Zero to Hero - A Scotsman in MLB

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Transactions & Injuries

A tough month for the Royals as it started with losing Jadon Tezeno for a month and ended with losing Jorge Corujo for the same time. In between, DeMario Zamano came up to hit for Tezeno and held his own, Curt Bogans lost another season with a torn UCL, which was especially tough after he had a 1.16 ERA through 23.1 IP in 12 games and a 2-0 record. Jadon Tezeno then suffered a setback in his injury which will cost him an extra two months!

Saturday, May 4th , 2047
3B Jadon Tezeno diagnosed with a fractured cheekbone, will miss 4 weeks.
Purchased the contract of 3B DeMario Zamano from Triple A Omaha.
Thursday, May 9th , 2047
Sent RP Steve Mitchell to Triple A Omaha for injury rehab.
Friday, May 17th , 2047
RP Curt Bogans was injured while pitching. The diagnosis is not yet known.
Saturday, May 18th , 2047
Optioned SP Chase Paggett to Triple A Omaha.
Purchased the contract of RP C.J. Binkle from Triple A Omaha.
Monday, May 20th , 2047
RP Curt Bogans diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament, will miss 11-12 months.
Purchased the contract of RP Steve Mitchell from Triple A Omaha.
Thursday, May 23rd , 2047
Jadon Tezeno has suffered a setback in his recovery. He is not expected to recover for another 8 weeks.
Monday, May 27th , 2047
CF Jorge Corujo was injured while running the bases. The diagnosis is not yet known.
Friday, May 31st , 2047
CF Jorge Corujo diagnosed with a strained lat, will miss 4 weeks.
Purchased the contract of CF Domingo Carrillo from Triple A Omaha.

Minor League News

One of the more consistent batters in May, Omaha shortstop Joe Hyatt grabbed International League Batter of the Month honors by hitting .380 with 38 hits in 100 at-bats.

He racked up 13 home runs and 33 RBIs, scored 30 runs.

Looking at his stats this year, Hyatt has compiled a .342 batting average, while hitting 16 home runs and driving in 46 runs. He has played in 52 games and scored 43 runs.

Chad Hart was at the top of the hit parade in the Texas League throughout May. For the outstanding month, the talented Northwest Arkansas second baseman was chosen the Batter of the Month.

He compiled a .340 average with 33 hits, 9 home runs, 28 RBIs and 21 runs scored.

This year, Hart is hitting .305 with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs to his credit. He has gotten on base at a .420 clip and scored 42 runs.

Nelson Saiz of the Quad Cities River Bandits stood out at the plate during May. The 20-year-old catcher manhandled Midwest League pitchers by batting .435 and was named the Batter of the Month.

Saiz collected 30 hits with 11 home runs, 26 RBIs and scored 21 times.

This season, Saiz is batting .389 with 46 RBIs, 32 runs scored and 16 home runs.

Columbia Fireflies fans lauded the selection of reliever Eddy Martin as Carolina League Pitcher of the Month for May. The 20-year-old hurler was nothing short of masterful, holding enemy hitters to a .189 average.

In 14 relief appearances he put up a 1-0 record, 11 saves, 17 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.26 over 14.1 innings.

Up to this point in the season, Martin has put up these stats: 19 relief appearances, 14 saves, 18.2 IP, 23 strikeouts and 3.38 ERA. His won-lost record is 1-1 with the opposition is hitting .225 against him.

 

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MLB Standings



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Today was a special one for Luis Aceves of the Kansas City Royals as he slammed three home runs in the 8-0 Royals win over the New York Yankees.

"Lately, I've been uppercutting the ball too much," he said to sportswriters after the game. "I would hit it hard, but they just went sky high and stayed in the ballpark. No big long outs for me in this game. I leveled out my swing and connected on the sweet spot. I knew they were gone the minute I hit 'em."

The Kansas City first baseman collected 3 hits in 4 at-bats, drove in 6, and scored 3 runs in the contest at Kauffman Stadium.

Luis Aceves hit a solo-shot off Ludovic Bruneau in the 1st, hit a solo-shot off Ludovic Bruneau in the 3rd, hit a sac fly in the 4th, struck out in the 6th and hit a three-run home run off Nate Avis in the 8th.

So far this year, Aceves is hitting .245 with 16 home runs.

The American League Batter of the Month has been chosen for June and the trophy was presented to Arturo Oramas of the Kansas City Royals.

He stood out this month with a .379 batting average, 36 hits and 5 home runs, along with 24 RBIs and 15 runs scored.

This season, Oramas is hitting .324 with 93 hits, 11 home runs, 45 RBIs, scored 51 runs and played in 81 games.



Transactions & Injuries

A quiet month for the Royals with no further injuries but no one returning from injury. June is a grinding month and the Royals do it well.

Minor League News

A standout performance in June earned Mike Mattson the Pitcher of the Month Award in the Texas League. When his name was penciled in to start by the Northwest Arkansas skipper, it meant trouble for opposing teams. For the month the Naturals star racked up 4 wins and no losses.

In 33.2 innings of work, Mattson limited opposing batters to 30 base hits and a .252 batting average. He notched 35 strikeouts, issued 13 walks and had a 1.87 ERA.

So far this season, Mattson has compiled a 11-2 record with a 2.99 ERA.

It was a good month for Columbia Fireflies third baseman Mike Mott, June's Carolina League Batter of the Month.

Mott starred by hitting .439 with a .526 on-base percentage. He totaled 36 hits in 82 at-bats, 9 home runs, 19 RBIs and scored 18 runs.

This year, Mott is hitting .343 with 20 home runs and 49 RBIs in 61 games played. He also boasts an OBP of .460 with 38 walks and 44 runs scored.

Question: Who was the #1 pitcher in the Carolina League in June?
Answer: That would be Jeff Mole of the Columbia Fireflies.
He excelled with a 6-0 mark and a 1.91 ERA in 6 starts, tossed 37.2 innings, fanned 43 and held opposing teams to a .172 average. That's exactly why the Carolina League scribes voted him the Pitcher of the Month.

Currently Mole has a record of 12-0 with 97 strikeouts and 30 walks in 90.1 innings and a 2.49 ERA.

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The Royals have four All Stars in 2047, with the usual selection of old and new. Luis Danys Rhodes earns his 7th selection, with Bobby Nickelberry his 5th, as well as topping the fan vote. Juan Anaya is selected for a 3rd time, while Arturo Oramas is a 2nd, time All Star.

RP Juan Anaya (KC) - 4-8, 15 SV, 2.86 ERA, 72.1 IP, 1.16 WHIP, 7.0 K/9, 0.6 WAR
CL Luis Danys Rhodes (KC)* - 4-3, 2.10 ERA, 60.0 IP, 0.83 WHIP, 10.1 K/9, 1.7 WAR (Injured)
2B Arturo Oramas (KC)* - .331/.402/.545, 323 AB, 13 HR, 5 SB, 154 wRC+, 4.2 WAR
RF Bobby Nickelberry (KC)* - .314/.355/.588, 357 AB, 26 HR, 147 wRC+, 3.3 WAR

There are four former Royals selected, the two Houston Mike’s supplemented by Greg Moehring and Juan Minnelli.

3B Mike Campney (HOU)* - .226/.314/.533, 257 AB, 21 HR, 124 wRC+, 1.5 WAR
LF Mike Thomas (HOU) - .276/.365/.498, 323 AB, 16 HR, 12 SB, 135 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
SP Greg Moehring (STL) - 6-5, 2.94 ERA, 131.2 IP, 1.28 WHIP, 7.4 K/9, 2.9 WAR
LF Juan Minnelli (SF)* - .319/.385/.529, 348 AB, 15 HR, 7 SB, 143 wRC+, 2.7 WAR



The National League take the All-Star game victory, with Toronto’s SP Chris Weathers taking the loss, giving up 5 runs in 0.1 IP. Juan Anaya pitched a shut out inning in 10 pitches, while Arturo Oramas went 1-2 and Bobby Nickelberry 0-2.



