KC Royals - An OOTP 25 Narrated Playthrough - Day 1

[Biggp07]

Not the news I was hoping for…but the result tonight was good.

Bobby Witt Jr. verified reports that he is probably heading to the injured list. The injury that has kept the Kansas City shortstop out of action since 06/27/2024 -- a strained groin muscle -- is significant enough, he said, that he will have to "shut it down for a while." How long? "Probably 5-6 weeks," he said. This year, Witt Jr. is hitting .276 with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs in 78 games played. He also boasts an OBP of .317 with 18 walks and 45 runs scored.

Players are going to have to step up now and prove their value. If we can have more games like last night, then we should be good. We are at the threshold of fate for the rest of our season.
I put Junior on the 10-day IL and called up Cam Devanney for a second time this year. We have Mike Massey down in Omaha, too, who was an option, but Cam has a bit more utility and hit better while in Omaha. Massey didn’t use his time in Omaha to impress us much, so I think he’s a trade piece soon, along with 2B Adam Frazier.

TBH, with Bobby out of the lineup for a few weeks and we are approaching several key events in July, I think the necessity to make some major roster moves and trades has arrived. That’s what I’ll be focused on in the next few weeks, preparing for the draft and trade deadline. I don’t think we’re going to the playoffs this year, which makes us a seller and opens some players on the current active and secondary rosters as trade pieces for a rebuild.

A few in the front office and those following my performance this season are probably saying I should have known that back in March and made some major moves then. Perhaps they’re right. But I did what I thought was best for the team at the time and was not sure how the active roster was going to perform. I think I made some decent decisions and started out pretty good.

My biggest disappointment, not so much with me but for him, is Salvador Perez. He’s a franchise player, leader, and captain, enormous work ethic, and loyal to the bitter end. HE KNOWS that his performance so far this year has been poor, and HE's ANGRY at himself. It would be easy for most teams to dump him and his $20 million salary if he were not a franchise player with 10 and 5 rights, but that’s where we are. We’re on the hook for $22 million with him next year, then it’s a $13.5 million team option, so that’s going to be part of the baseline salaries for the next two seasons. He’s not going anywhere, so we must level up in the other 7 positions on the roster. I started my stint here saying I wanted to turn him into a franchise coach anyway, and I’ll stay committed to that. There are plenty of other places we can build talent and a better roster. I just hope he can get out of his slump to show up at the end of the season with a better stat line.

Game Summary – June 29th – Guardians Suffer 10-5 Road Loss



Kansas City picked up a win at Kauffman Stadium, bumping off the Cleveland Guardians, 10-5. Pitcher Carlos Hernandez was a major reason the Royals emerged victorious. The Royals, at 37-49, inhabit 4th place in the American League Central Division. Regardless of the outcome, those who came to Kauffman Stadium for the American League contest enjoyed being there.
"We swung the bats good throughout the lineup," said Kansas City skipper Todd "BigP" Pollard.

This game was refreshing to manage for the win. We worked the pitch counts well tonight. And with Junior out, it’s the right moment to have happen. I’d have liked to get a better performance from Lyles, but he’s been losing stuff all season. As a free agent, he’s pulling $8.5 million salary at almost 34 years old with no leadership or positive character ever shown; I think he’s done as a major leaguer in this organization. I may DFA him before the trade deadline to clear up roster space and recoup some salary before the offseason. I think I made that observation about a month ago. I probably should have tried to get another inning out of Hernandez before relieving him in this game. That would have kept Lyles from giving up those 2 runs and a homer off 4 hits, because I’d never have put him in as relief.



KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
C.Hernandez W(3-3) 6.0 5 2 2  2  2 0  84 5.04    
J. Lyles           1.0 4 2 2  0  1 1  24 4.14    
C. Stratton        1.2 2 1 1  1  1 0  40 4.15    
B. Bernardino      0.1 0 0 0  0  1 0   5 2.84

Batters Faced: C. Hernandez 23, J. Lyles 7, C. Stratton 8, B. Bernardino 1
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: C. Hernandez 7-7, J. Lyles 1-1, C. Stratton 2-2, B. Bernardino 0-0
Pitches - Strikes: C. Hernandez 84-47, J. Lyles 24-13, C. Stratton 40-24, B. Bernardino 5-3
Inherited Runners - Scored: J. Lyles 2-2, B. Bernardino 1-0
WP: C. Hernandez, C. Stratton

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Carlos Hernandez
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Partly Cloudy (78 degrees), wind blowing out to the center at 11 mph
Start Time: 3:10 PM CT
Time: 3:38
Attendance: 27264

[Biggp07]

Cole Ragans is still receiving fan votes to keep him in 5th place with 1,307,965 votes, and Brennan Bernardino remains in 4th place with 1,137,003 votes. The top vote getter for the AL is still Juan Soto with 3,478,287 votes. The top vote getter for the NL is Ronald Acuna Jr. with 3,032,959 votes.

We fought for this win tonight and got it done. Damn proud of how we played this series.

Game Summary – June 30th – Royals Get Clutch Win Versus Cleveland



The Cleveland Guardians could not turn a fine performance from pitcher Logan Allen into a win. Instead, the Kansas City Royals prevailed, 4-3. Allen threw 7.0 innings of 3-hit ball. Kansas City pitcher Will Smith got the win, upping his record to 3-3. James Karinchak got the loss. John Schreiber was credited with the save. He has now successfully converted 7 of 8 save opportunities.

Vinnie Pasquantino drove in one run for Kansas City. The 26-year-old first baseman had a key at-bat in the bottom of the eighth. With one out and the bases loaded, he broke a 2-2 tie with a run-scoring sacrifice fly off Tim Herrin. It was his 46th RBI of the season.

"It feels good to get this one," Pasquantino told the Kansas City Today. The Kansas City winning streak has reached 3 games.



Since Bobby’s injury put him on the IL for the next few weeks, we moved Garcia over to shortstop, replacing Junior, and called up Cam Devanney a couple of days ago to replace Garcia at third. That has proved a good move this series, and I’m hoping it continues until Bobby can rehab and return around September’s roster expansion. I don’t think we’ll get him back any sooner, and by that time, we’ll know how our season ends anyway. So, it will be an off-season recovery and strength building for Bobby to bring him back stronger and better next year. But we won’t count him or us out just yet.

Still bad news putting us in a worse position is that Brady Singer has suffered a shoulder injury while pitching the early innings of this game. We’ll see how bad it is over the next couple of days, but we have a day’s rest to figure out how we go into July with a healthy and competent roster. In the meantime, I’ll need to make some roster moves and check the trade and waiver wires for depth strength to at least get through the All-Star break and the trade deadline.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Logan Allen
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Rain (78 degrees), wind blowing out to the center at 12 mph
Start Time: 1:10 PM CT
Time: 2:59
Attendance: 20146
Special Notes: SP Brady Singer was injured while pitching.

[Biggp07]

We made several roster changes across the organization from DSL to Double-A in preparation for the upcoming draft. Nick Loftin was removed from the IL and added to the Omaha roster. His return from the IL requires roster adjustments for second base and the lineup. I recommend DFA'ing Adam Frazier, as he's not contributing much lately, and replacing him at second base with Nick Loftin. This move could save some salary for the off-season and give us more flexibility to send players between Omaha and the majors.

Jason McLeod, our scout, has published the June 2024 development report, showing moderate improvement in the rookie leagues and slight progress among our High-A ball teams. He observed the most positive development in the Rookie and Low-A clubs. I will review the High-A teams before the off-season and implement the coaching changes I considered back in March. If there's no improvement, it's likely to worsen. Here is a list of notable changes since Saturday, June 1st, 2024.

RP John McMillon, Age 26, Kansas City Royals:
- Current stuff rating drops from 75 to 70.
- Current and potential control ratings drop from 40 to 35.
- Current stamina rating drops from 35 to 30.

