head. Hate everything about him.

To me that’s the necessary politics he has to play after just alleging that vets inside Matheny’s clubhouse (and there’s a lot of them) are disgruntled with his style. That’s a pretty big grenade he just launched towards a clubhouse that has notoriously thin skin (GMDM had multiple meltdowns at Andy’s reporting in 2014 about much lighter topics). Flanny, unlike Andy, has never had a combative relationship with the team and even churched up bad years like 2012. This is significant for him to come out and say.

That Flanagan Twitter thread is fantastic.

Speaks to a lot of the things I was worried/concerned about with Matheny and staff.

I think Matheny will survive this season/offseason and end up getting canned midseason next year. His staff will get turned over. Pay attention to his bench coach - if they hire someone with prior managing experience, the writing is on the wall.

The best thing about this season is Perez is in the Home Run Derby.

He's going to win it, too. If he doesn't have to worry about it being a ball, there is no looking back for Perez. He would be my odds on favorite to win it.

ITT, You’ve sorta become the apologist for the F.O.

I disagree, he is just reporting what he thinks will happen, not what he wants to happen.

He has been pretty clear in that he would like to see sweeping changes with the development of our players.

Random, pointless stat for the Arizona Royals fans.... the Royals' comeback the other night got me wondering.... prior to Tuesday night, the last time the Royals and Diamondbacks won on the same day was 6/1, a span of 28 games when they played on the same day.

I'm not trying to apologize or defend except where I feel people are being unreasonable or maybe aren't seeing the whole picture.

What I want to happen is different from what I think will happen.

I've been very clear and transparent from the first hint of Matheny becoming manager that I think this is a huge mistake, a mis-step, and that Moore is putting his job on the line (for me) with this hire.

If they stick with Matheny and this staff without changes, I want a cleaned house top to bottom.

They stick with Matheny and make staff changes, I think it's time to remove Moore from that part of the decision process and move him upstairs, where his strengths can still be valuable (culture, investment in scouts, etc.). Even if it works.

If they can Matheny and flip over the whole staff, I'll give Moore some credit. I don't believe he has it in him to take that approach. But we'll see.

My historical defense of Moore has been based on a few legs:

1) How much of a task he inherited
2) How successful he was in "fixing" what he inherited
3) How hard it is for a market like KC to actually win a WS, let alone make it to 2
4) The success rate of GMs. It's not easy to get that hire right.
2)

Out of curiosity, what’s your current stance on Matheny?

We've been shitty at developing starting pitching for a long time. A very long time.

Starting pitching was SUPPOSED to be what fueled the 2015 'best farm system ever destined to be World Champions' club.

It wasn't. Duffy and Ventura were the only guys that worked out, really.

They need to make some organizational changes.

Everyone in the org needs to be on watch.

That’s where I am too.

I’m in the Beane school of: managers don’t matter much.

As such, that cuts both ways. Matheny prob isn’t losing those games on his own but letting him go won’t be any real loss either.

Moore seems to really like Matheny in a personal sense. Given the org's "family" outlook on things, I'd expect him to get a very long leash. Maybe even longer than Bob Sutton.

I feel like a bad manager has a more negative impact on a team than a good manager has a positive impact if that makes sense.

Agreed. Unfortunately.

100 percent agree. Being "awesome" doesn't gain you much beyond being "competant." But being bad can hurt you a lot.

No doubt he isn't losing on his own. My argument would be that he and his below-average staff are making things worse than they can be. A good manager might help you pull an extra win or two. A bad manager who makes his team play tight, doesn't organize appropriately, and burns his bullpen (it sure looks like Matheny still doesn't pay attention to whether he's warming guys up too much in the pen) can certainly hurt you.

What about pitching coaches:bolt:

The Royals developmental system is terrible, it has been for a long time. The guys having constructed this is at fault. Draft all you want at the top of the draft, it doesn't matter because we can't do anything with that talent (for the most part). The very few guys that DO develop are doing so in spite of the organization, or were acquired later in their development (Cain)

I fully understand the sensitivity around Moore. He’s obv a Royals HOF and a good case could be made MLB HOF for pulling off what he did. That said, even HOFers reach inglorious ends (look at Pujols last few years).


I don’t think we can attribute the last 10 years of shitty drafting and development to “bad luck”. It’s bad management. We are currently #28 fWar position players and #27 pitching. That’s not bad luck.

