KC Royals - An OOTP 25 Narrated Playthrough - Day 1

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Today we begin a three-game series against the Washington Nationals on the road. The Nationals are batting .442 this season, with a record of 69 wins and 87 losses. They sit in 4th place in the East Division, 36.5 games behind the leader. Their 683 runs scored rank 12th in the National League, and their .240 batting average is 11th. Defensively, they have allowed 783 runs (13th), with starting pitchers posting an ERA of 4.70, which is 12th. Their bullpen has an ERA of 4.50, ranking 11th. Nationals Park, a slightly hitter-friendly ballpark, has a capacity of 41222 fans.

Here are the projected pitching matchups:
RHP A. Marsh (3-3, 3.91 ERA) vs LHP M. Gore (14-9, 3.83 ERA)
RHP B. Singer (6-6, 4.34 ERA) vs LHP D. Herz (11-10, 4.67 ERA)
LHP A. Veneziano (3-3, 3.77 ERA) vs RHP J. Gray (9-11, 4.53 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. SS CJ Abrams (Age: 23, Overall: 65, Potential: 65)
2. SP MacKenzie Gore (25, 60, 65)
3. 2B Luis Garcia (24, 55, 55)
4. CL Michael McGreevy (24, 50, 50)
5. SP Bryce Elder (25, 50, 55)

Game Summary – September 24th – Thomas 5-for-5 for Washington



Lane Thomas of the Nationals was unstoppable in their 12-4 win over the Kansas City Royals at Nationals Park. He collected 5 hits in 5 at-bats.

"Boy, I was on the mark today," said the Washington right fielder after the game. "I could see the ball really well. It's a great feeling to do this. And besides, 5-for-5 won't hurt your batting average like 0-for-5 will."

Lane Thomas hit a two-run home run off Alec Marsh in the first inning, then added an RBI single in the second, and continued to single in the fifth, seventh, and eighth innings. So far this season, in 150 games, Thomas is batting .260 with 18 home runs, 81 RBIs, and 70 runs scored. He has 147 hits in 566 at-bats.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Lane Thomas
Ballpark: Nationals Park
Weather: Partly Cloudy (66 degrees), wind blowing in from the left at 6 mph
Start Time: 6:45 PM ET
Time: 3:38
Attendance: 13744

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Cole Ragans was called up from the IL today, and we assigned him to Omaha to finish his season on rehab and develop him into a top rotation starter for next year. Kyle Wright will remain on the IL through the rest of the year and won’t be able to start in our development lab until next spring. We’ll need to leave some room for him to at least rebuild his strength and stamina alongside Ragans, so both can participate in spring training and develop into competitive arms. That reminds me that I’ll need to start looking for a new team trainer to prevent losing more of our pitching staff to injuries next season.



Our LOOGY pitcher from last season, Alex Claudio, sent me a personal message last night to request an extension offer, and I think I’m going to accept it. He has been a reliable reliever against lefties all year, and although he doesn’t have much stamina, he can get us out of innings where we need a high-leverage guy. I’d like to see him develop better stuff, but his control is excellent. As long as he can keep the movement in his pitches, we'll keep him another year. He is asking for 1.64 million, but I think we can sign him for close to a million. I’ve sent an offer for 1.25 million, so we’ll see what he responds with. I think he initially likes the offer.

Game Summary – September 25th – Zero Hour: Singer Blanks Nationals



Kansas City Royals pitcher Brady Singer delivered a strong performance at Nationals Park, leading to a 6-0 shutout victory over the Washington Nationals by holding them to just 4 hits. The 28-year-old issued 1 walk and struck out 8 batters in the Royals' win. So far this season, Singer has compiled a 7-6 record with a 4.05 ERA in 23 starts.

"It was just one of those games where everything went right. I threw a lot of strikes," Singer said. "And the pitches they did get to hit, they didn't do anything with them."



KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
B. Singer W  (7-6) 9.0 4 0 0  1  8 0  88 4.05

Game Score: B. Singer 86
Batters Faced: B. Singer 30
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: B. Singer 8-9
Pitches - Strikes: B. Singer 88-63

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Brady Singer
Ballpark: Nationals Park Weather: Cloudy (62 degrees), wind blowing in from center at 8 mph
Start Time: 6:45 PM ET
Time: 3:45
Attendance: 13128
Special Notes: Rain delay of 59 minutes in the 4th inning. SP DJ Herz was injured while pitching.

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Jonathan India suffered a knee contusion late in the game and needed to be removed, so we’ve placed him on the IL with only three games left in the season. There’s no point in risking an injury this late. Nick Loftin will replace him at second base to finish out the season and get a few more games of seasoning before we hit post-season non-play.

Game Summary – September 26th – Gray Now 10-11 Following 5-2 Win Over Royals



The home crowd enjoyed watching the Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals compete. The Washington Nationals defeated the Kansas City Royals, 5-2. Washington pitcher and New Rochelle, New York, native Josiah Gray led the effort. The Nationals now have a record of 71-88. Gray, who was born in New Rochelle, New York, threw 99 pitches over 8 innings, allowing just 1 run. "If I go out there and help the team win, that's all you can do," said Gray.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Josiah Gray
Ballpark: Nationals Park
Weather: Cloudy (65 degrees), wind blowing in from center at 12 mph
Start Time: 1:05 PM ET
Time: 2:52
Attendance: 13359
Special Notes: 2B Jonathan India was injured being hit by a pitch.

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We’re set to face the Atlanta Braves in a three-game series at Truist Park, a hitter-friendly stadium with a capacity of 41,149. The Braves lead the East Division with an impressive record of 107 wins and 52 losses—a .673 winning percentage. Offensively, they top the National League with 891 runs scored and a team batting average of .267. Defensively, they’ve allowed just 608 runs, also the lowest in the National League. Their starting pitchers boast a league-best ERA of 3.60, while their bullpen holds a solid 3.59 ERA, ranking fifth in the league.

Here are the projected pitching matchups:
RHP Z. Eflin (8-12, 4.72 ERA) vs RHP S. Strider (20-6, 2.95 ERA)
LHP K. Bubic (2-3, 5.40 ERA) vs RHP I. Anderson (6-2, 3.88 ERA)
RHP A. Marsh (3-4, 4.64 ERA) vs RHP R. Lopez (12-7, 3.77 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. CF Michael Harris II (Age: 23, Overall: 80, Potential: 80)
2. C Sean Murphy (29, 80, 80)
3. SP Spencer Strider (25, 75, 80)
4. SP Max Fried (30, 70, 70)
5. 1B Matt Olson (30, 65, 65)

Game Summary – September 27th – Strider K's 12 En Route to 6-2 Braves Win Over the Royals



Atlanta Braves starter Spencer Strider found his rhythm in their 6-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals. The win brings Atlanta's season record to 108-52. Strider allowed 2 runs over 8.2 innings and struck out 12 batters. "We did a lot of things right," said Strider.

Zac Eflin’s pitching once again failed to stifle the Atlanta bats as he finishes with 6 earned runs and 2 homers on 11 hits, resulting in a 6.07 ERA before leaving the game after 5.0 innings. I’m starting to doubt my decision to trade for him and let go of Lugo while we still had Lugo locked in for another year. But that’s old news now, and something I’ll have to accept. I can evaluate how we move forward with Zac this off-season if any decisions need to be made.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Spencer Strider
Ballpark: Truist Park
Weather: Clear skies (69 degrees), wind blowing in from center at 10 mph
Start Time: 7:20 PM ET
Time: 2:57
Attendance: 40951

[Biggp07]

We have now lost 3 games before a final game in regular play against Braves tonight. It would be nice to finish with a 70-win record but tomorrow night is our last and only chance to do that.

Game Summary – September 28th – Dominant Performance by Anderson in Atlanta Win



The Kansas City Royals were defeated by Ian Anderson and his Atlanta teammates. The final score was 6-1 in favor of the Braves. The National League East Division leaders, the Braves, are 109-52. Anderson dominated the Royals, allowing only 2 hits over 7 innings while striking out 10. The right-hander improved his season record to 7-2. "Whenever we hold the other team to one run," said Braves manager Brian Snitker, "I like our chances."

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Ian Anderson
Ballpark: Truist Park
Weather: Partly Cloudy (66 degrees), wind blowing out to left at 8 mph
Start Time: 7:20 PM ET
Time: 3:01
Attendance: 40960

[Biggp07]

We were able to stop our losing streak skid and ended the season with a win against a good Atlanta team to get us to 70 for the season. I’ll take it and go back to KC knowing we ended season on a good note. The plane ride back will be less stressful, and we can take a few days to chill with family and relax at the house. But I’ll have to get things figured out for our off-season development and winter meetings discussions soon so won’t rest too long.