1B Vinnie Pasquantino, Age 26, Kansas City Royals:
- Current and potential contact ratings drop from 60 to 55.
+ Current power rating improves from 50 to 55.
- Current eye rating drops from 55 to 50.
- Overall and potential ratings drop to 50. (As 1B)

3B Nick Loftin, Age 25, Kansas City Royals:
- Current speed rating drops from 45 to 40.
- Potential rating drops from 50 to 45 / 80. (As 3B)

C Rodolfo Duran, Age 26, Omaha Storm Chasers (Triple A):
- Current and potential eye ratings drop from 45 to 40.
- Current and potential gap ratings drop from 60 to 55.

2B Michael Massey, Age 26, Omaha Storm Chasers (Triple A):
- Potential eye rating drops from 50 to 45.
- Current defensive rating at Second Base drops from 60 to 55.
- Overall and potential ratings drop to 45. (As 2B)

3B Devin Mann, Age 27, Omaha Storm Chasers (Triple A):
+ Current contact rating improves from 45 to 50.
+ Potential rating improves from 45 to 50 / 80. (As 1B)

CF Garrett Hampson, Age 29, Omaha Storm Chasers (Triple A):
- Current defensive rating at Center Field drops from 50 to 45.
- Overall and potential ratings drop to 40. (As CF)

SP Jose Fleury, Age 22, Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Double A):
+ Current control rating improves from 40 to 45.
+ Overall rating improves from 30 to 35 / 80. (As SP)

RP Ryan Brady, Age 25, Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Double A):
+ Potential stuff rating improves from 35 to 40.
- Potential control rating drops from 65 to 60.
+ Overall rating improves from 30 to 35 / 80. (As SP)

LF Tyler Tolbert, Age 26, Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Double A):
+ Current and potential power ratings improve from 25 to 30.
+ Potential rating improves from 35 to 40 / 80. (As 2B)

SP Oscar Rayo, Age 22, Columbia Fireflies (Class A):
+ Potential control rating improves from 45 to 50.
+ Potential rating improves from 35 to 40 / 80. (As SP)

SP Frank Mozzicato, Age 21, Quad Cities River Bandits (High-A):
- Potential stuff rating drops from 50 to 45.
- Current stamina rating drops from 50 to 40.

1B Jhoneiker Betancourt, Age 24, Quad Cities River Bandits (High-A):
+ Current contact rating improves from 35 to 40.
+ Potential contact rating improves from 40 to 45.
+ Potential power rating improves from 40 to 45.
+ Current defensive rating at Catcher improves from 40 to 45.
+ Overall rating improves from 20 to 30 / 80. (As C)

2B Jhonny Perdomo, Age 22, Columbia Fireflies (Class A):
+ Current defensive rating at Second Base improves from 45 to 50.
+ Overall rating improves from 20 to 25 / 80. (As 2B)

RF Joe Gray Jr., Age 24, Quad Cities River Bandits (High-A):
+ Current defensive rating at Left Field improves from 60 to 65.
+ Current gap rating improves from 45 to 50.

SP Hiro Wyatt, Age 19, Kansas City (ACL) Royals (Rookie League):
+ Current movement rating improves from 40 to 45.
+ Current velocity improves from 93-95 Mph to 94-96 Mph.

RP Victor Pena, Age 21, Kansas City (ACL) Royals (Rookie League):
+ Current stuff rating improves from 35 to 40.
+ Potential stuff rating improves from 45 to 50.
+ Potential control rating improves from 45 to 50.
+ Current velocity improves from 90-92 Mph to 91-93 Mph.
+ Overall rating improves from 25 to 30 / 80. (As RP)

C Blake Mitchell, Age 19, Kansas City (ACL) Royals (Rookie League):
+ Potential contact rating improves from 45 to 50.
+ Current power rating improves from 35 to 40.
+ Current eye rating improves from 35 to 40.

C Jose Medina, Age 19, Kansas City (DSL) Royals Ventura (Rookie League):
- Potential eye rating drops from 55 to 50.
+ Current gap rating improves from 35 to 40.

C Sung-woo Ahn, Age 19, Kansas City (DSL) Royals Fortuna (Rookie League):
+ Current power rating improves from 30 to 35.
+ Current eye rating improves from 35 to 40.
+ Potential eye rating improves from 45 to 50.

3B Jorge Hernandez, Age 18, Kansas City (ACL) Royals (Rookie League):
- Potential eye rating drops from 45 to 40.
+ Current speed rating improves from 40 to 45.
+ Current gap rating improves from 35 to 40.
+ Overall rating improves from 20 to 25 / 80. (As 3B)
- Potential rating drops from 40 to 35 / 80. (As 3B)

LF Salesi Kuupauolealoha, Age 16, International Complex:
+ Potential power rating improves from 35 to 40.
+ Current eye rating improves from 20 to 25.

There's still no update on Singer's shoulder status. I think he will be out for a few weeks, which has been common for injuries lately, but we'll see. Tampa Bay's SP Zac Eflin is available for trade at $11.0 million, but I don't believe we can negotiate a deal without giving up more than is reasonable.

Our team's stats through June have improved in some areas, but overall, they're still not where we want them to be.



Our wOBA and WAR stay in the bottom third, while our hits, EBH, and batting average are around the middle of the league. This suggests that Pasquantino and Perez haven't been hitting their usual power, and with Witt out for several weeks, I'll focus trade negotiations and draft picks on that. Pitching is also becoming a concern, so trading for a starting pitcher like Zac Eflin could give us some momentum heading into July if we can make it work.

There are a few players I'll start shopping around for potential trades, with 10 days left until the first-year player draft. When ACL Rookie Ball finishes in 3 days, I'll make additional minor league moves to clear roster spots and allow JUCO players to gain experience in the Carolina League A ball. I prefer to do this with college-level players drafted in the same year, so they can adapt to the system sooner and avoid becoming complacent during a few months off. Whether that makes a difference, I don't know, but it's how I think about improving the system. Only time will tell, I suppose. A review of the draft pool candidates I highlighted back in March will get another round of consideration over the next few days, and we'll begin defining our draft targets and strategy when we reach draft day.



I have a lot to consider as I approach this month, but the few days between the series and the All-Star break can give us some breathing room and a chance to evaluate how we finish the rest of the season. Cole Ragans won't be going to the All-Star game with him still recovering from his injury, which means the only one we may still have going is RP Brennan Bernardino. That's fine by me.

I'm looking forward to this July and what it has in store for us. I'm in a positive mindset.

[Biggp07]

Kansas City Royals left fielder Javier Vaz informed reporters that he will be missing additional time because of a setback in his recovery from a sprained thumb. "It's a bit frustrating, sure," Vaz admitted. "I want to be out on the field. At the same time, I don't want to make things worse and miss even more time because I'm pushing it too hard." Royals' doctors told BNN Vaz would not return for one week. At present, Vaz is batting .357 and has collected no home runs, 8 RBIs, a .400 OBP, and scored nine runs—still no word on Singer's injury status.

We have a 3-game series at home against the Tampa Bay Rays kicking off today. Going 39-45 so far this year, the Rays have compiled a .464 winning percentage. They are in 4th place in the East Division, 16.5 games behind the leader. Their number of runs scored of 382 ranks 5th in the American League, and their .248 batting average ranks 10th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 361 runs (4th) with their starters compiling an ERA of 4.05, which ranks 4th. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 3.82, ranking 7th. When playing against our Royals this season, they have a record of 2 wins and one loss.

