Daily Clips
January 31, 2018
LOCAL
Yost embracing Royals' rebuilding effort
January 30, 2018 By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
https://www.mlb.com/news/ned-yost-excited-royals-rebuilding-plan/c-265572334
Here’s why the Brandon Moss trade doesn’t necessarily mean Royals will sign Hosmer
January 30, 2018 By Pete Grathoff & Sam Mellinger/KC Star
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article197412629.html
Seven things you may not know about new Royals Jesse Hahn and Heath Fillmyer
January 30, 2018 By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/for-petes-sake/article197351169.html
T-Bones pick up two with former ties to Royals and a third with two first names
January 30, 2018 KC Star
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article197420674.html
What Lorenzo Cain’s departure, Alcides Escobar’s return mean for Kansas City
January 30, 2018 By Daniel Barnett & Jared Koller/KCTV5.com
http://www.kctv5.com/story/37385627/what-lorenzo-cains-departure-alcides-escobars-return-mean-for-kansas-city
Brandon Moss and launch angles
January 30, 2018 By Lee Judge/LeeJudgeKC.wordpress.com
https://leejudgekc.wordpress.com/2018/01/30/brandon-moss-and-launch-angles/
NATIONAL
Former D-backs, Padres GM Towers dies
San Diego won NL pennant in 1998; Arizona made 29-game turnaround in 2011
January 30, 2018 By Steve Gilbert/MLB.com
https://www.mlb.com/news/kevin-towers-former-d-backs-padres-gm-dies/c-265548690
MLB asks All-Star 11th start with runner on 2nd
January 30, 2018 By Ronald Blum/APNews.com
https://apnews.com/f809243c3b6a45018427d4bba652e0cf/APNewsBreak:-MLB-asks-All-Star-11th-start-with-runner-on-2nd?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP_Sports
MLB TRANSACTIONS
January 31, 2018 •.CBSSports.com
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/transactions
LOCAL
Yost embracing Royals' rebuilding effort
January 30, 2018 By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
https://www.mlb.com/news/ned-yost-excited-royals-rebuilding-plan/c-265572334
You can safely say that Royals manager Ned Yost is fully embracing the team's rebuilding effort.
Yost, appearing at the team's Fan Fest event last weekend, spoke glowingly of the opportunity to manage what will be his second rebuilding effort with the Royals since taking over in 2010.
Back then, young stars such as Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez were just barely on the horizon. But that trio helped the Royals get to two straight World Series and a championship.
"I'm excited to get out there [to Arizona]," Yost said. "I'm excited to see Jorge Soler. I know how hard he's worked this offseason. I'm excited to see what Cheslor Cuthbert can do with a full season of opportunity.
"I'm excited to see [Jorge Bonifacio] play. I'm excited to see Bubba Starling come into Spring Training and see what he can do. I'm excited to see [Raul Mondesi]. I think it will be interesting."
Yost said he believes this rebuild could go faster than the last one.
"We're further along this time than we were last time," Yost said. "Guys like Cuthbert, Soler and Mondi and Paulo [Orlando] and Boni have all had some level of success at the big league level. Moose and Hosmer and Salvy hadn't when I got there. They had to go through ups and downs, So I'm looking forward to what these guys bring to the table."
Here’s why the Brandon Moss trade doesn’t necessarily mean Royals will sign Hosmer
January 30, 2018 By Pete Grathoff & Sam Mellinger/KC Star
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article197412629.html
One takeaway from fans after the Royals’ trade Monday night was the increased likelihood that first baseman Eric Hosmer would return to Kansas City.
But there are also reasons why the trade doesn’t necessarily mean Royals will sign Hosmer.
By sending Brandon Moss and reliever Ryan Buchter to the Oakland A’s in exchange for right-hander Jesse Hahn and minor-league right-hander Heath Fillmyer, the Royals accomplished one of their biggest off-season goals: cutting payroll.
After last year’s club-record $143 million payroll, the Royals want to see that number at or below $110 million this season. That’s roughly the number the club is at now.
There are a couple more reasons why the Moss trade won’t affect the Royals’ chances for Hosmer.
First, the Royals made an offer to Hosmer weeks ago, well before Moss was dealt. They were going to make the offer whether or not they had Moss.
Second, the Royals also didn’t need to trade Moss because he can play first base. He was on the team last year with Hosmer, and general manager Dayton Moore believes there are plenty of options at first base already in the Royals’ minor-league system.