The Royals offense isn’t quite the overwhelming force it was in 2046 although the majority of the roster is hitting just fine. The exceptions to that are C Luis Montoya, INF Edgar Mir and Edgar Noriega, and OF Chris Kern. The Royals could look for a rental at Catcher, or give Canjura more opportunities, while both Mir and Noriega are back ups so there isn’t too much concern. The same is true for Chris Kern although with Jorge Corujo on the way back his position may be at risk from Domingo Carrillo.

On the positive side, Bobby Nickelberry is batting above .300 and on track for 40+ HRs again, while Luis Aceves isn’t far behind. Rookie SS Tonguar Zimmerman is batting over .300 with a defensive performance almost 4% above league average. The star of the first half, however, is Arturo Oramas, the second baseman batting .325 with a 155 wRC+.



Ethan Chafin and Cason Willard have been the anchors for the Royals rotation in terms of FIP- and WAR although Benton Geldart has won as many games as Chafin, both with 10 victories at the All Star break. Rookie Mike Krebs is the only starter struggling but has still put up 1 WAR so there are no concerns.

In the bullpen, All Stars Anaya and Rhodes are as solid as ever, with the only concerns regarding rookie Chris Curry, with his 2.8 HR/9, and Joe Manley’s poor shutdown/meltdown ratio of 7:5, although he has a 90+% success rate in save situations, with only 1 BS so far. Bob Capozziello has an even worse 6:6 ratio and might be kept out of high leverage situations for the next month.

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Owner Goals



Team Record:
I'm very excited by how the team has performed so far. If you keep up this rate, I have no doubt that you will win the championship like I asked you to!

Extend your player:
I thought I had made it clear that I wanted Juan Minnelli signed to an extension. He is a very talented player and I am very disappointed with your decision to part with him.

During our time working together, I have been happy with your progress towards the goals I have set out for you. Considering your current and past successes, I am ecstatic with your overall performance. It's important to have success on-field and in the boardroom, and you seem to be on that path.

The final evaluation towards these goals will come at the end of the season. Good luck in the second half!

Prospect Performance



All-Star Prospects selections

C Arturo Ruano (KC-A) - .265/.369/.451, 268 AB, 8 HR, 124 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
C Nelson Saiz (KC-A+) - .352/.534/.757, 210 AB, 25 HR, 229 wRC+, 5.9 WAR
2B Juan Montelongo (KC-AA) - .209/.316/.328, 311 AB, 8 HR, 2 SB, 69 wRC+, 0.7 WAR
SS Marty Birley (KC-A) - .205/.295/.381, 239 AB, 9 HR, 79 wRC+, 0.7 WAR
SS Bernalldino Igrejas (KC-A) - .271/.414/.571, 70 AB, 5 HR, 168 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
SS Jonathan Lish (KC-A) - .234/.382/.409, 252 AB, 8 HR, 118 wRC+, 2.7 WAR
SS Vincent Toribio (KC-A) - .313/.480/.481, 131 AB, 7 HR, 174 wRC+, 1.5 WAR
CF Rodolfo Lara (KC-R) - .306/.429/.496, 121 AB, 3 HR, 1 SB, 106 wRC+, 0.5 WAR

What the All-Star Game is to major league standouts, the MLB Prospects Game is to up-and-coming prospects. The recent clash pitted future stars against each other, shining a bright light on the game's next phenoms.

19-year-old Bernalldino Igrejas was named the game's MVP for his outstanding performance. He called it "a dream come true and a game I'll never forget."

2047 Draft

After their record-setting 2046 season the Royals would once again be picking at the end of the draft, albeit with two supplementary picks having given Juan Minnelli and Chris Kuehn QOs that were declined. That meant that the one pick in the top 34 became three picks in the top 37.

With their first pick, the Royals select a plus defense, plus speed high school SS out of Kentucky. Dan Arango projects to have plus contact, and gap, with above average power, and eye with Scouting Director Christensen observing that Arango has ‘the talent to flourish in the majors’.



The Royals came into the draft with plenty of budget room and took advantage of that with their first supplementary pick, high school 1B Steve Pelliccio. Pelliccio shows no defensive prowess, or speed, but projects to have plus contact and power with a leader personality. He will be overpaid with his $8.5m signing bonus but the Royals have the money and take the risk.

Their final supplementary pick goes on an 18-year-old SP out of Georgia. Randy Wambolt has a great personality with high stamina and ability to hold runners. While his control only projects as average, he has the potential for plus HRA and stuff, with two potential plus-plus pitches to go with a plus fastball that could sit north of 95 MPH.

Round 1, Pick 34 - SS Dan Arango, age 17 out of high school
Round 1 (Suppl.), Pick 2 - 1B Steve Pelliccio, age 18 out of high school
Round 1 (Suppl.), Pick 3 - SP Randy Wambolt, age 18 out of high school
Round 2, Pick 33 - CF Joe Johnson, age 18 out of high school
Round 3, Pick 30 - CF Luis Saldua, age 18 out of high school
Round 4, Pick 29 - SS Ben Puls, age 18 out of high school
Round 5, Pick 30 - 3B Zach Cavanaugh, age 17 out of high school

The Royals will sign at least 20 of their 22-player class, with their 8th and 15th round picks both demanding signing bonuses which the Royals will make a design on post trade deadline. 9th and 12th round RP picks, Ethan Del Moral and Mike Steward will start in A ball while the rest of the class will wait until 2048 to make their professional debuts.

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MLB Standings



Kansas City Results



Kansas City Statistics







Transactions & Injuries

As normal in July, it was a busy month for transactions as the Royals make their main Minor League promotions during the All Star Break, and this year shared below to show the extent of those promotions. In addition to player moves, the Royals tied down coaches Desmond Jennings and Alan Williams to 5-year extensions.

Unfortunately, July also saw the Royals hit by several injuries, which resulted in a couple of trades, one of which saw a club favourite unexpectedly moving.

The injuries first, as the Royals lost pitchers Ethan Chafin and Eli Blyden for significant time while Mike Krebs and Steve Mitchell ended the month awaiting diagnosis. On the hitting side, Jorge Corujo returned from injury but is also awaiting a diagnosis from a final day of the month injury, while Jadon Tezeno is almost ready to return from his injury rehab assignment in Omaha.

The two trades were both for pitchers, on the back of injuries sustained to starters. Ethan Chafin’s injury saw the Royals reach out to the Avalanche about young SP Joe Mays. The price was 2B Argenys Walter, 2043 trade acquisition who is Major League ready, but not with a place in the Royals system and he was unhappy with that fact. Mays has 3 years of Major League experience but still has some growth in his control and his changeup which could take him to a 55-55-60 pitcher.

The second trade was a result of Mike Krebs injury. Mike Asbury, 55-55-65 potential, was on the trade block from the Yankees, a one-year rental. The Royals were happy to build a package around 2043 7th round pick Josh Cleckler, another player who is Minor League ready but without a spot in the Royals roster. However, the Yankees were looking for somone ready to contribute straight away and, with some soul searching, Stewart added in two-time WS Champion Joe Manley. The Royals had given Manley a 5-year contract during the 2046 season but had seen him regress this season with his splits against RHP making him no more than a middle reliever. With another two years of guaranteed money, the Royals saw the chance to get out of that contract so thanks Manley for his service, and moved on. It will leave the back of the bullpen a little light but the Royals trust that there are sufficient arms ready to step up!

