KC Royals - An OOTP 25 Narrated Playthrough - Day 1

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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



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

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



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

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



KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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



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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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



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



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



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



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

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

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



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



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



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

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

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



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

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



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

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



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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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



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

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

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October 24:



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

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



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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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



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

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

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



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

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

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



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