Daily Clips
January 7, 2018
LOCAL
KC names non-roster invitees, ST report dates
Seven of Royals' Top 30 Prospects get call to big league camp
January 6, 2018 By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
https://www.mlb.com/royals/news/royals-set-non-roster-invitees-report-dates/c-264359450
MINORS
Naturals Hot Stove Luncheon is on Monday, January 15
The event will occur at The Apollo on Emma in Springdale in conjunction with the Springdale Rotary Club
January 4, 2018 Northwest Arkansas Naturals
https://www.milb.com/naturals/news/northwest-arkansas-naturals-hot-stove-luncheon/c-264282458
NATIONAL
Blue Jays land versatile Solarte from Padres
Minor Leaguers Olivares, Carkuff sent to San Diego
January 6, 2018 By Gregor Chisholm/MLB.com
https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/news/blue-jays-trade-for-padres-yangervis-solarte/c-264364348
MLB TRANSACTIONS
January 7, 2018 •.CBSSports.com
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/transactions
LOCAL
KC names non-roster invitees, ST report dates
Seven of Royals' Top 30 Prospects get call to big league camp
January 6, 2018 By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
https://www.mlb.com/royals/news/royals-set-non-roster-invitees-report-dates/c-264359450
The Royals' list of 19 non-roster players who will be invited to Spring Training includes seven on the team's Top 30 Prospects list, per MLB Pipeline.
Included on the list: left-hander Foster Griffin (No. 6 prospect), right-hander Josh Staumont (No. 9), infielder Nicky Lopez (No. 11), catcher Chase Vallot (No. 12), first baseman Ryan O'Hearn (No. 14) outfielder Donnie Dewees (No. 18) and left-hander Richard Lovelady (No. 25).
Other non-roster invites: right-handers Glenn Sparkman, Mike Broadway, Kevin Lenik and Seth Maness, catchers Nicholas Dini and Parker Morin, infielders Cody Asche, Jack Lopez, Humberto Arteaga, Erick Mejia and Frank Schwindel and outfielder Terrance Gore.
Maness was in the Royals' organization last season and was recently re-signed to a Minor League deal.
Pitchers and catchers will report to Surprise, Ariz., on Tuesday, Feb. 13. The remainder of the squad will report on Sunday, Feb. 18.
FanFest appearances
The Royals released a tentative list of the players scheduled to appear at the Royals FanFest on Jan. 26 and 27 at Bartle Hall in downtown Kansas City: Scott Barlow, Ryan Buchter, Billy Burns, Drew Butera, Hunter Dozier, Danny Duffy, Brian Flynn, Cam Gallagher, Alex Gordon, Jakob Junis, Nate Karns, Ian Kennedy, Kevin McCarthy, Whit Merrifield, Brandon Moss, Salvador Perez, Eric Skoglund and Kyle Zimmer.
MINORS
Naturals Hot Stove Luncheon is on Monday, January 15
The event will occur at The Apollo on Emma in Springdale in conjunction with the Springdale Rotary Club
January 4, 2018 Northwest Arkansas Naturals
https://www.milb.com/naturals/news/northwest-arkansas-naturals-hot-stove-luncheon/c-264282458
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals will host a Hot Stove Luncheon to preview the 2018 season on Monday, January 15 at The Apollo on Emma (308 W. Emma Ave.) in Springdale in conjunction with the Springdale Rotary Club.
The Hot Stove Luncheon will take place from 12 p.m. until 1 p.m. with doors opening at The Apollo on Emma at 11:30 a.m. on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 15. The event features J.J. Picollo, Vice President/Assistant General Manager-Player Personnel of the Kansas City Royals and Vance Wilson, the Kansas City Royals Bullpen Coach and former Naturals Manager from 2014 through 2017. The two (2) special guests will be on hand to greet fans and take questions during a scheduled Q & A session during the program. David Glass, the owner of the Kansas City Royals, is also scheduled to be in attendance while Justin Cole, the Vice President/General Manager of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, will provide fans with an update on the upcoming season at Arvest Ballpark.
Admission to the event is $20 per person, which includes a lunch. Fans that are interested in attending the Hot Stove Luncheon are encouraged to call Sam Ahern at (479) 927-4055 or email him at to purchase their ticket(s) to the event. The Naturals encourage fans to purchase their Hot Stove Luncheon tickets in advance as there are currently only 20 spots left through the Naturals allotment for the event.
J.J. Picollo, Vice President/Assistant General Manager-Player Personnel - Kansas City Royals
J.J. Picollo will begin his fourth season as the club's Vice President/Assistant General Manager-Player Personnel. He was promoted to his current position on January 5, 2015. He previously served as the Royals Assistant General Manager-Scouting & Player Development, a role he held since 2008. Picollo joined the Royals' staff on August 13, 2006 as Director of Player Development.
He came to the Royals after serving as the Director of Minor League Operations for the Atlanta Braves since November, 2005 and had been with the organization since 1999. Prior to his promotion as Director of Minor League Operations, Picollo served as the Assistant Director of Player Development after working as an Area Scouting Supervisor for Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Washington D.C.