The offer I followed up with Alex Claudio was convincing enough for him to sign on for another year. I gave him a last-minute inning in this game as a mark of the deal, so we’ll see how he gets through the off-season and whether he can help us out next season.



We released a few of the remaining guys that were upcoming free agents and not going to make it onto the secondary roster or that we felt could not develop further and out of options. Our rookie clubs and low A ball performed very well this year, and we think there’s a few prospects who’ll be moving up next year and possibly make the 40 man in a couple. So, we need to clean house a little and give them some room to grow.

Once I return to the Kauffman front office, I’ll hold a review, and we’ll discuss our plan moving forward. We have a few things to fix this off-season, starting with the coaching and training staff.

Game Summary – September 28th – Royals Win, 9-6, at Atlanta



The Kansas City Royals defeated the Atlanta Braves, 9-6, at Truist Park. Leading the charge for Kansas City was right fielder Drew Waters. He went 1-3 with a home run and 3 walks, while scoring 3 runs. Alec Marsh earned the win, improving to 4-4. He held the Braves to 1 run on 5 hits over 5.2 innings, striking out 5 and walking 1. Kansas City is in last place in the American League Central Division with a record of 70-92. Kansas City second baseman Nick Loftin contributed a timely at-bat in the top of the first. With two outs, he hit a slider to center field for a 2-run single. It was his 51st hit of the season and put the Royals ahead, 3-0. "Nice win for us," said Loftin. "Now we'll go after the next one."

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Drew Waters
Ballpark: Truist Park
Weather: Partly Cloudy (68 degrees), wind blowing out to left at 10 mph
Start Time: 3:20 PM ET
Time: 4:06
Attendance: 40900

[Biggp07]

Baseball is often called a marathon, but once the Major League Baseball playoffs begin today, it transforms into a sprint to the finish. A single mistake, misstep, or high-pressure error can shatter your team's hopes of winning the title, potentially ending the game in an instant. Conversely, a powerful swing or a well-placed pitch could just as quickly lead your team to celebrate, with players parading down Main Street and hoisting a glittering World Series trophy before cheering fans. All the top contenders are prepared, and the playoffs kick off today with multiple Wild Card Series matchups.

AL Wildcards
Baltimore Orioles (BYE)
Minnesota Twins (BYE)
Houston Astros vs. New York Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Texas Rangers

NL Wildcards
Atlanta Braves (BYE)
San Francisco Giants (BYE)
Milwaukee Brewers vs. San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals



The final season standings put us second to last, with 6 more wins than the miserable Oakland Athletics. I don't think the Athletics will stay in Oakland much longer under John Fisher's ownership, but we’ll see. Also, we had a better winning record than three National League teams—the Marlins, Diamondbacks, and Rockies.



Surprisingly, or not so much, we end up exactly matching our Pythagorean projection of a 70-92 record. The biggest takeaway for me is our lack of run production, which is evident in our final season stats. We ranked last or near last in the areas that mattered most, even though we had the offensive bats to generate much better run production.



Defensively, we started the year strong in both starter and bullpen ERAs, but as the season went on and we lost key starters like Ragans and Lugo, we had to depend on the bullpen to hold some games until we found replacements. Zac Eflin seems to be that guy, but I’m considering other options this offseason.



Finally, as a fitting season-ending finale, Bobby Witt Jr. has achieved the coveted 20/20 career achievement, with 24 home runs and 45 steals this year, despite the injuries he endured.

I told my front office that as the playoff series are being played, I’ll occasionally check in with them and share my thoughts on our approach for the winter meetings and key events from winter through spring training. I’m relying on J.J. Picollo and McLeod to find us a couple of good international amateurs while I handle the rest. As I’ve already told them, they are safe, but a few of the front office staff involved in training and coaching will be replaced unless they choose to retire first. Once I’ve had my review with the owner, I’ll start to cull the herd and rebuild for next year.

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October 4th:
• C Rodolfo Duran signs a minor league extension. We see Duran as our primary backup to Salvy in 2025 and will likely become the starter as we reduce Salvy’s playing time behind the plate and transition him into a more supplemental role as catcher, 1st baseman, and DH.



October 5th:
• RP Riley Pint signs his minor league extension for another year. Although Riley didn’t make the 40-man roster this past year, and his time in Omaha was not impressive, I like his stuff and character. We’ll start him back in Double A in 2025 and see how he performs. We need pitching help there anyway.



• SP Hunter Brown was our waiver claim from the Houston Astros, who quickly defeated Baltimore in the wildcard series 2 games to 0. He pitched about 4.0 innings in those games but is currently on the IL with a bicep strain. I’m taking a chance on him to fill our back-end rotation since he’s still young and has a couple of option years left before arbitration. My reasoning is that I see a couple of guys currently in the back-end rotation that I don’t think I’ll keep on for next year. More on that soon.



October 7th:
Here is a list of Northwest Arkansas Naturals (TL, AA) players who decided to retire:
• RP Hunter Parsons
• 2B Sahid Valenzuela

I guess J.J. Picollo found a guy he wanted for our Rookie club. SP Bryce Mayer has been assigned to our ACL Royals Rookie club to start next summer. I give J.J. plenty of freedom to make some decisions like this since gem players can be found anywhere at any time. As long as it’s not draining any other resources, it’s all good by me. And it’s better to keep our rosters full and cull the low-hanging fruit as we progress. I’m not sure this Bryce Mayer will amount to much, but we’ll soon find out.

October 8:
Our scout Jason McLeod finished his visit to the Dominican Republic with some positive news today. He discovered a 16-year-old starting pitcher named Gus Granados, who could significantly contribute to our organization. Granados's future, like most prospects, is unpredictable, but he's definitely worth watching.



SP Gus Granados was born in Bajos de Haina. He should develop a changeup that won't deceive many hitters as his best of three pitches. He will need to improve his inconsistent command, or walks will remain an issue. Although Granados is still very young, it seems unlikely he will be more than a depth option in an organization. He has been assigned to our international complex.

October 9th:
The Eastern League announced today that Mick Abel has been named the Outstanding Pitcher Award winner for 2024. I’ve put him on my top trade targets shortlist for the coming year.



The Reading starter had everything working for him this past season as he posted a 6-3 record. In his outstanding season, Abel recorded a 2.66 ERA in 71 innings, with 83 strikeouts and 26 walks. Opponents hit .191 against him in his 12 starts.

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October 10th:
The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Giants 8-7 in Game 4 of the final NL divisional series, earning a spot in the NLCS to face the Atlanta Braves, a best-of-seven series. The ALCS will feature the Minnesota Twins against the Houston Astros, who, along with the Braves, swept their divisional series opponents.



October 12:
Our scout, Jason McLeod, is once again traveling around the world searching for potential IA players who might fit our organization. He returned home just hours after leaving Venezuela on the team jet, highlighting Sal Parenzan, a 16-year-old catcher, as a prospect worth revealing.



Sal Parenzan is a tall, stocky catcher from Los Teques, Venezuela. When he reaches maturity, he is expected to be an average hitter with a .220 batting average. He is predicted to be solid at judging balls and strikes and should draw around 50 walks annually. Parenzan's ceiling is a bench role. He has been assigned to our international complex.

October 13:
Here is a list of Omaha Storm Chasers (IL, AAA) players who decided to retire:
• SS Ryan Fitzgerald
• 1B Josh Lester
Both players were 30+ years old and were never going to make the secondary roster.

October 15:
A catcher named Dillon Dingler appeared on the waiver wire, and I quickly claimed him. I believe he has excellent character and is rated slightly higher than Duran, which we will evaluate during spring training. At the very least, we will have two solid backup catchers to rotate starts until one becomes a long-term starter.

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October 17:
The league has hosted its annual international showcase featuring top prospects from around the world. It's the most important time of the year for prospects everywhere, as they get noticed by scouts across the league.

This year, the following players should be among those drawing the most attention from teams:
LF Jesus Condz, 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic
RHP Juan Garcia, 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic
RHP Robert Garcia, 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic
RHP Humberto Jaime, 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic
RF Julio Lucero, a 16-year-old out of Venezuela
RHP Armando Mateo, 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic
1B Jose Higareda, a 16-year-old out of Venezuela
CF Nelson Gregoretti, a 16-year-old out of Venezuela
2B Victor Cruz, 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic
RF Hector Alvarez, a 16-year-old out of Mexico

I’ll need to connect with Jason McLeod and J.J. Picollo to determine our major needs and see if we can find any IAs that will be top prospects for filling those gaps. We have a $4.750 million budget to spend on IA free agents starting January 15, 2025, and I hope we can identify at least a couple of valuable options.