Here are the projected pitching matchups:
LHP D. Lynch IV (1-1, 6.06 ERA) vs RHP S. Baz (5-6, 3.93 ERA)
RHP S. Lugo (2-6, 4.57 ERA) vs RHP A. Civale (6-9, 3.83 ERA)
RHP M. Wacha (3-8, 5.07 ERA) vs LHP J. Springs (4-1, 3.51 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. SP Drew Rasmussen (Age: 28, Overall: 70, Potential: 70)
2. SP Jeffrey Springs (31, 65, 65)
3. SP Shane Baz (25, 65, 70)
4. 1B Yandy Díaz (32, 65, 65)
5. SP Zach Eflin (30, 60, 60)

We placed 2B Adam Frazier on waivers and designated him for assignment, which allowed Cam Devanney to start at second base. This move enhances our infield depth with utility players such as Haggerty, Loftin, Pratto, and Nola. Once Vaz heals, we plan to send him back to Omaha for readjustment and to regain strength before potentially bringing him back this year. This approach helps manage his service time and allows him to develop his skills.



We also placed Brady Singer on the injured list while we wait for his diagnosis and recovery update. Angel Zerpa was called back up to start in his place, adding another left-hander to the rotation alongside Lynch. I might use an opener/follower again, like last month, but for now, I want to see how the rotation performs in strict order. Zerpa has been a starter before, and Lynch has performed well enough to stay. Lugo and Wacha need to find their best form if they want to stay here longer.

My main focus over the next few days is to clean up the Omaha roster by removing some players we don't think will develop further. We have good outfield depth in our High-A teams, but we need to fill our pitching staffs and bullpens in Triple-A and Double-A until some of the younger players in Rookie ball are ready to be promoted. However, I believe that will take at least a year, maybe more if I'm honest about the state of our minor league system.



The Royals announced today they have acquired 23-year-old minor league LHP Danny Wilkinson from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for 24-year-old minor league LF Peyton Wilson. "This isn't the deal of the century," the Royals admitted, "but we believe it will benefit both teams' development."

Danny will start in our Double-A Texas league, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.




Our rebuilding starts now, and we can hope for a wildcard if luck is on our side. So, I'm training my mind to focus on next season instead of the end of this one.

Game Summary – July 2nd – Tampa Bay Dismisses Kansas City, 5-2



The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Kansas City Royals, 5-2, at Kauffman Stadium. Tampa Bay was led by 27-year-old catcher René Pinto, who went 2-4 with a home run, scoring twice, and driving in two runs. Pete Fairbanks earned the save, his 18th in 25 opportunities. The Rays' record improved to 40-45. Isaac Paredes contributed in the top of the sixth inning with a run-scoring double. For the game, the third baseman went 1 for 3 with a double and two walks.

"We just try to have good at-bats, whether we're winning, losing, or tied," said Paredes.

Tonight didn't start as well as we hoped. We played decently, but our offense wasn't quite the same as during the Cleveland series a few days ago. Our pitching is showing its weaknesses now without Ragans and Singer. I hope to find a couple of Band-Aids in my free agent offers or through a few more trades.
Salvy appears to be out of his slump and even on a hot streak! He went 3 for 4 with a double, an RBI, and a walk, which is encouraging. I'm not sure we can call it a streak yet since I think he needs to do that a few more games, but I'll give him credit if it helps him get back on track.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: René Pinto
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (72 degrees), wind blowing out to the center at 11 mph
Start Time: 7:10 PM CT
Time: 3:37
Attendance: 17647

[Biggp07]

Results came back on Brady Singer's shoulder injury; he'll be out for about five weeks with inflammation. It has become very clear that our team trainer, Kyle Turner, is failing at keeping our pitching staff healthy. I'll need to take steps to change that coming this off-season. Rehabbing arm injuries isn't his strong suit, even though one might think they wouldn't happen so often since he's good at preventing them. I don't know, I guess that's been our luck this year, and it's unfortunate for Kyle that I'll have to find someone better at keeping my pitching staff healthy.
The two free agent relievers favor the minor league offers I made a few days ago, so hopefully they will join the Triple-A and Double-A clubs soon.



Jimmy Nelson is a veteran player with several big show appearances as both a starter and a reliever with Milwaukee and the Dodgers. His career total shows almost 1300 innings pitched with a 3.71 ERA, 3.76 FIP, and 21.7 WAR. He'll hopefully bring some solid relief to the bullpen to finish the season, although I don't see us keeping him for the long haul at 35 years old.



Riley Pint, on the other hand, is young but has numerous relief appearances in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League and even a brief stint with the Colorado Rockies in 2023. Although his career numbers are not very impressive, with a 5.45 ERA, 4.50 FIP, and 0.9 WAR, he has option years remaining and has elite stuff with three pitches. I think we can utilize him as a specialist in high-leverage situations. Whether we keep him through the off-season is TBD, but at least we have a guy we can option from Omaha who can help us through these injuries. Jimmy also has some option years left, so both will see us through the last half of the season, barring any injuries, fingers crossed.

Finally, across six games, Salvy is 9 for 20, hitting .450 with 1 HR and 4 RBIs.

Game Summary – July 3rd – Royals Dumpster Fire, Hits Galore: Pinto Drills 5 Hits



It doesn't happen very often, but it did for René Pinto — a 5-hit game. He went on a tear at Kauffman Stadium and led the 18-5 Rays victory over the Kansas City Royals. After his impressive batting performance, the Tampa Bay catcher told reporters that he "just tried to get in a good count and have a good at-bat. That's all I can control."

His approach paid off today. He collected 5 hits in 5 at-bats and made his mark in the record book. René Pinto tripled in the 3rd, hit an RBI single in the 3rd, hit an RBI single in the 5th, hit a solo shot off Will Smith in the 7th, and singled in the 9th. Pinto is batting .305 this season with 17 home runs, 43 RBIs, and 39 runs scored. He has 79 hits in 259 at-bats, 14 walks, and a .341 on-base percentage. Pinto has appeared in 71 games.

My God, what a terrible display of baseball from us tonight. How are we so bad? Nothing about tonight's performance was good, or even okay; it was horrible! Lugo just collapsed in the 3rd inning, giving up 9 earned runs on 8 hits and walking two. He was incredibly disappointing, to say the least. I don't know what has happened to this pitching rotation, but it's not looking good. I hope we can at least lose less badly in the final game tomorrow because I don't think we can win any game! Of course, I'm not letting the guys see my doubt, but damn! We suck.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: René Pinto
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Partly Cloudy (74 degrees), wind blowing out to left at 10 mph
Start Time: 7:10 PM CT
Time: 3:46
Attendance: 16870
Special Notes: René Pinto ties the TB regular season game record for hits with 5.

[Biggp07]

We signed both free agents overnight, assigning Jimmy Nelson to our Triple-A team and placing Riley Pint in the Midwest League A+ with the Quad City River Bandits. No teams seem interested in claiming Adam Frazier off waivers, and he will clear tomorrow unless someone picks him up overnight. Therefore, we will release him to gain a bit more in salary next season.

We are in a good position to sign any extensions if that becomes a consideration, but right now, I think we should focus on getting through the draft and signing the best talent we can from the top 50 prospects. We pick 6th in the first round, then 9th in the first-round supplement, then 2nd in round 2, and so on. This means we have three picks within the Top 50 prospects and four within the Top 100 with an estimated total spend of around $14.0 million. That being the case, here's where my head's at on draft choices.

On April 12th, when the draft pool was officially released and we reviewed it that day, we identified about 10 players of interest. We planned to reevaluate their progress as draft day approached. They are LHP Hagan Smith, 2B/UT J.J. Wetherholt, 1B Peyton Stovall, RF Carson Benge, RF Braden Montgomery, CF Will Taylor, LF Ian Petrutz, C Cade Arrambide, and LF Jac Caglianone. After a second review today and considering current roster needs, team standings, and ownership desires, here's who we remain interested in.

Unless RF Braden Montgomery goes to Oakland as the #4 pick, I think he will be our first-round pick. We assessed him earlier this year to be a 55-rated plus power hitter with league-average speed. He's expected to have a slot demand at signing of $4.8 million, and we should not have any problem signing him.



I think we'll select a starting pitcher in our supplement round, which will be LHP Hagan Smith. He’s projected to go to the Padres as the #14 pick in round 2 (#53 overall), but we still like him, and I believe we need to secure a solid starter in case Ragans faces a tough recovery and has limited potential. His bonus demand is $5.5 million, and our ability to sign him looks good.