Monday, July 1st , 2047
Sent CF Jorge Corujo to Triple A Omaha for injury rehab.
Placed RP Steve Mitchell on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to 06/30/2047.
Purchased the contract of RP Chris Morrow from Triple A Omaha.
Saturday, July 6th , 2047
Signed - Desmond Jennings to a 5-year contract extension.
Signed - Alan Williams to a 5-year contract extension.
Tuesday, July 16th , 2047
Sent RP Steve Mitchell to Triple A Omaha for injury rehab.
Thursday, July 18th , 2047
Promoted international complex member C Wilson Tinajero to Rookie League Kansas City (DSL).
Promoted international complex member 3B Luis Villarreal to Rookie League Kansas City (DSL).
Promoted international complex member 3B Rogelio Temblador to Rookie League Kansas City (DSL).
Promoted international complex member 2B Sergio Aguirre to Rookie League Kansas City (DSL).
Promoted international complex member SS Abraham Crespo to Rookie League Kansas City (DSL).
Promoted international complex member 3B Andres Castillo to Rookie League Kansas City (DSL).
Promoted international complex member CF Jesus Villareal to Rookie League Kansas City (DSL).
Promoted international complex member RP Ignacio Vargos to Rookie League Kansas City (DSL).
Promoted C Chris Early from Rookie League Kansas City (ACL) to Class A Columbia.
Promoted CL Pete Acors from Rookie League Kansas City (ACL) to Class A Columbia.
Promoted RP Greg McDonald from Rookie League Kansas City (ACL) to Class A Columbia.
Promoted RP Greg Hyder from Rookie League Kansas City (ACL) to Class A Columbia.
Promoted RP Jesus Cabrera from Rookie League Kansas City (ACL) to Class A Columbia.
Promoted SP Danny Mueller from Rookie League Kansas City (ACL) to Class A Columbia.
Promoted 2B Jesus Perea from Rookie League Kansas City (DSL) to Class A Columbia.
Promoted C Juan Palomares from Rookie League Kansas City (DSL) to Class A Columbia.
Promoted RP Sang-duk Kim from Rookie League Kansas City (DSL) to Class A Columbia.
Sent CF Sam Heater from Class A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities.
Sent 3B Mike Mott from Class A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities.
Sent C Arturo Ruano from Class A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities.
Sent CF Mike Gronkiewicz from Class A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities.
Sent SS Jonathan Lish from Class A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities.
Sent LF Jorge Morales from Class A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities.
Sent 3B David de Anda from Class A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities.
Sent C Nelson Miranda from Class A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities.
Sent CL Pete Acors from Class A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities.
Sent RP Julio Corona from Class A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities.
Sent RP Jorge Estrada from Class A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities.
Sent RP Eddy Martin from Class A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities.
Sent SP Jeff Mole from Class A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities.
Sent SP Juan Montoya from Class A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities.
Sent SP Juan Oyervides from Class A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities.
Sent RP David Najar from Class A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities.
Sent SP Andres Sandoval from Class A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities.
Promoted C Dave Forester from High-A Quad Cities to Double A Northwest Arkansas.
Promoted C Arturo Ruano from High-A Quad Cities to Double A Northwest Arkansas.
Promoted C Nelson Saiz from High-A Quad Cities to Double A Northwest Arkansas.
Promoted CF Tiago Duro from High-A Quad Cities to Double A Northwest Arkansas.
Promoted SS Franyerber Baesman from High-A Quad Cities to Double A Northwest Arkansas.
Promoted CF Mauricio Ramos from High-A Quad Cities to Double A Northwest Arkansas.
Promoted 1B Nelson Orozco from High-A Quad Cities to Double A Northwest Arkansas.
Promoted SS Luis Moreno from High-A Quad Cities to Double A Northwest Arkansas.
Promoted RP Kurt Hershberger from High-A Quad Cities to Double A Northwest Arkansas.
Promoted RP Edgar Adame from High-A Quad Cities to Double A Northwest Arkansas.
Promoted RP Jorge Estrada from High-A Quad Cities to Double A Northwest Arkansas.
Promoted CL Zaire McKines from High-A Quad Cities to Double A Northwest Arkansas.
Promoted RP David Najar from High-A Quad Cities to Double A Northwest Arkansas.
Promoted SP Amdre Regras from High-A Quad Cities to Double A Northwest Arkansas.
Promoted SP Jeff Mole from High-A Quad Cities to Double A Northwest Arkansas.
Promoted SP Juan Montoya from High-A Quad Cities to Double A Northwest Arkansas.
Promoted SP Juan Oyervides from High-A Quad Cities to Double A Northwest Arkansas.
Promoted 2B Chad Hart from Double A Northwest Arkansas to Triple A Omaha.
Promoted 3B Andino Chigi from Double A Northwest Arkansas to Triple A Omaha.
Promoted LF Zach Caldwell from Double A Northwest Arkansas to Triple A Omaha.
Promoted 2B Branson Huot from Double A Northwest Arkansas to Triple A Omaha.
Promoted CF Alvaro Mohedano from Double A Northwest Arkansas to Triple A Omaha.
Promoted CF Kevin Simpson from Double A Northwest Arkansas to Triple A Omaha.
Promoted C Joey Haigh from Double A Northwest Arkansas to Triple A Omaha.
Promoted RP Joe Barrett from Double A Northwest Arkansas to Triple A Omaha.
Promoted RP Grégory Lagarde from Double A Northwest Arkansas to Triple A Omaha.
Promoted RP Luis Aponte from Double A Northwest Arkansas to Triple A Omaha.
Promoted SP Rodolfo Arroyo from Double A Northwest Arkansas to Triple A Omaha.
Promoted SP Juan Preciado from Double A Northwest Arkansas to Triple A Omaha.
Promoted RP Robby Bauer from Double A Northwest Arkansas to Triple A Omaha.
Promoted SP Mike Mattson from Double A Northwest Arkansas to Triple A Omaha.
Released C Juan Caceres.
Released C Jon Bell.
Released C Joe Potter.
Released RP Alvaro Araoz.
Released RP Luis Aponte.
Released RP Joe Barrett.
Released RP Tim Bixler.
Released RP Dan Faraone.
Released RP Grégory Lagarde.
Optioned CF Domingo Carrillo to Triple A Omaha.
Purchased the contract of CF Jorge Corujo from Triple A Omaha.
Sunday, July 21st , 2047
SP Ethan Chafin was injured while pitching. The diagnosis is not yet known.
Monday, July 22nd , 2047
RP Eli Blyden was injured while pitching. The diagnosis is not yet known.
Sent 3B Jadon Tezeno to Triple A Omaha for injury rehab.
Wednesday, July 24th , 2047
RP Eli Blyden diagnosed with forearm inflammation, will miss 3 months.
Purchased the contract of RP Steve Mitchell from Triple A Omaha.
Thursday, July 25th , 2047
SP Ethan Chafin diagnosed with an elbow strain, will miss 5 weeks.
Traded 23-year old minor league 2B Argenys Walter to the San Antonio Avalanche, getting 25-year old RHP Joe Mays in return.
Purchased the contract of SP Chad Johnston from Triple A Omaha.
Sunday, July 28th , 2047
Optioned SP Chad Johnston to Triple A Omaha.
Placed SP Joe Mays on the active roster.
Monday, July 29th , 2047
SP Mike Krebs was injured while pitching. The diagnosis is not yet known.
Wednesday, July 31st , 2047
Traded 28-year old LHP Joe Manley and 22-year old minor league CF Josh Cleckler to the New York Yankees, getting 28-year old RHP Mike Asbury and $97,000 in international amateur bonus pool room in return.
CF Jorge Corujo was injured on a defensive play. The diagnosis is not yet known.
RP Steve Mitchell was injured while pitching. The diagnosis is not yet known.