October 18:
Our Dillon Dingler waiver claim was successful, and he is now a proud member of the Royals organization. This means I need to waive and DFA the consistent but aging catcher Austin Nola from our roster. He’s been a solid contributor to our lineup this year, but with him and Salvy being the same age, it’s counterproductive for me to keep him as a backup for Salvy. Dillon has the qualities and catching abilities that Austin has, but he is much younger at 26. Nola was also planning to ask for a salary increase, which I could not justify with much younger talent like Dillon coming into the league.

October 21:
WOW!
Saying he doesn't have the passion to keep playing or the greed to play without it, top prospect Bryce Rainer decided to hang up his cleats before ever setting foot in a major league stadium. Rainer said, "I have a lot of plans for my life, and being on the road away from my family for years on end isn't one of them."



On July 11th, 2024, Bryce Rainer was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 2024 first-year player draft out of Harvard-Westlake School in North Hollywood, CA, as a Round 1, Pick 4, 4th overall pick. On September 3rd, 2024, he then signed a minor league contract with them, with a signing bonus of $11,000,000. Now, less than two months later, he announced his retirement from professional baseball. Bryce was on our draft shortlist. I suppose it’s fortunate we didn’t choose him, or he might have asked for more money than I was willing to pay, yet I still did, hoping he would succeed. Our lucky break.

October 22:
The World Series contenders were decided Sunday night, October 20th, after the Minnesota Twins eliminated the Houston Astros in game 6 by a score of 6-5 in extra innings. The Twins needed 11 innings to seal the deal, with C Christian Vazquez earning the MVP trophy for his performance, hitting a remarkable .409 average, driving in 6 runs, and scoring 4 times.



The first game of the series played tonight went to the Minnesota Twins, beating the St Louis Cardinals 2-1 in regulation.

October 23:
Minnesota Twins beat St Louis Cardinals in game 2 of WS 4-3.

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October 24:



We finished our monthly private practice with many young international amateur free agents, whom we hope will help our team in the future. It was great to meet the players face-to-face and get to know them better, and Jason McLeod was able to improve his scouting judgments on all invitees. In fact, some of the players showed higher potential than he had initially expected, and he listed them for me in an email.

Victor Cruz, 16-year-old 2B out of the Dominican Republic



Lean and athletic, Victor Cruz hails from San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic. His power potential is rated highly. He has a quick swing that handles most fastballs well, but off-speed pitches can challenge him. Expect a batting average around .270. He should be effective at working the counts. If Cruz keeps improving, he'll be on the short list for the best second baseman in the league.

Mike Gago, 16-year-old CF out of Venezuela



Lean and athletic, Mike Gago hails from Maracaibo, Venezuela. He has a great stroke and projects to hit for a high average. He has above-average speed. He has a good sense of the zone. Gago has the potential to develop into a big league regular for most of his career.

However, a few invitees disappointed me because they did not match my previous assessment, although they might still become future stars. We will continue to evaluate them in next month's practice to determine if they are worth additional scouting resources.
Santos Jaramillo, 15-year-old LF out of Mexico
Jose Higareda, 16-year-old 1B out of Venezuela

And other players that I was able to assess further were:
Diego Talavera, 17-year-old RF out of Panama
Juan Garcia, 16-year-old RHP out of the Dominican Republic
Robert Garcia, 16-year-old RHP out of the Dominican Republic
Juan Gomez, 16-year-old C out of the Dominican Republic
Humberto Jaime, 16-year-old RHP out of the Dominican Republic
Victor Torres, 16-year-old RHP out of Venezuela

October 25:
Released C Austin Nola since we picked up C Dillon Dingler.
Game 3 of WS – St. Louis Cardinals defeat Minnesota Twins 2-0.

October 26:
Game 4 of WS – St. Louis Cardinals defeat Minnesota Twins 5-2.

October 27:
Game 5 of WS – St. Louis Cardinals defeat Minnesota Twins 1-0.

October 28:
Jason McLeod returned from his excursion to England, where he sized up prospects for the organization. He happened across starting pitcher Mulroney Dumont quite by accident, but is rather pleased that the 17-year-old caught his eye.



English starting pitcher Mulroney Dumont was born in Norton. His repertoire should feature a very slow fastball that reaches about 88 MPH, along with two lesser pitches when he is at his best. His secondary pitches aren't great, but he somehow manages to throw them all for strikes on nearly any count. Dumont is probably miscast at the major league level but has been assigned to our international complex for further assessment.

October 29:
Game 6 of WS – Minnesota Twins defeat St. Louis Cardinals 4-2.

October 30:
Whether Andrea Maccioni has a role to play in this club remains to be seen, but Jason McLeod seems convinced that he has possibilities.



The Venezuelan starting pitcher, Andrea Maccioni, was born in Mérida. His most reliable pitch currently is a decent curveball, which he combines with a decent changeup. He lacks consistent command to go with his average stuff, but he could serve as an emergency call-up, although his talent might not be enough to make the rotation in that case. At the very least, Andrea Maccioni has been assigned to our international complex for further assessment.

Finally, Game 7 of the World Series will be played tonight to determine the MLB Champion between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Minnesota Twins.

[Biggp07]

On October 30, 2024, Game 7 of the 2024 World Series was played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO.



It's party time in St. Louis. The confetti is flying and residents are smiling. The St. Louis Cardinals have reached the mountaintop, winning the 2024 World Series today. They defeated the Minnesota Twins 4-0 at Busch Stadium to officially close out the series with a 4-3 victory. Asked how it feels to be a champion, starting pitcher Sonny Gray was straightforward. "It feels great, like a million bucks. I'm so happy right now, not just for me but for all the guys," he said. "We put a lot of work into this and deserve to be champions." The team is planning a victory parade and fan appreciation day later in the week. St. Louis finished the regular season 92-70 and secured first place in the National League Central Division.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Sonny Gray
Ballpark: Busch Stadium
Weather: Partly Cloudy (41 degrees), wind blowing in from the center at 9 mph
Start Time: 8:05 PM CT
Time: 2:52
Attendance: 48611

So that completes this chapter of managing the KC Royals through the 2024 MLB season. Thanks so much for giving your time and attention over the last several weeks as I shared my thoughts and actions to rebuild and develop the KC Royals into a contending MLB organization.



My journey with them will continue through the off-season and into 2025, with a new chapter starting soon. Please stay tuned and look for this new chapter in the coming days.

[Biggp07]

So, as we start the off-season following a mixed but promising 2024 season in KC, I want to reflect on the past year and my first as the dual-hatted GM/M. It was not without its highs and lows.

Let's begin with

⚾ Episode 1: The Experiment Begins

Inside the Mind of a Modern Baseball Architect

(An OOTP 25 Narrated Playthrough – March through April 2024)
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Opening Note

I didn’t plan to come back to baseball. Not like this.

When John Sherman called on a quiet March morning, he didn’t offer a position — he offered control. Both dugout and front office, lineups and ledgers, lineup cards and budget spreadsheets. It was the kind of power no one sane asks for, and no one prepared truly understands until it’s theirs.

He wanted something radical: a single hand on the wheel, responsible for every decision from scouting a sixteen-year-old in Venezuela to deciding who closes in the ninth. It sounded impossible. It also sounded like the only way forward for a franchise that had forgotten what forward felt like.

And so began the experiment.
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March 1 – The Call

“Finish close to .500, strengthen left field, and find me a top-20 prospect.”
That was Sherman’s version of a welcome letter. Not “good luck,” not “glad you’re here.” Just expectations wrapped in polite menace. I accepted the terms, though deep down I knew: managing morale and managing payroll are two very different battles — and I was now fighting both.

The first week became a blur of firings, hirings, and recalibrations. I dismissed long-tenured scouts, increased the scouting budget to fifteen million, and brought in Jason McLeod, one of the few evaluators I trust to spot talent that metrics can’t yet justify. Every spreadsheet felt heavier than it should. Every name in the farm system felt like a question of faith.

As a manager, I barely had time to meet the roster before spring camp. Lugo, Ragans, Singer, Wacha, Sauer — a rotation stitched together with potential and fragility. In the bullpen, experience battled expiration. Perez, still the heartbeat of the clubhouse, would shoulder a new burden — a veteran symbol and, at times, a first baseman when his knees protested behind the plate.