Vance Wilson, Bullpen Coach - Kansas City Royals (2018) / Naturals Manager (2014-2017)
Wilson, a Springdale native, served as the Manager of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals for the previous four seasons (2014-2017) prior to being promoted to the Bullpen Coach of the Kansas City Royals in advance of the 2018 season. During his tenure at Arvest Ballpark, he guided the Naturals to three (3) consecutive post-season appearances (2015-2017) including back-to-back trips to the Texas League Championship Series in 2015 and 2016.
The 2018 season of Naturals baseball at Arvest Ballpark will begin when Northwest Arkansas hosts the Corpus Christi Hooks, the Double-A Affiliate of the World Champion Houston Astros, on Thursday, April 5 at 6:25 p.m.
Follow the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Twitter @NWANaturals all throughout the year by using the hashtags #NaturalPastime and #CrowntoCrown for all of our up-to-date information on the 2018 schedule, tickets, group outings, promotions, roster, and Spring Training information as we prepare for the upcoming 2018 season.
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League Affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The Naturals play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, Ark. For more information, including statistics, ticket options, and more, please visit NWANaturals.com, and follow us on Twitter @NWANaturals and Facebook.com/Naturals.
NATIONAL
Blue Jays land versatile Solarte from Padres
Minor Leaguers Olivares, Carkuff sent to San Diego
January 6, 2018 By Gregor Chisholm/MLB.com
https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/news/blue-jays-trade-for-padres-yangervis-solarte/c-264364348
Increased versatility has been the Blue Jays' top priority this offseason, and general manager Ross Atkins further stressed its importance on Saturday afternoon by trading for infielder Yangervis Solarte.
Solarte was acquired from the Padres in exchange for Minor League outfielder Edward Olivares and right-hander Jared Carkuff. Olivares was ranked Toronto's No. 18 prospect by MLB Pipeline, while Carkuff was taken in the 35th round of the 2016 MLB Draft.
The 30-year-old Solarte will assume the role of utility infielder following a season in which he played all four positions for San Diego and slashed .255/.314/.416 in 128 games. He becomes the third infielder acquired by the Blue Jays this offseason, along with Aledmys Diaz and Gift Ngoepe.
"We've been talking about Yangervis for a long time internally, and our discussions date back to the end of last year," Atkins said. "He's an interesting, versatile player who has a nice offensive track record, a great reputation in the clubhouse and one that we thought would complement us well."
Toronto has a projected starting infield of Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki, Devon Travis and Justin Smoak but that hasn't stopped them from making multiple additions this winter. Tulowitzki and Travis have spent significant time on the disabled list in each of the past three years, and the Blue Jays seem determined to be better prepared in case that happens again.
Solarte and Diaz figure to occupy two spots on Toronto's bench, but there's also a scenario in which Travis could move to left field, which would open up second base. Toronto has remained non-committal about that possibility, but it's worth noting that Atkins has yet to rule it out. For now, the priority is making sure Travis arrives in Spring Training healthy and ready to go for the start of the season.
Beyond the big league roster, the Blue Jays also possess a substantial amount of infield depth. Ngoepe isn't strong offensively, but he's an elite defender, and other options include prospects Lourdes Gurriel and Richard Urena.
"We'll see," Atkins said when asked if Travis would switch positions to ease the logjam. "I think first and foremost, we are focused on Devon's health. He is one of the better second basemen in the game when he is healthy, and once we get him to that point and see how the rest of our lineup takes shape, then we'll determine how we start to prepare guys for their playing time in the season. There's still work to do in our offseason."
With the infield settled, the Blue Jays are expected to shift their attention to the starting rotation, corner outfield and possibly bullpen. Joe Biagini remains a candidate for the fifth starter's job, and the Blue Jays have no shortage of options in the outfield but would still be well-served to add an impact bat from outside the organization.
The switch-hitting Solarte will earn $4.125 million this season and has team options for 2019 ($5.5 million) and '20 ($8 million) remaining on his contract. The Blue Jays are expected to have approximately $15-20 million left to spend on a payroll that should approach last year's total of $160-165 million.
Olivares, 21, took a significant step forward in 2017 after advancing to Class A Lansing, where he played 101 games and posted a .277/.330/.500 slash line with 17 homers and 65 RBIs. Carkuff, 24, reached as high as Triple-A Buffalo last year. On the season, between four Minor League classes, he went 3-4 with a 3.86 ERA in 63 innings.
"There's never an easy trade because there are always compromises and sacrifices," Atkins said. "Edward is a solid player. I think it's a testament to our outfield depth, and that helped the trade along, but I think it's more a testament to the overall depth of our system and the recent work of our scouting and player development department. Edward was one of the pieces we were excited about, and we were able to make a long-term sacrifice [to help] the immediate future."
MLB TRANSACTIONS
January 7, 2018 •.CBSSports.com
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/transactions
New York Yankees / Zach Neal / Signed to a Minor League Contract
San Diego Padres / Kazuhisa Makita / Signed as Free Agent, ( 2018-2019)(two-year contract)
San Diego Padres / José Rondón / Designated for Assignment
San Diego Padres / Craig Stammen / Signed as Free Agent, ( 2018-2019)(two-year contract)
Texas Rangers / Nick Martinez / Signed to Play in Japan, (Nippon-Ham Fighters)