Boys In Blue – The Experiment Continues…

[Biggp07]

👑 February 15-26: Lines Drawn, Roles Tested - The Last Quiet Weeks of Budgets and Development
(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager’s Dual Log)
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February 15 always feels like the point of no return. It's the moment when the preseason stops being theoretical. Up until now, the preseason has been a time for abstraction—development curves, projections, hypothetical roles. But once mid-February hits, the calendar stops being forgiving. The questions shift from what could happen to what must be decided.

February 15–17 — Resetting the Board

The first order of business was clearing the mental noise from the development lab cycle. The results were already logged. The conclusions were already uncomfortable. There was no point in revisiting them emotionally.

Instead, I focused on alignment.

The seven players Jason identified in early-February development reports will no longer be assessed through spreadsheets or lab summaries. Starting on the 27th, they will have to demonstrate—on the field—whether they belong.

I met with the coaching staff—major league and upper minors—to walk through what the February development outcomes actually meant in practice:

• Which gains were durable
• Which regressions required protection
• Which players were now officially on the clock

I’ve assigned the coaches and trainers to identify those specific problem areas and address them immediately. This isn’t about punishment or optimism; it’s about setting clear boundaries. One decision has already been made: Sam Long’s path is settled. The rest are now competing for clarity.

From the initial development-lab cycle of eight players, the results were uneven at best.

Angel Zerpa’s role was clarified: opportunity, not a guarantee.

Dillon Dingler’s status shifted subtly but meaningfully: from depth to contender.

Angel Zerpa and Dillon Dingler clearly distinguished themselves, gaining ongoing confidence and securing their spots on the 40-man roster heading into spring training.

Everyone else? They're still auditioning.

Brady Singer, Felix Arronde, and Bobby Witt Jr. showed subtle yet noticeable improvements — though not breakthroughs, they represent progress.

However, two players did not respond as expected. Nick Pratto and Cam Devanney showed no meaningful progress. Spring training will be their proving ground. Grit, urgency, and competitiveness will matter more than pedigree from now on. If those qualities don't emerge, their time on the 26-man roster could be ending.

For the second development-lab cycle, I shifted focus away from pure skill gains toward utility: base running, situational awareness, defensive versatility, and bunting fundamentals. These are the margins where wins are quietly gained or lost over a long season.

Figure 1. Player Development Lab — Second-Cycle Assignments (Mid-February).



Perspective: The second wave of development lab assignments shifted away from pure skill growth toward fundamentals: baserunning efficiency, bunting execution, and defensive adaptability. This cycle was designed less to create upside and more to identify players capable of contributing in situational roles during the 2025 season.
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February 16 — International Thread Continues

Jason McLeod returned from Aruba with another name added to the long-term watch list: 16-year-old starting pitcher Enrique Duran.

Figure 2. Enrique Duran — International Scouting Discovery Profile.



Perspective: Sixteen-year-old Aruban right-hander Enrique Duran was added to the international complex following late-cycle scouting. While his raw pitch mix offers intrigue, command limitations and role projection suggest a long development timeline with bullpen probability outweighing starter outcomes.

Born in Oranjestad, Duran features a fastball, changeup, and slider. The raw talent is there, but command remains a major challenge. McLeod’s assessment was cautious—Duran might ultimately be miscast as a Major League starter—but his arm is worth watching. He’s been sent to the international complex, where time and practice will determine his future.

Not every international addition is about certainty. Some are about optionality.
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February 17 — A Coaching Piece Falls Into Place

The response came through clean and simple:

“Pollard,

I accept your offer and look forward to joining your organization.

Regards,
Woody Heath”

With that, another structural decision is now in place. Heath’s arrival at our Texas League AA Northwest Arkansas Naturals minor club finalizes a coaching adjustment that had been planned deliberately rather than in response to circumstances. Continuity and clarity—especially in pitcher development—were the priorities, and this hire embodies both.
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February 18–25 — Final Preseason Adjustments

These days were quiet externally, but decisive internally. With positional groups now reporting informally, the tension that only exists in late February began to surface. Pitchers arrived sharp but guarded, position players arrived confident but impatient.

That's a good sign.

Coaches finalized their spring priorities:

• Pitchers were assigned inning targets rather than roles.
• Position players were given defensive expectations tied to versatility, not preference.
• Younger players were told explicitly that performance mattered more than pedigree.

I reviewed internal depth charts again—this time with a harsher lens. What stood out wasn’t weakness at the top of the roster, but fragility just beneath it. Several roles looked stable only if health cooperated. That’s not stability—that’s hope wearing a disguise. I don’t believe in creating artificial competitions—but I believe even less in protecting players from clarity.

As a result, I authorized a final sweep of:

• Minor league contracts
• Waiver wire depth
• Trade block interest checks

Not to act immediately—but to know what levers still existed if spring training forced my hand. I think I know where our gaps are. Now I want to see them revealed honestly.

At this point, the roster stopped being theoretical.

Before the process fully wrapped up, I increased investments in both the development facilities and scouting budgets. With spring training approaching, there would be no further offseason adjustments. We still have financial flexibility—enough to act in free agency or through trades—but I’m choosing patience.

Figure 3. Front Office Budget Adjustments — Scouting and Development Investment.



Perspective: Pre-spring training budget increases to scouting and player development reinforced the organization’s long-term priorities. With sufficient payroll flexibility remaining, the club entered spring training positioned to react rather than chase needs prematurely.
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Jason also ran another international training camp to evaluate the remaining pool of amateur talent. The standout was Taketoshi Ando, a 17-year-old right-hander from Amagasaki, Japan.

Figure 4. Taketoshi Ando — International Amateur Evaluation Snapshot.



Perspective: Seventeen-year-old Japanese right-hander Taketoshi Ando emerged as a high-upside bullpen candidate during late-cycle international evaluations. Elite raw stuff and projection are counterbalanced by developmental distance and current budget constraints, positioning him as a longer-term target rather than an immediate signing.

Lean, athletic, and explosive, Ando features a fastball-slider combination that scouts rave about. Both pitches are raw but project to become legitimate weapons. Several evaluators believe his future may lie at the back end of a bullpen, potentially closing games at the highest level.

We are tapped out of international funds for this signing period, which means Ando is now a long-term target—likely one that would require creativity, patience, or trade capital.

Later that day, the Toronto Blue Jays presented a trade proposal that didn’t warrant serious consideration. If nothing else, it reinforced one crucial takeaway: MJ Melendez’s trade value remains significant. That’s information worth storing—not acting on yet, but understanding as the season unfolds.

Figure 5. Trade Proposal Snapshot — Toronto Blue Jays Inquiry.



Perspective: A late-February trade proposal from Toronto failed to advance discussions but served as a useful signal of external valuation, particularly regarding MJ Melendez. The interaction reinforced his standing as a potential future trade asset rather than an immediate point of leverage.
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February 26 — Eve of Spring Training - The Last Calm

It’s the day before camp opens. I walked through the clubhouse late in the afternoon, after most of the staff had left. Lockers are ready. Equipment staff finished their work. Schedules are printed. The room was quiet, but not empty—it felt expectant. I used that time to step back—not to second-guess decisions, but to understand the shape of what we had built.

Spring training will reveal weaknesses we thought were fixed and strengths we underestimated. It will also start to reshape how the league views our organization, particularly our farm system.

For me, as both GM and manager, this is the moment when the job simplifies and sharpens simultaneously. The spreadsheets are closed. The reports are filed. What remains is trust—earned or withheld. I’ll find out whether I’m capable and essential—or simply exposed. There's no insulation left now. No buffer between decision and consequence.

Spring training doesn't answer every question... but it asks the right ones. It doesn't wait for certainty; it exposes it, starting tomorrow.

From that point on, answers won't come from reports or projections. They'll come from innings, at-bats, mistakes, and real-time adjustments, all answered by the players in public.
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Closing Reflection — Preseason Complete

I wrote some final thoughts on the preseason before closing the clubhouse and heading home.

Tomorrow, the preseason ends, and evaluation becomes competition. We’ll start to see the results of everything we've done since November.

We now know:

• Who responded to the development investment
• Who stalled
• Who earned extended looks
• Who is running out of runway

That knowledge matters more than February stat lines ever will. The work of January and February wasn't about winning spring training—it was about ensuring that when the season begins, we are not guessing.

The preseason is finished. These final visuals reflect an organization no longer speculating—only positioning. From this point forward, the roster will be shaped by performance, not projection. Tomorrow, the games start to matter, and so does everything else.

The 2025 preseason neither offered comfort nor delivered overall. It didn't need to.

It offered definition.
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👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS

Kansas City Royals 2025 Preseason | February 2025

⚾ Prepared by: Manager & General Manager — Kansas City Royals Organization

[Biggp07]

👑 February 27: Camp Opens - Day 1 Starts the Clock
(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager’s Dual Log)
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Morning came early in Surprise.

The complex looked the same as it does every year—fresh chalk lines, freshly cut grass, a quiet hum behind the gates—but I’ve learned not to mistake familiarity for comfort. Spring training is the most honest month we get. Not because the games matter, but because the routines do. You can tell who is prepared within ten minutes of the first stretch.

Today—the first morning—will be about tone…pace…and standards.
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Schedule – February 27th – March 30th

Before anyone took the field, I sat down with the schedule and treated it like a short season—because that's exactly what it is. Twenty-eight games over twenty-eight days. A 60-man roster. Not enough time to be sentimental, not enough room to wait for someone to ‘come around.’ We open against Detroit today, and we’ll see them again at game fifteen—same sequence, second half—our natural dividing line for the first major wave of cuts, promotions, demotions, and roster moves.

Figure 1. Spring Training Schedule



Perspective: 28-game slate and opening sequence beginning February 27.

This first week is built for observation, but I’m not pretending it’s slow. With sixty bodies in camp, the core players from last year will sit out the first few days. I want the younger players isolated early—no safety net, no borrowed at-bats behind veterans. They’ll get their chance to compete among themselves before the first cuts. If they can’t survive the first gauntlet, they won’t survive the month.

A small sample size, yes. But at this level, time waits for no one. Decisions have to be made to meet a standard. Everyone in this organization knows the standard—last offseason to now—so the time to meet it is now.

As the manager, I’m watching body language and pace—who moves like they belong, who moves like they’re hoping. As the GM, I’m watching something colder: roster friction, option years, depth, leverage, and where the organization has to be ruthless to stay healthy. Today is where those two jobs stop cooperating.

I kept the first message to the room short. No speech. No hype.

This camp isn't a celebration. It's an evaluation period with uniforms on.

I told them three things:

1. Roles will be earned in public. Nothing is promised, and nothing is protected.

2. The margins matter first. Baserunning, defense, situational execution—those are the quickest tells.

3. The truth always shows up. In effort. In recovery. In adjustment. In how fast you stop making the same mistake twice.

Then we got to work.
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Non-Roster Invitees

On the roster side, we bought thirteen contracts from Omaha—players who touched the majors last year or sat close enough to the edge that one injury could have pulled them into the season. Beyond that, we issued twenty-one non-roster invites: twenty position players and one pitcher—Felix Arronde, our top Double-A prospect. Five from Triple-A, twelve from Double-A, three from High/Single-A, and one from the rookie pipeline nearing service-time relevance.

Figure 2. Spring Training Transactions and Non-Roster Invitees (NRIs)



Perspective: Transactions outlining the 60-man camp build.

February gave us signals. Spring training will decide whether they were noise or a warning. A few names are already on the clock.

• Nick Pratto and Cam Devanney didn't show the development response we wanted. That doesn't condemn them—but it removes the benefit of doubt. Their camp begins in a deficit.

• Angel Zerpa earned an opportunity. Now he must prove it against major-league hitters with consequences attached.

• Dillon Dingler did the work and got results. Now we see if it translates when pitchers are trying to get him out rather than help him improve.

That's the difference between a report and a roster.
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Spring Training Roster Starts

With limited time to make decisions, players will need to show their readiness the moment they enter the dugout. Cuts must happen quickly, so the 40-man roster must be well-established and carefully planned for opening day on April 3rd.

I wrote the priorities down before anyone arrived—simple, brutal, measurable:

• Pitchers: strike one, repeatable release, and intent on secondary pitches
• Catchers: game-calling tone, receiving, and leadership pace
• Infield: first step, throwing rhythm, and defensive consistency
• Outfield: routes and decisions—no “almost” reads
• Everyone: baserunning awareness (first-to-third reads, turns, and urgency)

The preseason is done. Fundamentals aren't optional now; they're separators.

The focus this spring is simple: who's bringing the bat and is ready to eat. Our strength lies in the pitching staff, and that reality creates its own pressure. We have arms who might deserve rotation spots but won't have one with us this year—and that's where patience with Brady Singer, Felix Arronde, and Angel Zerpa becomes more visible. If spring reveals a surplus, we'll revisit the offseason trade proposals and see if any still have some spark left.

Week One rules are deliberate. Every projected position starter from last year sits at least six days. Backup and utility pieces sit four. The younger players get the early stage to themselves—an isolated proving ground before the first cuts. If they don't manage this first gauntlet well, they get cut or sent back early.

• If a bench bat doesn't compete, what versatility do we actually have?

Figure 3. Day 1 Position-Player Pool and Lineup View



Perspective: Early camp emphasis on younger invitees before veterans rotate in.

For pitchers, we set pitch counts to forty across the board and run a six-man rotation. We'll pull them early at any sign of fatigue—no spring rep is worth an injury. Starters will build stamina steadily, ramping pitch counts by roughly twenty each week.

I want an early look at Kyle Wright's starter potential, so I tagged him as the number six starter and gave him the first start today. After a year of recovery with no practical rehab, he needs more mound time than anyone. I also have Angel Zerpa and Anthony Veneziano slotted as left-handed starter options—likely toward the back end of the rotation—until the staff shows us what it actually is.

Figure 4. Day 1 Pitching Staff View



Perspective: Six-man rotation framework and initial bullpen role assignments entering Week 1.

Relief roles start simple and evolve with performance. Most begin as middle relief. From there, the work will decide what they become by Opening Day.

• If a bullpen arm looks flat, what depth do we trust?

Two principles govern my decisions this spring: progress and presence. If you show improvement and accept accountability for your role, you're more likely to survive the cuts—either on Opening Day or at the threshold of the major-league roster.

• If someone surprises, who becomes expendable?

Spring training creates uncomfortable truths fast. My job is to act on them before they become season-long problems.

We meet Detroit again at game 15 to replay the same sequence of games for the second half of the spring training schedule. This, game 15, will be the mark for the first major cuts, promotions, demotions, and other roster moves. The second and final cut comes any time before April 3rd, Opening Day.
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Closing Note

Twenty-eight days is a small sample size to predict a player's ability to produce. In fact, it barely sniffs at his production value, so we can only evaluate using all the available resources and stats up to the final spring training game and decide based on how they fit with the team. By tomorrow, we’ll have our first real data points.

Who is ready?
Who is coachable?
Who is urgent?
Who is pretending?

Some players make that decision obvious, and some will find their footing at a slower pace. Either way, we bring up 60 guys to prove they can play a role on the roster, all knowing that they may not get the call this year.

Today, the roster is no longer a plan. It's a competition. Spring training starts now.

Welcome to the big leagues.
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👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS

Kansas City Royals | Spring Training 2025

⚾ Prepared by: Manager & General Manager — Kansas City Royals Organization
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[Biggp07]

👑 February 27-March 14: Week 1–2 Separates Competing from Participating
(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager’s Dual Log)
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February 27 – March 14 — Spring Training First Half

I reminded myself what I wrote on Day 1: observe many, evaluate a few early. That wasn’t a slogan — it was the only way to manage a 60-man camp without letting the calendar manage me.

Spring training isn’t a warm-up for us—it’s a compressed season with deadlines baked into every series. The calendar makes the rules: you either show readiness early or you lose time you’ll never get back. Before we talk about results, this is the tempo we’re operating under.

Figure 1. Spring Training Schedule — March Calendar View.



The first week played out exactly as planned. The core players from last year stayed on ice while the younger invitees ran the first gauntlet. It made the results ugly at times — but it made the information clean.

Spring training wins don't carry over into April. The habits do.

And in the first half, the habit we built was urgency: every at-bat earned, every inning measured, every mistake tracked twice — once as a coaching point, and once as a roster note.
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Week 1 — The Gauntlet

With starters sitting and the bench pieces delayed, the opening stretch was a self-contained competition. Younger players got uninterrupted innings and plate appearances against real opposition, and the separation started immediately. A few looked comfortable. Most looked rushed. That’s the point.

On the mound, we stayed disciplined: 40-pitch caps, a six-man rotation, and quick hooks at the first hint of fatigue. The goal wasn’t dominance — it was repeatability. Strike one. Clean mechanics. Secondary pitch intent.

Kyle Wright’s first start was the one I cared about most. After a year away from practical rehab, he needed mound time more than anyone. I wasn’t hunting for results — I was hunting for rhythm: tempo, command patterns, and whether his body language said he trusted his arm.
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Week 2 — Early Truths

The record reflected the plan. By the halfway mark we sat at 3–10–1, including a tie with Tampa Bay — a frustrating line if you’re scoreboard-watching, and a predictable one if you were paying attention to who was (and wasn’t) playing.

The record looks ugly if you don’t understand the plan. We spent the first two weeks observing many and evaluating a few early, and that approach always costs you on the scoreboard. But the roster view tells the truth: structure is forming, and the players who belong are starting to separate from the ones who are simply present.