Some days I forget which hat I’m wearing until the phone rings and someone calls me “skip” instead of “boss.”
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March 12 – The First Wave

Change doesn’t happen cleanly in this job. You bleed it out of the system one decision at a time.

I released two coaches, promoted three prospects in the staff ranks, and made my first international signing — a 16-year-old left fielder from Palau named Salesi Kuupauolealoha, the kind of discovery that would make McLeod smile for days. Somewhere between the firings and the signings, I realized I hadn’t yet seen my team play an inning.

I’d always believed that an organization’s soul lives in its minor leagues. That week, I spent more hours combing through A-ball and rookie rosters than I did setting up the Opening Day lineup. Our system ranked 29th out of 30 — a fact that kept echoing in my head every time I walked past a mirror.

The irony wasn’t lost on me: the man hired to rebuild the Royals had spent more time managing development budgets than players. Still, I liked the rhythm. I liked feeling that every name signed or released moved us one inch closer to something resembling identity.
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March 28 – Opening Day

It was cold in Kansas City. Wind cutting from center field like the city itself wanted to test our resolve.

Seth Lugo took the ball, calm and deliberate, and the season began with a sharp, efficient win over Minnesota. A 3–2 victory. Nothing flashy, but it felt like proof that we belonged on the field. Ragans followed with a 5–0 shutout two days later, his fastball alive with conviction. I allowed myself a smile.

Then came the crash — a 9–1 loss that reminded me we were still the Royals, still learning how to win consecutive games without unraveling. I wrote in my office that night, long after the clubhouse cleared:

Two wins, one lesson. The margins in this league are measured in the confidence you carry from inning to inning.
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April 1 – Baltimore

The first road trip began with rain and a brawl.

Ryan O’Hearn homered off us, the dugouts emptied after a brushback, and both teams were fined before sunrise. I tried to calm the storm publicly, but privately, I understood the emotion. Losing builds pressure that must escape somewhere.

We dropped the series, swept away by better pitching and smarter situational hitting. I rode the plane back from Camden Yards in silence, wondering which side of my job hurt more: the tactical helplessness in the dugout, or the long-term dread of watching player value depreciate like bad stock.

In Omaha, Tyler Gentry went five-for-six that night. A small reminder that hope still lived somewhere in the system I was trying to repair.
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April 4 – Reality Check

We stumbled through the first weeks like a team trying to remember the rules. Pitchers strained for control, batters pressed at the plate, and every night ended with another reminder of how far we had to go. The local media called me “The Architect.” I didn’t feel like one. More like a contractor patching leaks with tape and optimism.

Some mornings I feel like a GM trapped in a manager’s body. Other mornings it’s the reverse. Either way, I’m still the one signing the lineup card and the paychecks.

But there were flashes — brief, beautiful flashes. Isbel’s call-up sparked the lineup. Blanco ran wild on the basepaths. Witt Jr. found his rhythm. I began to see cohesion where there had only been chaos a month before.

It wasn’t enough for the standings yet. But for the first time since taking the call from Sherman, it felt like a team was forming in front of me.
________________________________________

Closing Note – April 30

A month in, and the experiment is holding together — barely, but undeniably.

We hover just below .500, the ownership restless but restrained. The farm system looks healthier than it did in March, and I’m learning to navigate the strange rhythm of making lineup decisions in the morning and contract offers at night.

Every day, I wake up both exhausted and hungry. That might be the right sign.

There’s a rhythm to leadership when you wear both hats: plan, decide, absorb, adjust — and repeat. The losses are heavier, but so are the wins.

And when I look down from the dugout into the bullpen, I can almost believe this is working.

Tomorrow begins May, and with it, the grind.
________________________________________
⚾ — Todd “BigP” Pollard
General Manager & Manager, Kansas City Royals
“One Vision. One Dugout. One Season at a Time.”
________________________________________

[Biggp07]

⚾ Episode 2: The Grind Begins

Balancing Vision and Survival in a Long Season

(An OOTP 25 Narrated Playthrough – May 2024)
________________________________________

Opening Note

By May, the romance of Opening Day is gone. What’s left is routine, fatigue, and the quiet understanding that baseball is a machine that only respects consistency. The lineups start to feel mechanical, the bullpen rotations predictable, and the numbers in the standings brutally honest.

I started this month with a record that was neither inspiring nor disastrous — just middling. The kind of baseball that feels like a question waiting to be answered.

The challenge wasn’t just managing the team on the field anymore. It was managing the organization’s psyche. Keeping the club from sinking into the kind of May malaise that swallows bad teams whole.

Some nights I wonder if being both GM and Manager gives me too much control — or not nearly enough.
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May 2 – The Market Quiet Before the Storm

We began May facing a wall of uncertainty. The owner hadn’t called in weeks — always a good sign in baseball management — and our scouts were sending daily reports from college tournaments ahead of the June draft. Jason McLeod, my trusted head scout, was traveling through Florida and Texas, evaluating hitters who might anchor our next generation.

Meanwhile, the big club looked tired. Our bats were uneven, our bullpen stretched thin. Wacha couldn’t buy a quality start, and Lugo’s shoulder was beginning to show signs of wear. I started to track every pitch count as if it were a stock price.

At night, I’d switch screens from box scores to payroll spreadsheets, watching the contracts of Renfroe, Frazier, and Wacha loom like red numbers on a balance sheet. We were overpaying for mediocrity, and I was running out of patience.

The solution was obvious but painful: we’d have to start thinking like sellers before the trade deadline ever arrived.
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May 8 – The Manager’s Desk

Losing streaks don’t come from one bad inning; they come from a slow leak in confidence.

We lost five of six this week — mostly close games, mostly winnable ones. I could feel it in the dugout: hesitation creeping into every at-bat. Guys pressing to make up for what the last guy couldn’t do.

I changed the lineup three times in four games, trying to spark something. Sometimes it feels like I’m rearranging deck chairs, but you keep trying. You have to keep trying.

Garcia and Witt Jr. started showing signs of life. Melendez looked sharper behind the plate. The younger guys were fighting. That’s what keeps me steady — seeing effort when results go missing.

Then I went upstairs and signed a release notice for one of our AAA relievers. The duality still feels surreal: down here I motivate; up there I terminate.
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May 15 – Between Two Fires

We traveled west for a long road swing, and the fatigue started to show — physically and emotionally.

Singer had one of those nights in Anaheim where every pitch looks good out of the hand and ends up in the gap. Ragans pitched through a dull ache in his shoulder because he didn’t want to come out early. The bullpen carried the remains.

Back in the hotel, I sat at my laptop watching minor-league clips. Our A-ball club in Columbia was showing signs of life — real progress. Frank Mozzicato’s command was improving, and the rookie clubs were finally producing hitters with legitimate discipline.

Jason sent me a message from San Antonio: “If we keep the development momentum, we’ll be a top-15 farm system by next spring.”
That line hit me harder than any box score. For the first time since March, I felt something resembling optimism.

If we can’t win up here yet, maybe we can build something that will.
________________________________________

May 20 – The Breaking Point

By mid-May, I made the first big GM move of the season. Hunter Renfroe was gone — traded for a bullpen arm named Brennan Bernardino. A salary dump, plain and simple, but a necessary one. Renfroe never looked right in our uniform. Streaky, disengaged, expensive. Bernardino, meanwhile, brought left-handed relief and an ERA that didn’t scare me. Small move, big message.

The clubhouse reaction was mixed. Some guys saw it as pragmatism. Others saw it as the first tremor before the rebuild.

After the press call, I took off the blazer, hung it behind my office door, and went straight to the dugout. Same day. Same stadium. Different battlefield.

I wrote in my nightly log: The hardest part isn’t making the decision. It’s explaining it to the faces you’ll still see in the locker room tomorrow.
________________________________________

May 26 – Sparks in the Dark

Baseball has a funny way of rewarding endurance.

After a brutal two weeks, we finally strung together a few wins. Haggerty, newly called up from Omaha, brought a jolt of energy — a sparkplug who reminded everyone that speed and effort still matter in a game obsessed with launch angles. Garcia found his rhythm again, and Witt Jr. started driving balls to the opposite field with intent. For the first time since April, I could breathe in the dugout.

As GM, I spent that same weekend reviewing McLeod’s draft board for June. Braden Montgomery and Cade Arrambide topped the list — a power-hitting outfielder and a young catcher with leadership qualities. Two names that might one day define our rebuild if we can sign them.

The future was starting to take shape, even as the present barely held together.
________________________________________

May 31 – Threshold of Change

The final night of May.