Two things may be working in the Royals’ favor to re-sign Hosmer, however. Their contract offer is believed to be the largest and spring training is just two weeks away.
Seven things you may not know about new Royals Jesse Hahn and Heath Fillmyer
January 30, 2018 By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/for-petes-sake/article197351169.html
The Royals continued their roster overhaul on Monday with a trade that sent designated hitter Brandon Moss and reliever Ryan Buchter to the Oakland A’s for right-hander Jesse Hahn and minor-league right-hander Heath Fillmyer.
The deal allowed the Royals to trim their payroll ahead of the 2018 season.
Here are seven things to know about Hahn and Fillmyer:
1. Hahn was picked by the Rays in the sixth round of the 2010 draft, but he would have been selected higher had he not suffered an elbow injury in his final start at Virginia Tech. Hahn needed Tommy John surgery, and he missed the entire 2011 season.
“I was real frustrated at the time,” Hahn told the Tampa Bay Times in 2013. “My injury happened two days before the draft. I didn’t know where I would be selected or if a team would even take a chance on me. I’m just so thankful the Rays gave me an opportunity.”
Ahead of the 2012 season, Hahn broke his right foot.
2. As a sophomore at Mercer County Community College in New Jersey, Fillmyer helped his team reach the NJCAA Division II World Series in 2014. Fillmyer was 9-0 with a 0.68 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 66 innings pitched.
Fillmyer was one of the NJCAA pitchers of the year.
3. One of Hahn’s teammates at Fitch High School in Connecticut has a special place in the hearts of Royals fans: Matt Harvey.
Harvey was the Mets’ starter in Game 5 of the 2015 World Series, and he insisted on pitching the ninth inning with a 2-0 lead. The Royals scored two runs, both charged to Harvey, and rallied for a 7-2 win in 12 innings.
Hahn talked with Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle in 2015 about those high school days with Harvey.
“We kind of fed off each other,” Hahn said. “If Matt pitched well, it motivated me to pitch well. He attracted scouts and colleges, so did I. We always wanted to be in that same category as each other and play in major-league baseball together. It’s pretty unique.
“He was almost the same pitcher in high school: He threw hard, blew through hitters. We knew it was only a matter of time before he was going to take off.”
4. Fillmyer was originally a shortstop in high school, and at Mercer and pitched a mere eight innings as a freshman before making the move to the mound his sophomore season. Nevertheless, he was drafted in the 28th round as a pitcher by the Rockies after that freshman season.
That spurred his change to pitching.
“We figured if I got drafted after just eight innings, let’s see what I could if I pitch a whole year,” Fillmyer told the Trentonian in 2014. “I wouldn’t say I was surprised (at being picked). I worked hard and the chances I got I kind of did well in them.”
5. Hahn’s biggest supporter is his older sister, Melissa, who has cerebral palsy and watches all his games from her home in Connecticut.
“She’s my No. 1 fan. She’s always in front of the computer or the TV for my games,” Hahn told Slussman. “She has this cute little Spongebob or Barbie phone she puts on her tray and she always expects me to call her after every start, or I call my dad and he puts her on the phone and I talk to her.”
6. Fillmyer sort of predicted he’d be drafted by the A’s.
Before his final season at Mercer, Fillmyer bought an Oakland hat. He was picked in the fifth round by the A’s in the 2014 draft.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Fillmyer told the Trentonian. “I’ve only had two MLB hats in my life. One was a Phillies hat. I grew up rooting for the Phillies ever since I was a kid.”
7. Hahn was traded by the Rays to the Padres ahead of the 2014 season and made an instant impact.
He had seven victories in his first nine starts, which were the most in Padres franchise history and tied for the third most by a Major League pitcher since the 1914 season, behind Boston’s Boo Ferriss in 1945 and John Whitehead of the White Sox in 1935. They both had eight wins in their first nine career games.
After the 2014 season, Hahn was traded to the A’s.
T-Bones pick up two with former ties to Royals and a third with two first names
January 30, 2018 KC Star
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article197420674.html
The Kansas City T-Bones have had a busy week, trading right-handed pitcher Matt Sergey to the Sugar Land Skeeters for outfielder David Harris, then flipping Harris to the New Jersey Jackals for a pair of 27-year-old veterans.
One, first baseman/designated hitter Art Charles, was Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year in 2016. He’s an eight-year minor-league veteran who has been drafted by three major-league clubs, including the Royals in 2009 (Round 39).