Figure 2. Two-Week Snapshot — Record Context, Standings, and Initial Rotation Shape.



Once the core players began filtering back into the lineup, the room felt steadier. The pace looked major-league again — cleaner turns, better reads, fewer wasted pitches. That mattered more than the runs.

The first pair on the clock stayed on the clock: Nick Pratto and Cam Devanney. This first half didn’t decide their futures, but it did confirm the standard they’ll be held to in the second half. The evaluation window is still open — it’s just narrower now.

Angel Zerpa continued to look like the development lab work actually meant something. That’s not a guarantee of April success — it’s simply a reminder that opportunity is earned, and kept, in visible ways.

In the bullpen, Huascar Brazoban and Brennan Bernardino gave us the kind of stability you don’t take for granted in March. Their opportunities are still limited by age and roster math, but their performances made the conversation unavoidable.

The patience we show with Brady Singer and Felix Arronde became more obvious as the days stacked. Singer’s role has to be earned the same way everyone else’s is. Arronde, meanwhile, continues to justify why we protected him — the ceiling is real, and the development curve is worth riding.
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March 1 — Development Report

Jason sent the first meaningful development packet of camp — a reminder that spring training isn’t only about what happens between the lines. It’s also about whether the underlying player profiles are moving in the right direction. Notable changes:

SP Cole Ragans (27): Overall improves from 50 to 60 / 80 (as SP); potential improves from 2.5 to 3.0 stars.

CL Brennan Bernardino (33): Current and potential stuff improve from 60 to 65; potential improves from 2.5 to 3.0 stars (as RP).

SP Felix Arronde (21): Potential stuff improves from 50 to 55; current movement improves from 50 to 55.

C Dillon Dingler (26): Potential power improves from 45 to 50; current eye improves from 45 to 50; potential eye improves from 50 to 55.

1B Hunter Owen (23): Current movement improves from 40 to 45; current control improves from 35 to 40.

SS Bobby Witt Jr. (24): Current contact improves from 55 to 60; overall improves from 70 to 75 / 80 (as SS).

LF Weston Wilson (30): Potential contact drops from 45 to 40; current and potential eye drop from 55 to 50; defensive rating at 1B drops from 75 to 70.

CF Diego Hernandez (24): Current speed drops from 80 to 75; defensive rating in CF drops from 60 to 55; current gap improves from 40 to 45; overall improves from 35 to 40 / 80 (as CF).

1B Zak Bone (16, International Complex): Current contact improves from 25 to 30; potential contact improves from 50 to 55; current gap improves from 25 to 30.
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First Cuts — March 12

Beginning on the 12th, I started making the first real cuts — mostly position players who had cleared the early participation threshold and still hadn’t shown a reason to stay. I didn’t need perfection. I needed progress and presence.

This is where the philosophy turns real. Once you start cutting the room down, you’re not guessing anymore—you’re choosing. Every assignment, every option, every camp return is a statement about standards and who is (or isn’t) meeting them.

Figure 3. Camp Transactions — First Major Assignments, Option Decisions, and Early Cuts.



This first wave wasn’t about punishing poor lines in the box score. It was about removing the players whose trends were flat: slow processing, weak situational execution, defensive lapses that repeated, at-bats that never improved pitch to pitch.

The goal was simple: clear oxygen for the next phase. Camp gets sharper when the room gets smaller.

Closing Note — Halfway Doesn’t Mean Safe

Overall, I’m neither excited nor disappointed by the first half. My expectations were realistic: this was about information, not polish. Now we move into the second half — the rematch point, the real roster reshaping, and the final sprint toward Opening Day on April 3.
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👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS

Kansas City Royals | Spring Training 2025

Manager & General Manager’s Log

[Biggp07]

👑 March 15 - 31: Bullpen Rewritten, Levels Clarified, April Protected
(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)
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March 15 - 31 — Spring Training Second Half

The second half of spring training marked a shift from ‘observing many’ players to narrowing down the list. The Game 15 cut line wasn’t just symbolic — it was about making practical decisions. After that, every inning became more costly, and each at-bat carried a real opportunity cost.

Spring training is a month when everyone claims they're competing—until the roster begins to shrink. The last two weeks showed who was truly ready to handle that pressure.
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March 15 — First Major Assignments

Day fifteen was our turning point on paper, but March 15 was the turning point in the room. At this stage, ‘evaluation’ must lead to action, or else the whole month becomes a wasted rehearsal.

As a manager, I hated sending guys out before they felt ready. As the GM, I knew the faster we clarified levels, the sooner we could protect April. Progress and presence were still the standards — and several players simply weren’t meeting them at major-league speed.

These weren’t punishment moves. They were placement moves — positioning players where their development could continue instead of stalling in the big-league backfields.

CF Diego Hernandez — assigned to Triple-A Omaha (camp return).
LF Devin Mann — optioned to Triple-A Omaha.
LF River Town — assigned to Triple-A Omaha (camp return).
1B Carter Jensen — optioned to Triple-A Omaha.
SS Kaden Polcovich — assigned to Triple-A Omaha (camp return).
3B Carter Aldrete — assigned to Triple-A Omaha (camp return).
CF Joe Gray Jr. — assigned to Double-A Northwest Arkansas.
RF Adrian Hernandez — assigned to Double-A Northwest Arkansas.
LHP Anthony Veneziano — optioned to Triple-A Omaha.

The message was consistent: if the game still looked too fast, we slowed it down on purpose. If the fundamentals were clean but the impact wasn’t there yet, we kept the runway open — just at the right level. And for a few others who had already shown their ceiling in Week 1–2 — Rodolfo Duran, Yorvis Torrealba, Weston Wilson, Nate Eaton — March became about refinement in Omaha, not survival in Surprise.

We still have a couple of gaps to fill, namely, a solid corner outfielder.
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Week 3 – Pivoting

By this point, the spring schedule has already done its job: it exposed the players who can process at major-league speed and which ones need the game slowed down. The scoreboard was less important than the pattern—who adjusted, who repeated mistakes, and who looked comfortable as the roster started tightening around them. This week was used to trim the roster, sharpen focus, and increase repetitions for certain players. It was the longest streak of games we had to test endurance and durability.

As a manager, I noticed the execution sharpened as the room shrank. There were cleaner baserunning reads, fewer defensive lapses, and a stronger focus on strike-one from the staff as pitch counts increased. The habits that lead to success in April don’t all appear at once—they reveal themselves in how the team stops giving away games.

As GM, I felt the pressure of making the right choices. Options, service time, roster flexibility, and the fact that ‘best 26’ isn’t always ‘best 26 for April.’ It’s the best 26 for April with a plan for May.

We ramped up the starters the right way—steady, controlled, with no unnecessary risk. The arms we trust most didn’t need to impress; they needed to arrive healthy and be repeatable. The arms on the fringe needed to prove they could do the job on command, not just on good days.
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March 20 — Development Lab Results

Development isn’t just a long-term promise in this organization—it’s a spring training checkpoint. These programs were designed to expose who could take instruction and turn it into usable habits under pressure. When the results come back, they don’t just live in a report—they move players up, move them down, or move them out of the conversation entirely.

Our second development lab cycle yielded clearer results — not because the programs were perfect, but because the objectives were more focused. This cycle wasn’t centered on chasing potential; it was built around practical habits: baserunning fundamentals, bunting execution, and defensive reliability. These are the key differences when a roster is crowded.

Figure 1. Development Lab Outcomes — March 20 Results Report.



Weston Wilson, Devin Mann, Osiris Johnson, and Johnathan Rodriguez were assigned to baserunning drills — focusing on turns, reads, and urgency that are crucial in late innings. Diego Hernandez and Kaden Polcovich underwent bunting drills to see if they could perform under pressure, rather than just demonstrating their skills in a cage. Cayden Wallace and Carter Aldrete worked on sharpening their defense at third base because if their hitting isn’t consistent, their glove must be dependable.

The report card was honest: some players showed intent and maintained good habits, while others looked like they were simply waiting for the drill to end. That difference — effort versus ownership — is what informed the decision to send some players back to Omaha and Northwest Arkansas.
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Week 4 — Final Week of Positional Battles

Nick Loftin is probably losing his starting second-base spot to Michael Massey. Loftin’s defense and versatility keep him valuable, but his batting didn’t make the progress we needed this month — not enough impact, not enough damage, and too many at-bats ended without a clear plan. Massey appeared more direct and decisive, and spring training favors that kind of clarity. From the GM’s perspective, this also changes the trade outlook: if Loftin can provide value in a deal that addresses a corner-outfield need, we need to stay open to it.

RF M.J. Melendez didn’t give us a reason to decrease his value as a trade asset — and that might be the most important assessment he provided. He remains a leader in the clubhouse, still a presence, but his offensive consistency wasn’t evident this spring in the way we need for an everyday role. So, we’re choosing patience and leverage: he’ll start in Triple-A while we keep his market intact and let the season reveal its own answers. As a manager, I want his confidence protected; as a GM, I want his value preserved.

RF Osiris Johnson had a strong camp — the kind that makes you stop calling a player ‘depth’ and start calling him ‘next.’ But our big-league outfield picture still needs consistent, everyday at-bats, and the most straightforward route for him is Omaha. He’ll start the season in Triple-A after bouncing between High-A and Double-A last year, and if he maintains his approach, he’ll get a shot in the majors before summer.

DH Hunter Owen's status as a long-term project remains quite unique. The two-way potential is real — but it’s still years away, and it only works if we lay a solid foundation first. For now, the goal is straightforward: develop him into a true first baseman, keep the batting improvement steady, and allow the arm to grow gradually so we don’t risk damaging the most promising part by rushing it.

3B Cayden Wallace earned his promotion through consistent effort. After two years in Double-A, he didn’t just demonstrate talent — he showed daily commitment: better footwork, improved throws, and at-bats that didn’t collapse after a poor swing. He’ll start the season in Omaha, and he’s now positioned as a realistic midseason option if the big-league corner situation remains unsettled.

Figure 2. Transactions Log — Late-March Roster Compression.




This is the paper trail of everything camp revealed. Every option, assignment, and IL move is the front-office version of a coaching decision—less emotional, more permanent. By the end of March, you’re not collecting information anymore; you’re acting on it before April forces your hand.

Pitching

We solidified the rotation with Jordan Montgomery, Zac Eflin, and Cole Ragans at the top — the three arms we trust to set the tone immediately. Behind them, the competition was intense and not always comfortable. Hunter Brown and Spencer Turnbull provided the durability and focus we needed, and Angel Zerpa did enough to keep his name in consideration after the development work finally started to pay off.

Kyle Wright’s spring wasn’t about showing off; it was about proving his body could handle the pace again after a year of recovery. If we need him early, he has a clear path — and if we don’t, he gives us controlled depth we can call upon without concern.

Brady Singer and Felix Arronde remain the two names that keep tugging at the same thread: ability versus available role. Singer must earn it every time he takes the mound. Arronde has the potential to force decisions later — but there’s no need to rush him in March when he can build in Omaha and be ready when the innings truly matter.

Our bullpen underwent a role revision that prioritizes performance over reputation. Jalen Beeks takes the closer role to start the year, and Brennan Bernardino shifts into a high-leverage support position where his strikeout ability is effective without overexposure. Huascar Brazoban provided us with stability, and Will Klein’s power arm remains in the conversation as long as his strike-throwing stays consistent.

This is where my two jobs stop pretending they’re separate. As a manager, I need defined roles so the staff can work confidently; as GM, I need the structure to withstand injuries and April volatility. By the final two weeks, the bullpen isn’t a tryout anymore — it’s a hierarchy that shows who we trust when the inning gets tough.

Figure 3. Pitching Plan — Rotation Locked, Bullpen Roles Rewritten.



The last two weeks weren’t about finding everyone — they focused on confirming a few key players. Massey’s push at second base, Zerpa’s continued rise, Dingler’s steady progress, and Ragans’ developmental leap all strengthened the roster. Meanwhile, players reassigned to Omaha or Northwest Arkansas weren’t ‘failed’ — they were simply still in development. And spring training doesn’t have time to wait for those still refining their skills.

Figure 4. Late-March Snapshot — Standings and Camp Context.



The record is the easiest thing to judge in March—and the least useful if you don’t understand what you’re watching. We spent the second half of camp focusing on tightening the room, not just padding wins, and that decision always affects the scoreboard. However, this snapshot still matters because it marks the moment when the evaluation phase ends and the roster starts to take shape.

Our record ended at 7-20-1, but I believe we clearly identified our weaknesses and who we can include in a trade proposal if we decide to pursue that option in the next few days.
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Closing Thoughts

The last day of camp never feels like the end. It feels like the last moment you can still be wrong in private.

The final assessment boiled down to the same two principles I mentioned at the start of camp: progress and presence. I’ll make the final decisions based on the same standards I asked the players to meet: show me you belong, then prove you can keep belonging. If you improved and took responsibility for your role, you stayed in the conversation. If you drifted—if the game felt too fast, if the fundamentals were sloppy, if your at-bats didn’t improve—you were reassigned, optioned, or moved to depth.

This is the part of the job that never gets easier. You can like a player, respect his work ethic, and still conclude he isn’t ready for this level right now. Spring training isn’t a reward. It’s a filter.

We didn’t come here to win March. We came here to build April. The roster that leaves Surprise needs to be resilient, not just talented—capable of absorbing a bad week without unraveling and a good week without relaxing.

At the start of the offseason, we identified two key areas we needed to improve this year to consider ourselves better and potentially contenders. These areas are:

1) Defensively, boosting the starting rotation in strikeouts and forcing plays on hit balls, and
2) Offensively, improving our plate discipline and slugging percentage.

We will soon discover whether we have accomplished either goal.

Tomorrow, the calendar switches from evaluation to preparation. We’ll move from broad assessments to focused reps, finalize the last roster choices, and set the tone for Opening Day. The preseason is finished. Camp is complete.

Now the season starts.
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👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS

Kansas City Royals | Spring Training 2025

Manager & General Manager’s Log

[Biggp07]

👑 April 1-3: Kauffman Wakes Up, The Season Gets Honest
(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)
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Tuesday, April 1st — The Last Quiet Morning

There’s a certain kind of silence that only exists right before the season begins. Not empty—just contained. The clubhouse is active again, but it’s controlled and deliberate. Everyone’s acting normal, and everyone’s listening for the first crack in the routine.

As a manager, I’m focusing on pace—slowing the day so the moment doesn’t slip away. Ensuring the guys don’t overthink three plays before we even get to the first ground ball. Opening Day doesn’t reward adrenaline; it rewards focus.

As GM, I’m thinking about what we can’t see yet: the first injury, the first slump, the first bullpen night that goes sideways and tests our roster depth. The season always introduces itself with a handshake and then starts asking for payment. Options. Flexibility. The kind of bench that can survive April without bleeding into May.

Today was about final checks—health, readiness, intent. The roster may be “set,” but the roles are still settling in. And I can already feel the calendar leaning in.

Figure 1. April 2025 — Month-at-a-Glance Schedule



Perspective: The calendar doesn’t ease us into anything. Minnesota to open, then a quick run of divisional tests and road nights that will expose our depth early. April is when the roster stops being a concept and becomes a daily invoice.

A full month of spring training produces some of the best development scouting for a season. And that came to my inbox first thing this morning, not as a joke but a reality. Jason compiled the scouting reports since March 1st, 2025, and the notable player development changes. The report had more red highlights than I would have liked, but we are still in a “reform” phase, organizationally speaking, and I’m young in my tenure as the GM and manager.

GM Notebook — Spring Camp Personnel Notes

I kept a separate page in my notebook for the players I personally laid eyes on at camp — not to override Jason’s reports, but to sharpen the moment when the season forces a decision. I trust Jason’s expertise to call the room when the time comes. My job is to make sure I’m not surprised when that time arrives.

Major-League Fringe and Depth

RP John McMillon — the right-handed specialist profile still fits, but the arrow isn’t up (Stuff POT 75→70; MOV 55→50). He stays useful, just with less margin.
1B Dillan Shrum — camp didn’t help him. The bat didn’t separate, and the projection softened (CON POT 40→45; POW POT 55→50; GAP 50/50→45/45). We’re probably moving on this year.
LF Jean Ramirez — camp didn’t help him either. Speed and CF defense slipped (SPD 55→50; CF DEF 40→35; OVR 30→25; POT 2.0→1.5). Likely the same outcome: we move on.
CF Erick Pena — camp pushed him forward. The contact/discipline gains (CON 30→35; EYE 45→50) make him a real monitor this year instead of a flyer.

Triple-A Omaha Watchlist

CL Danny Wilkinson — didn’t attend camp, but the trend is interesting: velo up (90–92→92–94) and control up (35→40) even with a small stuff dip (65→60). That’s a call-up profile if it holds.
SP Chandler Champlain — trending the wrong direction (CTRL POT 60→55; POT 2.5→2.0). Depth, not urgency right now.
SP Mason Barnett — still a ‘keep’ arm. Movement up (50→55), stamina down (60→55). Upside remains: monitor workload.
C Rodolfo Duran — didn’t develop into Salvy’s heir, and camp didn’t save it (C DEF 55→45; GAP 55/55→50/50). The fallback value is shrinking.
3B Nate Eaton — spring didn’t do him favors (CON 50→45; OVR 45→40; POT 2.5→2.0 as LF).
LF Weston Wilson — one of the biggest disappointments (POW 55/55→50/50; SPD 55→50; OVR 45→40; POT 2.5→2.0 as 3B).
LF Devin Mann — poor spring production reflected in the projection (OVR 45→40; POT 2.5→2.0 as 3B).