We played under the lights at Kauffman against the Padres — a test against a real contender. Lugo labored through five innings, giving up more hits than I’d like, but showed grit. The crowd was thin but loyal. I stayed calm in the dugout, outwardly at least.

After the game, I stayed in my office long after the players left. I opened my GM dashboard and reviewed the standings. We were 26–34 — not great, but not hopeless. The kind of record that forces you to choose: fight for the edge of contention or start planning for the trade deadline.

I already knew my answer.

We’re still too far away to buy, and too proud to quit. So, I’ll do what this experiment demands — juggle both jobs and try to make one role believe in the other.

The grind has officially begun.
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Closing Note – May’s End Reflection

May tested every layer of my patience and leadership.

As GM, I learned to value small victories — a trade that frees future payroll, a prospect trending upward.

As Manager, I learned to live with imperfection — to let failure breathe without letting it take over.

The two versions of me are constantly negotiating: one thinking in years, the other in innings. But the strange truth is they need each other. The Manager in me keeps the GM human, and the GM keeps the Manager rational.

We ended May battered but not broken, a team still searching for its rhythm but finally aware of its direction.

June will bring answers — and perhaps more uncomfortable truths. The draft looms, the trade block beckons, and I can feel ownership’s eyes returning to the box scores.

Still, for all the weight and worry, I wouldn’t trade this seat for any other.

Because every morning I walk into Kauffman Stadium, and for a brief moment, I believe we can still rewrite the story.
________________________________________
⚾ — Todd “BigP” Pollard
General Manager & Manager, Kansas City Royals
“Building tomorrow’s contender, one long day at a time.”

[Biggp07]

⚾ Episode 3: Shadows and Signals

Draft Rumors, Roster Crossroads, and the Quiet Before July’s Storm

(An OOTP 25 Narrated Playthrough – June 2024)
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Opening Note

Baseball’s middle months feel like a mirage.

You’re far enough into the season to see what your team really is, but too far from the finish to change it overnight. Every win feels borrowed; every loss, a warning.

This June, I started living in two worlds — the day-to-day chaos of managing a ballclub hanging by its fingernails, and the analytical solitude of a general manager preparing for the draft that could reshape everything.

The standings say we’re still in it. My gut says we’re not. But the draft — the draft is where the shadows start to shift.
________________________________________

June 1 – Morning After the Padres

The first of the month brought two competing sensations: relief from a series win and dread from the work ahead.

As Manager, I could savor the win — Haggerty’s spark, Wacha’s rebound, Singer’s stability returning. As GM, I saw only the gap between us and real contention.

After the game, I stayed behind with Jason McLeod. We sat in the dim light of the office, the field crew mowing patterns into the grass below. Jason slid a tablet across the desk.
“Draft board version three,” he said.

The screen glowed with names I’d been staring at since March — Braden Montgomery, Hagan Smith, Cade Arrambide, Jac Caglianone.

I didn’t say much. Just scrolled, noted, and mentally arranged how the next six weeks would unfold.

Scouting reports were tightening. Mock drafts were solidifying. Rumors were starting to swirl. And somewhere in those 600 amateur names, the foundation of our rebuild was waiting.
________________________________________

June 3 – The GM’s Long View

We were a team of contradictions. The big club felt tired but not defeated. The minors were alive and productive.

I started the morning with internal calls — development updates from High-A Quad Cities and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. McLeod’s voice carried rare enthusiasm. “Frank Mozzicato’s command is finally stabilizing,” he said. “And this kid Betancourt in Quad Cities — he’s hitting like he wants to be noticed.”

That was the word I wanted to hear: noticed. We didn’t need miracles, just motion.

Later, I approved a small trade — sending Renfroe to Boston for Brennan Bernardino. A salary dump, yes, but one that felt like pruning the dead branches before the summer heat.

Still, part of me hated the optics. A veteran gone, another sign of rebuilding in a clubhouse, trying to believe in momentum.

As Manager, I knew it could rattle them. As GM, I knew it had to be done.
________________________________________

June 5 – The Cleveland Lessons

We got swept in Cleveland. Three straight losses, each uglier than the last.

From the dugout, I could see frustration building — hands on hips, quiet stares, that invisible weight of “here we go again.”

But the trip home wasn’t wasted. On the plane, I opened my notebook and wrote two columns: Now and Next.
Under Now, I listed every player on the roster who could be moved by the deadline. Under Next, I listed every amateur or prospect we were targeting.

At the top of that second column were Montgomery and Smith — power and precision, two words that defined everything we lacked.

Jason texted from Phoenix that night: “Montgomery’s adjusted timing looks elite. If he falls to us at six, we run to the podium.”

I stared at the message a long time before replying. “We will.”
________________________________________

June 10 – Rainout and Realization

The rain came heavy, washing out our first game against the Yankees.

Sometimes weather feels merciful. We needed the pause — physically and mentally.

Between innings that never happened, I met with my analytics director in the press box office. We went over projected WAR deltas and long-term models tied to our current roster composition. It all pointed to the same conclusion: this team, as built, couldn’t compete for another year or two.

That’s when the GM in me began plotting July — not just draft picks, but trades. Frazier, Hampson, Wacha, Stratton. Maybe even Lugo if the return was right.
It wasn’t about giving up; it was about clearing the runway.

That night, I wrote in my log: The hardest truth is realizing that managing the team I have means sacrificing the one I want.
________________________________________

June 15 – The Draft Board Narrows

Scouting season was in full swing, and Jason’s reports were coming in daily. He’d been to Gainesville, Baton Rouge, College Station, and back through Oklahoma.

He spoke in glowing but cautious tones about Braden Montgomery, the switch-hitting right fielder from Texas A&M with real big-league polish. “He’s more than tools,” Jason told me. “He’s got the mind for it — the awareness, the poise. He plays like someone who already knows the cameras are on him.” Behind him, Hagan Smith, a lefty from Arkansas, represented the other half of the puzzle — control and discipline. A strike-thrower with bite. If Montgomery was the thunder, Smith was the architecture.

We sat together late that night in the office, finalizing scenarios. Pick six, pick nine, pick forty-one. Each slot a question of balance — ceiling versus signability.

I thought about all the scouts crisscrossing highways, radar guns and notebooks in hand, chasing the next wave of kids who’d never heard of me. Somewhere out there, our next cornerstone was waiting.
________________________________________

June 20 – Shadows of July

We closed out the Yankees series battered and bruised. Ragans landed on the IL with shoulder inflammation, Singer fought his command, and Lugo’s ERA ballooned north of five.

The standings weren’t kind — bottom third in most metrics. Still, there were flickers: Witt Jr. heating up, Garcia’s glove saving runs nightly, and the rookie clubs leading their divisions.

McLeod sent one last update before heading back to Kansas City: “The pool’s shaping up like we expected. Montgomery’s still our #1. Smith, Caglianone, Arrambide are all signable. It’s ours to screw up now.”

That night, sitting in my office with the field lights off, I whispered to myself: “Then let’s not screw it up.”
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June 25 – Late-Night Reflections

June ends with a strange calm. The All-Star break is coming, the draft one week after that.

In the dugout, I’m still juggling innings and egos. Upstairs, I’m piecing together the future. The grind has become meditation. Every phone call from Jason, every prospect report, every salary recalculation — it’s all part of something I can finally see taking shape.

I look at this roster and see flaws everywhere. But beneath it, I see potential — maybe not this year’s, but next year’s. Maybe the one after that. And for the first time since taking this impossible job, I feel both versions of myself — Manager and GM — pulling in the same direction.

The shadows are shifting. The signals are clearer now.

July will test whether we can read them correctly.
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Closing Note – End of June

If May was the grind, June was the diagnosis. We learned who we are, and who we aren’t.

The draft now stands as both a lifeline and a statement — the first chance to define this organization under one unified philosophy. We’ll pick sixth overall, with two more selections in the top fifty. The plan is ready. The names are written. The scouts are home.

I can already picture the war room — the tension, the adrenaline, the moment when a young man’s name echoes through a digital feed and becomes part of our story.

That’s when everything we’ve suffered this year will start to make sense.
________________________________________
⚾ — Todd “BigP” Pollard
General Manager & Manager, Kansas City Royals
“Every draft pick is a chance to rewrite the ending.”
________________________________________

[Biggp07]

⚾ Episode 4: The Draft Day Pivot

Draft Rooms, Deadline Deals, and the Anatomy of a Turning Point

(An OOTP 25 Narrated Playthrough – July 2024)
________________________________________

Opening Note

“When the plan meets the draft board, reality starts rewriting itself.”