As a second-round pick, if any of the candidates we looked at earlier are still available, I think we’ll try to get C Cade Arrambide or LF Jac Caglianone. It's most likely that Arrambide will still be available, as he's not projected to go until the third round to the Marlins. We might have a tough time signing him, though, since he’s demanding a $2.2 million bonus, so we’ll look for other catchers with the same 60+ defensive ratings.



Honestly, anyone we choose is a risk throughout the entire 20 rounds. I'll be relying almost entirely on my scout, exclusively, to advise us on the best picks in the draft order.

Game Summary – July 4th – Royals Sunk by Rays



The Tampa Bay Rays secured a narrow victory over the Kansas City Royals, largely thanks to Jeffrey Springs. The Tampa Bay left-hander played a crucial role in the 3-2 win. In 8 innings, Springs gave up 7 hits, struck out 5 batters, and walked 4. He allowed 2 runs. Pete Fairbanks was credited with the save, having successfully converted 19 of 26 save opportunities. Who knows how it might have turned out if not for Yandy Díaz? The fan favorite hit a run-scoring single in the top of the ninth inning to give Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead. For the game, he went 3 for 5, with 1 double and 2 singles.

"We had a good game plan," Springs said, "and we were able to execute it." Tampa Bay has now won 3 straight games, while Kansas City has lost 3 in a row.

Once again, we lack any offense, and Bernardino suffered a leg injury and had to be taken out of the game. We can't catch a break right now.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Jeffrey Springs
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Partly Cloudy (76 degrees), wind blowing out to the center at 11 mph
Start Time: 7:10 PM CT
Time: 3:19
Attendance: 18117
Special Notes: RP Brennan Bernardino was injured while pitching.

[Biggp07]

This morning, I learned that Bernardino’s leg injury will keep him DtD for the next few days, so it’s not season-ending. Adam Frazier was not claimed off waivers, so we released him early today. He’ll be fine, and we wish him the best.

We have a 3-game series on the road against the Colorado Rockies kicking off today. We will meet at Colorado Field, which seats 50445 and plays as a good ballpark for hitters. With their record at 39 wins and 48 losses, the Rockies have a winning percentage of .448. They are in 4th place in the West Division, 16.0 games behind the leader. Their 398 runs scored rank 6th in the National League, and their .244 batting average ranks 8th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 423 runs (12th), with their starters posting an ERA of 4.76, ranking 11th. Their bullpen maintains an ERA of 4.46, which is 10th.

Here are the projected pitching matchups:
RHP C. Hernandez (3-3, 5.04 ERA) vs RHP C. Quantrill (5-6, 5.97 ERA)
LHP A. Zerpa (1-1, 4.57 ERA) vs RHP A. Molina (4-4, 5.86 ERA)
LHP D. Lynch IV (1-2, 5.64 ERA) vs LHP C. Palmquist (3-3, 4.70 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. 3B Nolan Jones (Age: 26, Overall: 70, Potential: 75)
2. SS Ezequiel Tovar (22, 55, 65)
3. RP Justin Lawrence (29, 55, 55)
4. 1B Sean Bouchard (28, 50, 55)
5. RF Kris Bryant (32, 50, 50)

Tussle in Triple-A

Yesterday at Principal Park, a chaotic melee broke out when Omaha's Tyler Gentry and Iowa's Chris Clarke confronted each other after exchanging heated words, leading to both dugouts clearing. The league commissioner announced today that both players are suspended for six games. Gentry, who has played 57 games this season, is batting .245 with 4 home runs, 23 RBIs, and 25 runs scored. Clarke has an ERA of 5.83 with a 3-3 record over nine starts, striking out 42 batters in 58.2 innings and holding opponents to a .290 average. It seems Gentry may be unhappy with his current role and performance, so we might consider trading him for a minor prospect or two.

Game Summary – July 5th – Rockies Suffer 4-3 Home Loss



The Kansas City Royals secured a win at Colorado Field, defeating the Colorado Rockies 4-3. Starting pitcher Carlos Hernandez was instrumental in the victory. Brennan Bernardino earned his third save in three opportunities. The Royals, with a record of 39-52, remain in last place in the American League Central Division. Kansas City benefited from Davis Schneider's offensive performance to capture the win. The third baseman hit a three-run homer in the top of the third inning, giving the Royals a 4-0 lead. Throughout the game, Schneider finished with one home run and one single in four at-bats. In postgame comments, Schneider praised his team's "grit."

The Melendez and Isbel arms gunned down runners at home plate to give us score-saving outs and secure the win.



OF assists: 2 (Melendez (Jones at home), Isbel (Bouchard at home))

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L)   IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA     
C. Hernandez W (4-3)6.2  5 3 1  2  5 1  96 4.68    
A. Claudio H (2)    0.1  0 0 0  0  0 0   8 2.25    
J. McMillon H (2)   1.1  2 0 0  0  0 0  24 4.88    
B. Bernardino SV(3) 0.2  0 0 0  1  0 0  10 3.21

Batters Faced: C. Hernandez 28, A. Claudio 2, J. McMillon 6, B. Bernardino 2
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: C. Hernandez 5-9, A. Claudio 1-0, J. McMillon 2-1, B. Bernardino 1-0
Pitches - Strikes: C. Hernandez 96-59, A. Claudio 8-5, J. McMillon 24-14, B. Bernardino 10-4
Inherited Runners - Scored: A. Claudio 1-1
Hit Batsmen: C. Hernandez, J. McMillon

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Carlos Hernandez - Carlos is hot right now at 2-0, tossing a 1.86 ERA and 10K's in 19.1 innings pitched through 3 games.
Ballpark: Colorado Field
Weather: Clear skies (75 degrees), wind blowing right to left at 8 mph
Start Time: 6:10 PM MT
Time: 3:02
Attendance: 21868

[Biggp07]

Game Summary – July 6th – Rockies Score Late to Nip Royals, 5-4



The Colorado Rockies defeated the Kansas City Royals, 5-4, at Colorado Field. Colorado was led by 28-year-old left fielder Sean Bouchard, who hit two home runs. The Rockies’ win-loss record improved to 40-49, while the Royals dropped to 39-53. The winning run scored in the bottom of the ninth when Ryan McMahon hit a solo home run off 33-year-old right-handed pitcher Chris Stratton, giving Colorado the victory. The home crowd went wild.

"We had the game right there for the taking," said Kansas City manager Todd "BigP" Pollard. "But we decided not to take it."

Oh, I had much more to say in the locker room that wasn't as nice as that media sound bite. I am really frustrated trying to understand what is going on with this team. But I must remind myself that this year I had no expectations of even reaching .500 ball, much less a wildcard. I just don't want to be dead last in the MLB.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Sean Bouchard
Ballpark: Colorado Field
Weather: Partly Cloudy (64 degrees), wind blowing in from the left at 10 mph
Start Time: 7:10 PM MT
Time: 3:05
Attendance: 16125

[Biggp07]

It’s about a week until the All-Star break, and Cole Ragans and Brennan Bernardino still have enough votes to secure 5th and 4th place votes for starting pitcher and relief pitcher, respectively. The leading vote-getters are still Juan Soto for the American League and Ronald Acuña Jr. for the National League.

Game Summary – July 7th – Royals Lose to Rockies, 11-2



Colorado starter Carson Palmquist dominated the Kansas City offense as his team secured an 11-2 victory. The 4th-place Rockies now hold a 41-49 record. Trey Mancini hit a significant 3-run home run for the Rockies in the bottom of the first inning. With Colorado leading 2-0 and runners on first and third, he saw a fastball from 27-year-old left-handed pitcher Daniel Lynch IV and sent it over the fence. This was his sixth home run of the season, giving the Rockies a 5-0 lead.

"I just tried to make good contact," said Mancini.

