***Official 2021 Royals Season Repository Thread***

[ChiefsCountry]

For all things Royals for the new year.

Free Agent Signings:
Carlos Santana
Mike Minor
Michael Taylor
Ervin Santana

Top 10 Prospects:
1 Bobby Witt Jr., SS
2 Asa Lacy, LHP
3 Daniel Lynch, LHP
4 Jackson Kowar, RHP
5 Erick Pena, OF
6 Nick Loftin, SS
7 Kyle Isbel, OF
8 Khali Lee, OF
9 Jonathan Bowlan, RHP
10 Carlos Hernedez, RHP

[KChiefs1]

[KChiefs1]

[KChiefs1]

[KChiefs1]

[Why Not?]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

Emil Brown, Ruben Gotay, Angel Berroa, Terrence Long.

Yeah, that’s certainly one of them.

[Mecca]

Isbels development got Lee traded.

[KChiefs1]

Originally Posted by dallaschiefsfan

For those with an Athletic subscription, this is a good read on Benintendi. Basically gives some context to his struggles the last year or so.

Great read. Loved this part.

Even before the trade, this 2020-21 offseason has been about returning to his fluid athletic self. He’s eaten differently. His body has returned to his natural weight, he said. His bat path is also where he wants it to be.

“He decided he’s going to go back to what he looked like when he was at his best,” Chris said, “and that was the guy who was 175 at his height. Be the athletic, bat-on-ball kind of guy.”

“Now I understand the player I am and want to be,” Andrew said.

“He’s a line-drive swing type of guy,” Barkett said. “Kauffman Stadium is a tough place to hit the ball out of the ballpark. So for him there it’s, ‘There’s gaps here; I just need to stay within myself and play my game.'”

Back to the journey.

Speaking this week after he’d been traded, Andrew mentioned 2015. He’d torn up college baseball that year and been drafted. Simultaneously, the Royals earned a trip to the World Series. He watched the games with friends in Fayetteville, marveling at the electricity within a Midwestern town — one that reminded him of home. Don’t take this the wrong way: He and his family loved Boston. There’s just a familiarity that comes with the Midwest.

Similarly, there’s a familiarity that comes with the body weight he’s long played with; that bat path he’s long worked with; the approach that made him who he is.

“He’s excited,” Chris Benintendi said. “We’re all excited.”

[duncan_idaho]

And all of that is why I hope we see Benintendi hitting 2 or 3. He runs well, hits for a high average, and has on-base skills to boot. If you hit him at the top, you’re set up to take advantage of that.

If Mondesi continues where he left off 2020, you could hit Merrifield-Benintendi-Mondesi in some order at the top and follow them up with Soler-Santana-Perez-Dozier and give your power guys lots of ABs with fast men on base.

This has the potential to be a really good lineup, gang.

And if they’re actually deadening the ball like it looks like, KC’s staff will play up a bit pitching at a bigger ballpark that is less hitter friendly.

[Prison Bitch]

FG playoff odds: 10.4%. (Went up 2% with AB trade)


https://www.fangraphs.com/standings/playoff-odds



Projected record: 79-83


https://www.fangraphs.com/depthchart...tion=Standings

[DJJasonp]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

FG playoff odds: 10.4%. (Went up 2% with AB trade)


https://www.fangraphs.com/standings/playoff-odds



Projected record: 79-83


https://www.fangraphs.com/depthchart...tion=Standings

I'm good with this - should keep us interested/in wild card hunt through August or so...

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

And all of that is why I hope we see Benintendi hitting 2 or 3. He runs well, hits for a high average, and has on-base skills to boot. If you hit him at the top, you’re set up to take advantage of that.

If Mondesi continues where he left off 2020, you could hit Merrifield-Benintendi-Mondesi in some order at the top and follow them up with Soler-Santana-Perez-Dozier and give your power guys lots of ABs with fast men on base.

This has the potential to be a really good lineup, gang.

And if they’re actually deadening the ball like it looks like, KC’s staff will play up a bit pitching at a bigger ballpark that is less hitter friendly.

If Salvy can be just 90% of what he was last year over the course of 500 ABs, then he has

155+ hits
35+ 2Bs
35+ HRs
100 + RBIs

You have to hit him 4. Have Merrifield, AB, Mondesi in front of him and he has the chance to have a ton more RBIs and then with the players you can stack behind him for the added protection. That makes Salvy one hell of a valuable player even if he isn't playing C an absurd amount of times. The key with Salvy to have an insane year at the plate is not wearing him out behind the plate.

Side note, what does it take for Salvy to get into Cooperstown? Is he gonna have to play for 7 or more years and rack up 5 more GG and 4 more SS? That'd put him at 10 GG's and 7 SS's. That puts him in a tie with Pudge Rodriguez for 2nd most SS's by a C and 10 GG's puts him in a tie with Johnny Bench for 2nd most GG's.