July isn’t the middle of the season — it’s the hinge. Everything before it feels like gathering data; everything after it feels like consequence.

We hit the All-Star break crawling, bruised by inconsistency but strangely unbroken. Somewhere in that exhaustion, the front office part of me came alive again. July was my domain — the draft, the deals, the direction.

But managing a ballclub while running a draft is a test few can understand. You’re setting lineups by day and drafting futures by night. Your phone buzzes with trade proposals while your closer nurses a sore hamstring. Every decision matters twice — now and later.

This was the month I truly became both men at once.
________________________________________

July 1 – Mid-Year Evaluations and Quiet Unease

The first day of July feels like a checkpoint. We weren’t winning much — 39–52 by the morning update — but I didn’t feel hopeless.

The month began with more questions than answers. As both GM and manager, I could feel the weight of an inflection point. Our June analysis showed modest player development, but the offense and rotation were brittle. The front office meetings circled back to the same issue—where our system was thin and how to rebuild it from the ground up.

Nick Loftin was back from the IL. Vaz had a setback. Singer’s shoulder finally got a diagnosis: five weeks of inflammation. Bernardino and Ragans were both recovering, which at least meant I wasn’t calling up openers from obscurity anymore.

The first thing I did that morning was designate Adam Frazier for assignment. A small move, but symbolic. He’d been steady but uninspired — the kind of veteran you thank and quietly release. Cam Devanney got the nod in his place, and I liked the spark.

The second move was more subtle — rebalancing Omaha’s roster and cutting fringe arms who’d hit their ceiling. I needed fresh energy from below, not just warm bodies.

Jason McLeod’s scouting reports painted a clearer picture than I wanted to admit. Our top prospects were miles from the majors, and the farm still sat 29th in MLB rankings. This draft would have to be the first real pivot point of my tenure. I had planned carefully back in April: focus on reliable JUCO bats, maybe a proven arm or two, and avoid overpaying for “high-demand” names.

I looked at Jason McLeod’s newest scouting document: Final Draft Composite – June Reports. In it were the names I’d been carrying in my head for weeks: Braden Montgomery, Hagan Smith, Cade Arrambide, and Jac Caglianone.

I closed the file and whispered to myself: “Next week, we change the direction of this franchise.”

But plans, as they say, have a short shelf life on draft day.
________________________________________

July 4 – Independence and Uncertainty

The fireworks were just starting outside when the phone lit up — first an injury update, then a trade offer, then a contract query. It felt appropriate for the Fourth of July: explosions everywhere. Bernardino tweaked a leg but avoided serious damage. Singer’s recovery plan was confirmed. And the trade chatter… well, the league was circling.

Still, I held firm. July was about value, not liquidation. I wasn’t moving core players for spare change. Witt Jr. was untouchable. Ragans, too. Everyone else? Case by case.

We signed two minor league free agents — Jimmy Nelson, a veteran who’d seen better days, and Riley Pint, a reclamation project with electric stuff and erratic control. Both accepted—cheap contracts, low risk, high hope.

That same night, I reviewed my draft plan one more time before sleep: Montgomery in Round 1 if he fell. Smith in the supplemental. Arrambide if possible in the second. The vision was crystal clear now.

Rebuilds are slow until the moment they aren’t.
________________________________________

July 9–10 – The Calm Before the Draft

We limped into St. Louis for a quick series. Lugo couldn’t locate, Wacha was up-and-down, and our bullpen was patchwork. I felt more like a triage nurse than a manager. Still, the locker room had a pulse — enough to keep spirits from sagging completely.

That night after another frustrating loss, I stood alone in the visitor’s dugout while the stadium lights dimmed. Managing games feels immediate. Drafting players feels eternal.

I’ve learned to live in that contradiction.

I spent that night with my assistant GM, JJ Picollo, finalizing our draft board and confirming the bonus pool numbers: roughly $9 million to spend — far below the recommended baseline.

That single fact would end up shaping everything.
________________________________________

July 11 – Draft Day: The Pivot

The mock drafts had already gone haywire by the time I walked into the office on July 11. Braden Montgomery, once projected in the top 10 and our planned first-rounder since March, had plummeted into the third round. His asking price fell with him — from $4.8 million to nearly half that — but so had his stock. I didn’t know whether to call it an opportunity or a red flag.

The war room was tense but not chaotic. I’d gone into the morning expecting to take a power outfielder or a corner infielder with some upside — Montgomery, Wetherholt, or Caglianone if one fell to us. But when our pick came up, the remaining board didn’t match our valuations, and our budget forced my hand. I had to make a choice between the “plan” I’d built for months and the one being written in real time.

So I went against my instincts. Against the “plan.”

Our first-round pick was 2B Ethan Bates, a senior from Louisiana Tech — affordable, coachable, and already developed enough to step into rookie ball immediately. Some might call it a reach. I called it pragmatism.

Then came the supplemental first-round pick: LHP Cam Caminiti, a high schooler from Scottsdale. That one surprised everyone — myself included. I’ve said before that drafting high school pitchers is a gamble I rarely take, but both McLeod and OSA rated him as a future frontline starter. Sometimes, you trust the scout’s conviction more than your own comfort.

By the end of the 10th round, we had eight players committed for just over $9.2 million — the entire draft pool, down to the dollar. In total: 21 draftees — 12 high schoolers, 9 JUCO players, 8 pitchers, 2 catchers, 7 infielders, and 4 outfielders.

Our new foundation, risky as it was, had been poured. It wasn’t the draft I’d planned for. It was the one our reality could afford.

When the dust settled, I leaned back in the chair. Exhausted, proud, and quietly terrified.

We’d drafted the architecture of our next era.
________________________________________

July 13 – All-Star Weekend

By the time the All-Star break arrived, I felt like I’d run a marathon in cleats and a suit.

Cole Ragans was still hurt, so no Royals represented us as starters. Only Bernardino got the nod as a reliever, a nice touch after all the turmoil.

I watched the game from home, notes in hand, quietly scouting the rest of the league. Old habits die hard. Midway through, an alert popped up — our ACL rookie team was leading its division, and Blake Mitchell, our 19-year-old catcher, was hitting .295 with emerging power.

The system was waking up.

That realization brought a smile. For months, the headlines had been losses and injuries. But under the surface, growth was happening.
________________________________________

July 20 – Deadline Winds

The trade winds picked up fast. I fielded calls from Boston, Detroit, and Texas. All wanted pitching depth, all offered prospects that didn’t move me.

This is the part of the job no one tells you about: knowing when not to act. A bad deal feels active. A smart “no” feels invisible.

We stayed patient. Lugo got one more start. Wacha one more audition. I didn’t pull the trigger on anything significant, though I could feel ownership itching for news.

“I want direction,” Sherman had said back in March. I smiled when I thought about it now.

Direction doesn’t come from headlines. It comes from restraint.
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July 25 – Fractures and Resolve

The dog days arrived early. We were losing again. The rotation was running on fumes. I could feel the fatigue in the clubhouse. That’s when I reminded myself why I took this job — not to manage a contender, but to build one.

In the postgame quiet, I walked the length of the clubhouse, past lockers that will change names before long. I paused at Witt Jr.’s stall, watched him tying his shoes in silence. He’s the future face of this team, whether he knows it or not.

The grind of July had stripped away illusion. All that remained was direction.
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July 26–30 – The Repercussions

The rest of July became about clearing space for the incoming class and making room in the lower minors. Veterans on arbitration clocks and fringe players near their service limits were now on notice. I had to make a few difficult internal calls, shuffling rosters across Omaha and Double-A.

On the field, the big club showed little sign of improvement — Lugo collapsed against Tampa Bay, Singer went to the IL, and Wacha looked worn. But in a way, the losses gave clarity: this was no longer a race for the wildcard; it was the beginning of a rebuild.

Bates and Caminiti signed quickly, setting the tone for the others. Negotiations would carry into September, but the early momentum was encouraging. Every signing felt like a small victory in a season short on them.

As I wrote my post-draft notes that week, I realized something I hadn’t put into words yet:

“Even the best-laid rebuilds don’t follow the blueprint. Sometimes, the right draft isn’t the one that looks smart — it’s the one that lets you survive long enough to make the next one.”
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July 31 – The Deadline

The phone never stopped ringing that day. Scouts, GMs, agents — all searching for leverage. We made a few minor moves: clearing a veteran reliever, freeing space for next year’s flexibility. Nothing seismic, but every dollar saved was a brick in next season’s foundation.