The other player player acquired by KC’s independent-league ballclub is a guy whose name should be easy enough to remember: Jose Jose. The Dominican lefty is 13-23 with a 3.03 ERA in 291 1/3 minor-league innings.
On Monday, the T-Bones signed infielder Zach Walters, who spent 18 games with the T-Bones in 2017 before his contract was purchased by the Royals. Walters played eight games at Class AA Northwest Arkansas and one at Class AAA Omaha last year.
The T-Bones’ first home game is May 22. Tickets are available at 913-328-5618 or the T-Bones’ stadium box office in Kansas City, Kan.
What Lorenzo Cain’s departure, Alcides Escobar’s return mean for Kansas City
January 30, 2018 By Daniel Barnett & Jared Koller/KCTV5.com
http://www.kctv5.com/story/37385627/what-lorenzo-cains-departure-alcides-escobars-return-mean-for-kansas-city
As the Kansas City Royals maneuver their way through a period of transition, the 2018 team is slowly starting to take shape with spring training only weeks away.
After going three months with little-to-no news about any of the five coveted Kansas City Royals free agents, two fan favorites have signed along the bottom line, just days apart.
While Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Jason Vargas still remained unsigned, the signing of Lorenzo Cain in Milwaukee, WI, and Alcides Escobar in Kansas City offers a glimpse into the state of the organization and what the moves mean for 2018.
Cain’s Impact
Out of the five free agents, Cain was always the most likely to leave Kansas City, for a number of reasons. The outfielder will be an aging 32 years old for most of the 2018 season, the Royals already invested $72 million in another outfielder, Alex Gordon, and the team has more young depth in the outfield than in any other position.
As far as filling his role in 2018, Gordon showed the ability to play center field in 2017 and 2011 top pick Bubba Starling is entering his 25-year-old season. Many scouts say Starling is already a gold-glove caliber defender but his bat has yet to consistently produce at even the minor league level.
The defensive drop-off from Cain to Gordon or Starling in centerfield could be very minimal but the Royals will take the biggest hit in the middle of the order.
Cain is coming off a season in which he hit for a .300 average, with 15 home runs, 26 steals, 49 RBI’s and 100 strikeouts. Gordon has hit sub .220 for two seasons and Starling is an unknown, both likely to fall short of Cain’s standard.
Cain's former outfield partners are set to change as well, with Gordon, Starling, Jorge Bonifacio, Jorge Soler, Paulo Orlando, Whit Merrifield and Billy Burns all set to get a chance at playing time in the three outfield spots. With Gordon’s decline, Cain was the only everyday staple. How general manager Dayton Moore and manager Ned Yost administer playing time will be a key factor to watch, as the team balances being competitive and rebuilding.
After Cain signed a deal of more than $50 million, the Royals will earn a compensatory sandwich pick in the 2018 MLB draft. Not signing Cain to such a deal also still leaves the door open for a return of Hosmer or Moustakas.
It’s unclear how much Moore really has to spend, or if signing Cain was ever a possibility, but it makes other reunions slightly more likely than if the team locked up the 32-year old, long-term.
Escobar’s impact
While the departure of Cain confirms a hole in the outfield and the lineup that Kansas City must fill, bringing back Escobar doesn’t necessarily fill the shortstop hole.
Escobar is entering his 31-year-old season and no longer contributes at the same offensive or defensive level, despite starting all 162 games in three of the last four seasons.
With the Royals likely not contending in 2018, they shouldn’t feel the need to start Escobar every game. He’s now paid more as a utility man at $2.5 million and the Royals have an option with Raul Mondesi Jr. in place. But, bringing back Escobar, even for just one year, complicates the Mondesi situation.
The 22-year old top prospect had a taste of big league action at ages 20 and 21, playing in a total of 72 games, but only hitting for an average of .181 over both seasons. His 22 strikeouts to just 9 hits in 2017 showed he was far from ready at the start of the season.
However, Mondesi rebounded with a very impressive campaign in AAA-Omaha. In 85 games, he hit .305 with 13 home runs, 8 triples, 20 doubles with a notable .879 OPS. Those numbers say that he’s, for the most part, conquered AAA and ready to develop at the big leagues. But, signing Escobar, who’s really only played shortstop, added with Whit Merrifield starting at second, means there’s no longer a clear big league path for Mondesi in 2018.
If Mondesi shows in spring training that he is ready for big league competition, the signing of Escobar at shortstop likely pushes the prospect to second base, with Merrifield to left or right field. If that was by design, then that shows a lack of faith in Soler, Gordon or Bonifacio.