Double-A Northwest Arkansas — Arms Worth Tracking

SP Henry Williams — positive relief out of Double-A (MOV 50→55; CTRL POT 50→55; OVR 35→40; POT 2.0→2.5). Real momentum.
RP Matt Svanson — mixed: velocity tick up (88–90→89–91) but control projection down (CTRL POT 55→50).
SP Trent Palmer — stamina down (55→50) but velo up (93–95→94–96). If the body holds, the stuff plays.
SP Ben Kudrna — movement and overall, up (MOV 50→55; OVR 35→40). Quietly trending right.
RP Andrew Hoffmann — down across the board (OVR 35→30; POT 2.0→1.5 as SP).
SP Jose Fleury — stamina and velo up (STA 50→55; 91–93→92–94) but potential down (2.5→2.0). Improvement with a lower ceiling.
RP Christian Chamberlain — trending down (Stuff POT 65→60; CTRL 35→30; OVR 40→35).

A / High-A — Pipeline Notes

SP Jordan Woods — mixed: movement up (40→45) and velo up (88–90→89–91), but control/stuff projections softened (Stuff POT 55→50; CTRL POT 50→45).
RP Christopher Troye— real jump (Stuff POT 65→70; velo 93–95→94–96; OVR 35→40). That’s a bullpen riser.
SP Oscar Rayo — multiple gains (Stuff 35→40; Stuff POT 40→45; STA 45→50; velo 88–90→89–91; OVR 25→30).
SP Yeri Perez — small but meaningful step (CTRL POT 40→45; OVR 20→25).
RP Victor Pena — trending up (Stuff 40→45; Stuff POT 50→55; velo 93–95→94–96; OVR 30→35).
SP Frank Mozzicato — movement/control up (MOV 50→55; CTRL 35→40; OVR 25→30).
SP Manuel Mercedes — stamina up (45→50), but stuff projection down (Stuff POT 50→45).
RP C.J. Mayhue — velo/control and overall, up (CTRL 35→40; 92–94→93–95; OVR 20→25 as SP).
SP Yunior Marte — control and overall, up (CTRL 40→45; CTRL POT 45→50; OVR 30→35).
SP Christian Little — the wrong kind of movement: everything softened (Stuff POT 65→60; MOV POT 60→55; CTRL POT 45→40; POT 2.5→2.0).
SP Ben Hernandez — big velocity and stuff spike (Stuff 25→40; velo 92–94→95–97; OVR 20→30; POT 1.5→2.0). That’s a name to circle.
C Ramon Ramirez — mixed but slightly down: contact projection softened (CON POT 50→45), power/gap current up (POW 35→40; GAP 35→40) with gap projection down (GAP POT 50→45; POT 2.5→2.0).
C Axiel Plaz — potential bat regressed (POW POT 60→55; EYE POT 50→45; GAP POT 55→50) with speed up (SPD 40→45). Development is still alive, but slower than hoped.

None of these notes change what Opening Day demands — they change who gets the next phone call when April starts testing the roster. This list is our early-warning system: the risers we can reward, the floaters we need to challenge, and the guys we may have to move on from before the season moves on without them.

The Boston Trade

After sitting down with the front office and reviewing our spring training camp outcome, we decided that a corner outfielder, specifically RF, was needed to add to the lineup this year. We just didn’t get the production from Melendez or others that we were trialing in that position during camp.

Figure 2. Trade Framework — Kansas City ↔ Boston (Renfroe Return)



Perspective: This is the kind of move you make when you’re done waiting for “almost.” We deal from the edges to bring back a known posture in the room—Hunter Renfroe—and a controllable outfield piece in Andrew Pinckney. It’s a win-now decision with a long-view safety net.

In a move that has fans in both cities buzzing, the Kansas City Royals and the Boston Red Sox have agreed to a deal that will send 26-year-old minor league LF MJ Melendez and 21-year-old minor league 3B Austin Charles to Boston in exchange for 33-year-old RF Hunter Renfroe and 24-year-old minor league RF Andrew Pinckney. Provided they pass a physical, the players should be with their respective teams in time for tomorrow's games.

Melendez has a career average of .229 and an on-base percentage of .309, with 331 hits, 83 doubles, 12 triples, 52 home runs, 186 RBIs, and 183 runs scored. Renfroe's career stats show his batting average of .239 with 190 home runs.

Players in the clubhouse are upset to see MJ Melendez leave. While they still believe they can manage without his leadership, some players worry that losing him could harm the positive atmosphere they currently have in the locker room.
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Wednesday, April 2nd — Final Shape, Final Message

The last day before Opening Day is never just a logistical matter. It’s emotional, even when you try to keep it clinical. The cuts are already done, but you can still feel their echo. Guys who were here a week ago are back in Omaha or Northwest Arkansas now, trying to turn spring lessons into something real.

The roster looks clean on paper and complicated everywhere else. There are players you keep because you trust them. There are players you keep because the math demands it. And the job—my job—has always been knowing which is which without letting comfort win the vote.

The lineup feels different this year, and it’s supposed to. We needed sharper at-bats. Less drifting. More direct intent in the middle of the order. And having Hunter Renfroe back matters—not just for the bat, not just for the arm, but for posture. When he’s in the room, the room carries itself differently. There’s less pretending. Fewer wasted reps.

Figure 3. Player Profile — Hunter Renfroe



Perspective: Renfroe isn’t here to be a rumor or a “maybe.” He returns as a lineup stabilizer—right-handed impact, professional at-bats, and an outfield arm that changes how teams take extra bases. If the middle of our order is going to look different, it starts with his presence.

I told the coaching staff we’re not chasing perfection in April. We’re chasing repeatability. Clean defense. Quality at-bats. Pitching plans we don’t abandon after one bad inning. If we’re going to be different this year, it starts with the first series—not in results, but in habits.

Tonight, I took one last lap through the building after most people left. The stadium was quiet, the field lights low, the kind of calm that makes you remember why baseball has always felt like a promise. Tomorrow, the promise gets tested.
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Thursday, April 3rd — Opening Day vs Minnesota

Opening Day at Kauffman has a sound that doesn’t exist anywhere else. It starts in the parking lots—tailgates, radios, kids in jerseys too big for them—and it builds through the gates like a tide. By the time you step onto the field for introductions, it isn’t noise anymore. It’s a living thing. A home crowd that waited all winter just to see the first pitch cut the air.

The first pitch isn’t just ceremonial. It’s a verdict on the winter. On every offseason phone call, every spring evaluation, every decision we made when nobody was watching. And the truth is—this is the moment I feel the dual role the most.

As manager, I want the dugout calm. I want eyes steady. I want our guys to treat the first inning like the fifth: the same tempo, the same confidence, the same discipline. Because the season doesn't care about pageantry.

As GM, I’m watching it like a blueprint under stress. The roster we brought out of camp—does it hold its shape when the first jam arrives? Does our bench make sense once the game turns into matchups? Do we have the kind of pitching backbone that keeps you in a game even when the bats need time to wake up?

And Minnesota is the right opponent for Opening Day. Three games, no mercy, no easing into anything. A first series should be honest. It should tell you what’s real and what you’ve been telling yourself. We’re coming in with expectations—our expectations. Not the kind you talk about in headlines. The internal ones: the standard we set in the offseason and reinforced every day of camp. We don’t need to be perfect tonight. But we need to be present. We need to play clean. And we need to look like a club that knows what it is.

When the anthem ends, and the crowd settles into that final hush, there's always that half-second where the whole stadium feels like it’s leaning forward. That’s the moment I live for.

Opening Day Lineups and Pitching Staff

With Renfroe back in the lineup, the order feels more dangerous—more adult. The at-bats don't have to be loud; they just have to be prepared. If the lineup is truly revamped, it will show in the first nine innings—not in fireworks, but in the way we grind: deep counts, hard contact, no freebies given away.

Figure 4. Opening Day Offensive Card — Lineups / Batting Order Overview



Perspective: This is the new shape we’re taking into the first pitch—less filler, more intent. The objective is simple: lengthen the lineup, force decisions, and punish mistakes instead of letting pitchers coast. Opening Day isn’t about fireworks; it’s about setting a standard we can repeat.

Figure 5. Opening Day Pitching Card — Rotation, Bullpen Roles, Usage Plan



Perspective: This is the backbone: roles defined, leverage mapped, and no illusions about what the first series demands. The rotation sets the tone, but April usually belongs to the bullpen—who throws clean strikes when the game tightens. The plan is structure first, emotion second.
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Opening Series Note — What I’m Watching vs the Twins

• Renfroe’s early at-bats: not just results—tone, intent, and whether the middle of the order looks ready to do damage.
• Infield tempo: first-step reads, clean turns, no cheap outs.
• Bullpen discipline: leverage innings handled with purpose—not panic.
• Our first adversity inning: the one where the crowd gets quiet, and the game tries to tilt. That’s where identity shows.

This is the year of my reckoning.
________________________________________
👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS

Kansas City Royals | Regular Season Opening Day 2025

Manager & General Manager’s Log

[Biggp07]

👑 Thursday, April 3 • Opening Day Game 1 👑

Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals | Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Partly cloudy, 44°F, wind out to LF (10 mph) | Attendance: 37,574 | First pitch: 3:10 PM CT

There's a certain kind of quiet that exists only before the gates open at Kauffman—the kind where you can hear the grounds crew dragging the infield and your own thoughts growing louder. I’m wearing both hats again this year, and Opening Day always reminds me why that’s both a privilege and a challenge. The GM in me wants efficient processes and long-term plans; the manager in me wants that first win, right now, in front of our people.

Pregame Memo (Manager’s Desk)

Owner’s note arrived in my inbox this morning—simple and to the point: stay competitive, stay steady, and keep the season from tipping early. That’s the right kind of pressure. Today was about setting a tone rather than chasing a stat line.
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Series Snapshot — Minnesota Twins (3 Games)

Projected pitching matchups (our pitcher listed first):

• LHP J. Montgomery (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP P. Lopez (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
• RHP Z. Eflin (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP J. Ryan (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
• LHP C. Ragans (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP C. Paddack (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Twins players we circled on the first prep sheet:

• 1. CF Byron Buxton (Age: 31, Overall: 70, Potential: 4.0)
• 2. CL Jhoan Duran (27, 70, 4.0)
• 3. SP Pablo Lopez (29, 65, 4.0)
• 4. SS Carlos Correa (30, 65, 3.5)
• 5. SP Chris Paddack (29, 60, 3.5)

Matchup board is clear: Jordan Montgomery versus Pablo López. My role on days like this is to keep the room calm and the plan strong—attack the strike zone, make precise reads on contact, and prevent the Twins from turning early traffic into momentum. If we stick to our game plan for nine innings, the outcome will take care of itself.
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Game Day Log — Royals vs. Twins (Game 1)

Manager’s Clipboard

Keep the first inning boring. Make them earn every extra base. Our plan is simple: quality at-bats early, pressure on the corners, and let Jordan set the tone with strikes. If the crowd is going to carry anything tonight, let it be our pace.

Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View)

1st Inning
Montgomery started strong—fast tempo, firm edges. The Twins didn’t look comfortable seeing him land early strikes. Offensively, we didn’t score yet, but the at-bats were patient enough to start shaping López’s pitch count.

2nd Inning
This is when the game started feeling like ours. Davis Schneider led off with a double to spark things, and the lineup stayed on schedule. We didn’t need a homer—just smooth sequencing. We scored two runs with pressure baseball (and forced them to defend every 90 feet). Early lead, early breath of relief.

3rd Inning
Montgomery kept the Twins quiet—no free bases turning into stress. On our side, we continued making contact and forcing their infield to work. Not every inning needs to produce runs; some are about maintaining control.

4th Inning
The first real moment where Minnesota tried to build something. Montgomery didn’t flinch. When they reached, we responded with execution—double-play baseball and quick outs. That’s how you win in April: shorten innings before they turn into problems.

5th Inning
Still steady. Our dugout felt settled—no chasing, no panic swings. Bobby Witt Jr. was seeing the ball like a beach ball and kept generating quality contact. We didn’t break it open yet, but we were controlling the pace of the game.

6th Inning
We added two more runs and made it hurt even more. This was the inning where Minnesota’s cracks started to show—two errors on their side (Stott and Wade Jr.) revealed who was cleaner. We took what they gave us, stayed aggressive on the bases, and forced them to get outs the hard way. When the inning ended, it felt like we’d taken their air.

7th Inning
Montgomery’s last frame—and he finished like an ace. Seven scoreless innings, 10 strikeouts, just two hits allowed. That’s not just a good start; it’s a tone-setter for the whole staff. I let him own the moment, then took him off the field with the lead protected.

8th Inning
We went to the bullpen and stayed composed. Minnesota finally got their loudest contact—Luke Voit doubled (off Brazoban)—but we didn’t give them anything else. The bottom half was the inning that turned a win into a statement: with two outs and runners on base, Michael Massey launched a three-run homer off José Ruiz. The crowd erupted, the dugout exploded, and the scoreboard finally matched how the day felt.

9th Inning
Jalen Beeks handled the final outs with a clean, professional finish. No drama. No leaks. Just a firm close.
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Final

Royals Top Twins, 7-0, Behind Montgomery

The box score looks impressive, but what I’ll remember is how controlled it was—13 hits, 6 walks, and no panic. Witt (3 hits) and Schneider (3 hits + that early double) kept the offense moving; Pasquantino drove in crucial runs and played solid first base; Isbel scored twice. Even Salvador’s line doesn’t stand out—3 strikeouts, many runners left on base—but the at-bats mattered more than the totals suggest. That’s Opening Day baseball: not perfect, but intentional.



We walked out of the park with the exact kind of first win I want as a manager: controlled, efficient, and loud at the right moments. And as the GM, I walked out with something just as important—confirmation that the roster decisions from March weren't just theories.

Kansas City Pitching Scoreline

Pitcher               IP  H  R  ER  BB  K  HR  P-S
Jordan Montgomery     7.0  2  0  0  3  10  0  94-56
Huerter Brazoban      1.0  2  0  0  0   2  0  21-13
Jalen Beeks           1.0  0  0  0  0   1  0   7-6

From the GM's perspective, this game matters more than just a score of “1–0.” Montgomery represents a commitment you can see on the ledger and feel in the clubhouse—six years, $100 million is a bet on stability, and today he paid the first installment in full. The shutout also gives us flexibility for the next two games of this series: the bullpen remains fresh, the defense held strong, and we didn’t burn through any resources we’ll need later in the week. Opening Day is just one page, but it sets the tone for what kind of team you’re willing to be all season. Today, we looked like a team that expects to win at home.
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Around the League — Opening Day Noise

The first prospect list of the new year arrived on my desk before lunch—another reminder that each club operates in two timelines simultaneously. Here’s the top of the board making the early headlines:

1) CF Roman Anthony, 20, Boston Red Sox
2) CF Walker Jenkins, 20, Minnesota Twins
3) RHP Juan Garcia, 16, San Diego Padres
4) C Ethan Salas, 18, San Diego Padres
5) C Samuel Basallo, 20, Baltimore Orioles
6) 2B Termarr Johnson, 20, Pittsburgh Pirates
7) LHP Robby Snelling, 21, San Diego Padres
8) RHP Humberto Jaime, 16, San Francisco Giants
9) RHP Owen Murphy, 21, Atlanta Braves
10) C Kyle Teel, 23, Boston Red Sox

And while we were preparing to close up the clubhouse for the night, the league already delivered a shock:

• Excitement filled Oakland Coliseum as Cleveland Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams threw a rare no-hitter.
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👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | Opening Day 2025 - Game 1



(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)

[Biggp07]

👑 Saturday, April 5 • Twins Series Game 2 👑

Win the series early. Build the identity fast. April doesn’t wait.

Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals | Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Partly cloudy, 45°F, wind out to CF (10 mph) | Attendance: 31,670 | First pitch: 3:10 PM CT

Opening Day gives you a rush, but it doesn’t give you permission to relax. By the time the lights go dark at Kauffman, the manager in me is replaying at-bats and bullpen choices; the GM in me is scanning the roster like a radar screen—health, options, and where our first contingency call comes from if April gets loud.

One win matters, and one win proves nothing. April 4 is the working day: film, reports, and conversations that sound calm but carry a hard edge. If our standard is real, it will show up again tomorrow.

I did what every GM does the morning after a win: I looked at projections, not because I believe in them, but because I want to know what the league thinks we are—and how fast that narrative can shift when we make real moves.

What the Numbers Say (and What They Don’t)

Earlier projections had us buried — a 56-win finish kind of burial. That’s the baseline disrespect we’re facing. After the Renfroe move, the tone shifts. The model doesn’t crown us, but it stops ridiculing: 85–77 and close to relevance.

Figure 1. 2025 Preseason Forecast Snapshot — American League Outlook



Perspective: A preseason projection has Kansas City in the Central conversation at 85–77, with internal benchmarks centered on 732 runs scored and 714 runs allowed. It’s not a promise—just the league’s starting assumption—and April is where we start rewriting it.

Offensively, the target is clear: the runs must increase. We’re targeting 732 runs—an increase of 54 from last season, approximately 8%. While runs scored is the headline, it also serves as the pressure test: if the lineup is revamped, it must be reflected in the only language the standings speak.