It certainly seems so, Cosmo! Every reply of yours about this will be met with another article, just an FYI! Please feel free to call it Fake News it you want to model someone you clearly would never try to emulate. :)

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-mets...arthen-slider/

That's... an extreme take. An overreaction, IMO.

They won a world series, went to another, and had the best 5-year stretch in 25 years based on the back of amateur talent acquisition and development.

They did a bad job adjusting to the talent acquisition angle after the draft slot system change, and didn't really find a new angle that worked until 2017/2018 (dumping the "always draft HS arms high" approach).

Wave 1/approach 1 was a huge success. Wave 2 (with same approach) was a huge failure. Wave 3 is TBD (with a new approach to both the acquisition side and drastically different approaches to developing hitters and pitchers).

Are they the best? Absolutely not. Are they the Pittsburgh Pirates? Also no.

I've said consistently and repeatedly that they didn't do a good enough job adjusting to the hard draft slots once they happened.

Between that and cashing in a few successes (Manaea, really) and a few bad luck cases, you've got a 2021 roster that doesn't have enough home grown talent.

Yet.

I think the org shifted gears drastically following the disaster in 2015. They stopped trying to hammer all SP into the same mold, started drafting college arms instead of projectable HS arms, and have changed the way they train hitters following the 2019 disaster for all the guys at A+. This includes completely changing High A affiliates.

There are enough good trends for me to be OK with an infusion of new blood rather than a wholesale house cleaning, assuming appropriate staff changes are made at the MLB level.

But if they try to hold the course entirely? Yeah, that's a final straw.

3 winning seasons out of 15 will get him in the Royals HOF woof

top 10 draft picks for the last 15 years...coaching, throwing programs, just missing on players??...I dont get it

One would think that an ace would fall from the sky at this point...law of averages

WTF is going on with Scott Barlow?

He has the second most bullpen appearances in baseball right now.

His arm looks like mush. Flanny’s guidance to watch the DL for bullpen arms soon looms large.

Santana willed that one.

Santanadong x2!

Matheny gonna blow out some arms baby!

Melendez with his 16th Long Dong

Let's see if Holland can avoid a walkoff.

He's also tied with Jake Brentz for the second most appearances in baseball. Holland is 4 behind them.

Good one.

What a cluster F this game has been.

I could have hit that one out

Narrator: He didn't.

This bullpen geez

I'm going to go listen to Vern to see if he tries to beat his head against the table on the air...

Terribad.

Barlow needs a break.

****ing Barlow then Holland giving up 3 run jacks. Right the **** in the wheelhouse ****ing jokes. Gregs got to go or at least bumped from closer.

Brentz, too. Both are 1 appearance away from being tied with the most bullpen appearances in the league. They look gassed. Holland is now 5 away from being in the same place.

Metheny trying to win early in the season has ruined the bullpen. The starters needed to go 7 every game no matter how many pitches they have pitched.

Matheny using Staumont in the 6th and Holland in the 9th is ****ing nuts. He's ass backwards. Dude is a ****ing moron

Here's all you need to know about this team. This was right after Santana's game tying HR. Little to no emotion. Pathetic.

https://i.ibb.co/8xkNCzq/Screenshot-...929-Chrome.jpg

Jfc Lynch is broken

@ClintScoles: Daniel Lynch 2.1 IP 8 H 8 ER 3 BB 2 K 2 HR - don't know if he's still fighting a blister issue but he probably needs a reset at AA. 6.38 ERA at AAA - 48 ER in 56 innings total

DM loyal to Holland.


F*** both of them. LEAVE

Team needs more Bible study.

Wow. Really disappointing.

Does this team not have enough actual problems? Do we have to invent problems that aren't real? Go back and look at the replay immediately when the ball goes over the fence. Players are pumping fists and yelling and celebrating. Taking a screenshot a few seconds later of some random guys in the dugout who aren't all completely giddy and pretending that's a problem is ridiculous. This myth that they don't care is played out and downright inaccurate. They may suck, but that doesn't mean they don't care about winning.

Brentz last pitched on July 3. He threw 8 pitches tonight.
Barlow pitched the day before, but then not since July 3.
How much rest do they need between pitching for 1 inning?

Sometimes bringing someone up before they're ready can ruin them.