Daily Clips
October 11, 2017
LOCAL
Core workout: Free-agent decisions loom in KC
Hosmer seems most likely player to return to club
October 10, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
The Royals’ farm system isn’t highly rated. Here are the best prospects of the bunch
October 10, 2017By Maria Torres/KC Star
Even with no playoffs, fans made Royals baseball’s second highest-rated team on TV
October 10, 2017By Blair Kerkhoff/KC Star
Former Royal Bret Saberhagen forced to flee California fire twice in one night
October 10, 2017By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
MINORS
Blue Rocks Win Carolina League's Matt Minker Award For Community Service
Team Honored for the Fourth Consecutive Season
October 10, 2017BY Matt Janus/Wilmington Blue Rocks
Thank You, our 281,000+ Central Kentucky fans!
Legends Release Thank You and 2017 Year End Wrap Up Letter to Fans
October 10, 2017Lexington Legends
NATIONAL
John Farrell out after five seasons as Red Sox manager
October 10, 2017By Scott Lauber/ESPN.com
Jeter lands Denbo from Yanks as 1st major hire
Named Marlins' VP of scouting and player development
October 10, 2017By Joe Frisaro/MLB.com
MLB TRANSACTIONS
October 11, 2017 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Core workout: Free-agent decisions loom in KC
Hosmer seems most likely player to return to club
October 10, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
This could be the most eventful and busy offseason Royals general manager Dayton Moore has had since taking the job in 2006.
The Royals will have to make numerous decisions on pending free agents, including first baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Mike Moustakas, shortstop Alcides Escobar, center fielder Lorenzo Cain, right fielder Melky Cabrera, and pitchers Jason Vargas, Peter Moylan and Trevor Cahill.
The Royals must also decide on left-hander Mike Minor, who has a mutual option, and showed promise as a potential closer. The closer who lost his job, Kelvin Herrera, enters his final year of arbitration after making $5.325 million in 2017.
Moore has been adamant that he wants to keep the Royals a contender in 2018 and beyond.
1. Starting pitching: The Royals will have left-hander Danny Duffy and right-handers Jason Hammel, Ian Kennedy, Jakob Junis and Nate Karns back. But they will need more depth, and perhaps more quality, as 2017's second-half rotation breakdown exposed.
Possible free-agent fit: Vargas. It's unlikely Moore dips into the free-agent pool with anyone other than whom he knows at this point. Vargas started strong, got his first All-Star selection and finished strong in September.
2. Bullpen: The Royals have prided themselves for years in having a shutdown bullpen, and that element alone carried them to back-to-back World Series from 2014-15. But they are a long way from the famous HDH (Herrera-Davis-Holland) days. Herrera lost the closer job and a patchwork bullpen simply couldn't hold up in 2017.
Possible FA fit: Moylan showed he can defy age (38) and likely deserves another shot at returning. During one 25-appearance stretch, he posted a 0.47 ERA. Minor's emergence as a closer in September is intriguing for 2018. Whatever else Moore finds will be on a strict budget.
3. 1B, SS, 3B, CF: It all depends where Moore allocates his financial resources. The Royals already committed about $105 million (unofficially) for payroll in 2018 and figure to spend about $145 to 150 million. Raul Mondesi could step in for Escobar, Cheslor Cuthbert could take over for Moustakas and Paulo Orlando could replace Cain. There is no easy replacement for Hosmer.
Possible FA fits: The guess here is the Royals will do everything they can to keep Hosmer, who is the face of the franchise, a fierce competitor, a great teammate and someone who cares about the community. Hosmer, Moustakas and Cain seem likely candidates to get qualifying offers.
Gray areas
1. Corner outfield: It would seem logical to let Cabrera walk and have Jorge Bonifacio take over in right. And with two years left on Alex Gordon's deal, the Royals desperately need the type of production from him they got in September, when he finally opted for more of an opposite-field approach. At some point, Jorge Soler needs to show he can consistently hit Major League pitching.
X factors
1. Money to burn? The Royals may have about $40 million or so to land perhaps two of their pending free agents. It also doesn't seem likely that Moore will go for a total rebuild. The GM already has been through that once in K.C., and a looming local TV deal after 2019 likely means the organization will want to keep the team competitive on the field the next two seasons.
2. Mondi time? With the potential of losing several free agents, the Royals need someone like Mondesi to step up and become an impact player, the way Francisco Lindor did in Cleveland. They got breakthrough seasons from Whit Merrifield, Bonifacio and Junis. It's Mondi's time.
The Royals’ farm system isn’t highly rated. Here are the best prospects of the bunch
October 10, 2017By Maria Torres/KC Star
It’s no secret the Royals’ minor-league system is one of the worst in baseball.
They started the year with the fifth-worst farm system, according to ESPN’s Keith Law. Not even signing Nick Pratto in the draft helped. They later added so little value by the non-waiver trade deadline that the Royals received no prospect points, which are awarded based on how many Top 100 prospects an organization has, from MLB.com in its midseason rankings released in August.