Defensively—and on the mound—John’s expectation is straightforward: reduce the runs allowed. The benchmark on my page is 714 runs allowed. That’s the difference between ‘competitive’ and ‘dangerous’ over six months.

As a manager, I can’t coach projections. But as GM, I must acknowledge the numbers: more strikeouts, fewer free passes, better defense—all lead to fewer runs allowed. That was the foundation we set last offseason, and April is when we prove we stand by it.

Roster Moves

In the Hunter Renfroe trade, we also acquired a minor league RF, Andrew Pickney. Roster adjustments were necessary; space was made for Hunter on the 40-man roster, and Pickney was assigned to Double-A. We waived and will likely release LF Weston Wilson, who did not have a good spring camp with us, as he was on the secondary roster, and optioned RF Johnathan Rodriguez to Omaha. This allows us to platoon Drew Waters and Hunter Renfroe in RF. Renfroe excels against LHP but struggles against righties, so they will platoon RF this season unless circumstances change.
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April 5 — Game 2 vs. Minnesota

Kauffman felt different on day three—not less alive, just more honest. Opening Day is ceremony. Game 2 is proof. The crowd still shows up, but now they're watching for consistency, not confetti.

Pregame Memo (Manager's Desk)

Attack the zone early and don’t let their left-right matchups dictate our pace. Offensively: stay inside the ball, take the walk if they offer it, and let the lineup turn mistakes into damage. No giving innings away with soft outs.

On the admin side: we got Andrew Baker inked to a minor league deal today—elite stuff, messy control, but a real “if the strike-throwing clicks, it changes his track” kind of arm.

Figure 2. Andrew Baker — Minor League FA bullpen add (AA Northwest Arkansas)



Perspective: Kansas City adds a low-risk relief option in Andrew Baker, a right-hander with a 94–96 mph look and a breaking-ball-heavy profile (notably the curveball). It’s the kind of signing that won’t make headlines on April 5—but it can save you innings when the season starts taking them.
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Series Matchup Board — Minnesota Twins Game 2

Projected pitching matchup (our pitcher listed first):
• RHP Z. Eflin (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP J. Ryan (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Twins players we circled on the first prep sheet:
• 1. CF Byron Buxton (Age: 31, Overall: 70, Potential: 4.0)
• 2. CL Jhoan Duran (27, 70, 4.0)
• 3. SP Pablo Lopez (29, 65, 4.0)
• 4. SS Carlos Correa (30, 65, 3.5)
• 5. SP Chris Paddack (29, 60, 3.5)

Matchup board reads clean: RHP Zach Eflin vs. RHP Joe Ryan. From the GM chair, yesterday's opener bought us zero credit today—just a little breathing room to stay disciplined with the plan. From the manager's chair, the goal was simple: win the first inning, win the strike zone, and make Minnesota play from behind. Ryan's a rhythm guy—if we let him settle, he'll carve.
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Game Day Log — Royals vs. Twins (Game 2)

Manager’s Clipboard

Win the first two pitches. Keep the innings clean. Don’t let their counterpunch dictate our tempo. If we’re serious about a new offensive identity, it starts with professional at-bats even when the hit doesn’t fall.

Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View)

1st Inning
Not perfect out of the gate—Twins scratched one early when they landed a run-scoring swing to grab a quick lead. But the response from our dugout was exactly what I wanted: immediate, loud, and organized.
Bottom half, we flipped the whole game in about five minutes: Vinnie Pasquantino unloaded a two-run homer (his 1st of the year), then Michael Massey followed with another two-run blast. Four runs in the first inning changes everybody’s posture—ours gets confident, theirs gets tense.

2nd Inning
This is where Eflin started doing what he does best—get ahead, stay ahead, and keep hitters guessing. The at-bats from Minnesota were already looking longer and more frustrated.

3rd Inning
Bobby Witt Jr. doubled again (he finished with two doubles on the day), and we kept applying pressure even when it didn’t cash immediately. Meanwhile, Eflin’s tempo was sharp—he was collecting strikeouts without feeling like he was chasing them.

4th Inning
Quiet inning on the scoreboard, but not quiet in terms of control. This was the stretch where I could feel the game tilt from “we’re ahead” to “they’re running out of answers.” Eflin kept the Twins from stacking traffic.

5th Inning
No need to get greedy—just stay clean. Our approach stayed consistent even as the hits slowed. The dugout stayed locked in on the little stuff (first-pitch strikes, smart reads, no free outs).

6th Inning
This is where we put a foot on their throat. We got men on, two outs, and Maikel Garcia delivered the separator: a two-run triple to push the lead to 6–1. That’s the inning I love most as a manager—two outs, no panic, just execution. Garcia wasn’t just “hot,” he was in control (he went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI).

7th Inning
Eflin finished his day after 6.0 innings—3 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts. Exactly the kind of start that steadies a weekend series.

8th Inning
We went to B. Bernardino and asked for efficient outs—he gave us two scoreless innings, worked around two walks, and kept the leverage locked down. Even with the offense quiet, the game stayed in our hands.

9th Inning
Jalen Beeks took the final frame and shut the door—no drama, just a clean finish to a clean win.

________________________________________

Final

Twins Popped by Royals, 6-1

The story is the first inning thunder (Pasquantino + Massey), then the professional separation swing (Garcia’s triple). On a day when a few bats didn't light up (Payton wore a rough one), the lineup still produced impact where it matters: damage swings early, and two-out RBI late.



This was the kind of game that matters early—not because it counts more, but because it confirms that the Opening Day win wasn’t a one-night performance. Minnesota had no answer for Zach Eflin setting the tone and working deep, and that’s exactly what I need in April: starters who can hand me leverage innings without panic. Eflin’s outing is exactly why we valued him—quality pitches, length, and a calm mound presence that keeps the rest of the staff in the best version of its roles.

Kansas City Pitching Scoreline

Pitcher               IP   H  R  ER  BB  K  HR  PI  ERA
Zach Eflin            6.0  3  1   1   3  9   0  94  1.50
B. Bernardino         2.0  0  0   0   2  1   0  30  0.00
Jalen Beeks           1.0  1  0   0   1  1   0  18  0.00

As manager, I want clean baseball—no cheap outs, no defensive leaks, no innings handed away. As GM, I’m watching the same game for roster pressure: who’s forcing playing time, who’s clinging to it, and what the next two weeks are going to expose.

From the GM chair, I care about the headline—but I care more about the pattern. Two games in, the identity we talked about all winter is showing up: more strikeouts on the mound, fewer runs allowed, and enough power to change innings in a hurry.
________________________________________

Around the League – April 4-5

While we’re grinding through our first series, the league is already writing headlines. And the GM in me reads every one of them the same way: what’s real, what’s noise, and what’s going to change the market by May.

Anyone wearing a glove and sitting in the bleachers for today's Yankees-Astros game had a good chance at snagging a home run ball. Aaron Judge put on a show and knocked out milestone drama with his 300th career homer—a reminder that stars don’t wait for “later,” they punch moments into the calendar.

Aaron Judge hit a solo-shot off Lance McCullers Jr. in the 1st, hit an RBI single in the 3rd, hit a two-run home run off Lance McCullers Jr. in the 5th, hit a solo-shot off Martin Perez in the 7th, and struck out in the 9th. Judge, who finished 2nd in the AL in slugging percentage with .627 in 2017, was 4-for-5 on the day with 5 runs batted in.
________________________________________
👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | Regular Season 2025 - Game 2



(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)

[Biggp07]

👑 Sunday, April 6 • Twins Series Game 3 👑

Good moments, bad sequence.

Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals | Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Partly cloudy, 57°F, wind out to RF (11 mph) | Attendance: 31,808 | First pitch: 1:10 PM CT

Sunday mornings during the season are quieter on paper but louder in your mind. I feel a certain calm walking out to the infield coach with a folded lineup card, but it’s the kind of calm that comes from carrying the whole week on your shoulders. The clubhouse smells like tape and coffee, the stadium is still half asleep, yet every decision feels like it resonates a little longer because there’s no more ‘tomorrow’ in a three-game set. Today is the last page of Minnesota's first chapter in Kansas City—and I want that page to read like we meant what we said in camp.

McLeod’s Puerto Rico File

Jason McLeod returned to the building like a man coming from a different climate—sunburned, quiet, and carrying a folder that suddenly felt heavier than it should. Puerto Rico didn't give him a headline, but it handed him a few names worth treating like oxygen: handle them carefully, and don't waste them.

His note was clear: keep an eye on the international complex and maintain the file on Alex Morales as a long-term option. Morales is headed to the international complex, but that doesn't mean we're rushing to sign; it means we're staying ready. If the right candidate emerges, we don't want to be the organization that hesitates because we didn't do the homework back in March.

Figure 1. Alex Morales — Scouting Discovery (KC International Complex, Apr 6, 2025)



Perspective: A 16-year-old right-hander from San Juan, Morales joins the system as a scouting discovery with starter listed today but a current projection favoring the bullpen. His velocity is modest (87–89 mph), and his ratings are raw, but his makeup appears strong—precisely the type of low-cost arm we allow the development staff to shape before rushing to assign a role.

That’s the GM side of Opening Week—everyone looks at the big-league box scores, but the pipeline is built in places nobody can pronounce on a broadcast. I trust Jason’s expertise, and I trust our process: evaluate carefully, act with purpose, and never let the calendar pressure us into a poor decision.
________________________________________

April 6th — Game 3 (Final) vs. Minnesota

The Twins don’t give you much. Their starters attack the zone, their defense stays sharp, and they punish mistakes you hope nobody notices. That’s exactly why we rebuilt the roster like we did—more contact, more edge, more adults in the room. The goal isn’t to be entertaining. The goal is to be inevitable.

Pregame Memo (Manager's Desk)

As the manager, I’m thinking about the first inning: making clean catches, delivering solid at-bats one at a time, and avoiding unnecessary outs. As GM, I’m thinking about the first week: who can handle the tough parts of the schedule—travel days, cold nights, and early April when your depth is truly tested.

If we want this series, the first step is discipline: supporting consistent effort, learning from mistakes, and not letting a clean inning become a quick one just because we get impatient.

Series Matchup Board — Minnesota Twins Game 3

Projected pitching matchup (our pitcher listed first):

• LHP C. Ragans (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP C. Paddack (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Matchup board for the finale read like a clean test of intent: LHP C. Ragans (0–0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP C. Paddack (0–0, 0.00 ERA). On paper, it’s early-season symmetry—two zeros, two guys still building their first real workload—but in the dugout, it felt more like a choice. From my GM perspective, I appreciated how this matchup fit our identity—power arm versus command-righty—but from my manager viewpoint, I wanted one thing above all: get the first punch in the first three innings and keep the pressure on their defense.

Ragans gives us the left-handed edge and the kind of stuff that can tilt a series if he's in the zone. When he's right, you can feel the dugout breathe differently—tempo, conviction, and that sharp edge that makes hitters late even when they know what's coming.

Paddack, meanwhile, is the kind of pitcher who wants you to swing—fastballs right at the letters, breakers that look hittable until they aren’t, winning by denying you easy hits. He’ll challenge you early, stay in the zone, and dare you to swing at his pitch instead of your plan.
________________________________________

Game Day Log — Royals vs. Twins (Game 3)

Manager’s Clipboard

My message to the lineup was simple: don't gift him free counts, make him earn his strikes, and win the series. We had Cole Ragans on the mound, so set a tone early, keep traffic to a minimum, and let the offense do enough. After taking the first two, this was the “step-on-it” game.

Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View)

1st Inning
Ragans’ stuff looked lively, but Minnesota wasn’t chasing as much as they did in the first two games. We also didn’t score first—quiet start, but nothing felt out of control yet.

2nd Inning
The game turned here. Luke Voit drove in the first run with a run-scoring single, and the inning continued to shift in their favor—suddenly it’s 2–0 Twins, and we’re playing from behind. From the bench, it wasn’t panic; it was the frustrating kind of inning where a couple of pitches miss by inches and turn into damage.

3rd Inning
Byron Buxton ambushed one for a solo homer—3–0, and the crowd went quiet in that “not again” way. This was the point where I started paying close attention to our body language. You can lose a game early without it being over—if you let the energy leak.

4th Inning
We finally put together better at-bats, but Chris Paddack was in complete control—he was striking out everything that tried to breathe. In the dugout, it felt like we were always one pitch late on decisions, one step behind the count.

5th Inning
Ragans battled to keep it from getting worse, but the workload was climbing. He finished with 5.1 innings pitched—3 runs, 6 strikeouts, and one homer that changed the tone of the afternoon.

6th Inning
A strange, tense inning at the stadium: Buxton was ejected for arguing a strike call. That kind of moment can shift a game emotionally… but we didn’t take advantage of it. We needed to find a way to turn that chaos into momentum and failed to do so.

7th Inning
Our best “quality-contact” inning came late—Mark Payton doubled (and overall swung well with two hits). But with two outs, we couldn’t get the hit that would change the scoreboard.

8th Inning
This is where it got away completely. Ryan Jeffers hit a two-run double to make it 5–0, and now we’re just trying to hold it together instead of aiming for the win.

9th Inning
We finally posted a run—late, and notably, with no RBI recorded on the day (just a push across the line, not a real rally).

If there’s a small footnote, I’ll keep it: Drew Waters stole a base and kept playing with purpose even when the game wasn’t offering anything in return.
________________________________________

Final

Paddack Now 1-0 After Beating Royals

The series ends with a reminder that a hot start doesn't shield you from a sharp pitcher. Paddack earned every quiet inning we gave him: 6.2 innings, 3 hits, 10 strikeouts. He did what good starters do in April—pounded the zone, kept the ball off the fat part of the bat, and made us work for everything. Offensively, the page is blunt: 5 hits, 11 strikeouts, and too many empty counts. Even the pinch-hit knocks (Haggerty’s single, Schneider’s late double) felt like punctuation, not a story.



Ragans battled, but the margins stayed tight all afternoon, and Minnesota was sharper in the few moments that decided the game.

Kansas City Pitching Scoreline

Pitcher                IP    H   R  ER   BB   K  HR    PI   ERA
C. Ragans              5.1   4   3   3    2   6   1    88  5.06
K. Wright              2.0   0   1   1    2   5   0    43  4.50
C. Ferguson            0.2   2   1   1    1   1   0    18 13.50
S. Emanuels            1.0   0   0   0    0   1   0    18  0.00

As a manager, the message is clear: no free outs, no lazy innings, and no waiting for the ‘big hit’ to carry you. As GM, the message is more detailed: our roster has improved, but it’s not finished. The standard we set in camp is the same standard the standings will demand. If we meet it, this team will be tough to beat. If we don't, April will decide for us. This is the kind of game that keeps me honest. We're 2–1 now—fine—but the way we lose matters: when we face a starter with real command and a bat-missing profile, our margin shrinks quickly.

Series Takeaways

I'm not going to sugarcoat it: losing a series finale at home stings. But the sting is useful if you listen to it. We learn what holds up and what falls apart when the game speeds up—who stays focused after a bad at-bat, who resets after a defensive mistake, and who looks like they're still in spring training in their head.

We’ll review how Paddack challenged us—identifying where we expanded and where we became passive—and I’ll also keep an eye on the organizational pipeline note McLeod brought back. Because the only remedy to days like this is depth: more bats that don't give away strike zones and more arms capable of dominating when the opponent's lineup starts hunting for mistakes.

Now we turn the page and head to Baltimore. The schedule doesn't care what we want; it only cares what we are. And we're going to find out quickly.

Around the League – April 6

No real league noise this morning—just the quiet kind of day where you can hear your own standards.
________________________________________
👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | Regular Season 2025 - Game 3



(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)

[Biggp07]

👑 Monday, April 7 • Orioles Series Game 1 👑

One-run game, a loud ninth, just enough poise.

Kansas City Royals at Baltimore Orioles | Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Weather: Rain, 57° | Wind in from RF (11 mph) | Attendance: 22,184 | First pitch: 6:35 PM ET

Pregame Memo (Manager's Desk)

The league’s early chatter has us sitting #12 in the power rankings, with Baltimore at #11—close enough to feel like a measuring stick before the season even warms up.

Camden's always loud, even when it's wet—a park that slightly favors hitters and punishes the one pitch you leave on the wrong side of the plate. It's a good stage for a first impression in a new series.
________________________________________

Baltimore Series Snapshot

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:

• RHP H. Brown (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP G. Rodriguez (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
• RHP S. Turnbull (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP E. De Los Santos (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
• LHP J. Montgomery (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP K. Bradish (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:

1. 2B Jackson Holliday (Age: 21, Overall: 80, Potential: 5.0)
2. C Adley Rutschman (27, 80, 5.0)
3. CL Felix Bautista (29, 75, 4.5)
4. SP Corbin Burnes (30, 65, 4.0)
5. SS Gunnar Henderson (23, 65, 4.0)


From the GM chair, you circle names like —Holliday, Rutschman, Bautista, Burnes, Henderson—and you remind yourself this isn't a “rebuild club.” This is a club built to punish mistakes - and to tell you the truth about your roster in a hurry.

Series Matchup Board — Baltimore Orioles Series Game 1

• RHP H. Brown (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP G. Rodriguez (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Matchup board for the opener was a clean power-versus-power look: RHP Hunter Brown (0–0, 0.00) vs. RHP Grayson Rodriguez (0–0, 0.00). Two right-handers with electric arms and “starter’s stuff” that can turn a lineup quiet fast—Brown with the kind of fastball that plays louder than the radar reading when he’s driving it downhill, Rodriguez with that heavy mix that dares you to swing early and then punishes you when you do.