At 5:00 PM sharp, the deadline passed. No blockbusters. No panic. Just quiet clarity.

We had our draft class signed. Our salary sheet cleaned. Our internal direction set. In baseball terms, we didn’t “win” July. But we didn’t lose it either. We positioned ourselves — and sometimes that’s the most important play you can make.
________________________________________

Reflections – July’s Lesson

This month taught me what every GM learns sooner or later: development is patience disguised as chaos. The June strategy — the mock picks, the high-demand targets, the balanced budget philosophy — all went out the window the moment real players, real money, and real consequences entered the room.

Now, all I can do is wait for the dust to settle. The numbers say we had an average draft. But the feeling in my gut says this one might quietly define us — not for who we picked, but for how we adapted when everything changed.

July changed everything — not in the standings, but in structure. We drafted the future. We cleared the excess. We steadied the foundation.

In the dugout, I still manage every pitch like it matters. In the office, I now plan every move like it belongs to a five-year map. The truth is, the team I’m managing isn’t the one I’m building. But one day soon, they’ll be the same.

That’s the vision. That’s the experiment. That’s why I’m still here.

Even the best-laid plans can fail. But failing forward is still progress.
________________________________________
⚾ — Todd “BigP” Pollard
General Manager & Manager, Kansas City Royals
“Every season is an experiment — some just come with a new set of test subjects.”

[Biggp07]

⚾ Episode 5: Shifts Beneath the Surface

Late-Season Lessons, Quiet Progress

(An OOTP 25 Narrated Playthrough – August 2024)
________________________________________

Opening Note

Kansas City heat in August has a certain weight to it — the air, the mood, the baseball itself. By August, you stop pretending this is still about the standings. After the trade deadline’s quiet finish, we got back to playing baseball. I told myself:

Forget the record. Just get better.

That became our mantra.

The long season strips away pretense and pride until all that’s left is work — unglamorous, unseen, unending work. Every bullpen session, every at-bat, every defensive rep mattered again — not for this year’s standings, but for the next year’s standard.

This was the stretch where the experiment — one man running both the clubhouse and the front office — truly revealed its cost. The fatigue was real. The dual voice in my head, the nightly whiplash between lineup cards and long-term budgets, between managing personalities and managing payroll… it was heavier now.

But there was also something else.

Clarity.

We weren’t going to win 80 games. We weren’t going to shock the league. Yet for the first time since March, I could finally see the shape of a future worth building.
________________________________________

August 1 – Back to the Grind

The morning after the trade deadline always feels hollow. The phones stop buzzing, the scouts head back out on the road, and the adrenaline that carried you through July just…drops.
I sat in my office at Kauffman watching the grounds crew drag the infield, thinking about how calm the stadium looked when it wasn’t hiding the turmoil under our record.

Bobby Witt Jr. returned from the IL that day, sliding into the lineup as if he’d never left. We optioned García back to Omaha, though he’d earned nothing but praise filling in for Bobby. His progress in July—especially his gap and contact ratings—was one of the few genuine bright spots.

Our Double-A and High-A teams were glowing in McLeod’s development report. Rookie-ball felt alive again. That’s what a draft infusion does—it reminds everyone that the system still breathes.

The first game of the month, though, was a reminder of where we still stood: shut out 5-0 by Detroit. Sometimes baseball likes to punctuate your optimism.

I’d end the night flipping through the stat lines, not searching for wins, but signs — signs of growth, signs of stability, signs of belief.
________________________________________

August 3–7 – Signs of Life

Two days later, the first of our draft signees reported to Arizona. Cam Caminiti signed his bonus, all smiles and swagger, a left-handed blur of potential. He’ll start in the ACL, under light innings limits, but seeing him in Royals blue—if only the rookie shade—made the risk feel worth it. By week’s end, the last holdout, RHP Jackson Barberi, put pen to paper. All 21 of our draftees officially in the system.

Ragans was rehabbing, Singer was working through shoulder stiffness, and the young arms — Veneziano, Marsh, and Zerpa — started taking turns in real roles. Some nights, they looked green and rattled; others, flashes of something real.

The big club rewarded the front office with a bit of theater: a 7-5 win at Detroit the same day Barberi signed. Eflin finally looked like a stabilizer, and Salvy’s eighth-inning home run felt like a thunderclap through a wet tarp. We were becoming competitive in the small moments. That’s how rebuilds start: quietly, one inning at a time.

I filed the waiver claim on RP Caleb Ferguson that night—one of those quiet GM moves that rarely makes a headline but can ripple later. Younger, controllable, affordable. Three adjectives that have become my north stars.

By the time we returned home for the Boston series, the clubhouse energy had shifted. Guys were talking about who we’d drafted, asking if they’d ever see them in the bigs. The kind of chatter you only hear when players sense the future actually has faces now.
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August 8–10 – The Reality Check - Managing in the Middle of Nowhere

We took two from Boston, then stumbled through a flat weekend against St. Louis. Lynch IV strained his calf, and we had to patch another hole with the bullpen. Ferguson debuted and threw three perfect innings, striking out five; that alone justified the claim.

Still, losses sting more when they feel preventable. I had to DFA Stratton after he refused a demotion. The money we’ll eat on his option isn’t ideal, but trimming those aging edges is part of the rebuild’s slow bleed.

It’s strange how quickly “next year” becomes a mantra.

The dog days mess with your head. You’re too far from the beginning to stay optimistic and too far from the end to see light. We split a series in Detroit, then dropped two in Cleveland. Not blowouts — just dull, forgettable losses that come from fatigue.

After the last one, I didn’t yell. I didn’t lecture.

I just sat at my desk, wrote in my journal, and asked the same question I’ve written a dozen times this summer:

Am I managing a team or a transition?
Both, I think.
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August 11–18 – Development Ripples

Jason McLeod sent me his late-summer development notes that evening — our Rookie and Low-A clubs were thriving. Danny Wilkinson’s control jumped a full tier, and even journeymen like Walter Pennington were trending upward. Prospects like Blake Mitchell and Jhoneiker Betancourt were starting to pop off the page. It didn’t fix the big-league struggles, but it reminded me that what we were building was real, even if invisible from the box score.

Behind the scenes, we cleaned up the international scouting books. McLeod found a 16-year-old in Venezuela—Danny Hernandez—a name that might never reach a scoreboard, but in our organization, every name is a seed.

Meanwhile, the majors felt steadier. Bobby was back to cutting balls through gaps, and Eflin suddenly remembered he’s an innings-eater. We even flirted with the idea of a wild-card push, however faint. I told the staff, “This is the quiet part of the rebuild, where progress hides in box scores no one reads.”

During a night flight from Seattle, I caught myself replaying conversations I’d had with players earlier in the day. Loftin asked about his future. Vaz wanted clarity on when he’d be back in left. A young reliever wanted to know if the team even had a long-term plan.

I answered as honestly as I could — “We do. It just takes time.”

But after everyone fell asleep on the plane, I realized I’d been talking to myself.

The GM in me plans five years ahead. The Manager in me wants one good inning right now. Those two voices never stop negotiating.

That’s what leadership is at its core: learning to argue with yourself and still move forward.
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August 23 – The Turning Point

We faced Houston at home — the kind of measuring-stick series that reminds you where you stand. They beat us twice before we stole the finale, 5–2, behind a gritty start from Veneziano. That win meant nothing in the standings. But it meant everything to him — and to me. Watching a young lefty battle through traffic, adjust mid-game, and finish strong reminded me why I love this part of the job.

After the game, I walked through the quiet clubhouse. Witt Jr. had gone deep early, his 20th homer of the year. Garcia was icing his legs, laughing softly with Haggerty. For a losing team, there was no bitterness—just resilience. That’s what you build on.
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August 24–31 – Turning the Page

As August wound down, our record still sat well below .500, but the tenor had changed. Ferguson was settling into his setup role. Garcia’s demotion looked temporary—he was mashing in Omaha and ready for the September call-up.

The draft class officially entered the system ledger on the 31st — contracts finalized, bonuses dispersed, files synced to our development database. From here, it’s patience and prayer.

The month ended with a win that felt poetic: 8-2 over Cleveland, Bobby Witt Jr. hitting two homers, both no-doubters. The crowd rose for him, but the cheer was larger than one player—it was a release, a sense that maybe we’d finally turned toward something sustainable.
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Reflections – August’s Lesson

Front offices don’t get trophies for August, but they can lose their futures in it. We didn’t.