It’s a little jarring to see how far the Royals’ minor-league system has fallen, especially when you consider that six years ago pundits were so high on Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas, among others, that the Royals’ farm earned a record-setting 574 points from Baseball America.
Of course, those rankings bore fruit when the Royals clinched back-to-back American League pennants and won the World Series in 2015.
But now they’re on the verge of returning to the old normal, with little to show off as the rebuilding process likely begins anew.
Let’s take a look at the unheralded names of some potential future Royals.
The next Eric Hosmer?
First-rounder Pratto, already the Royals’ top prospect, is the heir apparent at first base.
But that’s way down the line.
Someone who might be ready sooner, though not by much, is 2012 international signee Samir Dueñez. He’s a lefty hitter who averaged .252 with 23 doubles, 17 home runs and 75 RBIs this year at Class AA Northwest Arkansas. His plate discipline is still years away — he drew 37 walks and struck out 116 times — but he is projected to deliver slightly above-average numbers as he matures.
Defensively, Dueñez drew a scouting grade of 50 and has shown some arm strength at first base. He’s the 13th-ranked prospect in the system, by MLB.com’s standards.
If they had to pluck someone out of the minors right now, Frank Schwindel might seem like the Royals’ best option. His power stroke was more pronounced after his promotion to Class AAA Omaha, where he had 17 home runs and 30 doubles in 99 games. Between Omaha and Class AA Northwest Arkansas, he hit 23 home runs, doubled 43 times and drove in 97 runs.
By the way, Pratto slashed .247/.330/.414 with 15 doubles, three triples, four home runs and 34 RBIs at Rookie-level Surprise. He was also 10 of 14 on stolen bases.
The next Mike Moustakas?
Hunter Dozier couldn’t really get his 2017 campaign going until August, after dealing with an oblique strain right out of spring training and a broken wrist most of the summer. It’s hard to say he’s next in line if Moustakas doesn’t come back next year.
But the future picture at third base becomes a little clearer when you account for Class A Lexington player of the year Emmanuel Rivera.
He was a 19th-round pick in 2015 and batted .223 his first two professional seasons. But after being chosen Rookie of the Year in the Puerto Rican winter league last season, Rivera went to Lexington and led the South Atlantic League with a .310 batting average this year. He showed raw power with 27 doubles, five triples and 12 home runs. He drove in 72 runs and was 8 for 18 on the base paths.
Rivera is the 16th-ranked prospect in the Royals organization, with a defensive grade of 55 and “one of the strongest arms in the system” according to MLB.com.
The next Lorenzo Cain?
The second-ranked prospect in the system is the left-handed Khalil Lee, a 19-year-old outfielder the Royals selected in the third round of the 2016 Draft. He needs some incubation time, especially after striking out a league-worst 171 times in Lexington. He only batted .237, but he drove in 61 runs and drilled 47 extra-base hits (including 24 doubles and 17 homers).
Lee’s 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame will lend itself well on the base paths, where he went 20 of 38 on stolen-base attempts, and in the field. He also received a 60 scouting grade, which is above-average, for his arm strength.
Donald Dewees Jr. might be ready sooner, offensively — scouts say his instincts in center field are lacking. Dewees hit. 272 with 24 doubles, six triples, nine homers and 52 RBIs at Northwest Arkansas. He also stole 20 bases.
Dewees, also a lefty hitter, was acquired from the Cubs in February in exchange for right-handed pitcher Alec Mills.
The rest of the best outfield prospects are so inexperienced they played rookie ball this year:
Amalani Fukofuka (Rookie-level Idaho Falls/Lexington) slashed .271/.338/.396 with 21 doubles, three triples, seven homers and 47 RBIs. He was 33 of 41 on stolen base attempts.
Michael Gigliotti (Burlington/Lexington) slashed .320/.420/.456 with 13 doubles, four triples, four homers and 38 RBIs. He stole 22 bases.
The next frontline starter?
Rotation help may be the hardest for the Royals to come by, as health remains a concern for Kyle Zimmer. The Royals picked the righty No. 5 overall in the 2012 Draft but have yet to see substantial returns from their investment. Zimmer’s career was further waylaid this year by such ailments as shoulder soreness and arm fatigue, limiting him to 36 2/3 innings over 21 appearances (three starts).
So the onus might now fall on 23-year-old right-hander Josh Staumont, who the Royals chose in the second round in 2015. Staumont, ranked ninth in the farm system, progressed quickly through the system but ran into trouble this season. He assembled a 5.56 ERA over 26 games (25 starts) and 124 2/3 innings for Northwest Arkansas and Omaha.
That said, Foster Griffin, another right-hander, had an impressive 2017. He was 15-7 with a 3.35 ERA in 161 1/3 innings spanning 28 starts for Class A Wilmington and Northwest Arkansas. Griffin, the Royals’ sixth-ranked prospect, struggled in Class A ball last year, recording a 5.43 ERA in 132 2/3 innings.
On the way:
Emilio Ogando (Wilmington/Northwest Arkansas/Omaha) was 11-10 with a 3.72 ERA over 29 starts and 164 1/3 innings. He recorded 110 strikeouts and a 1.29 WHIP.