I liked the test: this is the kind of series where you learn if your roster can survive premium velocity without abandoning the strike zone. If our habits travel, they show up here.
________________________________________

Game Day Log — Royals vs. Orioles (Game 1)

Manager’s Clipboard

The plan was blunt: don’t give Rodriguez free innings—make him work, stretch counts, stay stubborn in the zone, and get us into their middle relief where the rain and traffic can make everything sloppy. Win the first inning, play clean defense in the rain, and don't let their young core start hunting fastballs with runners on.

Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View)

1st Inning
Perfect start to a road series: Maikel Garcia jumped them immediately with a leadoff double—a hard groundball smoked at 105.6 mph—and Vinnie Pasquantino followed with a grinder of an at-bat that ended the right way: full-count double at 106.9 mph to plate Garcia for 1–0 before Rodriguez could settle.

Bottom half, Brown had to grind through early traffic—Rutschman worked a walk after taking a 3–0 called strike, then Suzuki hit one at 101.9 mph that still turned into only a fielder's choice. We limited the damage to zero. That inning was a tone-setter: we were going to be the team that bends without breaking.

2nd Inning
Quiet on the scoreboard, but Brown’s tempo was starting to show. He got some key strikeouts and kept the inning lengths short—exactly what you want in weather like this.

3rd Inning
Baltimore tied it on one swing—Jackson Holliday got a pitch and hit a solo homer to make it 1–1. The details sting: 108.1 mph off the bat, 422 feet, line-drive loud. From the rail, I didn’t love the outcome, but I liked the response: Brown didn't unravel. He got right back to work.

4th Inning
This was the winning inning—the kind we’re trying to build an identity around: patient, physical, and willing to take a run any way it shows up. Bobby Witt Jr. drew a walk, Salvador Perez ripped a double (98.8 mph), and Michael Massey shot a single through (94.4 mph) to bring Witt home. Then Davis Schneider lifted the sac fly—runner tags, scores, throw comes in late—and we pushed it to 3–1. Two runs, no panic swings—just sequencing and execution.

5th Inning
Baltimore answered with pressure baseball of their own. Sean Bouchard doubled to start the inning, advanced, and then the run scored on a bang-bang play at the plate—Suzuki’s chopper turned into a fielder's-choice attempt home, runner safe. The rain always makes those exchanges a half-beat messier. They trimmed it to 3–2.

Manager note to self: those are the innings where a clean first out matters. We got out of it with the lead, but it kept the game tight.

6th Inning
Brown finished his work here—6.0 innings, 2 runs, and he held them to 4 hits while navigating traffic (3 walks, a HBP). Not spotless, but strong—especially on a night where one mistake can snowball in the rain.

7th Inning
We handed the bridge to Huascar Brazoban, and he gave us exactly what the dugout needed: calm outs, firm strikes, and no freebies. He punched out key bats and kept the inning from turning. (Bouchard had a marathon of fouls before Brazoban finally finished him.)

8th Inning
This was the stress test. A base hit, then a grounder to short that should’ve been routine—E6 on a 96.9 mph chopper—and suddenly their tying run is in scoring position with one out. That’s the kind of inning that flips a game if you let it. We didn’t. Brazoban steadied it with ground-ball answers and kept the lead intact.

9th Inning
Jalen Beeks took the ball with a one-run lead and shut it down—big strikeout, quick contact, and a clean finish. (Baltimore showed the teeth at the end, too—Felix Bautista took their ninth, even down a run. That's what good clubs do.)
________________________________________

Final

Orioles 2, Royals 3
Orioles (5 H, 0 E) | Royals (7 H, 1 E)

Series opener, on the road, in the rain. The headline is Brown setting the tone and the bullpen closing it, but the heartbeat was that 4th inning: Witt’s walk, Perez’s double, Massey’s RBI, Schneider’s sac fly—four different ways to win a plate appearance when the game is tight.

Kansas City Pitching Scoreline

Pitcher                   IP     H    R   ER   BB    K   HR    PI  ERA
Hunter Brown              6.0    4    2    2    3    5    1    91  3.00
Huascar Brazoban          2.0    1    0    0    2    0    0    27  0.00
Jalen Beeks               1.0    0    0    0    0    1    0    10  0.00

Front Office Note / Takeaways

From the GM chair, this is the kind of win that travels: starting pitching gave us six, the bullpen protected leverage, and we didn’t need a perfect offensive night to beat a high-end opponent in their park.

But I’m also filing away the warning label: Baltimore’s core is exactly what the scouting report said—one mistake can leave the yard (and do it at 108+ mph for 422 feet), and one defensive crack can turn into a scramble fast.

We took Game 1 the right way: early punch, clean response after the tie, and bullpen composure. Now the job is to keep stacking days—because in April, “identity” is just a fancy word for repeatable habits.
________________________________________

👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | Regular Season 2025 - Game 2



(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)

[Biggp07]

👑 Tuesday, April 8 • Orioles Series Game 2 👑

No drama. No chasing. Steady pressure.

Kansas City Royals at Baltimore Orioles | Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 56° | Wind in from RF (8 mph) | Attendance: 33,914 | First pitch: 6:35 PM ET

Pregame Memo (Manager's Desk)

The first week always comes with a lot of loud conclusions—power rankings, overreactions, hot takes that act like April is a verdict. As the GM, I track it mostly for context: who's already scrambling for pitching, who's pressing on offense, and which teams are acting like the calendar is chasing them. And I’ll admit it—I glanced at the early standings snapshot and let myself enjoy it for about five seconds: 3–1, hot start, the kind of record that gets people talking before you've even unpacked the first long road trip. Then the manager in me shoved that thought back in the drawer. The work still looks the same; it's simpler: none of that matters at 7:05 PM when the first pitch hits the glove.
________________________________________

Baltimore Series Game 2

Game 2 on the road is always the truth serum. You win the opener, and everybody wants to talk about “momentum”—but the league doesn't hand you momentum, it charges you for it. Tonight was about doing the unsexy stuff again: win counts, take the extra base when it's there, and don't let Camden turn one crooked inning into a full-blown weather system.

Series Matchup Board — Baltimore Orioles Series Game 2

• RHP S. Turnbull (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP E. De Los Santos (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

From the manager chair, I love this kind of matchup because it’s about pace and posture. Turnbull can get quick outs when he’s commanding the glove-side lane; De Los Santos wants you expanding just enough to make his pitch count efficient.
________________________________________

Game Day Log — Royals vs. Orioles (Game 2)

Manager’s Clipboard

The message to our hitters was simple: make him throw the second and third strike, and if he’s going to live in the zone early, we punish mistakes without getting impatient. Don’t bail him out with early-count rollovers. And if we got traffic, we were going to run it as we meant it.

Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View)

1st Inning
Quick start on both sides. De Los Santos came out throwing strikes, and we didn’t square him yet. Turnbull answered with a calm first—no panic, no extra pitches. He made them hit what he wanted, even when the contact sounded louder than it played.

2nd Inning
Still quiet on the scoreboard, but you could see our approach settling in: take the free base if it shows up, and don't chase De Los Santos into a “two-pitch inning” rhythm. Turnbull was mixing enough to keep them from sitting on one thing.

3rd Inning
This is where we played our kind of baseball—pressure with intent and no apology about it. Payton took a 3–0 walk like a veteran, then Garcia reached on an E4 that didn’t look like much until you remember it was hit hard enough to force a decision. And then Vinnie Pasquantino did what middle-of-the-order hitters do: a two-run double that was smoked (the kind of swing that makes the dugout exhale). The part I loved most was the read after it landed—Garcia aggressively came home and scored with no throw, turning a “two-run swing” into a moment that felt even bigger. Suddenly, it was 2–0, and their pitcher had to live in the game's shadow instead of its light.

4th Inning
We stayed on the gas. Salvador Perez opened with a sharp single, Davis Schneider worked a walk (even after taking that “you're not getting 3–0 for free” strike), and Hunter Renfroe delivered the RBI single that made it 3–0. The important detail wasn't the hit—it was the sequencing, contact, direction, and runners moving with purpose. No hero swings. Just solid at-bats that stacked stress.

Bottom half, they finally got one back on a Gunnar Henderson solo homer (3–1). Turnbull didn’t wear it; he reset and kept the inning from becoming a spill.

5th Inning
We answered immediately, which is what good teams do on the road. Garcia singled, the inning moved, and Bobby Witt Jr. doubled to set the table. Then Salvy did the professional thing—sac fly, run scores, 4–1. It wasn't loud, but it was clean. Turnbull also had a little turbulence here—he bounced a wild pitch earlier in his line and still never let that become an inning. That’s maturity.

6th Inning
This was the “hold the line” inning. Baltimore got a leadoff double and tried to lean in. Turnbull kept his shoulders square and got outs. You don’t always need dominance—you need refusal.

7th Inning
The dagger came off the same bat that started the night: Pasquantino tripled, then Witt doubled him home. 5–1, and the dugout felt like it could breathe again. That sequence felt like a heartbeat: Vinnie’s hustle and barrel, Bobby’s pressure and finish. Witt quietly put together a loud night—two doubles, constant pressure.

Bottom 7th and 8th, we turned it over to the left side of the pen and kept the game quiet—Angel Zerpa gave us two strong frames— absorbed leverage cleanly, worked around traffic, kept the ball from turning into damage.

8th Inning
They threatened with baserunners, and we answered with outs. That's where games get stolen—when you get cute. We didn’t.

9th Inning
Caleb Ferguson handled the finish without letting the bottom of their order turn into a second chance. We even erased their last real push with double-play baseball—the kind that ends games with a thud.
________________________________________

Final

Orioles 1, Royals 5
Orioles (9 H, 1 E) | Royals (8 H, 1 E)

It felt earned, not gifted. Turnbull gave us exactly the kind of road start you can build a week around: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K, and he kept the game from ever speeding up on us. Pasquantino was the engine again: double + triple, and the two biggest swings of the night. Afterward, he said it plainly: “It’s nice to come out on top today.” Same, Vinnie. Same.

Kansas City Pitching Scoreline

Pitcher                 IP    H    R   ER   BB    K   HR    PI   ERA
S. Turnbull W (1-0)     6.0   6    1    1    2    4    1    88   1.50
A. Zerpa                2.0   2    0    0    1    2    0    36   0.00
C. Ferguson             1.0   1    0    0    0    1    0    13   5.40

________________________________________

Front Office Note / Takeaways

From the GM chair, this is the type of win that tells me our early record isn’t a fluke: repeatable run creation (walks that matter, extra bases that matter, and the kind of aggressive baserunning that forces mistakes), plus starting pitching that gives the bullpen a clean map. Turnbull didn’t need perfection—he needed six competitive innings, and he delivered.

But I’m also filing the little reminders in the margins: we still wore an error (even our starter got tagged with one), and a solo homer is enough to flip a smaller game if you stop playing your game. The difference tonight was we didn’t let one swing write the script—we answered, we separated, and we closed.
________________________________________

👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | Opening Day 2025 - Game 1



(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)

[Biggp07]

👑 Wednesday, April 9 • Orioles Series Game 3 👑

A shutout that leaves a mark. Flush it fast, fix it faster.

Kansas City Royals at Baltimore Orioles | Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Weather: Cloudy, 64° | Wind in from RF (9 mph) | Attendance: 31,367 | First pitch: 1:05 PM ET

Pregame Memo (Manager's Desk)

Day game, getaway feel, but no one in that room was treating it like a matinee. We took the first two and came in with a chance to leave Baltimore with a clean statement—win the series, bank the road wins, keep the schedule from getting loud. As the GM, I loved the early shape of this trip, as the manager, I didn't care about the shape—only the next nine innings and whether our at-bats had teeth.
________________________________________

Baltimore Series Game 3

Series Matchup Board — Baltimore Orioles Series Game 3

• LHP J. Montgomery (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP K. Bradish (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

Two zeros on the board, but two very different paths to a win. Montgomery is about pace, angles, and keeping the ball off the barrel. Bradish is the kind of right-hander who dares you to blink—if you give him early-count outs, he’ll turn the game into a straight line.
________________________________________

Game Day Log — Royals vs. Orioles (Game 3)

Manager’s Clipboard

The message to our hitters was simple: make him work—get to two strikes with purpose, don’t chase the “almost” pitch, and force their bullpen to show up before the seventh.

Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View)

1st Inning
We actually opened with a little spark—Maikel Garcia singled to start our day. But Bradish didn’t flinch and we didn’t cash it. Bottom half, the game turned fast. Henderson singled, Rutschman walked, and then Seiya Suzuki hit a three-run homer—111.3 mph, 417 feet—and suddenly we’re staring at 3–0 before the dugout has even settled into the first page of the scouting notes.

2nd Inning
This inning told me what kind of day it was going to be offensively: strikeouts—not one here and there, but the kind that interrupts rhythm. Bradish was landing his stuff and we were too often late in the count, early in the swing.

3rd Inning
Montgomery steadied—gave us clean work and got us back to “playable.” That’s the part that frustrates you as a manager: when your starter is fighting, but the offense isn’t giving him a breath of support.

4th Inning
We finally got a baserunner with some life (Massey singled), but the inning died before it could become pressure. Another empty turn, another quiet jog back to the dugout.

5th Inning
Small win on the defensive side: Gunnar Henderson got caught stealing (2–6)—exactly the kind of little play that can flip momentum. But we didn’t turn it into anything at the plate.

6th Inning
We had our best chance to change the feel: Pasquantino doubled (his 3rd), but the inning didn’t break open. Then the hammer came back down—Rutschman singled, and Suzuki hit his second homer, a 465-foot two-run shot (111.9 mph). That pushed it to 5–0, and you could feel the game slipping from “we’re still in this” to “we’re chasing a storm.”

7th Inning
Davis Schneider doubled to start the inning—another extra-base hit that should’ve been the beginning of a response. But we didn’t string anything behind it, and the inning fizzled again.

8th Inning
The game broke completely here. Holliday doubled, Rutschman walked, and then Jordan Westburg hit a three-run homer—and after that, they kept adding damage (including Ryan O’Hearn’s pinch-hit double). Four runs in the inning, and the scoreboard turned ugly: 9–0.

9th Inning
No rally, no late spark—just a quiet finish. We took the loss straight and walked off the field knowing we’d been handled.
________________________________________

Final

Orioles 9, Royals 0
Orioles (10 H, 0 E) | Royals (5 H, 0 E)

Suzuki went 2-for-4 with two HR and 5 RBI, and Bradish carved: 6.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 K.

On our side: 5 hits, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts—not enough traffic, and not enough fight once we fell behind early.

As the game log put it: “What a dismal performance,” and yeah… that one landed right.

Kansas City Pitching Scoreline

Pitcher                   IP   H    R   ER   BB    K   HR    PI   ERA
J. Montgomery L (1-1)    5.1   6    5    5    1    5    2    95   3.65
J. Topa                  1.2   2    2    2    1    0    0    22  10.80
S. Emanuels              1.0   2    2    2    2    1    1    21   9.00

Front Office Note / Takeaways

From the GM chair, I’ll file this under “useful pain.” A shutout loss in the middle of a road series doesn’t erase the first two wins—but it does spotlight the gap we still have when an opponent runs out a starter who can land everything and finish hitters. Bradish didn’t give us free counts, and we didn’t take them anyway.

Under my manager's hat, I’m circling two things for tomorrow's prep:

1. First-inning damage control. We can’t spot teams three runs and expect to play our clean, patient game from behind.
2. At-bat competitiveness. Not “hits”—competitive decisions. Too many empty strikeouts, too many innings that ended before they started.

We leave Baltimore with the series. We leave it with a bruise, too. Both matter.

Around The League

Around the league, the reminders kept coming that depth and durability are currency: Aaron Civale is done for the year (bone chips in the elbow, 7–8 months), Kyle Manzardo went 5-for-5, and Shohei Ohtani hit three homers in a blowtorch game. Baseball doesn’t slow down for anybody—so we don’t get to either.
________________________________________

👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | Regular Season 2025 - Game 6



(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)

[Biggp07]

👑 Thursday, April 10 • White Sox Series Game 1 👑

Eight innings of patience, a walk-off finish.

Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals | Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies, 58° | Wind left to right (12 mph) | Attendance: 22,435 | First pitch: 6:40 PM CT

Pregame Memo (Manager's Desk)

We got back home and I could feel the clubhouse wanting to rinse the taste of Baltimore and move on. That’s my job in this chair—keep the team from carrying yesterday into tonight. Four-game set, divisional-looking urgency even if it isn't technically that: bank home wins, protect the staff, and don’t play down to anybody.