I know that's tough, but what do you think gets him into the HOF, because he's the only one from the WS run that even has a chance.

[Prison Bitch]

Sal has a 24 bWar and 12 fWar (FG introduces that idiotic “pitch framing” metric a coupe years ago that punished Sal and elevated guys like Posey and Grandal).


The avg HOF catcher has a bWar of 52. There are 16 members. So Sal needs to double his career production, the second part starting at age 31. Unlikely to say the least.


But if he adds 3-4 more ASG and gold gloves, he’s got a solid case for sure. And that is do-able.

[WhitiE]

Originally Posted by TLO

Damn
I'm gonna have to find some sort of solution.

https://cubbyscablecutters.com/

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Sal has a 24 bWar and 12 fWar (FG introduces that idiotic “pitch framing” metric a coupe years ago that punished Sal and elevated guys like Posey and Grandal).


The avg HOF catcher has a bWar of 52. There are 16 members. So Sal needs to double his career production, the second part starting at age 31. Unlikely to say the least.


But if he adds 3-4 more ASG and gold gloves, he’s got a solid case for sure. And that is do-able.

Reason I was asking was because of baseball references

HOF Monitor
Sal - 39, Likely HOF has 100

HOF Standards
Sal - 7, Likely HOF has 50

JAWS right now hes the 59th ranked catcher

Sal:
24.2 career WAR / 20.7 7yr-peak WAR / 22.4 JAWS

Average HOF C (out of 16):
53.6 career WAR / 34.8 7yr-peak WAR / 44.2 JAWS

But with Sal, he has a ton of hardware and if last year wasn't just an anomaly and he can somehow repeat that he has a really good shot. If he played all year like he did for those ~40 games, then he would have had around an 8 WAR. If he were to have just 2, maybe 3 seasons of 5-8 WAR then I think he's for sure getting in. Hell 5 GG, 3 SS and 6 AS isn't too shabby a start.

[KChiefs1]

https://www.kansascity.com/sports/ml...249265010.html

Northwest Arkansas fans will have to wait to see KC Royals play in their ballpark

BY LYNN WORTHY

The coronavirus will cost Kansas City Royals’ Double-A affiliate a chance to host their major-league parent club and stars like Salvador Perez and Whit Merrifield this spring.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals announced on Monday morning their exhibition game against the Royals at Arvest Ballpark on Monday, March 29, has been postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The club did not announce a makeup date, but said they’d look to reschedule “for a future year.”

The Royals released a revised spring training schedule last week which foreshadowed Monday’s announcement. The Royals revised spring training slate now includes a Cactus League game against the Cleveland Indians in Surprise, Arizona, on March 29.

The Kansas City Royals on Friday announced a revised 28-game Cactus League exhibition schedule for spring training in Arizona.

The Royals will now open Cactus League play on Sunday, February 28 at 2:05 p.m. Central time against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium. The Royals and Rangers share Surprise Stadium as their home venue in Arizona.

The Royals’ schedule includes 14 home games in addition to one game as the visiting team against the Rangers on March 26.

The Royals will play every other Cactus League team twice, once at home and once as the road team.

After the Cactus League finale on Monday, March 29, the Royals will have two days off before the regular season starts on Thursday, April 1 against the Rangers at Kauffman Stadium.

Royals pitchers and catchers will hold their first spring training workout in Arizona on Wednesday.

Royals spring training schedule

All times Central

Sunday, February 28: Texas, 2:05 p.m.

Monday, March 1: at Cleveland, TBA

Tuesday, March 2: at Chicago (NL), TBA

Wednesday, March 3: Chicago (AL), 2:05 p.m.

Thursday, March 4: at Cincinnati, TBA

Friday, March 5: Los Angeles, 2:05 p.m.

Saturday, March 6: at San Francisco, TBA

Sunday, March 7: at San Diego, TBA

Monday, March 8: Oakland, 2:05 p.m.

Tuesday, March 9: at Seattle, TBA

Wednesday, March 10: Cincinnati, 2:05 p.m.

Thursday, March 11: at Milwaukee, TBA

Saturday, March 13: Chicago (NL), 2:05 p.m.

Sunday, March 14: at Los Angeles, TBA

Monday, March 15: San Francisco, 3:05 p.m.

Tuesday, March 16: Seattle, 8:05 p.m.

Wednesday, March 17: at Oakland, TBA

Thursday, March 18: at Chicago (AL), TBA

Friday, March 19: Los Angeles, 3:05 p.m.

Saturday, March 20: at Arizona, TBA

Sunday, March 21: Colorado, 3:05 p.m.

Monday, March 22: San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

Wednesday, March 24: at Los Angeles, TBA

Thursday, March 25: Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

Friday, March 26: at Texas, TBA

Saturday, March 27: Milwaukee, 3:05 p.m.

Sunday, March 28: at Colorado, TBA

Monday, March 29: Cleveland, 2 p.m.