The seeds from July are now under the surface—21 new players, a farm system stirring, a few veterans quietly making way. The record doesn’t show it yet, but the organization feels different. Rebuilds aren’t built on hope. They’re built on habits—draft boards, rehab reports, and the faith that quiet progress counts for something when nobody’s watching.

As we head into September and roster expansion, I can finally say this season has shape—maybe not success, but direction.

“When the headlines fade, the real work begins.”
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⚾ — Todd “BigP” Pollard
General Manager & Manager, Kansas City Royals
“Every rebuild starts in silence before it begins to make noise.”
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[Biggp07]

⚾ Episode 6 – Crossroads and Conclusions

The Shape of What Comes Next

(An OOTP 25 Narrated Playthrough – September 2024)
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September 1 – Roster Expansion, Perspective is Narrow Focus

September brings the bittersweet kind of hope — the final stretch when you get to see the next generation under real lights. There’s something freeing about flipping the calendar to September. The standings stop mattering quite so much, and the box scores start to whisper instead of shout. It’s when you start watching details—approaches at the plate, pitch sequencing, reactions in pressure moments—and not the scoreboard.

We expanded rosters with two call-ups: RF Nelson Velasquez and SP Daniel Lynch IV. Both deserved it. Nelson’s late-season surge in Omaha and Lynch’s persistence through injury made them the right fits.I wanted to see what they could do when the games still meant something for pride, if not position.

Our first game of the month felt symbolic. Anthony Veneziano tossed a confident five innings in Houston, beating the Astros 5–2. Bobby Witt Jr. crushed a two-run homer in the first inning that landed deep into the left-field bleachers—his 20th on the year and leadership finally matching his stats.

For the first time all season, I felt like we were playing forward, not simply playing out the string. I started seeing glimpses of a future core — Witt, Ragans, Veneziano, Garcia, and the kids working their way up behind them.

Ownership probably didn’t see it yet. The fans maybe not either. But from the dugout rail, I could feel it.

Sometimes progress doesn’t shout; it hums.
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September 2–4 – Home Turf and Glimmers

We came back to Kauffman for one final homestand against Cleveland. I wish I could say we looked like a different team, but the Guardians still had our number early. They took the first two games, grinding out late-inning rallies while our bullpen sputtered.

Still, there were moments—Ferguson’s six-up, six-down relief outing; Nola’s framing giving our young arms breathing room; India finding a rhythm in the lineup.

Then came Game 3. Witt exploded with two home runs and four RBIs, reminding everyone exactly who the cornerstone of this team really is. Lynch IV came on in emergency duty when Eflin left early with a blister, and the kid dealt—nearly five innings of one-run ball. We took it 8–2, snapping Cleveland’s streak and the funk we’d been carrying.

I left that night with a simple thought written in my notebook:

“We’re not good yet. But we’re becoming something.”
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September 6–8 – Testing the Young Arms, A Quiet Win That Mattered

Jason McLeod returned from Venezuela that week, delivering another report that made me smile: a 16-year-old named Bellchyor Cassm, raw but gifted, now in our international complex. Our scouting reach is finally starting to show.

On the field, the Twins came to town with division hopes in hand and beat us twice to prove the gap still exists. We dropped two, then salvaged the third behind a strong outing from Kris Bubic and a bullpen led by Bernardino. But the highlight was our waiver claim of RP Stevie Emanuels from Oakland—a quiet acquisition that turned into a showcase.

He debuted that Sunday and threw 2.2 scoreless innings in a 4–1 win over Minnesota, striking out three. Efficiency. Composure. A heartbeat fit for middle relief. Sometimes, success doesn’t announce itself—it just throws strikes. Austin Nola hit a two-run double to seal it. Kyle Isbel scored three times.

The win didn’t move us in the standings, but I wrote in my notebook afterward: “That’s how contenders learn to start games — by stealing small victories when the big ones are gone.”

We were learning to play baseball the right way again. That was the real progress.
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September 9–11 – The Yankees and a Moment of Silence

We rolled into Yankee Stadium for a three-game set that would be memorable for reasons beyond baseball.

Before Game 3, the stadium held a moment of silence for September 11, marking the 23rd anniversary. I’ve been in this game long enough to see how baseball carries history on its sleeve. The FDNY and NYPD hats, Realmuto’s tribute mask—it was solemn, powerful, human.

The Yankees swept us, of course. Soto hit two homers in Game 1, Volpe delivered the dagger in Game 2, and Pereira went wild in Game 3. But it was impossible to feel frustrated standing there during the tribute, remembering that the game, for all its grind, is still just a game.
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September 13–18 – Road Grind and Small Victories

We moved on to Pittsburgh, where Veneziano and Marsh both gave us glimpses of the rotation’s future. Marsh threw six efficient innings in a 4–2 win, his best outing of the year, while Anthony Veneziano turned in his best start of the year — seven innings, one run, seven strikeouts in Pittsburgh.

I stood at the top step of the dugout, watching him walk off the mound. The way he carried himself — calm, efficient, in command — I saw more than a good outing. I saw a seed sprouting. In this job, you cling to those moments. Because someday, that same kid might be your Game 1 starter in October.

That’s how you survive the losing seasons — by seeing October in September, even when no one else does.

In Double-A, I saw McLeod’s development notes come to life: Cassm signed, international scouts were deep in Venezuela, and the rookie squads were finishing atop their divisions. After half a season of bruises, the system was finally beginning to breathe.

Our record hovered near 65 wins—nothing to celebrate, but enough to remind ownership we weren’t standing still.
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September 25 – Ownership Check-In

John Sherman called. It was short and transactional. He wanted a progress summary before the winter meetings. I gave him one:

Top 20 in farm system projections, three 2024 draftees signed and performing, payroll stabilized, player morale holding steady.

He asked me if I thought I could “turn the corner” by 2026. I said, “We already started turning.”

He paused for a long time, then said, “Alright. Keep steering.”

It wasn’t praise, but it was trust — and that’s rarer.
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September 19–30 – The Season’s Final Days

The final stretch was a mix of auditions and endurance. Ferguson continued to dominate as a high-leverage reliever, Bernardino closed games with confidence, and Witt finished his campaign with over 20 homers and 30 steals.

Garcia came back up and immediately reignited the infield—his glove at third, and his plate discipline had grown in just a month at Omaha. Vaz earned late-season starts, showing why his name is worth remembering.

By the final home game, the players lingered on the field longer than usual—handshakes, helmet taps, quiet words. It wasn’t a playoff celebration, but it was something else: the birth of a new core, the feeling that maybe, just maybe, this rebuild has roots.

The final out came on a fly ball to center. No celebration, no heartbreak — just a long exhale.

We finished 70–92, 5th place in the division, or last in simple terms. A losing record, yes, at .432 PCT, but a team that no longer felt lost.

I stood on the field after the handshake line, hands on my hips, doing what GMs do best: watching. Watching the players pack up. Watching for body language, for energy, for buy-in. The stadium lights hummed, the air cool with early fall.

For a moment, I felt peace. The kind that comes only after months of noise. I’d done what I came here to do — not fix everything, but understand it. To learn what kind of foundation we had, and how deep I’d need to dig to build something lasting.

“You can’t rebuild overnight—but sometimes, you can see the sunrise.”
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Closing Note – September’s Lesson

This was the hardest season of my life — and the most important.

I learned that leadership isn’t about perfection; it’s about endurance.

I learned that rebuilding isn’t about tearing down; it’s about waiting for the right moment to plant again.

September doesn’t lie. It tells you what’s real about your organization—what you’ve built and what still breaks under pressure. We won some, lost more, but we discovered pieces of ourselves that matter: Ferguson’s poise, Witt’s leadership, Vaz’s potential, and a draft class that’s already shaping the narrative of next spring.

The farm system is alive. The dugout feels accountable. And for the first time in years, there’s a quiet belief returning to Kauffman. The record doesn’t show it yet, but the culture shifted.

Next year will bring harder choices, sharper expectations, and, if we do it right, the first steps toward a true contender.

The experiment isn’t over — it’s just begun to work.

Rebuilds aren’t defined by wins. They’re defined by clarity. And for the first time this season, we could finally see the shape of what we’re becoming.

For now, I’ll take a deep breath, close the laptop, and finally let myself feel what I’ve been too busy to notice:

Pride.

I closed my season journal with one last note before the off-season meetings began:

“Patience isn’t passive—it’s the work between the noise.”
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⚾ — Todd “BigP” Pollard
General Manager & Manager, Kansas City Royals
“We didn’t win it all — but we started something that will.”
“Progress doesn’t always look like winning—but it still moves the scoreboard of the future.”
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