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