I made a few snide comments during the post-game press conference, but I wasn’t in any mood to talk to the media. I was and still am furious. Maikel Garcia did get three stolen bases in the game, but most were on defensive indifference.



GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Carson Palmquist
Ballpark: Colorado Field
Weather: Clear skies (78 degrees), wind blowing left to right at 9 mph
Start Time: 1:10 PM MT
Time: 3:29
Attendance: 17453
Special Notes: RF Kris Bryant was injured being hit by a pitch.

[Biggp07]

We have a 2-game series on the road against the St. Louis Cardinals starting today. We will meet at Busch Stadium, which seats 46861, and is a slight pitchers' park. The Cardinals have a 46-46 record, giving them a .500 winning percentage. They are in 2nd place in the Central Division, 2.0 games behind the leader. The Cardinals are currently playing well, with a 4-game winning streak. They have scored 466 runs, which ranks 2nd in the National League, and their batting average is .259, also 2nd. Defensively, they've allowed 436 runs (10th), with starters posting a 4.85 ERA, ranked 14th, and their bullpen has a 3.89 ERA, ranking 7th.

Here are the projected pitching matchups:
RHP S. Lugo (2-7, 5.61 ERA) vs RHP L. Lynn (3-10, 4.41 ERA)
RHP M. Wacha (3-8, 4.96 ERA) vs RHP K. Gibson (7-9, 4.88 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. RF Jordan Walker (Age: 22, Overall: 70, Potential: 80)
2. 3B Nolan Arenado (33, 65, 65)
3. SP Sonny Gray (34, 65, 65)
4. CL Ryan Helsley (29, 60, 60)
5. 1B Paul Goldschmidt (36, 60, 60)

We placed Austin Cox on waivers and will release him if no other team claims him. He made 21 relief appearances last year, and we had him for a few games this year, but he’s not performing at the level we expect. We also released two players from the Texas League (AA), who were consistently underperforming and not expected to improve beyond a 35 rating according to our scout. We sent Lynch IV down to Omaha since he collapsed in his last start and called up Bubic.

We are really lacking in almost everything needed to be a competitive ball club right now. This season has really started to drag on, and I just want it to be over. We have one more day until the draft, which will give us a break from all this losing. Hopefully, we'll find some inspiration in the second half of the season. (To be honest, I have to get a good night's sleep and come back tomorrow feeling refreshed and clear-headed. I hate losing.)

Game Summary – July 9th – Cardinals Win at Home, 7-5



The home crowd enjoyed watching the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals play. St. Louis starter Lance Lynn pitched well against the Royals at Busch Stadium. The right-hander led his team to a 7-5 victory. Lynn, now 4-10, pitched 7 innings, allowing 5 hits, walking 1, and striking out 7. In the top of the ninth, Davis Schneider stood in the box, looking for a pitch to hit hard. The Royals were down 7-5 but had runners on first and third. That's when Ryan Helsley threw a great pitch, and Schneider struck out. The hope for a Kansas City comeback was gone. The win brought the Cardinals to a 47-46 record.

Seth Lugo was 0-2 in his last two games, posting a 19.29 ERA with only 4 strikeouts in 7.0 innings pitched. Tonight, he was even worse, giving up 6 runs on 6 hits and walking 6 in 5.0 innings! I hope he can turn things around quickly.

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA     
S. Lugo L    (2-8) 5.0 6 6 4  6  1 0 104 5.72    
W. Smith           2.1 2 1 1  0  1 0  31 4.05    
W. Klein           0.2 0 0 0  1  2 0  19 2.53

Batters Faced: S. Lugo 28, W. Smith 10, W. Klein 3
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: S. Lugo 4-10, W. Smith 1-5, W. Klein 0-0
Pitches - Strikes: S. Lugo 104-54, W. Smith 31-23, W. Klein 19-12
Inherited Runners - Scored: W. Smith 1-0, W. Klein 2-0
Hit Batsmen: S. Lugo

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Lance Lynn
Ballpark: Busch Stadium
Weather: Rain (80 degrees), wind blowing right to left at 10 mph
Start Time: 6:45 PM CT
Time: 3:25
Attendance: 24239

[Biggp07]

I’m excited we finally got a win on the road! And tomorrow is draft day, which boosts anticipation and excitement for the rest of the season. I can relax tonight and prepare for the draft tomorrow, then confirm with the front office our strategy and targets. There’s always adrenaline when days like tomorrow arrive, and you’re eager to move forward and see results from the players you selected. I hope our coaches in the system can develop some solid players over the next few years and help us climb the minor league system rankings. We’re still near the bottom at 29th, just above the Los Angeles Angels, with no top 100 prospects. Javier Vaz is the closest we have to a top prospect, sitting at #110 overall.

Our entire organizational depth chart currently looks pretty good, so we’re set for the rest of the season IMHO.



It’s the future I’m working to build, of course, which doesn't look promising at all right now with the current player development. We have some work ahead over the next few years to become truly competitive.



The records of our DSL and ACL Rookie teams are impressive, leading in all divisions, with the ACL club holding the top position. Our Carolina League A Columbia Fireflies are also performing well, just one game behind the Charleston Riverdogs in the South Division. This inspires me as I think about the upcoming off-season and how we will handle the Rule 5 and International Amateur Drafts.

I believe it’s now essential to get skilled coaching to enhance development and mechanics in our High A, Double-A, and Triple-A ball clubs during the off-season. This was something I planned earlier in the season as I observed how each level was developing the players, so some coaches may not have jobs come this off-season.

Game Summary – July 10th – Royals Victorious at St. Louis, 5-3



The 5-3 victory of Kansas City over St. Louis was mostly due to Sam Haggerty. The Royals' second baseman went 2-3, hitting a home run and a triple, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once. The Royals now have a record of 40-55, placing them last in the American League Central Division. Haggerty delivered a game-changing home run in the top of the seventh. Off a first-pitch sinker from Kyle Gibson, he hit a two-run homer to right-center, giving the Royals a 5-3 lead. It was Haggerty's third home run of the year.

"This was a good win," said Haggerty.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Sam Haggerty
Ballpark: Busch Stadium
Weather: Rain (82 degrees), wind blowing out to the left at 10 mph
Start Time: 6:45 PM CT
Time: 3:17
Attendance: 23617

[Biggp07]

I created a shortlist of draftees during my initial review of the pool on April 12th, focusing on some of the top players we might be interested in. It includes 17 players—ten from junior college (JUCO) and seven from high school. There are 14 position players: seven outfielders, six infielders, and one catcher. We reviewed only three starting pitchers, which we may want to reconsider, but I’m not too concerned for draft purposes. Drafting pitchers is, in my opinion, one of the highest risk/reward scenarios, even when drafting JUCO or high school players.



There have been notable shifts in the mock-up picks during the first draft pool release in April, just days after I last checked the forum. Our original first pick, RF Braden Montgomery, has dropped to Round 3 at #21 to the Tampa Bay Rays, indicating we might be missing some information that caused him to fall so far so quickly on draft day. However, his demand has also decreased significantly from his initial $4.8 million. This prompted a re-evaluation of our initial target, considering all the overnight shuffling. The review was thorough and revealed some new prospects to consider.

Every GM probably has their own method for making draft picks. Since this is my first one, my main goal will be to fill our rookie system with the best draftees we can sign. This includes not only by ratings but also by their character and leadership qualities. I think I will focus on JUCO players initially, as they are likely more developed than high schoolers. I particularly want to do this with starting pitchers, but there will always be exceptions, and some will appear to be diamonds in the rough regardless of their age.

So, I still plan to make our picks from the shortlist I shared with everyone unless our scout thinks there’s a better choice available that comes to us. The amount of money we had budgeted for this draft year was well below the recommended baseline, which shifted my perspective on how we should approach our picks from Round 1. We had a little over $9.0 million to spend in the draft, which would not have bought much if we had picked from the top, high-demand draftees. Very few picks went as the prognosticators projected, and since I wasn't committed to Wentworth as our first choice, I took a different direction.