From the GM seat, the reminder is always the same: early April is where you build the margin you beg for in August. From the manager's seat, it’s more direct: play clean and win the strike zone.
________________________________________

Chicago White Sox Series Snapshot

Coming in, Chicago was 1–5 (.167), sitting 5th in the Central, 3.5 GB. They were swinging it better than the record suggested (.263 team AVG, 5th AL) but giving it back on the mound (4.66 starter ERA, 6.43 bullpen ERA). On paper, that's the exact kind of opponent that punishes you if you get casual.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP Z. Eflin (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs RHP J. Iriarte (0-1, 16.88 ERA)
LHP C. Ragans (0-1, 5.06 ERA) vs RHP N. Nastrini (0-1, 4.50 ERA)
RHP H. Brown (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs RHP L. Severino (0-1, 6.35 ERA)
RHP S. Turnbull (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs RHP B. Lively (1-0, 2.70 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. 1B Colson Montgomery (Age: 23, Overall: 75, Potential: 5.0)
2. SP Drew Thorpe (24, 60, 4.0)
3. CF Luis Robert Jr. (27, 55, 3.0)
4. RP Thomas Pannone (30, 50, 2.5)
5. CL Prelander Berroa (24, 50, 2.5)

Series Matchup Board — Chicago White Sox Series Game 1

• RHP Z. Eflin (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs RHP J. Iriarte (0-1, 16.88 ERA)

Eflin's the type that can starve an opponent without you noticing it—sinker command, quick innings, no oxygen. Iriarte came in with swing-and-miss, and we knew the night could get uncomfortable if we let him dictate counts.
________________________________________

Game Day Log — Royals vs. White Sox (Game 1)

Manager’s Clipboard

The message to our lineup was simple: take the walk if it’s there, don’t chase the punchout, and stay ready for one mistake late.

Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View)

1st–2nd
Both starters came out sharp. We took a couple early swings that didn’t punish pitches, but I liked the posture—no panic, just measuring. Eflin set the tone immediately: contact was there, but it was his contact.

3rd
We finally got a loud baserunner when Michael Massey ripped a two-out double, but Iriarte stranded it. This became the theme—opportunities without the extra hit.

4th–5th
Eflin kept Chicago from stringing anything together. They tried small-ball in the 5th, and we answered the right way: double play baseball—the kind of inning that keeps a 0–0 game from turning into stress.

6th
We got traffic—Massey singled, Schneider battled into a walk—but couldn’t land the “next” at-bat. That’s where a manager starts thinking about bench leverage and late-game matchups, because it had the feel of a one-swing night.

7th–8th
Iriarte handed it off, and we still couldn’t crack the scoreboard. We ran Hunter Renfroe as a pinch-hit option, and he delivered a clean single—good professional swing, exactly why you carry that bat. Still, no run.
On the mound, Eflin finished 7.0 scoreless and never let Chicago get something going, commanding the sinker and owning the pace. His finish line was 4 hits, 1 walk, and a steady stream of routine outs.

9th (Bottom)
This is why you keep playing the game the right way even when it’s quiet. Davis Schneider led off with a double, but was injured running the bases, so we immediately ran Dillon Dingler as the pinch runner; the bat already did its job. Payton struck out, and then Nick Pratto delivered the moment—walk-off RBI double off Dominic Leone to score Dingler. The home crowd went nuts, dugout emptied, and the whole night snapped into focus: Royals 1, White Sox 0.
________________________________________

Final

Royals 1, White Sox 0
Royals 1 (6 H, 0 E) | White Sox 0 (5 H, 0 E)

We didn’t win pretty—we won controlled. And we’re 5–2 now because we didn’t let a quiet night at the plate turn into a sloppy night on the field. Pratto put it simply afterward: “We leaned on our pitching tonight.” That line fit the whole game like a glove.

Kansas City Pitching Scoreline

Pitcher                  IP     H    R   ER   BB    K    HR   PI   ERA
Z. Eflin                 7.0    4    0    0    1    4    0    91   0.69
K. Wright W (1-0)        2.0    1    0    0    0    2    0    20   2.25

Front Office Note / Takeaways

From the front office, a 1–0 win counts the same as anything else, but it tells a different truth: our pitching can carry us on nights the bats are searching. Eflin's outing was a blueprint—efficient, composed, and built on repeatable command.

The game did take a small toll—Schneider was injured running the bases in the ninth with a mild calf strain. It doesn't appear to be IL-worthy, so I'll bench him for a few days through this series while we evaluate it, DtD, and adjust accordingly.

As manager, I'm filing two reminders for the next three games in this series:
• If we're going to strike out 12 times in a game like this, we need to keep taking walks and forcing pitch counts anyway. I hope that the plate discipline, which some players worked on during the past development lab, starts to take hold—even if it’s just a minimal improvement. At least it’s something better than last year.
• Late-game details decide April baseball. Pinch runner. One extra base. One swing that stays within the approach. That’s how you stack a four-game set into something that matters in the standings.
________________________________________

👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | Regular Season 2025 - Game 7



(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)

[Biggp07]

👑 Friday, April 11 • White Sox Series Game 2 👑

Dominant start, decisive 7th, messy ninth.

Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals | Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies, 53° | Wind out to CF (12 mph) | Attendance: 30,259 | First pitch: 7:40 PM ET

Pregame Memo (Manager's Desk)

Last night’s walk-off was the kind of win that can either sharpen you or make you sloppy—no in-between. I told the room the same thing I tell myself when the schedule turns into a four-game grind: don’t chase the sweep on Day 2—chase clean innings and clean at-bats. Chicago’s record is ugly, but the bats can put together real contact when you give them counts. And with the way our rotation’s lined up this weekend, this was a tone game.
________________________________________

Chicago White Sox Series Snapshot

Coming in, Chicago was sliding (1–5) but not toothless—decent team average early, shaky run prevention, the kind of profile that punishes you if you start sleepwalking. We had our matchup grid posted for the whole set, but tonight was the one circled in blue ink: get Ragans back on track and make them earn every base.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP Z. Eflin (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs RHP J. Iriarte (0-1, 16.88 ERA)
LHP C. Ragans (0-1, 5.06 ERA) vs RHP N. Nastrini (0-1, 4.50 ERA)
RHP H. Brown (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs RHP L. Severino (0-1, 6.35 ERA)
RHP S. Turnbull (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs RHP B. Lively (1-0, 2.70 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. 1B Colson Montgomery (Age: 23, Overall: 75, Potential: 5.0)
2. SP Drew Thorpe (24, 60, 4.0)
3. CF Luis Robert Jr. (27, 55, 3.0)
4. RP Thomas Pannone (30, 50, 2.5)
5. CL Prelander Berroa (24, 50, 2.5)

Series Matchup Board — Chicago White Sox Series Game 2

• LHP C. Ragans (0-1, 5.06 ERA) vs RHP N. Nastrini (0-1, 4.50 ERA)

Two young starters in very different moods. Ragans came in with something to prove—stuff is never the question, it’s whether the inning breathes or suffocates when traffic shows up. Nastrini is the type who dares you to beat yourself; if you chase, he’ll stack strikeouts and keep the pitch count clean.
________________________________________

Game Day Log — Royals vs. White Sox (Game 2)

Manager’s Clipboard

From the manager chair, the message to our hitters was blunt: make him throw the ball over the plate, then punish the mistake—because we weren’t getting many gifts tonight.

Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View)

1st–2nd
Early on it was a pitcher’s duel with teeth. Ragans came out crisp—two early punchouts and loud contact that stayed in the yard. We had a first-inning chance when Maikel Garcia walked and Bobby Witt Jr. singled, but Nastrini wriggled free with strikeouts when he needed them. You could feel right away: runs were going to be expensive.

3rd
We stole one the hard way—pressure and aggression. Witt struck out but reached on a passed ball, then immediately stole second to force the defense into motion. One batter later, Hunter Renfroe punched a single through, and we sent Witt hard—safe at the plate with no throw, and suddenly it’s 1–0 without a “pretty” hit. That’s manager baseball: manufacture when the opponent’s starter is in control.

4th–5th
Ragans stayed locked in. Chicago finally barreled a couple (a pair of doubles), but he kept stranding runners by finishing counts—fastball up, breaker down, and the inning ended before it could become a problem. From the dugout, it felt like watching him choose outs.

6th
We had a brief opening—Salvador Perez walked after falling behind 0–2—but didn’t add on. Still 1–0, and that’s the exact scoreline where you manage every pitch like it’s the ninth.

7th
This was the separator inning, and it came from patience plus one big swing. Mark Payton walked, then Garcia doubled to put real pressure on their relief, and Payton scored (again, no throw home) for 2–0. One pitch later, Vinnie Pasquantino did the rest—a two-run homer to right for 4–0. The dugout got loud because that’s what you’re begging for in a tight game: one swing that changes how everyone breathes.

8th
We turned it over cleanly: Huascar Brazoban took the eighth and put it in a box—quick outs, no drama, keep the door shut.

9th
And then the reminder: nobody’s going quietly. We asked Jalen Beeks to finish it, and Chicago finally landed their punch—walks set the table and Nelson Velazquez hit a two-run homer to make it 4–2. Not how you draw it up, but we got the last outs and kept the win in the ledger where it belongs.
________________________________________

Final

Royals 4, White Sox 2
Royals (6 H, 0 E) | White Sox (5 H, 0 E)

Ragans earned it—7.0 scoreless innings, 3 hits, 8 K—and when I said afterward that he “dug down and got some outs when he needed to,” I meant the middle innings where a lesser version of him would've leaked runs.



Ragans Now 1-1 Following 4-2 Win

Kansas City Pitching Scoreline

Pitcher                  IP     H    R   ER   BB    K   HR    PI  ERA
C. Ragans W (1-1)        7.0    3    0    0    2    8    0    86  2.19
H. Brazoban              1.0    1    0    0    0    1    0    19  0.00
J. Beeks                 1.0    1    2    2    2    1    1    22  4.50

Front Office Note / Takeaways

From the GM chair, this one matters because it’s repeatable: front-line starter sets the tone, lineup finds a way to score without needing a barrage, bullpen mostly holds structure. Ragans looking like himself is a franchise-level comfort.

In manager mode, though, I’m still circling the same lesson in red: closeout innings are sacred. We can’t turn a four-run ninth into a stress test with free bases—especially over a four-game set where bullpen leverage stacks up fast. But we took the win, we banked another series step, and we keep rolling—For the Crown, always.
________________________________________

Around the League

Ronald Acuna Jr. torched Arizona (5-for-6 with a homer) as Atlanta rolled 17–4, and he’s already hitting .448 with three early bombs. Ronald Acuna Jr. singled in the 1st, hit a two-run home run off Eduardo Rodriguez in the 2nd, singled in the 3rd, hit an RBI double in the 4th, singled in the 6th and flied out in the 8th.

"Boy, I was on the mark today," said the Atlanta right fielder after the game. "I could see the ball real well. It's a great feeling to do this. And besides, 5-for-6 won't hurt your batting average like 0-for-5 will."
________________________________________

👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | Regular Season 2025 - Game 8



(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)

[Biggp07]

👑 Saturday, April 12 • White Sox Series Game 3 👑

Pressure First, Protect Last, Clean Finish

Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals | Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies, 56° | Wind out to CF (11 mph) | Attendance: 35,568 | First pitch: 6:10 PM CT

Pregame Memo (Manager's Desk)

Before we even talked lineups, the front office work had to get handled: we signed Conner Gillespie to a minor-league deal and DFA'd Alex Claudio to open the lane—an expensive lesson, but sometimes the roster math forces your hand.



Figure 2. Connor Gillespie — minor-league bullpen pickup and emergency bridge option. A low-cost depth add that protects the back end when workloads spike.

We also put in a claim on LHP Jacon Lopez (Rays org) because I’d rather have one more controllable lefty option sitting at Triple-A than be caught thin later.



Figure 3. Jacob Lopez — left-handed arm claimed for organizational depth. Optionable rotation/bullpen flexibility for Omaha, and a controllable look if we need a second-wave lefty later.
________________________________________

Chicago White Sox Series Snapshot

Two games in, this White Sox set has already taken on a familiar shape: our pitching dictating the tempo, and our offense doing just enough damage at the right time. We opened the series with a tight 1–0 win that felt like a statement about our floor—clean defense, controlled counts, and zero panic when runs were hard to come by. Then we backed it up with a 4–2 win that looked more like the version of this roster I’m trying to build: early pressure, steady leverage work out of the bullpen, and no free outs given back.

Now we walk into Game 3 with the chance to turn a good homestand into a sweep—and with Chicago sending RHP Luis Severino (0–1, 6.35 ERA), the assignment is simple: make him work early, force traffic, and keep our own starter in rhythm so we can hand the late innings to our best weapons.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP Z. Eflin (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs RHP J. Iriarte (0-1, 16.88 ERA)
LHP C. Ragans (0-1, 5.06 ERA) vs RHP N. Nastrini (0-1, 4.50 ERA)
RHP H. Brown (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs RHP L. Severino (0-1, 6.35 ERA)
RHP S. Turnbull (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs RHP B. Lively (1-0, 2.70 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. 1B Colson Montgomery (Age: 23, Overall: 75, Potential: 5.0)
2. SP Drew Thorpe (24, 60, 4.0)
3. CF Luis Robert Jr. (27, 55, 3.0)
4. RP Thomas Pannone (30, 50, 2.5)
5. CL Prelander Berroa (24, 50, 2.5)

Series Matchup Board — Chicago White Sox Series Game 3

• RHP Hunter Brown (1–0, 3.00 ERA) vs. RHP Luis Severino (0–1, 6.35 ERA).

This was the kind of game where you want to strike first and let your starter dictate pace. Brown's stuff plays when he's ahead—fastball life, breaking ball that finishes counts. Severino, on the other hand, is dangerous if you let him get comfortable; the key is to make him throw stress pitches with runners on, not just strike-throwing pitches with nobody on.
________________________________________

Game Day Log — Royals vs. White Sox (Game 3)

Manager’s Clipboard

On the baseball side, the dugout message was clean: Davis Schneider stays down with the calf strain, so Nick Pratto gets the DH runway again—real MLB at-bats, real feedback, no hiding. In a four-game set, you don’t just “fill in,” you earn innings.

Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View)

1st Inning
We hit the gas immediately. Maikel Garcia legged out an infield single to start the night, and even though Vinnie punched out and Witt rolled one, Michael Massey cashed it—two-out RBI double to put us up 1–0. That’s the exact early punch I want at home: quick pressure, scoreboard first.

2nd Inning
Brown had to deal with traffic early—Chicago put two on in the first and another hit in the second—but he stayed composed and kept the damage at zero. I can live with singles; I can’t live with spirals.

3rd Inning
This was the “we’re not waiting around” inning. Dillon Dingler singled, Garcia singled, and then Vinnie Pasquantino lined a run-scoring single to extend it to 2–0—and we got greedy in the right way: runner from third challenged the throw home and scored, keeping the inning alive and pushing the defense into uncomfortable decisions.

Then Bobby Witt Jr. lifted a sac fly and we were suddenly sitting 3–0 without needing a homer to do it. That’s winning baseball: traffic + contact + smart aggression.

4th Inning
Chicago punched back, and they did it with one swing. Wilfred Veras singled, then Jo Adell launched a two-run homer (430 feet) to cut it to 3–2. Dugout went quiet for about ten seconds—then Brown settled and finished the inning. No extra damage.

5th–6th Innings
This is where Brown earned the win. Chicago kept finding hits—especially Hechavarría (two doubles)—, but Brown kept stranding them with strikeouts and routine outs. We had a mini-chance in the 6th with back-to-back singles from Payton and Renfroe, but we grounded into a double play and didn’t add on. Still 3–2, still tense.

7th Inning
That’s why you keep swinging with intent even when the game feels tight. Nick Pratto, DH’ing for the injured Schneider, jumped on Severino's first pitch and hit a solo homer (369 feet) to make it 4–2. The dugout popped because that wasn’t just insurance—that was development meeting leverage.

8th–9th Innings
We handed the finish to Justin Topa, and he did exactly what you want from a back-end arm: two clean innings, one hit, no drama, and the last out landed like a door closing.
________________________________________

Final

Royals 4, White Sox 2
Royals (9 H, 0 E) | White Sox (9 H, 0 E)

Hunter Brown was named Player of the Game and earned it: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 7 K, kept competing even when the hit count piled up.

Kansas City Pitching Scoreline

Pitcher                  IP     H    R   ER   BB    K   HR    PI  ERA
Hunter Brown W (2-0)     7.0    8    2    2    0    7    1    98   2.25
Justin Topa SV (1)       2.0    1    0    0    0    1    0    25   5.68

Front Office Note / Takeaways

From the GM chair, this was a quietly important kind of win: we’re stacking results while also stress-testing roster decisions. Pratto’s homer is exactly the kind of return you hope for when you give a young bat real responsibility—especially with Schneider down. And Topa giving us a two-inning save is the kind of bullpen flexibility that pays you back later in a four-game series.

From the manager's chair, I loved the first three-innings identity: run early, pressure the defense, keep playing nine innings hard. (And yeah—I said it after: “Say what you want about this team, they play nine innings hard.” That’s not a slogan. That’s the standard.)

Around the League

The draft declaration deadline passed, and the league distributed the list of eligible players — our scouting process is officially underway. The transactions wire remains active, and we’re closely monitoring early roster moves like it’s April tax season.
We pick 4th in the first round this year without a supplemental round, so our second pick will be among the top 50 prospects. It’s too early to rate prospects now, but we have a few we plan to review more closely in the front office later.

Reports out of Atlanta indicate that Ronald Acuna Jr., the gifted right fielder, might be sidelined for one week or so with a bruised hand. The 27-year-old star suffered the injury in yesterday's Diamondbacks-Braves game while being hit by a pitch.
________________________________________

👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | Regular Season 2025 - Game 9



(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)

[Biggp07]

👑 Sunday, April 13 • White Sox Series Game 4 👑

A Sweep with Teeth

Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals | Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 63° | Wind blowing out to RF (12 mph) | Attendance: 29,826 | First pitch: 1:10 PM CT

Pregame Memo (Manager's Desk)

Final game of the set—this is where you find out whether a club is just “winning games,” or actually building habits. We’d already taken the first three, but the message was the same as always: don't play the standings—play the inning. Sweep day can make you lazy if you let it.