Minor League News

The Texas League Pitcher of the Month honor has been given to Sergio Salazar of Northwest Arkansas for a superlative month.

"I actually never wanted to be a pitcher," Salazar told reporters when asked who he credits for his pitching ability. "I was an outfielder until high school and on the third day of tryouts my coach came up and said, 'Son you couldn't hit a lick even if we put it on a tee for ya.' Well, that ticked me off, so I decided if I couldn't hit I wanted to make sure no one else could either and so here I am."

It all turned out for the best as the Northwest Arkansas starter notched a 4-0 record with a 1.36 ERA last month. He made 5 starts and struck out 32 in 33 innings.

Salazar has posted a 11-3 record for the year with a 2.80 ERA. Teams are hitting .195 against him and he has rung up 92 strikeouts in 93.1 innings. 

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MLB Standings

This years iteration of the Royals is not on course to set any records but is still only 6 wins from securing another pennant and enjoys a 9-game lead for the best record in baseball.



Kansas City Results



Kansas City Statistics







Transactions & Injuries

Another month with some serious injuries for the Royals actually started with the good news that rookie Mike Krebs would only miss one week, as well as welcoming back 3B Jadon Tezeno from injury.

However, the following day the Royals lost Steve Mitchell for the season, an injury which probably signals the end of his time with in Kansas City as he just can’t stay fit, as well as Jorge Corujo for just over a month.

The Royals then lose two more pitchers with Cason Willard straining an ankle and Luis Danys Rhodes experiencing tendinitis in his elbow – they will miss 5 weeks and a month respectively. Chad Johnston moves back into the rotation and Chase Paggett is recalled from AAA, while the month ends with Ethan Chafin heading to Omaha for an injury rehab assignment.

Thursday, August 1st , 2047
SP Mike Krebs diagnosed with a herniated disc, will miss one week.
Optioned 3B DeMario Zamano to Triple A Omaha.
Purchased the contract of 3B Jadon Tezeno from Triple A Omaha.
Friday, August 2nd , 2047
RP Steve Mitchell diagnosed with a partially torn labrum, will miss 4 months.
CF Jorge Corujo diagnosed with a fractured thumb, will miss 4-5 weeks.
Purchased the contract of RP Steve Campista from Triple A Omaha.
Saturday, August 3rd , 2047
SP Cason Willard was injured while pitching. The diagnosis is not yet known.
Wednesday, August 7th , 2047
SP Cason Willard diagnosed with a sprained ankle, will miss 5 weeks.
Purchased the contract of SP Chad Johnston from Triple A Omaha.
Wednesday, August 21st , 2047
CL Luis Danys Rhodes was injured while pitching. The Diagnosis: elbow tendinitis. He's expected to miss about 3-4 weeks.
Purchased the contract of SP Chase Paggett from Triple A Omaha.
Tuesday, August 27th , 2047
Sent SP Ethan Chafin to Triple A Omaha for injury rehab.

Minor League News

Nelson Saiz, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals catcher, certainly made his name known to Texas League hurlers over the last month. He consistently introduced himself with hit after hit and came away with August's Texas League Batter of the Month award.

He slashed and bashed his way to a .269 batting average while tallying up 14 home runs, 29 RBIs and 23 runs scored. He also worked TL pitchers for 29 walks and a .452 on-base percentage.

This season, Saiz has hit 15 home runs and posted a .244 batting average.

When Jeff Mole takes the hill, chances are good for a Northwest Arkansas victory. At least that's the way it was in May.

He excelled with a 4-0 mark and 3.06 ERA in 6 starts, tossed 35.1 innings, fanned 39 and held others clubs to a .198 average.

That's why the Naturals star was honored today as the Pitcher of the Month by the Texas League.

In 8 starts this season, Mole has recorded a 5-0 record and a 3.51 ERA.

Columbia shortstop Steve Katzin put the wraps on a fine August by capturing the Carolina League Batter of the Month honors today.

He put up a .286 batting average and .444 on-base percentage last month while racking up 8 home runs, 21 RBIs, 25 runs scored and 25 walks.

So far this year in 89 games, Katzin is hitting .289 with 20 home runs, 62 RBIs and 92 runs scored.

 

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MLB Standings

The Royals secured their 12th AL Central league title on 5 September, the day after shutting out the Guardians 9-0. They Royals are now only two behind the incredible 14-in-a-row record from the Braves last century.



Kansas City Results

Following on from securing the pennant, the Royals won their 100th game of the season on 18 September, 8-2 against Detroit. This is their 8th such season in a row, and the 10th in the last 12 years.

This is their best month of the season, going 19-6, and that includes being swept in a three games series in the Bronx.



Kansas City Statistics





With no single-season records on the line, the Royals gave several of the 42-man roster run outs in September with Joe Hyatt the most impressive, his first call up to the big leagues ending with 4 starts, 17 PA, 4 H, and a higher BB% (11.8%) than K% (5.9%).

Kansas City's Luis Aceves wowed sportswriters in September with an award-winning performance. For his standout play he was voted the American League Batter of the Month.

He rang up a .418 batting average with 12 home runs, 19 RBIs and 14 runs scored. He also had 6 walks and a .484 on-base percentage.

Currently Aceves is hitting .267 and has collected 42 home runs, 111 RBIs and scored 93 times, while playing in 134 games.



In September when the Kansas City manager wrote the name "Asbury" on the lineup card, he knew he had a good shot at winning. Start after start in the month, Mike Asbury took the hill, took charge and usually got the win.

He dominated with a 5-0 mark and 0.89 ERA in 5 starts. The gifted Royals star pitched 30.1 innings, fanned 27 and held opposing teams to a .091 average.

For his outstanding mound performance Asbury was named the AL Pitcher of the Month by the baseball writers.

Over the season Asbury has thrown 175.1 innings and dished out 157 strikeouts with a 13-10 mark and a 4.26 ERA.

The bullpen was strong, with only C.J. Binkle and Yoichiro Curtsinger failing to record a FIP- below league average.

Transactions & Injuries

The Royals had a relatively quiet month after September call ups.

Unfortunately, Ethan Chafin’s injury rehab didn’t go well as he strained a hamstring which will rule him out for the rest of the season.

The Royals chose not to spend money for the sake of it and did not sign either of their late-round bonus demanding draftees, while both Luis Danys Rhodes and Cason Willard made it back in time to get at least one outing (for Willard) ahead of the playoffs.

Sunday, September 1st , 2047
Purchased the contract of CF Domingo Carrillo from Triple A Omaha.
Purchased the contract of 3B DeMario Zamano from Triple A Omaha.
Purchased the contract of RP Yoichiro Curtsinger from Triple A Omaha.
Purchased the contract of SS Joe Hyatt from Triple A Omaha.
Purchased the contract of RP Jeremy Stockhoff from Triple A Omaha.
Promoted C Nelson Saiz from Double A Northwest Arkansas to Triple A Omaha.
Monday, September 9th , 2047
Failed to sign 8th round draft pick Alpha Meggett.
Failed to sign 14th round draft pick Randy McCann.
Thursday, September 12th , 2047
Sent CL Luis Danys Rhodes to Triple A Omaha for injury rehab.
Thursday, September 19th , 2047
Purchased the contract of SP Luis Danys Rhodes from Triple A Omaha.
Saturday, September 28th , 2047
Placed SP Cason Willard on the active roster.
Activated SP Cason Willard from the injured list.