I avoided a high-demand first pick to choose players who were easy to sign and affordable. Here's how it went through the first 10 rounds.



Our first pick probably surprised some folks; it was 2B Ethan Bates from Hot Springs, AR, a senior at Louisiana Tech University.



Our supplemental first-round pick was LHP Cam Caminiti, a high school senior from Scottsdale, AZ. This pick was probably more surprising because it went against my preference for selecting only JUCO-level pitchers. However, my scout and OSA were also high on him, so I decided to take the chance. As I mentioned, there will always be exceptions, especially in a game of chance like an amateur draft.



We now have a two-month window for negotiations, which will conclude on September 9, 2024. Eight players are involved, with a combined negotiated amount of $9,262,500. Our goal is to sign all these players and have them enter our system so they can start playing. If some players are not signed in time, they will re-enter the draft next year, and we will be granted a replacement pick.



Ultimately, we selected 21 players in the 2024 draft, including 12 high school players and 9 JUCO players. Of the 21, 8 were pitchers, 2 catchers, 7 infielders, and 4 outfielders.

It’s challenging to develop a sound strategy for the draft, especially when the draft pool is initially released three months in advance, and this one was certainly no exception. Only results from development time in the system will determine how well we drafted in 2024, and we won’t know those results for at least another year or more.

Even the best laid plans can fail.


Other Team Notes

Javier Vaz became eligible to come off the IL today, so we are sending him to rehab in Omaha and will determine the roster situation upon his return. The Omaha roster is currently full, with a few players we sent up from Double-A, as we are making room in ACL for the drafted rookies. That means there will have to be a couple more trades and/or DFA’s as we get closer to the trade deadline. I have a couple of guys in mind who are nearing the end of their arbitration years and approaching their service time restrictions.

[Biggp07]

We have a three-game road series against the Boston Red Sox starting today. The Red Sox play their games at Fenway Park, which can be described as a ballpark that slightly favors hitters. The stadium seats approximately 37400 fans. With a record of 43-50 so far this year, the Red Sox have a winning percentage of .462. They are in fifth place in the AL East, 17.0 games behind the division leader. Their total runs scored are 423, ranking sixth in the American League, and their batting average is .252, which ranks seventh. On the other side of the diamond, they have allowed 459 runs (twelfth in the league), with their starters posting an ERA of 5.21, placing fifteenth. Their bullpen has an ERA of 3.74, ranking sixth.

Here are the projected pitching matchups:
LHP K. Bubic (0-0, 6.75 ERA) vs RHP K. Crawford (3-8, 6.51 ERA)
RHP C. Hernandez (4-3, 4.68 ERA) vs RHP G. Whitlock (5-8, 6.04 ERA)
LHP A. Zerpa (1-1, 4.53 ERA) vs RHP B. Mata (1-2, 9.53 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. SP Tanner Houck (Age: 28, Overall: 70, Potential: 70)
2. 3B Rafael Devers (27, 65, 65)
3. 1B Triston Casas (24, 65, 75)
4. SP Brayan Bello (25, 60, 70)
5. LF Jarren Duran (27, 60, 60)

We placed 29-year-old left-fielder Garrett Hampson on waivers overnight to clear a roster spot in Omaha.



Given his age and upcoming free agency arbitration, I wanted to allow him to join another team this year, but no one seemed to be interested in a trade when I shopped him around. This move will reduce the salary cap by approximately $1.0 million and create an open roster spot. I'm still unsure about keeping Javier Vaz active, since we only have roughly a month of service remaining before he surpasses 75 days and stops being considered a prospect. I want to keep him on the roster as long as possible because he's still young at 23, and we can get another year out of him before the window on his service time closes. We also released RP Austin Cox since he was not claimed off waivers, and we designated him for assignment (DFA).

Game Summary – July 12th – Crawford Now 4-8 Following 5-0 Win



Kutter Crawford never let the Royals settle into a rhythm. The right-hander relied on his bread and butter, his fastball, to lead the Red Sox to a 5-0 victory. The Boston win streak is now three games. The Royals struggled against Crawford, who dominated Kansas City hitters while striking out 11 batters.
Kutter was able to locate to both sides, up and down," said Boston manager Alex Cora.
Of course, we lost again in a quick game. There was nothing to see, and everything was missing from our side of the game. It’s truly laughable at this point, almost.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Kutter Crawford
Ballpark: Fenway Park
Weather: Cloudy (70 degrees), wind blowing in from the right at 13 mph
Start Time: 7:10 PM ET
Time: 2:48
Attendance: 27328

[Biggp07]

We lost because of the rain. It's pretty typical of our season so far.

Game Summary – July 13th – Devers Slugs Red Sox to 6-2 Win



Boston and Kansas City wrapped up this game despite some rain. Rafael Devers left his mark on the 6-2 Boston victory against the Kansas City Royals. Devers, who finished 4th in the AL in RBIs with 113 in 2021, went 2-2 with 2 home runs and a walk. He scored 3 times and drove in 4. Boston pitcher Garrett Whitlock earned the win, improving his record to 6-8. Carlos Hernandez took the loss. With Boston leading 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Devers hit a fastball from Hernandez for a 3-run homer. It was his 24th home run of the season and put the Red Sox ahead, 6-2. Devers called the win the result of "everyone being in sync." The Boston winning streak has now reached 4 games.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Rafael Devers
Ballpark: Fenway Park
Weather: Rain (81 degrees), wind blowing in from right at 14 mph
Start Time: 4:10 PM ET
Time: 2:35
Attendance: 30160
Special Notes: The game was called in the 6th inning due to bad weather.

[Biggp07]

The All-Star rosters were announced today, and RP Brennan Bernardino earned a spot as relief on the American League roster. He received 1,617,772 votes to secure third place in the voting, along with Clay Holmes of the New York Yankees and David Robertson of the Texas Rangers. RP Brennan Bernardino's stats so far this year include a W-L of 2–3, a 2.83 ERA, 57.1 IP, 1.26 WHIP, 9.4 K/9, and 1.5 WAR. We also surprisingly have 1B Carter Jensen (KC-AA) - .197/.348/391, 279 AB, 13 HR, 6 SB, 91 wRC+, -0.3 WAR, selected for the All-Star Prospects Game American League roster. Having some representation in these games is beneficial for their mental and physical growth. The games will start on Tuesday, July 16th, 2024.

Triple-A left fielder Tyler Gentry returned from his suspension today, but we sent him down to our Texas League AA team to fill an open roster spot at Arvest Park in Springdale, AR. We also have LF Garrett Hampson coming off irrevocable waivers after not being claimed, so we will release him to play for another team. I couldn't find any interested parties to discuss a trade with him.
We play our final game tonight against the Red Sox before the All-Star break, then have a few days to refresh, revise, and refit our rosters. I’ve always looked forward to this break in the season to reflect on how things have gone and where we want to go.

Game Summary – July 14th – Red Sox Turn Back Royals, 7-5



Getting a strong performance from first baseman Triston Casas, the Boston Red Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals, 7-5. Casas was 2 for 3 with a home run, a double, and a walk, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once for the Red Sox. Kenley Jansen got the save, his 21st in 25 chances. Boston has 5 straight wins, Kansas City 3 straight losses. Casas contributed in the bottom of the third. With runners on 1st and 3rd, he hit a run-scoring double. It was one of several at-bats that helped Boston secure the victory.

"It never gets old," said Casas. "Winning, that is."

Thank God it’s over for now. At least Maikel Garcia earns another notable achievement in his career tonight.