From the GM chair, I’ll admit the temptation is to peek at the early record and start doing future math. From the manager's chair, it stays immediate: win the first inning, take the extra base, and keep their lineup from getting anything for free.
________________________________________

Chicago White Sox Series Snapshot

Coming in, Chicago was skidding early and searching for stability—but this series has been the reminder that even a struggling club will punish half-effort baseball. But it has also been the antidote to the Baltimore shutout: tight baseball, clean pitching, and an offense willing to manufacture when the easy runs aren’t there. We took the first three (1–0, 4–2, 4–2) by controlling the tempo, and today was about turning that into a sweep without slipping into cruise control—finish the job clean and walk into the next week with confidence we actually earned.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP Z. Eflin (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs RHP J. Iriarte (0-1, 16.88 ERA)
LHP C. Ragans (0-1, 5.06 ERA) vs RHP N. Nastrini (0-1, 4.50 ERA)
RHP H. Brown (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs RHP L. Severino (0-1, 6.35 ERA)
RHP S. Turnbull (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs RHP B. Lively (1-0, 2.70 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. 1B Colson Montgomery (Age: 23, Overall: 75, Potential: 5.0)
2. SP Drew Thorpe (24, 60, 4.0)
3. CF Luis Robert Jr. (27, 55, 3.0)
4. RP Thomas Pannone (30, 50, 2.5)
5. CL Prelander Berroa (24, 50, 2.5)

Series Matchup Board — Chicago White Sox Series Game 4

• RHP S. Turnbull (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs RHP B. Lively (1-0, 2.70 ERA)

Reality moved fast—Chicago opened with Adam Mazur, but it turned into a bullpen scramble almost immediately. The approach stayed the same: make them throw leverage pitches early, and if they blink, step on it. As the GM, I like seeing our offense stay disciplined even when the opponent is already mixing arms in the first inning—because that’s a skill that plays in October.
________________________________________

Game Day Log — Royals vs. White Sox (Game 4)

Manager’s Clipboard

• Jump early. Make “sweep day” feel heavy for them by the 3rd inning.
• Stay aggressive on reads. If they’re slow to the plate or outfield arms hesitate, take the free ninety.
• Turnbull stays in attack mode. Limit the walks, make them earn everything.

Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View)

1st Inning
Turnbull gave us a clean top—three outs, no drama. Then our offense went straight to work. The inning cracked open on a small mistake: Bobby Witt Jr. singled, and Salvador Perez reached on an error (E5) that pushed Witt into scoring position. Then Michael Massey ripped a two-run double to put us up 2–0—and once they went to Lively, Mark Payton walked, and Kyle Isbel smoked a two-run double to left-center to make it 4–0. The loudest part? Payton scored from third with no throw—pure pressure baseball.

2nd Inning
We didn’t let them breathe. Pasquantino doubled, Witt singled, Perez singled, and Massey delivered again—RBI contact that kept the line moving. By the time the inning ended, it was 6–0, and the dugout had that calm look teams get when they've decided the game is going to be played on their terms.

3rd Inning
Chicago finally threatened—walk, single, another walk loaded it—but Turnbull finished the inning without damage. That was the “starter moment” right there: bases loaded, no panic, and the game stays buried.

4th Inning
They scratched one—traffic, a steal, and Danny Mendick lined a two-out RBI single to make it 6–1. Annoying, but not dangerous. Turnbull shut the door before it could turn into momentum.

5th Inning
We answered with a blunt reminder: Mark Payton hit a leadoff solo homer (391 ft) to push it to 7–1. That was a tone swing—first pitch of the inning, “we’re not coasting.”

6th Inning
Not a scoring inning, but still useful: we kept squaring balls up (Massey doubled again late), and Chicago kept realizing there was no soft landing.

7th Inning
This was the knockout. Pratto walked, Drew Waters doubled, and once again we took the free run—runner scored from third with no throw. Then Pasquantino singled (another aggressive send home worked), and with two outs Bobby Witt Jr. launched a two-run homer to cap a four-run inning and turn the score into 11–1. That’s the exact way you want a sweep-day inning to feel: relentless, fast, and demoralizing.

8th–9th Inning
We handed the rest to the bullpen and kept it clean. Stevie Emanuels covered two innings, and Caleb Ferguson finished it off. No late mess, no extra pitches—just closing time.
________________________________________

Final

Royals 11, White Sox 1
Royals (18 H, 0 E) | White Sox (6 H, 1 E)

Kansas City moves to 8–2. The headliner was the lineup: 18 hits, with Witt (3-for-5, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R) and Massey (4-for-5, 3 RBI, 2 2B) driving the rhythm all afternoon.



And the mound story mattered too: Turnbull gave us 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K—steady, efficient, and exactly what you want when your offense gives you a runway.

Kansas City Pitching Scoreline

Pitcher                  IP     H    R   ER   BB    K   HR    PI  ERA
S. Turnbull W (2-0)          6.0   4   1   1   2   5   0    92   1.50
S. Emanuels                  2.0   1   0   0   0   1   0    25   4.50
C. Ferguson                  1.0   1   0   0   0   2   0    18   3.38

Front Office Note / Takeaways

From the GM chair, this is the kind of game that reinforces a roster philosophy: depth matters, because big days aren’t only carried by stars. Payton getting on base all day (plus the homer), Isbel delivering the big early double, and the lineup creating runs with both power and pressure—that’s a sustainable shape.

From the manager chair, I’m filing one sentence and underlining it: we played nine innings hard. We didn’t give them a mercy inning, we didn’t relax with a lead, and we kept taking bases when they hesitated. That’s how you turn a four-game set into a statement—because the sweep isn’t just four wins… it’s four days of habits.

Around the League

Early April is already thinning rotations across the league—clubs are leaning hard on their first wave of depth, and the standings are moving faster than the sample size deserves. For us, the only takeaway that matters is urgency: bank wins now, because the schedule never refunds them later.
________________________________________

👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | Regular Season 2025 - Game 10



(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)

[Biggp07]

👑 Tuesday, April 15 • Astros Series Game 1 👑

The Rally Didn’t Rescue Us

Houston Astros at Kansas City Royals | Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 50° | Wind blowing right to left (10 mph) | Attendance: 28,126 | First pitch: 6:40 PM CT

Pregame Memo (Manager's Desk)

We had a day off between the sweep and tonight’s opener, and the “off” day still had work in it. Nick Loftin has been on the IL since March 28 with no clear return date, so I want him headed to Omaha on a rehab track as soon as the trainer green-lights it. Massey’s been exceptional at second, and with Haggerty and (soon) Schneider as utility cover, Loftin’s path back to everyday reps is getting narrower by the day.

Schneider’s calf is still a few days out, so Pratto keeps the DH runway—and honestly, he’s made that decision harder in the best way. Also got official word: the Jacob Lopez claim (Rays) went through. He’s in the org now, assigned to the secondary roster, and earmarked as a bullpen option for the upcoming road swing.

Houston Astros Series Snapshot

Houston came in 4–7 (.364), 2nd in the West, 1.5 GB, and the underlying numbers still look like a club that can bite: 57 runs (5th AL), .265 AVG (3rd AL). The run prevention has been the leak: 69 allowed (15th), 4.88 starter ERA (11th), 6.26 bullpen ERA (13th). This is the type of opponent that can look “off” in the standings and still punish you if you hand them a crooked inning.

Their top end is still their top end: Yordan Alvarez, Framber Valdez, Kyle Tucker, Lance McCullers Jr., Josh Hader—names you don’t sleepwalk through.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:

LHP J. Montgomery (1-1, 3.65 ERA) vs RHP C. Javier (1-1, 10.00 ERA)
RHP Z. Eflin (1-0, 0.69 ERA) vs RHP L. McCullers Jr. (1-1, 4.09 ERA)
LHP C. Ragans (1-1, 2.19 ERA) vs RHP S. Arrighetti (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Series Matchup Board — Houston Astros Series Game 1

• LHP J. Montgomery (1-1, 3.65 ERA) vs RHP C. Javier (1-1, 10.00 ERA)

The matchup looked lopsided on paper with Javier’s early numbers, but the ball doesn’t care about paper. The plan was simple: grind his pitch count, punish mistakes in the zone, and keep the game from turning into a bullpen coin flip. On our side, Monty’s job was to keep the bottom of the zone busy and not let Houston’s left-handed thunder get comfortable.
________________________________________

Game Day Log — Royals vs. Astros (Game 1)

Manager's Clipboard

• Early traffic matters. First two innings: get on base and make them defend.
• No free innings to the top of their order. Tucker/Altuve/Alvarez can’t be “quick outs + mistake.”
• If the game gets weird, stay in it. Don’t let one inning decide our posture.

Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View)

1st Inning
Montgomery opened clean—Tucker and Altuve contained, Alvarez rung up looking. Exactly the start you want. We answered with a good tone at the plate too: Garcia walked to lead off, but Javier escaped the inning without damage.

2nd Inning
Houston scratched first without a hit parade—walk, HBP, sac bunt, then a hard grounder that brought a run home. 1–0 Astros. Our response was immediate and clean: Massey singled, Renfroe singled, and Isbel drilled a two-run-position double that tied it. 1–1. That was us playing honest pressure baseball—line drives, runners moving, no waiting around.

3rd Inning
Altuve doubled, and Houston used the whole field to manufacture the lead back—an RBI single that plated a run at the plate without hesitation. 2–1 Astros. The part I liked: Montgomery didn’t spiral. He finished the inning and kept it playable.

4th–5th Innings
This was a stretch of missed chances and tightened screws. We had baserunners (Pratto walked, Vinnie singled), but couldn’t land the blow. Houston stayed quiet too—Monty kept them off balance just enough that it still felt like one good inning could flip everything.

6th Inning (The storm)
This is where the game tried to get away from us. Altuve doubled again, walks piled up, and the inning turned into an avalanche. Kyle Wright came in, and Houston cashed it brutally: Jake Meyers' grand slam to break the scoreboard open, followed by more damage—Caratini's two-run homer, Tucker's solo homer—and suddenly we were staring at 9–1 as it happened in fast-forward.
That's the inning you either wear… or you fight through.

7th Inning (The fight)
We fought through. And it wasn't cute—it was loud, fast, and relentless.

• Pasquantino tripled to light the fuse.
• Witt singled to bring him home.
• Perez singled, Massey singled, then Renfroe's sac fly kept the line moving.
• Isbel doubled again, and then Pratto launched a two-run homer that made their bullpen feel the inning, not just survive it.

By the time the dust settled, we'd hung 8 runs and turned a blowout into a one-run game: 10–9 Astros. The dugout felt like it had a pulse again—because it did.

8th Inning
Houston answered with veteran baseball: walk, double, then a run tags up on a fly ball. 11–9. We didn't fold, but we also didn't counterpunch in the bottom half.

9th Inning
Pressly closed it. We put a runner on but couldn't land the final hit. One swing short after an inning that nearly tore the roof off.
________________________________________

Final

Royals 9, Astros 11
Royals ((15 H, 0 E) | Astros (9 H, 0 E)

Jake Meyers did the damage when it mattered most: grand slam + 5 RBI. Javier got the win (5.2 IP, 1 R), Pressly the save. We left with the loss, but the seventh inning told the truth about our makeup.

Kansas City Pitching Scoreline
Pitcher                  IP     H    R   ER   BB    K   HR    PI  ERA
J. Montgomery L (1-2)    5.1    3    5    5    3    5    0    97   5.09
K. Wright                0.2    4    4    4    0    0    3    23   9.64
B. Bernardino            1.0    2    2    2    4    1    0    38   6.00
H. Brazoban              2.0    0    0    0    0    2    0    21   0.00

Front Office Note / Takeaways

This one hurts because it was two games stitched together: five innings of a tight, winnable opener… and one inning where Houston reminded us what elite lineups do when you hand them traffic. The sixth can’t happen the way it happened—walks + loud contact + one mistake turning into four runs in a blink.

But I’m not letting the seventh get lost in the final score. Pasquantino and Isbel were engines (extra bases, pressure), Pratto stayed ready and delivered a real swing, and the group didn’t quit when the game turned ugly. That matters over 162—especially with roster decisions tightening behind the scenes (Loftin rehab timeline, Schneider returning soon, Lopez joining the bullpen mix).

Around the League

AL Player of the Week: Kyle Manzardo hit .522 (12-for-23) with 3 HR and 6 RBI.
NL Player of the Week: Shohei Ohtani hit .417 (10-for-24) with 4 HR, 12 RBI, 6 R.

MLB Power Rankings snapshot: Royals sitting #3 early. Astros down at #25 (which is exactly why you don’t trust April labels).

Texas League Power Rankings: Northwest Arkansas up top at #1 (186.0).

Down on the farm: Derlin Figueroa (Columbia) went 5-for-5 with two HR and drove in six in an 8–3 win—“see ball, hit ball” in its purest form.

World note (off the field): I keep the headlines light on game days—enough to stay aware, not enough to drag noise into the dugout. Tonight's reminder was right here: baseball already gives you “a little bit of everything.”
________________________________________

👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | Regular Season 2025 - Game 11



(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)

[Biggp07]

👑 Wednesday, April 16 • Astros Series Game 2 👑

Eflin blanks Houston, 5–0, and the series snaps back into focus.

Houston Astros at Kansas City Royals | Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 57° | Wind blowing out to CF (12 mph) | Attendance: 28,054 | First pitch: 6:40 PM CT

Pregame Memo (Manager's Desk)

We dropped the opener in a track meet, 11–9, the kind of game that can leave a bullpen tasting metal if you let it. After last night, the message was short: don't bring chaos to the park—bring tempo.

Houston is still Houston even when the record looks wobbly, and their lineup can flip a game with one mistake if you let innings breathe. The job tonight was to play a cleaner brand and snap the tempo back to our style: early pressure at the plate, crisp defense behind our starter, and zero “free outs” given away in leverage counts.

Houston Astros Series Snapshot

This is the opponent that forces honesty. Even in an early-season funk, they've got names that punish laziness—Altuve setting the table, Alvarez looming, Tucker capable of ending an inning with one swing. It’s a series where pitching posture matters, because one crooked frame can erase two days of good baseball.

Game 2 was about snapping the tempo back to our style—score with intent, then suffocate with execution. Against Houston, you don't “get right” for long; you take one night, one clean plan, and you stack it.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:

LHP J. Montgomery (1-1, 3.65 ERA) vs RHP C. Javier (1-1, 10.00 ERA)
RHP Z. Eflin (1-0, 0.69 ERA) vs RHP L. McCullers Jr. (1-1, 4.09 ERA)
LHP C. Ragans (1-1, 2.19 ERA) vs RHP S. Arrighetti (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Series Matchup Board — Houston Astros Series Game 2

• RHP Z. Eflin (1-0, 0.69 ERA) vs RHP L. McCullers Jr. (1-1, 4.09 ERA)

This one read like a pace battle. Eflin’s at his best when he’s dictating contact and making hitters earn every inch of the zone. McCullers can be nasty, but the path is clear: make him work from the stretch, extend at-bats, and punish the moments when command wobbles. The goal wasn’t to wait around for a homer—just stack quality decisions until the inning breaks.

________________________________________

Game Day Log — Royals vs. Astros (Game 2)

Manager's Clipboard

• Win the first inning.
• Keep Alvarez/Tucker from seeing “mistake counts” with traffic.
• If we get a lead: tight turns, fast outs, no giveaways.

Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View)

Top 1st
Eflin came out with intent: Slater punched out looking, Altuve rolled over, Alvarez went down swinging. Three hitters, three different looks, same result—outs.

Bottom 1st
This was the whole game in one inning—pressure, patience, and one big swing. Bobby Witt Jr. lit the fuse with a two-run shot, and the dugout immediately felt calmer. We stayed patient after it—worked counts, forced traffic—and Kyle Isbel’s bases-clearing double made it a five-run inning.

That’s the blueprint: early damage, then let your starter run the game.

2nd–3rd
Houston managed their only hit in the 2nd (Tucker), and we erased the threat immediately with a 5–4–3 double play. Eflin kept stacking strikeouts and soft contact, never letting the inning slow down.

4th–6th
This turned into a clinic: Eflin living ahead in counts, mixing looks, and collecting outs without drama. Offensively, we didn’t add on—but we didn’t need to. The first inning was a runway; the middle innings were about staying clean and letting the starter keep steering.

7th
The only real “danger” inning came on a defensive slip—Alvarez reached on an error—but Eflin handled it the right way: no panic, finish the hitters, strand it.

8th–9th
More of the same: quick turns, controlled contact, and a steady stream of strikeouts when Houston tried to force something. Eflin took it the distance and never let their lineup get a second breath.
________________________________________

Final

Royals 5, Astros 0
Royals (5 H, 1 E) | Astros (1 H, 0 E)

Zach Eflin authored the headline: complete-game shutout, 1 hit allowed, 10 K, 2 BB. Player of the Game, no debate.

Isbel’s bases-clearing double in the first was the turning point, and the rest of the night was pure control—score early, then suffocate.