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The playoffs are set following the end of the regular season. In the AL, the Royals and the Yankees earn the byes, with the Yankees earning their first AL East title since 2038. Over in the National League, it had been an even longer wait for the Mets, their first NL East title since 2036 earning them the bye while the Giants also win their first division title since 2036, and do it with the best record in the NL.

The wild cards in the AL are all from the East as the Central division does not live up to the preseason predictions, the Royals the only team with a winning record in the division. The East supply the division-winning Yankees, as well as the Red Sox, the Blue Jays, and the Orioles. The Rays miss out with an 81-81 record, meaning there is no losing record in the division. The Rangers win the AL West to take the final WC spot, meaning the Astros miss out on the playoffs for the first time this decade. The Royals will face the winner of the all-East match up, either the Rays or the Red Sox.

In the NL, it is a more even distribution with a wild card team from each division, joining NL Central division winner the Milwaukee Brewers. They will take on the NL East Miami Marlins, while the St Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres will face off in a Central vs West series. 

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The wildcard series throws up three sweeps, with the Rangers ensuring all three division winners appear in the Division Series in the AL. In the NL, the Cardinals prevent an all-West match up while the Marlins take out the division-winning Brewers to face the Mets. The only match up to go the distance was the all-East match up, with the Red Sox dropping the first came but coming back to win games 2 and 3 to set up a division series meeting with the Royals. It will be a third post-season match up between the teams, all at the Division Series stage, both previous series having been won by the Royals. The most recent was 2044, the Royals winning 3-1.

The Royals took the regular season series 5-1, which always gives Stewart cause for concern. They are a bat-first team, with the 4th most runs scored in the league, against 10th-best runs against. 1B Chris Foley and LF Bobby Elliott are their two biggest threats, Foley batting .311 to lead the team while Elliott had 43 HRs and 108 RBIs, both team highs. They will be missing former Royal Chris Albright but do have DH Gilberto Matos batting three.

On the pitching side, former Royal Chris Kuehn leads the rotation, although none of the starting rotation had an ERA below 4.00. Another former Royal, Joe Davis, will be in the bullpen, one that is led by Sam Horowitz’s 2.60, 37 save season, and Tim Decker’s 2.30 ERA.

Game 1 in Kansas City: Ben Lane vs Jesus Guerrero (2046 Trade CIN)
• Boston wins 7-3
• Guerrero: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R
• Lane (L): 4.1 IP, 10 H, 7 R
• Ernesto Soriano (W): 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R
• Boston HRs: Bobby Elliott (1st, 2R), Johnny Powell (5th, 2R)
• Tim Decker (BOS) injured while pitching DTD 2 weeks
• POTG: Bobby Elliott (BOS)
• 1-0 Boston

Game 2 in Kansas City: Cason Willard vs Bret Green (2037 1st Round)
• Kansas City wins 4-3 (10)
• Willard: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R
• Green: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R
• Juan Anaya (W): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R
• Mike Smithers (L)(BS): 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R
• Luis Danys Rhodes (BS): 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R
• Boston HRs: Dave Parks (9th, 2R)
• Kansas City HRs: Edgar Mir (9th)
• 1-1 Series Tied

Game 3 in Boston: Mike Asbury vs Chris Kuehn (2046 Free Agent)
• Kansas City wins 6-3
• Asbury (W): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R
• Kuehn (L): 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R
• Anaya (SV): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R
• Boston HRs: Powell (1st, 2R)
• Kansas City HRs: Tonguar Zimmerman (3rd), Bobby Nickelberry (7th, 2R)
• Luis Santana (BOS) injured collision at base – DTD 2 weeks
• Joe Davis (BOS) injured while pitching – OUT 1 week
• Johnny Powell (BOS) injured running the bases – DTD 1 week
• POTG: Bobby Nickelberry (KC) 2-4, HR, 2 RBI
• 2-1 Kansas City

Game 4 in Boston: Benton Geldart vs Shammond Fairwell (2043 1st Round)
• Boston wins 7-5
• Fairwell (W): 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R
• Geldart (L): 5.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R
• Boston HRs: Luis Ramirez (6th), Ben Swanson (7th, 2R)
• Kansas City HRs: Zimmerman (3rd), Luis Aceves (8th), Jadon Tezeno (8th)
• Gilberto Matos (BOS) injured running the bases – OUT pending
• 2-2 Series Tied

Game 5 in Kansas City: Lane vs Green
• Kansas City wins 7-4
• Lane (W): 5.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R
• Green (L): 2.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R
• Rhodes (SV): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R
• 3-2 KANSAS CITY WINS

Series MVP: Luis Aceves (KC) 9-22, HR, 2 RBI


 

[benp28]

The top two teams in the American League will play off for the pennant, after both won game 7s to clinch. Over in the National League, the Cardinals shocked the Giants 3-1 while the Mets cruised past the Marlins with the sweep.

The Royals-Yankees series will be a repeat of last year’s division series match up, the Royals winning that 3-1. It will be a seventh match up of all time, with the series tied at 3-3, the Royals the winners of the last three.

The Yankees had the Royals number in the regular season, winning it 5-2, including a sweep at Yankee Stadium in September. It is a pitching led ball club, giving up the 4th least runs while only scoring the 11th most in the league. They didn’t have a .300 hitter but 1B Jesus Sandoval had 99 RBIs to go with 36 HRs, while RF Alessandro Gates had 30 SBs and 25 HRs, to go with a 2.67 average. Their star is 3B Danny Eaton, who missed two thirds of the season, but hit .279 and put up 2.0 WAR in only 44 games.

The Yankees will be without one of their star pitchers, Colten Sullivan partially tearing his UCL in August, and out for another 7 months. Andy Pennington will lead the rotation, a regular Royals target who has chosen to stay in New York, and he had 180 Ks across 198 IP. Jimmy Mayo had the better statistical season with a 3.84 ERA and 15 wins and he will pitch game 2 in an all-right handed rotation. The bullpen is stacked, led by legend Pat Black, who recorded 45 saves with a 2.16 ERA. Two former Royals, Joe Manley (2.43) and Nate Avis (2.81) had great seasons while Ernesto Figueroa also put up an ERA under 3, 2.20.

Game 1 in Kansas City: Cason Willard vs Andy Pennington (2045 Free Agent)
• Kansas City wins 3-2
• Willard: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R
• Pennington: 4.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R
• Juan Anaya (W): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R
• Pat Black (L): 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R
• Luis Danys Rhodes (BS): 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R
• 1-0 Kansas City

Game 2 in Kansas City: Mike Asbury vs Jimmy Mayo (2038 5th Round)
• Kansas City wins 12-5
• Asbury: 3.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R
• Mayo: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R
• Anaya (W): 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R
• Savion Skief (L): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R
• Kansas City HRs: Estanislau Covete (1st), Bobby Nickelberry (6th), A.J. Terry (6th), Luis Aceves (7th, 3R)
• Boston HRs: Luis Herrera (2nd, 2R)
• POTG: Jorge Corujo (KC) 4-6, 2 RBI, 4 R (tied KC playoff game record)
• 2-0 Kansas City

Game 3 in New York: Benton Geldart vs David Ortiz (2042 International Amateur)
• New York wins 7-5
• Ortiz (W): 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R
• Geldart (L): 2.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R
• Kansas City HRs: Nickelberry (2nd), Aceves (6th, 2R), Terry (8th, 2R)
• New York HRs: Jesus Sandoval (3rd, 2R), Danny Eaton (5th)
• Ortiz (NYY) injured while pitching – OUT 3 months
• POTG: Danny Eaton (NYY) 3-4, HR, RBI
• 2-1 Kansas City