Let’s move past the All-Star break into the second half of the season. I’m tired of dealing with disappointment. I’ll just focus on getting as close to .450 by the trade deadline as possible. We have nine home games against the White Sox, the Diamondbacks, and the Cubs. If we can split these series, I’ll be happy, and we shouldn’t have trouble against the Diamondbacks or Cubs. That would give me at least a decent record coming out of July. But a 2-9 record so far in July is embarrassing. I expect much better from this team, and I should be getting it.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Triston Casas
Ballpark: Fenway Park
Weather: Clear skies (71 degrees), wind blowing in from center at 11 mph
Start Time: 1:35 PM ET
Time: 3:14
Attendance: 34686

[Biggp07]

The MLB Prospects Game provides the league with an opportunity to showcase its top young stars. This year's contest was no different, offering a capacity crowd at Fenway Park a close look at an assemblage of future phenoms.

Marcelo Mayer is one of them. He dazzled the crowd with an MVP-winning performance in this year's game. I’ve put him on my trade target short list for future reference.



"What a great atmosphere," he said. "What a thrill it was to join such a stellar group."

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Marcelo Mayer
Ballpark: Fenway Park
Weather: Clear skies (79 degrees), wind blowing right to left at 12 mph
Start Time: 5:05 PM GMT
Time: 4:01
Attendance: 37400

July 15th - HR Challenge

The house was rockin' -- Busch Stadium, that is -- home of this year's Home Run Challenge. A jubilant Jordan Walker outperformed the rest of the field to win the title. The St. Louis Cardinals right fielder defeated Ronald Acuna Jr. in the final round by a score of 19-16.

It was a battle of attrition," said Walker, "and I happened to be the last man standing.

Lifetime Walker is batting .299 with 233 hits, 42 home runs, 119 runs scored, and 133 RBIs.

July 16th - American League Crushes National League in All-Star Game



The American League All-Stars dominated tonight at Fenway Park, winning 13-1 over the National League All-Stars. American League catcher Adley Rutschman led the charge for the winners, going 3-for-3 to earn the game MVP honors.

“We had some fun out there," he said. "We've got a great league and a great team, and I'm not surprised we won.

All-time Rutschman has played in 348 games, batted .277 with 50 home runs and 361 hits.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Adley Rutschman
Ballpark: Fenway Park
Weather: Clear skies (74 degrees), wind blowing out to center at 11 mph
Start Time: 7:05 PM GMT
Time: 3:34
Attendance: 37400

Clubhouse News

In clubhouse news, we signed 17-year-old SP Cam Caminiti, agreeing to a $2.8 million signing bonus. He’ll start in our ACL Rookie League to kick off his minor league development with PC Pimental, who is excellent at guiding young pitchers.

July 17th – Our No. 1 Pick Ethan Bates Signs His Offer

Today, we signed our first pick and #6 overall 2B Ethan Bates to a minor league contract with a signing bonus of $1,737,500. We are promoting Ethan immediately to the Carolina League A to get him into competition, as he is 22 and already developing well enough to consider starting there. This was a key reason for choosing him early, and our scout was confident in his potential for rapid progress. We will soon find out.

July 18th – Two More Drafted Players Sign Offers

LF Christian De Los Santos and RHP Ethan Bagwell both signed their offers today. Christian received a $2.13 million signing bonus, and Ethan received a $650,000 signing bonus. We will start both of them in our ACL Rookie team to help them get familiar with the system and their teammates, aiming for a strong start to their careers through the off-season and into next year.



We still have four drafted player offers on the table that I hope will be finalized this week. I’m eager to get RF Nick Mitchell signed as quickly as possible so he can be placed on our Carolina League A team and integrate smoothly, like we expect Ethan Bagwell to do. That is a small risk and won’t hinder either of them if they struggle initially, and we will help them get on track before a full season of play starts next year.

We have spent $7,317,500 on drafted player bonuses so far and still have $1,725,000 pending in bonus offers. We remain with roughly $8,000 in available cash and about $22.0 million for extensions when needed; however, we are projected to fall short of our budget room by about $675,000, so I need to do a bit of budget and salary analysis to see where I can save a bit of money in the future.

[Biggp07]

Today we start a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox at home. The White Sox are hitting .510 this season, with 50 wins and 48 losses. They are in second place in the Central Division, 1.5 games behind the division leader. They have scored 395 runs, which ranks 15th in the American League, and they have a batting average of .239, placing 13th. Defensively, they have allowed 418 runs, fifth in the league, with their starters posting an ERA of 4.26, ranking sixth. Their bullpen has an ERA of 3.24, the best in the league. Against our Royals this season, they have a record of 5 wins and two losses.

Here are the projected pitching matchups:
RHP S. Lugo (2-8, 5.72 ERA) vs LHP G. Crochet (7-8, 4.65 ERA)
RHP M. Wacha (3-8, 4.97 ERA) vs RHP D. Thorpe (7-7, 4.02 ERA)
LHP K. Bubic (0-1, 6.55 ERA) vs RHP E. Fedde (6-5, 4.15 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. SP Garrett Crochet (Age: 25, Overall: 75, Potential: 80)
2. 1B Colson Montgomery (22, 65, 80)
3. CF Luis Robert Jr. (26, 60, 60)
4. CL Tanner Banks (32, 55, 55)
5. SP Drew Thorpe (23, 50, 60)

We optioned RP John Schreiber to Omaha since he seems cold, and called up RP James McArthur for a brief stint against these White Sox. Both guys are solid relievers, and I like that I still have some control over them this year.

Triple-A News

SP Mason Barnett of the Omaha Storm Chasers blanked the Indianapolis Indians, 13-0, at Werner Park, and he did it the old-fashioned way. After finishing the 4-hit, complete-game shutout, he was all smiles. Barnett walked three and struck out 9 in the victory.



"I threw a lot of my pitches for strikes in this game," Barnett said. "I mixed it up and tried keeping these guys off balance."

"He was throwing his breaking ball for strikes and we never capitalized on any of his mistakes," Indians manager Miguel Perez said later.

It’s good to see some of the AAA guys finally demonstrating some winning talent. Barnett has a great instinct for the game and shows solid leadership character. I’m optimistic once again.

Game Summary – July 19th – Royals Win at Home, 4-1



Seth Lugo was effective. The right-hander led the Kansas City Royals to a 4-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City ranks last in the American League Central Division with a record of 41-58. The Royals received a key at-bat from right fielder Drew Waters. In the game, Waters went 1-3 with a home run. He drove in 3 runs and scored once. In the bottom of the second, with runners on first and third, he hit a 3-run home run. His third home run of the season gave Kansas City a 3-1 lead. Lugo said his team "played with determination."

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA     
S. Lugo  W   (3-8) 6.1 6 1 1  0 13 1 103 5.38    
J. McArthur SV (3) 2.2 0 0 0  0  5 0  37 5.68

Batters Faced: S. Lugo 25, J. McArthur 8
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: S. Lugo 3-3, J. McArthur 1-2
Pitches - Strikes: S. Lugo 103-71, J. McArthur 37-24

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Seth Lugo
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Cloudy (77 degrees), wind blowing out to the right at 12 mph
Start Time: 7:10 PM CT
Time: 3:07
Attendance: 25208

[Biggp07]

We signed 18-year-old catcher Dylan Fien with a $150,000 signing bonus to a minor league ACL Rookie contract. We drafted him to develop into a power-hitting catcher similar to Salvador Perez. His defense is slightly above league average at 55 and closely resembles Salvy in nearly every way. Hopefully, we see success in signing him and can bring him up to the big league within five years.



That leaves three drafted players, including JUCO player RF Nick Mitchell, left to sign in the next few days. With these recent player signings and a few more anticipated, we are carefully reviewing our minor league rosters to cut some underperforming and underdeveloped players. That said, we released three additional players who were either aging out or had no further development potential beyond their current minor league assignment. This management focused on our Carolina League A team to enable us to promote the JUCO players we’ve signed or those excelling in the ACL Rookie League to play a few more weeks of baseball before the off-season. Overall, we processed 26 player transactions within the system to balance the rosters of our minor league teams.

As we approach the trade deadline, I’ll be considering a few more Triple-A waivers and salary dumps to set us up for the off-season and a strong run next year to make the playoffs. I need to raise our goals for next year to maintain momentum and interest, or I risk losing my job.