Kansas City Pitching Scoreline
Pitcher                  IP     H    R   ER   BB    K   HR    PI  ERA
Z. Eflin W (2-0)         9.0    1    0    0    2   10    0   108   0.32

Player of the Game: Zach Eflin — CGSO, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K (108 pitches).



Figure 2. “Putting Up Zeros” and “One Hitter” — Eflin’s 9.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K performance earned the hardware and the win.

Front Office Note / Takeaways

This is the template you want to bottle. An early five-run inning changes how everybody plays—hitters stop pressing, defenders stay patient, and the pitching plan becomes simple. Eflin gave us a complete game and protected the bullpen for the rest of the series, which is real value in April. The goal now is to make this style repeatable: early offense, clean defense, and starting pitching that dares teams to beat us straight up.

Also, filing the one blemish: the error that put Alvarez on in the 7th can’t be the crack that turns a shutout into a scramble. Eflin erased it himself tonight, but the standard stays the same—clean baseball behind clean pitching.

A game like this is why I keep pushing the organization’s standard in the same sentence as “time.” You can’t wait for rhythm in this division—you manufacture it.

Around the League

Baseball’s toll showed up again: Texas starter Jacob deGrom left a game after an injury while throwing a pitch and is expected to miss about four weeks with an oblique strain. The kind of note that keeps every rotation plan humble.
________________________________________

👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | Regular Season 2025 - Game 12



(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)

[Biggp07]

👑 Thursday, April 17 • Astros Series Game 3 👑

Early pressure, Late separation.

Houston Astros at Kansas City Royals | Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Partly Cloudy (52°) | Wind: Out to RF at 11 mph | Attendance: 26,486 | First pitch: 1:10 PM CT

Pregame Memo (Manager's Desk)

Rubber match on the calendar, and it felt like a tone-setter for the next stretch. We split the first two in opposite styles—one night turned into a firefight, the next night was a complete-game stranglehold. Today’s ask was simpler: play fast, stay clean, and give Cole Ragans the kind of early support that lets his stuff breathe. Houston’s lineup doesn’t need permission to make noise, so the priority was to keep innings from lingering—win the first pitch, win the first out, and make them earn every base.

Houston Astros Series Snapshot

This series has been a reminder that Houston’s record can lie to you. Even when they’re scuffling, the names still carry weight, and they’ll punish free traffic. The difference in this matchup has been our ability to respond—answering punches, adding on, and keeping pressure in motion instead of waiting for one swing.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:

LHP J. Montgomery (1-1, 3.65 ERA) vs RHP C. Javier (1-1, 10.00 ERA)
RHP Z. Eflin (1-0, 0.69 ERA) vs RHP L. McCullers Jr. (1-1, 4.09 ERA)
LHP C. Ragans (1-1, 2.19 ERA) vs RHP S. Arrighetti (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Series Matchup Board — Houston Astros Series Game 3

• LHP C. Ragans (1-1, 2.19 ERA) vs RHP S. Arrighetti (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Ragans’ game plan is always the same: get ahead, finish with conviction, and let the strikeout be a consequence—not a chase. Arrighetti had the “fresh look” edge, so our hitters needed to be ready early in counts for something they could drive, then stubborn with two strikes if he tried to expand.

________________________________________

Game Day Log — Royals vs. Astros (Game 3)

Manager's Clipboard

• Attack early: don’t give Houston free looks with two strikes.
• Run smart: take the extra base when the read is right.
• Hold the line after any damage—answer back immediately.

Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View)

1st Inning
Ragans opened with quick energy—three outs, nothing cheap. Then we started the game exactly how you want at home: Maikel Garcia worked a leadoff walk, and Salvador Perez ripped a double to cash him in. 1–0, and the park immediately felt awake.

2nd Inning
Houston answered with one swing—Jose Altuve ran into a solo homer to tie it. No flinch. Bottom half, we turned it into our inning. Drew Waters singled, and Mark Payton lifted a two-run homer to grab momentum back. We kept pushing: Isbel doubled, and Garcia lined an RBI triple to tack on another. That whole frame was pressure baseball—extra bases, runners moving, and no mercy. 4–1.

3rd Inning
We manufactured another run without needing a “pretty” hit. Massey got plunked, Schneider doubled to put real stress on the defense, and Waters brought the run home with the kind of contact that wins games over 162. 5–1.

4th Inning
More of the same: Garcia doubled, Witt singled, and we sent the runner aggressively—safe at the plate with no throw. Perez followed with another RBI knock to keep the line moving. 6–1, and Houston was already playing from behind in every inning.

5th–6th Innings
This is where Ragans impressed me most. After the Altuve homer, he didn’t drift—he tightened. No walks, steady pace, and the strikeouts came when Houston tried to force something. On offense, we didn’t add in these innings, but the at-bats stayed competitive and kept their bullpen from relaxing.

7th Inning
The separator. Schneider singled, Waters smoked an RBI triple, and Payton followed with an RBI single. Two runs that felt like a door closing. 8–1.

8th Inning
We added one more with smart aggression. Pasquantino doubled, Witt singled, and we sent Vinnie hard—again safe at the plate with no throw. Then Salvy rolled into a double play to end it, but the damage was already done. 9–1.

9th Inning
Huascar Brazoban finished what Ragans started—clean outs, no extra pitches, no late noise.

________________________________________

Final

Royals 9, Astros 1
Royals (15 H, 0) | Astros (8, 0)

A complete series win with the offense doing the early work and the pitching holding the line.

The heartbeat of the day was the top of the order and the pressure lane: Garcia set things in motion, Payton landed the big swing and the follow-up RBI, and Waters/Isbel/Witt/Perez kept the extra-base train rolling.



On the mound, Ragans gave up the one homer and then owned the rest of the afternoon.

Kansas City Pitching Scoreline
Pitcher                  IP     H    R   ER   BB    K   HR    PI  ERA
C. Ragans          W (2-1)  7.0   6   1   1    0    6    1    79   1.86
H. Brazoban                2.0   2   0   0    0    1    0    26   0.00

Front Office Note / Takeaways

This was a “good roster day.” Not just stars—depth and roles showed up. Payton delivering impact, Waters driving runs home, and Brazoban taking two innings off the bullpen ledger matters in April more than people realize. The other takeaway is style: we didn’t wait around. We scored in four straight innings early, forced Houston to play stretched, and then added on late instead of coasting. That’s the habit worth protecting.

Around the League

Nothing in today’s notes carried more weight than what we saw on our own field: early-season standings don’t mean much, but early-season habits do—and this series was a clean step in the right direction.
________________________________________

👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | Regular Season 2025 - Game 13



(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)

[Biggp07]

👑 Friday, April 18 • Mets Series Game 1 👑

A dugout that stayed tight, a lineup that didn't blink, and a win that travels.

Kansas City Royals at NY Mets | Citi Field
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 51° | Wind in from LF (13 mph) | Attendance: 33,055 | First pitch: 7:10 PM ET

Pregame Memo (Manager's Desk)

The road swing began with some necessary roster housekeeping.

Kyle Wright, our arbitration gamble from this past offseason, got optioned to Omaha, and our waiver claim LHP Jacob Lopez officially slid into the mix. Lopez’s first Omaha start was rough on paper: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HR, 105 PI, 6.75 ERA, and he took the loss, but I’m not overreacting to one outing on short notice. His handedness profile and stuff still make him useful as a specialist or emergency bridge if we get squeezed on this trip.

Wright’s last big-league relief appearance was a gut punch: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 3 HR, 23 PI, 9.64 ERA, after facing only 6 batters, so he needs clean innings and confidence back before we ask him to protect a lead again.

New York Mets Series Snapshot

Coming off a loud homestand, this trip to Citi Field felt like the first real “road mirror” of the season—same roster, different pressure. We arrived at 10–3 and playing fast, but the Mets are a first-place club that punishes mistakes and drags you into long innings if you let them breathe. I told the room the goal wasn’t to “prove” anything on night one—just travel well: clean defense, disciplined at-bats, and let our starter set the tone before their crowd can.

Citi Field is a slight pitcher’s park, and the Mets have been acting like first-place early—8–5, leading the East, with an offense that’s near the top of the league in runs and a staff that’s been solid in both the rotation and bullpen.

The lineup has real teeth (Lindor/Alvarez/Vientos), and the back end is anchored by Edwin Díaz—so the plan this weekend is simple: score first, keep pressure on, and don’t let their late innings turn into a lock.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:

RHP H. Brown (2-0, 2.77 ERA) vs LHP A. Heaney (1-1, 8.10 ERA)
RHP S. Turnbull (2-0, 1.50 ERA) vs RHP K. Senga (2-0, 2.57 ERA)
LHP J. Montgomery (1-2, 5.09 ERA) vs RHP M. Vasil (0-0, 12.00 ERA)

Series Matchup Board — NY Mets Series Game 1

• RHP H. Brown (2-0, 2.77 ERA) vs LHP A. Heaney (1-1, 8.10 ERA)

Heaney’s early ERA indicated opportunity, but the approach couldn’t be reckless—lefties like that can steal innings if you give them chase swings. For Brown, the key was staying firm on the inner half and making the Mets earn base runners the hard way, especially with the top of their order built to grind counts.
________________________________________

Game Day Log — Royals vs. Mets (Game 1)

Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View)

1st
The night started with patience and pressure. Maikel Garcia fought through a long plate appearance for a leadoff walk, and we immediately put Citi Field in motion. When the dust settled, we cashed the first run on Hunter Renfroe’s sac fly—runner tagged and scored with no throw. 1–0 Royals, and the tempo was ours early.

2nd
New York answered with walks and a single to load it, then tied the game on a sacrifice fly of their own. Not pretty, but contained—no crooked number. 1–1.

3rd
Salvy didn’t let the tie linger. Salvador Perez jumped a pitch and drove a solo homer to put us back in front. Brown gave up a run in the bottom half on a single that plated a runner trying to score (they ran on the throw), and suddenly it was level again. 2–2, but it never felt like we’d lost control—just had to win the next inning.

4th
This was the turning point, and it was the kind of inning that travels well. Mark Payton reached in weird fashion (strikeout + wild pitch), then Garcia and Sam Haggerty delivered back-to-back singles to put us ahead. With two outs, Bobby Witt Jr. smoked a two-run double, and we walked off the field up 5–2—exactly the kind of punch that changes the opposing dugout’s posture.

5th
Brown hit cruise control. A couple deep counts, but no panic, and the infield defense stayed clean behind him.

6th
We added on with traffic and finishing swings. Kyle Isbel was hit by a pitch (and later noted as injured), Garcia worked another walk, and Haggerty beat out an infield hit to load the bases. Witt did the damage again with a single that brought one home, and aggressive running pushed another run across on the next play. 7–2 Royals.

7th–8th
Brown handed over a comfortable lead, and we matched it with professional outs. Stevie Emanuels navigated two innings with some walks but kept the Mets pinned—no big swing, no momentum.

9th
Jalen Beeks closed it clean. No drama, just a finished game.
________________________________________

Final

Royals 7, Mets 2
Royals (10 H, 0 E) | Mets (5 H, 1 E)

The Kansas City Royals welcomed the New York Mets to a night game at Citi Field. Kansas City pitcher Hunter Brown set the tone: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 8 K. The opposition could never mount much of a rally against the right-hander. The lineup did the rest with steady on-base pressure—Haggerty went 4-for-5, and Witt drove in four with the big double and the RBI single.

"Nice to see our side come away with the win," Haggerty said after the game.

Kansas City Pitching Scoreline
Pitcher                  IP    H    R   ER   BB    K   HR    PI  ERA
H. Brown    W (3-0)      6.0   4   2   2    3    8    0    98   2.84
S. Emanuels              2.0   1   0   0    3    1    0    39   3.00
J. Beeks                 1.0   0   0   0    0    1    0     9   3.60

Front Office Note / Takeaways

This was a strong “process win” on the road: early walk pressure, productive outs, and extra-base damage when the inning demanded it. The fourth inning was the blueprint—take what’s offered, force a mistake, then land the double that flips the game. Also filing two health/roster notes immediately: Isbel leaving the game after the HBP needs monitoring, and the bullpen workload stayed reasonable thanks to Brown giving us six sturdy innings. Over a three-game set, that matters as much as any one swing.

Around the League

Travel day rules: keep the headlines on a leash—enough awareness to stay grounded, not enough noise to follow us into the dugout. Tonight, the only “news” that mattered was banking a clean road opener against a first-place club.
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👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | Regular Season 2025 - Game 14



(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)

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👑 Saturday, April 19 • Mets Series Game 2 👑

Momentum doesn't carry itself.

Kansas City Royals at NY Mets | Citi Field
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 55° | Wind blowing in from RF (11 mph) | Attendance: 37,760 | First pitch: 1:40 PM ET

Pregame Memo (Manager's Desk)

This is where road series get real. As a manager, I wanted the same smooth tempo as last night's game—win the first inning, avoid falling into the middle of their order's comfort zone. The GM side of me kept monitoring how sustainable our early approach has been when the game tightens into a single swing.

New York Mets Series Snapshot

New York came in playing like a first-place club—tight defense, strong late-inning structure, and just enough offense to punish one sloppy frame. After taking the opener in Queens with a steadier, more complete 7–2 win, this afternoon felt like the kind of game that tests whether our advantage holds: one pitch here, one baserunner there, and suddenly you're playing from behind. Citi Field doesn't give you many cheap runs, and the Mets can shorten the game late if you let them play ahead.

This series was always going to be decided by details: controlling the running game, turning singles into outs, and cashing the few chances you get.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:

RHP H. Brown (2-0, 2.77 ERA) vs LHP A. Heaney (1-1, 8.10 ERA)
RHP S. Turnbull (2-0, 1.50 ERA) vs RHP K. Senga (2-0, 2.57 ERA)
LHP J. Montgomery (1-2, 5.09 ERA) vs RHP M. Vasil (0-0, 12.00 ERA)

Series Matchup Board — NY Mets Series Game 2

• RHP S. Turnbull (2-0, 1.50 ERA) vs RHP K. Senga (2-0, 2.57 ERA)

Senga had that “tight game” profile—splitter that disappears, fastball that plays up when you’re behind. The plan was to force him into longer at-bats and stay ready for one pitch we could drive. On our side, Turnbull’s job was to keep the ball out of the middle and make their early aggressive swings turn into routine outs.
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Game Day Log — Royals vs. Mets (Game 2)

Manager’s Clipboard

The message was to stay stubborn early, keep the extra-base mistakes off the board, and make every inning feel like it costs them something.

Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View)

1st
The day turned on two-out baseball immediately. We didn’t capitalize on a first-inning walk, and New York did. Turnbull hit Jett Williams, and the Mets turned that traffic into two runs—Anthony Santander lined an RBI single, then Ronny Mauricio followed with another, and both runs scored on throws home. Suddenly, we were chasing 2–0 before the game even settled.

2nd–3rd
Senga went to work. We managed a couple of baserunners—Payton singled in the 2nd, then Pratto walked and Dingler singled in the 3rd—but every inning ended with the same feeling: one more pitch away from breaking through, and then the splitter took it back.

4th–5th
We kept seeing the ball, but the Mets’ defense kept swallowing it—double plays erased two different innings and kept us from building momentum. On the mound, Turnbull steadied after the first. The most dangerous Mets threat came in the 5th when walks and a throwing error loaded the bases, but he got out without damage and kept the game at two runs.

6th
We finally got on the board with pressure baseball. Drew Waters walked, stole second, and Michael Massey punched a single to put runners at the corners. Davis Schneider grounded into a double play, but it brought Waters home. 2–1, and the game tightened the way we wanted it to.

7th
Best chance to tie it. Salvador Perez doubled, a wild pitch moved him to third, and we just couldn't land the one ball that needed to be elevated with intent. That was the inning that sticks—90 feet away with the tying run, and we came up empty.

8th–9th
Their bullpen did exactly what first-place bullpens do. We put a little stress on with an infield hit and a walk, but it never turned into a true rally. Edwin Díaz closed the ninth clean.
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Final

Royals 1, Mets 2
Royals (5 H, 1 E) | Mets (3 H, 0 E)

New York struck early and made it stand up—Kansas City scratched one back but couldn’t break through again, dropping a one-run decision despite keeping the night within arm’s reach. Senga earned Player of the Game honors, and Turnbull was better than the line suggests after the first—5.1 IP, 2 R, 6 K, and he gave us every chance to climb back in. Angel Zerpa covered the final 2.2 scoreless to keep it right there.

Kansas City Pitching Scoreline
Pitcher                  IP    H   R   ER   BB    K   HR    PI  ERA
S. Turnbull L (2-1)      5.1   3   2   2    3    6    0    88   2.25
A. Zerpa                 2.2   0   0   0    1    3    0    37   0.00

Front Office Note / Takeaways

This was one inning away from a different outcome. The first hurt because it wasn't loud contact—it was traffic + two-out execution, and then we helped it along by trying to cut down runs at the plate. After that, the pitching and defense tightened, but Senga kept us from turning baserunners into crooked numbers. The offensive lesson is the same one that follows good teams around: cash the rare chance, because you won’t get many in this park against arms like that.

Around the League

Texas got a brutal update: Corey Seager is expected to miss about two months with a partially torn labrum after getting hurt on 04/16/2025, and he was scorching early (.348 with 3 HR). That kind of injury ripple this early in April always reshapes the board—opportunities open up fast for teams that can stay healthy, and bank wins now.
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👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | Regular Season 2025 - Game 15



(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)