Game 4 in New York: Ben Lane vs Ludovic Bruneau (2046 MiL Free Agent)
• New York wins 8-5
• Bruneau (W): 5.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R
• Lane (L): 3.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R
• Sean Faulk (SV): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R
• Kansas City HRs: Aceves (1st, 2R), Josh Mangan (6th)
• New York HRs: Sandoval (1st, 2 R)
• Danny Eaton (NYY) injured running the bases – OUT pending
• POTG: Jesus Sandoval (NYY) 3-4, HR, 3 RBI
• 2-2 Series Tied

Game 5 in New York: Willard vs Pennington
• Kansas City wins 7-3
• Willard: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R
• Pennington: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R
• Albert Regalado (W): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R
• Joe Manley (L): 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R
• Kansas City HRs: Nickelberry (4th, 2R), Aceves (6th)
• Arturo Oramas (KC) injured running the bases – DTD 1 week
• POTG: Luis Aceves (KC) 2-4, HR, 3 RBI
• 3-2 Kansas City

Game 6 in Kansas City: Asbury vs Mike King (2041 3rd Round)
• Kansas City wins 7-4
• Asbury (W): 5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R
• King (L): 1.1 IP, 4 H, 6 R
• Rhodes (SV): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R
• New York HRs: Herrera (3rd, 2R)
• 4-2 KANSAS CITY WINS

Series MVP: Luis Aceves (KC) 9-23, 5 HRs, 12 RBIs

[benp28]

Having defeated the Yankees to win their 13th pennant, 4th in 5 years, and 7th in the last decade, the Royals will face the Yankees crosstown rival, the Mets, looking to win their 5th World Series. The Mets have cruised through the National League, sweeping both series and will enter more rested than the Royals. The Royals took the regular season series 2-1, and will be hoping for a repeat of the only other time these teams have met in the postseason, a 4-1 Royals victory that secured their second World Series back in 2015.

The Mets are a good hitting and a good pitching team, having finished 4th in both metrics in the National League. The hitting is led by 6-time All Star 1B Jake Moore, who has had an injury hit season but still put up over 2 WAR in 55 games. SS Jamie Robinson led the team with a .286 average, along with 97 RBI and 30 SB. DH Pete Brooks hit 28 HRs, drove in 82, and batted .277 while 2045 Rule 5 pick from the Royal C Juan Llanas will start behind the plate.

Mike Poirrier fronts their rotation, and is workhorse, pitching 219 innings, with a 3.45 ERA and 205 Ks. The rotation alternated RHP and LHP, with Alvaro Vaca being the top LHP, a 3.95 ERA paired with 211 Ks in 161 IP. The bullpen doesn’t have any standout ERA leaders but closer Kevin Gilstrap had an 81% success rate with 36 saves and his 85-50-50 profile is elite when he is on.

Game 1 in Kansas City: Ben Lane vs Mike Poirrier (2044 1st Round)
• Kansas City wins 5-2
• Lane (W): 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R
• Poirrier (L): 5.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R
• Luis Danys Rhodes (SV): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R
• Kansas City HRs: A.J. Terry (4th, 3R)
• New York HRs: Pete Brooks (6th, 2R)
• 1-0 Kansas City

Game 2 in Kansas City: Cason Willard vs Alvaro Vaca (2037 Scouting Discovery)
• Kansas City wins 6-5
• Willard: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R
• Vaca: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R
• Luis Danys Rhodes (W)(BS): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R
• Kevin Gilstrap (L): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R
• Juan Anaya (SV): 1.0 IP, 0 H. 0 R
• Kansas City HRs: Jadon Tezeno (3rd, 3R), Terry (8th)
• New York HRs: Juan Llanas (8th, 2R)
• 2-0 Kansas City

Game 3 in New York: Mike Asbury vs Rob Thomas (2047 trade BAL)
• New York wins 5-2
• Thomas (W): 5.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R
• Asbury (L): 4.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R
• Gilstrap (SV): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R
• New York HRs: Brooks (8th)
• 2-1 Kansas City

Game 4 in New York: Benton Geldart vs Mike Lackey (2044 Rule 5 Draft HOU)
• Kansas City wins 6-3
• Geldart (W): 6 IP, 8 H, 2 R
• Lackey: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R
• Jamir Buie (L): 1.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R
• Anaya (SV): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R
• Kansas City HRs: Terry (4th, GS)
• New York HRs: Kevin Johnson (7th)
• 3-1 Kansas City

Game 5 in New York: Lane vs Poirrier
• Kansas City wins 8-0
• Lane (W): 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R
• Poirrier (L): 6.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R
• Kansas City HRs: Josh Mangen (5th), Jorge Corujo (5th, 2R; 7th, 2R), Tezeno (6th), Luis Aceves (9th, 2R)
• POTG: Jorge Corujo (KC) 3-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI
• 4-1 KANSAS CITY WINS

Series MVP: Jorge Corujo (KC) 9-21, 2 HRs, 4 RBI

Back-to-back Champions for the first time in franchise history, the Royals cruise to the World Series with a clinching shut out for the second year in a row. After Luis Aceves dominated the MVPs in the previous two series, it is Jorge Corujo who wins the award in the World Series, with Ben Lane taking two wins across the series to dominate the Mets ace.

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Two World Series in a row, three in the last four years, this is officially a dynasty for the Kansas City Royals. Their third World Series in Stewart’s reign brings them level with the Padres and Dodgers during the save, while a 5th World Series makes the Royals the 8th most successful franchise in the game.

Kansas City Postseason Stats



Generally impressive set of hitting stats for your World Champion Royals although the catcher position was predictably barren, and Arturo Oramas didn’t carry his regular season form into the post season.

Edgar Mir comes up clutch with that HR in game 2 of the Division Series, 9th inning, which prevented the Royals from going 0-2 down in that series. Looked up records and he has the most PS HR (37) of all time as well as most RBIs (111). For some reason, the game doesn’t have accurate PS appearances and thinks Mir’s 129 is a record, rather than Jeter’s 158. That is very strange considering they have Jeter’s PA, RBIs, etc. all correct.



Cason Willard was the star of the rotation; 4-0 from 4 starts, 15 hits across 23.2 IP with 0 HRs and an absurd 1.52 ERA. Ben Lane was great or awful but didn’t get much support with an ERA over 3.00 higher than his FIP.
The bullpen excelled, with neither Bob Capaoziello nor Juan Anaya giving up a run. Anaya had a crazy 0.46 WHIP – turns out he has lowest PS WHIP of All-Time, as well as lowest opponents average of all time. That could make his contract decision a little easier.

Owner Goal Review



Team Record:
What a tremendous season! All of the late nights I saw you put in clearly paid off and now we all have rings! Thank you for all you do!

Extend your player:
I'm disappointed that you decided against signing Juan Minnelli to an extension. Did I not make it clear that this was more than a simple suggestion?

Long Term:
I'm thrilled with what this team has become. 2 World Series wins in the last 2 I think will solidify this team as truly one of the greats of all time. When discussing the 2046-2047 Kansas City Royals, the only question to answer is: Great team, or the greatest team?

I am happy with your performance in accomplishing the goals I have given you. However, when I consider the on- and off-field success of the team, my overall mood with your performance is ecstatic.

Minor Leagues



Postseason

Omaha Storm Chasers [AAA] missed the playoffs by 1 game.
Northwest Arkansas Naturals [AA] won the Championship.
Quad Cities River Bandits [A+] missed the playoffs by 8 games.
Columbia Fireflies [A] missed the playoffs by 4 games.
Kansas City (ACL) Royals [R] missed the playoffs by 13.5 games.
Kansas City (DSL) Royals Stewart [R] lost in first round of the playoffs.
Kansas City (DSL) Royals Glass [R] missed the playoffs by 18.5 games.