Scott Blewett (Wilmington) was 7-10 with a 4.07 ERA over 27 starts and 152 2/3 innings. He recorded 129 strikeouts and a 1.34 WHIP.
The next elite reliever?
Scouts were sure the Royals found the next Greg Holland when they drafted left-hander Richard Lovelady, a reliever with a mid-90s fastball, last year.
He jumped to Class AA within a year of making his professional debut and had a 1.62 ERA (12 runs in 66 2/3 innings) at Wilmington and Northwest Arkansas this season.
Even with no playoffs, fans made Royals baseball’s second highest-rated team on TV
October 10, 2017By Blair Kerkhoff/KC Star
No playoff season, but Kansas City still loved watching the Royals.
The Royals on Fox Sports Kansas City finished with the second-highest local-market television rating among major-league teams, posting an average of 8.46, or 78,000 households per game, in the Kansas City market.
Only Cleveland, which ran away with the American League Central Division championship, owned a higher local rating, at 9.22.
The Royals were baseball’s top local-market draw each of the past two seasons.
Can good numbers translate to a more lucrative television contract, providing additional revenue for payroll? Perhaps, but not before this year’s class of free agents — Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain, among others — hits the market.
The Royals’ contract with Fox Sports runs through the 2019 season, and The Star reported in May that preliminary discussions for a new deal have begun.
Forbes measured baseball broadcasts and reported 12 teams ranked first in their local markets in prime time during the season, topping the prime-time average of all other networks in those markets.
Baseball’s top five local-market draws: Cleveland, Kansas City, St. Louis, Boston and Baltimore.
Former Royal Bret Saberhagen forced to flee California fire twice in one night
October 10, 2017By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
On Sunday, former Royals pitcher Bret Saberhagen participated in a dinner and reception that kicked off a fundraiser in northern California for three charities, including the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
The main event was a celebrity golf outing on Monday in Santa Rosa, Calif., but Saberhagen never got the chance to play because of fires that have devastated the wine country area.
In fact, Saberhagen twice had to flee the fires, and he described the evening to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. It started Sunday night at the Mayacama Golf Club.
“It was a crazy, surreal night,” Saberhagen told Slusser after he had arrived back at his home in Southern California. “I was out on the balcony at Mayacama when the power went out and sat down, and saw the moon come up. It was very nice. And then I saw the moon turn orange and it started getting lighter and lighter. I saw the fire coming over the ridge and I could hear propane and gas tanks popping.”
The Chronicle story says Saberhagen told former Blue Jays outfielder Joe Carter (who lives in Johnson County now) and former Olympic gold-medal winning speed skater Dan Jansen about the fire. Just after midnight, everyone was told to evacuate, and Saberhagen left his golf clubs behind so he could fit Jansen and his wife into his car.
They eventually made it to a Best Western. At about 2:30 a.m., former Dodgers pitcher Eric Gagne was at the door and awoke Saberhagen.
“Eric was yelling, ‘Get up, get up,’ knocking at every door, and when I opened the door, smoke billowed in and I could see areas on fire,” Saberhagen told Slusser. “There was a telephone pole on fire, the grounds were on fire, ashes were flying all over the place, and what really scared me was that there was a gas station across the street.”
MINORS
Blue Rocks Win Carolina League's Matt Minker Award For Community Service
Team Honored for the Fourth Consecutive Season
October 10, 2017BY Matt Janus/Wilmington Blue Rocks
The Wilmington Blue Rocks were honored by the Carolina League on Tuesday with the Matt Minker Community Service Award for the fourth consecutive season. The honorees were selected by a league-wide vote of club executives and owners.
"I could not be more proud of the entire Blue Rocks' organization," said managing partner Dave Heller. "I am especially happy for my partner and friend Clark Minker, since the community service award bears his late father's name. This is a great team award, and I am so delighted for everyone with the Blue Rocks who worked so hard all season long to earn this tremendous accolade. We take enormous pride in our standing within the Delaware community and this award is a public recognition of how special our relationship with the people of the First State is."
The Minker Award goes to the club that best demonstrates an outstanding, on-going commitment to charitable service, support, and leadership within its community. The award is named after the Blue Rocks' founder, who owned the club until his death in 2007. Minker, whose construction company built Frawley Stadium, is still the team's honorary president.
The Blue Rocks won the award thanks in large part to their numerous school programs, charitable endeavors and hospital visits.
As an organization the Blue Rocks work with area schools to promote academic achievement (DSEA Rocky's Reading Challenge), citizenship (Outstanding Student Program) and overall knowledge (Discover Baseball and Education Day). Frawley Stadium also hosts three youth camps each summer, teaching kids how to play the game of baseball.
The team helped raise tens of thousands of dollars for good causes through partnerships with Habitat for Humanity, Fight for the Gold, Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition and many other charities in 2017. Several times during the season the team's players and mascot also visited local hospitals, brightening the spirits of that facility's patients and their families.