Game Summary – July 20th – White Sox Score Late, Topple Royals, 5-2



Chicago and Kansas City faced off, and the White Sox emerged victorious. The Chicago White Sox secured a win at Kauffman Stadium, defeating the Kansas City Royals 5-2. Right-hander Drew Thorpe pitched for Chicago and played a key role in the win. The victory was credited to Prelander Berroa in relief, improving his record to 1-4. Brennan Bernardino took the loss. Tanner Banks earned the save, his 29th in 32 opportunities. Chicago’s timely hitting by Yoan Moncada helped clinch the win; the third baseman delivered a run-scoring single in the ninth inning to put the White Sox ahead, 3-2. It was his only hit in three at-bats, but it proved to be the decisive one.

"Nice to see our side come away with the win," Thorpe said after the game. With this victory, Chicago's record improved to 51-49.

I must accept full responsibility for this late-inning loss. I chose to bring in Bernardino as the closer instead of letting Stratton pitch another inning, which could have been the final if I had just trusted my instincts. He handled the 8th inning very well, and pulling him out so early ended up costing us the game. I won’t make that mistake again.

My decision-making was definitely affected when I had to pull Wacha after the first AB of the second inning due to an upper-body injury. I’ll tell you, these injuries constantly happening to our pitching staff are hurting us. I’m incredibly frustrated and trying to figure out how to fix this without just firing our team trainer, Kyle Turner, right now. Unfortunately, that’s not likely to be the only issue at play, and I’d be foolish to jump to any conclusions. We are in the second half of the season, and since we’re probably not going to make any wild card, we need to try and get 70+ wins to close out the season.

So we’ll send Wacha to the IL to await his diagnosis and see who we can bring up from Omaha that might spark a few wins before the trade deadline. Then I’ll need to decide how to “fix” this pitching staff of some high-salaried, underperforming players.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Drew Thorpe
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Partly Cloudy (75 degrees), wind blowing in from the right at 10 mph
Start Time: 6:10 PM CT
Time: 3:34
Attendance: 26289
Special Notes: SP Michael Wacha was injured while pitching.

[Biggp07]

We received a call from our 10th-round draft pick – 290th overall, RHP Jackson Barberi – who was seeking an improved offer beyond our initial $430,000 signing bonus. I’m unsure if I want to renegotiate with a 17-year-old high school pitcher who is still six weeks away from turning 18.



We have until September 9th to take any action, and in the meantime, if we get the other two signed, I’m okay with letting Barberi go either as a consolation or pass on it outright. I’d rather wait to see if Payne and Mitchell sign their offers before reacting to Barberi’s request. We are already about $623,000 over budget for the year, and we’ve already spent $7,647,500 of the $8.0 million allocated for the draft, leaving us barely enough to sign the remaining two, excluding Barberi. So, we’re going to let him marinate in his request for a better offer, but as I understand it, his “patience” is running thin! LOL!



Wacha’s diagnosis was just a 24-hour flu bug, and he’s only resting for one day. However, he needs to stay on the IL for at least 15 days, which gives me time to decide what to do with him. I really don’t want to keep him around just so he can exercise his $16.0 million player option for 2025. That’s way too expensive considering his current pitching level and age. But it’s going to cost about $22.0 million to release him outright. I’m in a real pickle here. I think the best I can hope for is a trade deadline short sale just to shed the player option, but I don’t know who in their right mind would accept a trade if it doesn’t include our best players, too.



To replace Wacha, we called up LHP Anthony Veneziano, who pitched a few games in relief for us last year and has eight quality starts of 20 this season in Omaha. He has three quality pitches, but his stuff remains average, as his movement and control are league-average at best. He’ll start in a few days against Arizona, and we’ll see what he can contribute to the rotation as we approach the trade deadline.

Game Summary – July 21st – White Sox Upend Royals, 8-6



The Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals, 8-6. Erick Fedde pitched 6 innings, giving up 4 runs on 6 hits. The right-hander, who is tied for 10th in the AL in strikeouts with 129, struck out 5 and walked 2. With the win, he now has a 7-5 record this season. Tanner Banks earned the save, completing 30 of 33 save chances successfully. Chicago's victory was helped by Nicky Lopez's hitting. The second baseman hit a 2-run triple in the top of the first inning, giving the White Sox a 7-0 lead. Overall, Lopez went 1-for-4 with a triple and a single.

Hernandez was credited with the loss, but Bubic should get the loss for his disastrous 1.0 inning, during which he gave up 8 earned runs on 7 hits and 1 home run, resulting in a staggering 12.00 ERA for the game. It was terrible, and he was pulled immediately. This was another mistake on my part for not removing him from the rotation after he struggled in his previous start against the Red Sox, where he posted a 6.55 ERA. Hernandez came in relief and faced 24 batters over the next 6.1 innings, throwing 102 pitches, allowing only 3 hits, and recording 8 strikeouts. His performance was exactly what we expected from the start, so he’ll stay in the rotation.

"I'm proud of the way we took care of business and got the 'W' today," Lopez told the Chicago Gazette. "Whatever it takes." With the win, the White Sox sit at 52-49.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Carlos Hernandez
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Partly Cloudy (84 degrees), wind blowing out to the center at 10 mph
Start Time: 1:10 PM CT
Time: 3:36
Attendance: 22118

[Biggp07]

We received excellent news overnight: RF Nick Mitchell signed his offer with a $75,000 signing bonus. He was our round 5, pick 2, 141st overall from Indiana University. We will send him to Carolina League A to get some ABs before this season ends and evaluate his progress this offseason.



We optioned Bubic to Omaha to get David Lynch IV back up again. Last time he made his major league starts, he wasn't very impressive, but hopefully he’s had enough time in Omaha to regain his pitching form and help us in a few starts. I’ve placed Wacha on the trade block to see if he attracts any interested owners, but I’m highly doubtful. We’re close to crunch time in righting this ship, so I’m trying everything I can think of short of a fire sale.

We have a three-game series at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks starting today. With a record of 40-60 this season, the Diamondbacks have a .400 winning percentage. They sit in fifth place in the West Division, 20.0 games behind the leader. Their 422 runs scored rank 11th in the National League, and their .241 batting average also ranks 11th. On defense, they have allowed 497 runs (13th), with their starters posting an ERA of 4.82, placing 15th. Their bullpen has an ERA of 4.22, which ranks 10th.

Here are the projected pitching matchups:
LHP A. Zerpa (1-2, 5.14 ERA) vs RHP Z. Gallen (10-8, 3.95 ERA)
LHP A. Veneziano (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs LHP E. Rodriguez (5-9, 4.55 ERA)
RHP S. Lugo (3-8, 5.38 ERA) vs RHP M. Kelly (6-10, 5.11 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. SP Zac Gallen (Age: 28, Overall: 70, Potential: 70)
2. RF Corbin Carroll (23, 65, 80)
3. 2B Ketel Marte (30, 60, 60)
4. SP Eduardo Rodriguez (31, 60, 60)
5. 1B Christian Walker (33, 55, 55)

Game Summary – July 22nd – Royals Win, Nola 3-for-3



Kansas City designated hitter Austin Nola contributed to his team's 11-6 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Nola went 3 for 3 for the Royals. The loss drops Arizona to 40-61. Drew Waters, who is tied for third in the AL in triples with six, aided Kansas City in the bottom of the eighth inning with a solo home run. For the game, the right fielder was 3-5, hitting a home run and a triple. He scored two runs and drove in two.

“See ball, hit ball. When I think too much, that's when I get in trouble," Nola told Kansas City Today.

We played a solid game today, and it’s been a while since we last did! I’m not getting too excited, but at least we can still beat the worst team. We have another game tomorrow, though, so let’s get to it.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Austin Nola
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (81 degrees), wind blowing out to the left at 10 mph
Start Time: 7:10 PM CT
Time: 3:22
Attendance: 15504