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International Amateurs

We just completed our monthly private practice with many young international amateur free agents who we hope can aid our club in the coming years. It was great to meet the players in-person and get to know them better, and I was able to improve my scouting assessment on all invitees.

In fact some of the players impressed me, since they showcased a higher potential than I had previously expected from them:

Jesus Quintero, 16 year-old CF out of Panama
Lean and athletic, Jesus Quintero hails from Panama, Panama. He projects to be a .290 hitter. His eye grades out as plus. He has decent power now and has the chance to have above average power in the future. Quintero is projected to be an elite starting center fielder.

Juan Ochoa, 16 year-old RHP out of Panama
Juan Ochoa is a wiry framed reliever who was born in Panama, Panama. He projects to have a repertoire that include an outstanding splitter and a fastball with good life. When he's on he's unhittable, but he's susceptible to the long ball and wandering command. Ochoa projects to be a solid bullpen contributor.

However, a few invitees left me disappointed as they did not appear to match my previous assessment, although they may still end up being future stars:

Arturo Moreno, 16 year-old C out of Venezuela
Arturo Moreno is a long, lean athletic catcher who was born in Caracas, Venezuela. He has a ceiling of a pull hitter with plus power. He is an aggressive hitter who will have to prove himself against top-notch pitchers. He should be very good at taking bad pitches and drawing walks. Scouts project Moreno to fill a key role for a contending team in the big leagues.

And other players that I was able to further assess were:
Alexis Pelcastre, 16 year-old 3B out of Dominican Republic
Sergio Villalpando, 16 year-old 1B out of Venezuela
Bruce Anglesey, 16 year-old RHP out of Australia
Jorge Ledesma, 16 year-old CF out of Dominican Republic
Julio Alvarado, 16 year-old C out of Dominican Republic
Ramiro Santana, 16 year-old C out of Venezuela
Biagio Torrisi, 16 year-old 3B out of Venezuela


 

[benp28]

It’s hard to question the Royals performance with a second World Series on the bounce. If there were any areas for improvement, though performance in extra-inning and one-run games would be the obvious area. On the hitting side, the baserunning is a massive disappointment, as is the strikeouts, although the latter (and the former) are more than acceptable if they allow for the raft of top ranked statistics. On the pitching side, there is a single non-1st ranked statistic, where the Royals ranked 2nd, and defensively there is only a small improvement in ZR available ranking wise.



Catcher

Nelson Canjura supplanted Luis Montoya as the everyday catcher with a 111 wRC+ to go with superior FRM and EFF. A .286 average should be enough to see him earn a spot on the roster in 2048 but Nelson Saiz is the #1 prospect in baseball and is slated to be the Royals everyday catcher come opening day. Montoya may start in AAA but is as likely to be traded.

Infield

Luis Aceves had the 8th best SLG season in Royals history, along with Bobby Nickelberry is the only Royal in history with 3 40+ HR seasons and added 4.2 WAR. He is cemented into the 1B position for 2048, with an arbitration expected-salary of $12.8m. He is only 27 and if he had interest in a 4-5 year contract the Royals would talk.

The same is true for Arturo Oramas, although his 6.5 WAR season at 2B probably prices him out of that short a contract. He led the Royals in WAR and wRC+ amongst players with 100+ PA, while playing above average defense. Even without a long-term contract, his arbitration cost of $10.2m is a bargain.

3B may have some question marks with Estanislau Covete, Jadon Tezeno, and DeMario Zamano all spending time at the position. Covete had the most ABs, the lowest wRC+, and is a below average defensive 3B. He has a $13m contract for 2048 with two TO years after that. Jadon Tezeno is the best defensive 3B but still put up a negative ZR, and below average EFF. He hit .265 with a 122 wRC+ so does bring plenty with the bat. Zamano is the weakest defender and only played 4 innings at 3B without recording any statisitcs. His bat was the strongest, with a .281 average to go with 145 wRC+ but it was only in 72 PAs. He is also the youngest and has some potential growth in his batting ratings. Covete and Tezeno are under long-term contract while Zamano is a league minimum player next year. Interesting choices for the Royals, and it is unlikely all three are on the Major League roster in 2048.

Shortstop should be locked in for 2048. Rookie Tonguar Zimmerman had a 125 wRC+, a 3.9 ZR with EFF of 1.039. On league minimum he is locked in as starting SS for next year, and a long term contract might be on the table depending on his demands.

On the back up infielders, Edgar Noriega played in 119 games, and put up a 10 ZR for a player who was over 8% more efficient than the average ML-er. His bat, however, was very poor with a wRC+ of 65. Finally, Joe Hyatt was a September call up and had 4 H and 2 BB across 17 ABs. He is probably not strong enough to stick at SS but could cover 2B and 3B if used as an utility infielder. Both players are on league minimum contracts for next year. The final player is Edgar Mir, who is QO eligible but not QO worthy. He had 158 PAs over the course of the season, walked over 20% of the time that gave him a .386 OBP, and was above league average in the field, predominantly at 1B. Mir is looking for a one-year, $2m contract and for the three-time Champ, it may be a deal the Royals are happy to honour for this year.

Outfield

Six players had over 100 PAs as OFs for the Royals in 2047.

Two of those players are on long-term contracts with no risk of trade or release. Bobby Nickelberry had a down year with only 3.6 WAR and a 126 wRC+, but still became one of only two Royals to have three 40+ HR seasons, as well as contributing 131 RBIs (5th best Royals season). He moves to 5th on the Royals all-time HR list, moving into the 200s this season, and 90 behind George Brett’s franchise record. Jorge Corujo struggled with injury, as he missed two 5 week periods, although with different injuries. When he was fit he batted .312 with a 127 wRC+ to go with 3.1% above average EFF.

Rookie A.J. Terry and offseason acquisition Josh Mangan both had 540+ PAs, Mangan having more walks but Terry hitting more HRs, to leave a wRC+ 113-111 in Mangan’s favour. However, Terry was elite in LF and has the ability to excel when covering CF.

Chris Kern had a similar wRC+ (110) to the last two but only managed 467 PAs. He was above average in LF but mediocre in CF, limiting his value as a utility OF.

Finally, Domingo Carrillo yo-yoed between Kansas City and Omaha, and maybe struggled for it. A 154 OPS+ at AAA level became a 92 OPS+ in the MLB, to go with a 24 OPS+ last year in his Septemnber call up time. Carrillo is a Major League OF but is running out of runway.

Terry and Carrillo are both on league minimum salaries next year which makes their return the more likely. Kern and Mangan are both arbitration eligible and it seems superfluous to have both players on the roster. That leave the Royals with the option, for each player, to remove arbitration, to trade before arbitration, to sign and then trade during the offseason, or sign and end up retaining for the season. Mangan will cost $10.25m vs Kern’s $6.5m, another factor to include in the decision.

Offseason / Early 2048 Overview

C Nelson Saiz
1B Luis Aceves
2B Arturo Oramas
3B Jadon Tezeno / Estanislau Covete / DeMario Zamano
SS Tonguar Zimmerman

LF A.J. Terry
CF Jorge Corujo
RF Bobby Nickelberry

DH Estanislau Covete / DeMario Zamano / Josh Mangan

C Nelson Canjura
IF Edgar Mir
IF Edgar Noriega/Joe Hyatt
OF Domingo Carrillo
OF Chris Kern / Josh Mangan



Starters

Eight pitchers started ten games or more for the Royals in 2047, with four of those recording a FIP below 4.00, and six with a FIP- below league average. The two not on that list, Chad Johnston, and Mike Krebs, had a FIP- of 100 and 101 respectively.

The Royals best pitcher was Ethan Chafin, who lasted 21 starts before back-to-back starts ruled him out of the end of season and post season. A $15m Team Option seems a risk on that injury history but Chafin is now on multiple Royals Top Ten career lists, including W (115), WAR (30.8), GS (224), K (1525), and rWAR (37.2). He also comfortably has the best winning percentage of any qualifying Royal, .747. Stewart is minded to take the risk, with the Royals have plenty of budget space heading into the offseason.

Cason Willard had another strong season, with a 82 FIP-, a 19.9% K-BB%, although only an 8-7 record and a HR/9 rate of 1.1. The Royals will pay $10.1m next season (the Angels will pay him $5.5m) and be very happy about it.

Ben Lane made 33 starts, had an 82 FIP-, a 14-4 record, and 4.2 WAR. He is also on several top ten Royals all-time lists now, including Ks (1,098), ERA (3.42), and rWAR (27.2). Lane’s contract starts to decline now, and is only due $10m next season.

Benton Geldart played a full season for the Royals and had a solid 89 FIP- with a 13-7 record, a .531 QS%, and 3.9 WAR. A durable pitcher, the Royals are very happy to have brought him back last season and he remains on a league minimum contract next season.

The Royals brought Joe Mays in as depth at the trade deadline and he provided that depth, although little more. He is only 25 so still has some room for development but a 4.92 ERA with a K% below 20% isn’t anything that impressive. He will be on a league minimum contract next season so will come back but may be in a fight for a starting rotation position.

Mike Asbury was the second trade acquisition by the Royals at the trade deadline and he went 5-2, with a 3.44 ERA and 1.1 WAR. This was a FIP- of 84, compared to 101 in the first half of the season with the Yankees. Asbury is looking for 8 years at $20m, a deal the Royals are not interested in so he will hit Free Agency. As a midseason acquisition the Royals won’t get any compensation for that.

Chad Johnston and Mike Krebs both had chances in the starting rotation and, although Krebs had more starts, Johnston was the better performer. Both are on minimum contracts next season and so will be in the fight for a rotation place but could be at risk from any off season acquisitions.

With Willard and Geldart both LHP, that may put Krebs at a disadvantage as three LHP in the rotation may be one too many.

Bullpen

The Royals bullpen saw some changes during the season with the loss of Joe Manley after the offseason departure of Dan Nichols and that saw some new faces amongst the four 50+ IP players.

Juan Anaya led that list with 118 IP, a 3.45 ERA and 24 saves (albeit at a mediocre 67% success rate). He also had an average 32:17 SD:MD ratio.

Luis Danys Rhodes followed, with 82.1 IP, 59 FIP-, with 2.5 WAR and a 29:6 SD:MD ratio that must have him competing with Pat Black for Reliever of the Year.

Third was Rookie Chris Curry, who broke camp with the team, and never looked back, 54.2 IP of Middle Relief with an 89 FIP-.

Alberto Regalado was the final 50+ pitcher, 52.1 IP with a 54 FIP-, 1.4 WAR, and a 12:1 ratio suggests Regalado might be ready for an even more prominent role in 2048.

Of those pitcher, Rhodes has a TO for $10, and Anaya is QO eligible, and is looking for 4yrs at $14m. It is likely that both return, with Stewart seeing is Anaya will accept a higher salary in 2048 for some TO flexibility in his final two years.

Bob Capozziella wasn’t short of 50 inning, with 47.0 IP, he had a 41 FIP-, second lowest among Royals pitchers but only with a 7:6 ration. Capozziella is a solid middle reliever who likely should avoid high leverage. He is arbitration eligible with a $3.2m expectation that the Royals will likely meet, assuming it is tradeable if he doesn’t come out of Spring Training with role in the bullpen.

Four Royals pitcher 20+ innings, but less than 30, in Chase Paggett, Chris Morrow, Eli Blyden, and Curt Bogans. Bogans missed most of the season is still injured, and is a pending Free Agent. He is out until April and is looking for $2m. At this point, even the Royals hearts think it unlikely he comes back on anything other than a MiL contract. Paggett, Morrow, and Blyden are all slated to be on the Major League minimum in 2048, had FIP- below 75, and are RHP. All will be back, with Morrow (50 FIP-) the likeliest for a more prominent role.

Steve Mitchell had a 63 FIP- but had another injury impacted season and, despite still being on the league minimum, the Royals are likely to see if there are any takers on the trade market for a strong, but unreliable RP.

Steve Campista made his debut and was 6% better than the league average in FIP- but on this team that might not be enough for a role next year, while Yoichiro Curtsinger and Jeremy Stockoff pitcheda handful of innings. C.J. Binkle only pitched 9 innings but also only gave up 3 H to show he might deserve a bigger chance next year.

The Royals might be short of a LHP in the bullpen, which may give Mike Krebs a better route to sticking in the roster next year.

Offseason / Early 2048 Overview

SP RHP Ben Lane
SP LHP Cason Willard
SP RHP Ethan Chafin
SP LHP Benton Geldart
SP RHP Joe Mays / RHP Chad Johnston / LHP Mike Krebs

RP RHP Luis Danys Rhodes
RP RHP Juan Anaya
RP RHP Albert Regalado
RP LHP Chris Curry
RP RHP Bob Capozziello
RP RHP Chase Paggett
RP RHP Chris Morrow
RP RHP Eli Blyden
RP RHP C.J. Binkle

[benp28]

Owner Goals

No surprising goals from Jeremy Sherman – the record in extra-inning games had previously been identified as one area the club could improve on while what else would a dynasty wish to do than to extend it.



Finances

The budget saw another $2m increase, getting ever close to the magic $300m line. Back to 8th highest budget in the league, the Royals have plenty of budget space for extensions and potential free agents.

I have just decided on your budget for the upcoming season.
You will have $298,000,000 available for the total team expenses. Given your current spending on staff and other costs, this should allow you a team payroll of around $190,000,000.



Personnel

The Royals lost three staff members at the end of the season; two to retirement and one moving to a perceived better opportunity.

Thursday, October 31st , 2047
Hitting Coach Victor Ferrante retires.
Scouting Director Sam Christensen retires.

I consider it an honor serving the team as a Hitting Coach. But I need a new challenge, so I've signed with the Windy City ThunderBolts to be their new Hitting Coach.

Enny Mijhail Van Dyke

As always, the Royals looked internally first with two coaches being promoted, including the first coach promoted from the Minor League system to the big leagues with Desmond Jennings becoming the hitting coach.

The loss of Sam Christensen is a disappointment and will slow down the Royals offseason as they rescout their whole system.

Promotions:

• MLB Hitting Coach: Desmond Jennings from AAA
• AAA Hitting Coach: Elmer Figueroa from AA

With the internal appointments, the three open positions the Royals go out to recruitment for are:

• Scouting Director
• AA Hitting Coach
• Rookie (ACL) Hitting Coach

Minor Leagues

Awards

A mediocre minor league system season results wise means there are few Awards to dole out but the Royals staff do win two Manager of the Year Awards – Alan Willams and Robert Donovan winning their 3rd consecutive awards at A and AA respectively. The only other winner was 2B Chad Hart who was voted AA Most Valuable Player despite a midseason promotion to AAA, demonstrating his impact over the first half of the season.

Retirements

Only four retirements across the system, with two International Minor Leage Free Agents, one Minor League Free Agent and 2034 International Amateur RP Jesus Aceves.

Prospect Review