Daily Clips
March 4, 2017
LOCAL
Kennedy checks off items on to-do list
Right-hander allows just one baserunner over two innings
March 3, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Starling goes 1-for-3, picks up two RBIs
March 3, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
New surgery reduces Maness' recovery time
March 3, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Cain would like long-term deal with Royals
March 3, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals, Ian Kennedy beat the Dodgers 7-2 behind strong pitching performance
March 3, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Ask Rustin: Can Peter O’Brien fit on the Royals roster, the fifth starter, and more
March 3, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Royals’ Kelvin Herrera expected to make spring debut Monday
March 3, 2017By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
Royals outfielder Billy Burns out to show he’s more than a mascot caretaker
March 3, 2017By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
Royals TV broadcast team almost lost a key voice in 2017
March 3, 2017By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
Royals level the playing field at kids’ spring training fantasy camp
March 3, 2017By Chris Ochsner/KC Star
Royals announcer shares message of love and faith in Salina
March 3, 2017By Eric Wiley/Salina Journal
NATIONAL
Royals begin reworking roster to expand window to compete
March 3, 2017By Dave Skretta/AP (via Newsday)
MLB TRANSACTIONS
March 4, 2017 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Kennedy checks off items on to-do list
Right-hander allows just one baserunner over two innings
March 3, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
The way Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy views Spring Training, it's just a matter of checklists.
"That's what I did today," Kennedy said after the Royals' 7-2 victory vs. a split-squad Dodgers club on Friday afternoon at Camelback Ranch. "I checked something off the list."
That something was Kennedy's Cactus League debut, and it went about as well as he could have hoped. He pitched two nearly flawless innings, allowing only one baserunner (a walk) and facing the minimum six hitters.
Kennedy needed only 25 pitches to work his two innings, so he threw about 10 more pitches on the side to get to his 35-pitch limit.
"I don't think that's ever happened before in Spring Training," Kennedy said, smiling. "Usually I use my pitch limit in the game."
Kennedy kept it simple for his first outing.
"I was just working on fastball down, down, down," Kennedy said. "I think I threw one breaking ball, a slider and a couple of changeups.
"I just made a couple of pitches where I put too much on it and pulled off a little. But it was just nice to knock off the rust a little."
"You look forward to [that first outing]. You get a little more adrenaline when it's the first time out in Spring Training. No more screens around you like in live BP. It's real. It was good."
Starling goes 1-for-3, picks up two RBIs
March 3, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Center fielder Bubba Starling, the Royals' first-round pick in the 2011 Draft, singled and drove in two runs in a five-run second as they recorded a 7-2 victory over the Dodgers on Friday at Camelback Ranch.
Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley drove in both of his club's runs. In the third, he hit a sacrifice fly, and then in the fifth, his groundout brought home another run.
Right-hander Ian Kennedy, projected to be the Royals' No. 2 starter this season, made his spring debut. Kennedy breezed through two innings, giving up one walk, no hits and no runs.
Christian Colon, Cheslor Cuthbert, Raul Mondesi and Whit Merrifield, each battling for the starting second-base job, all had productive days. Colon doubled in a run and scored. Merrifield tripled and scored. Mondesi belted his first home run of the spring and added a single. And Cuthbert added a sacrifice fly.
"They all had nice days," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "And Mondi, he probably hit the two hardest balls of anyone today."
Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill, who threw two scoreless innings in his spring debut, gave up three hits, walked two and allowed four runs before leaving after 1 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out one.
"First inning was good, second inning was terrible," Hill said. "Overall, just keep working. It wasn't exactly what I liked.
"Some of the pitches didn't come out of my hand the way I wanted. The next time I go out and pitch it will be better than that."
Royals up next: Right-hander Jason Hammel, signed as a free-agent in January, makes his spring debut Saturday as a split-squad Royals club hosts the Giants in a 2:05 p.m. CT game at Surprise Stadium. Fans can catch all the action in an exclusive audio webcast on royals.com. Left-hander Jason Vargas starts for Kansas City in the other split-squad game against the Reds at Goodyear Ballbark in another 2:05 p.m. start, and the game can be heard on Gameday Audio.
New surgery reduces Maness' recovery time
March 3, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Someday they may refer to it as the Seth Maness surgery.
Maness, who signed with the Royals last month on a Minor League deal, had a potential ground-breaking surgery last August after he showed symptoms of UCL damage in his right elbow.
Instead of opting for Tommy John surgery, which essentially takes a ligament from somewhere else in the body to replace the damaged UCL, surgeons basically taped his ligament back to the elbow bone.
"I still have my original ligament," Maness said. "They just tacked it back down with a type of surgical tape. It's my ligament and it's just been reinforced."
Not all pitchers with UCL damage will benefit from this technique.
"It's kind of a game-time decision when they open you up," Maness said.
The advantage is in decreased recovery time. Instead of a 12-14 month recovery and rehab, Maness is looking at six to eight months.
Maness hasn't thrown in a Cactus League game yet, but he continues to throw side sessions as he builds arm strength back up.
"Nothing is scheduled yet in terms of throwing in a game," Maness said. "We're working into it. We're going three days off, two days, one day off, just to see how the arm responds. Taking it slow."
If all goes well, Maness could be available to the Royals sometime after Opening Day.
"We'll probably throw in a game towards the end of Spring Training," Maness said. "We don't have a set date. We're not going to rush it."
Cain would like long-term deal with Royals
March 3, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
With all the debate about potential long-term deals involving the Royals' pending free agents such as Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas, it seems few observers are talking this spring about center fielder Lorenzo Cain's long-term value to the team.
And that seems somewhat strange, considering what Cain brings to the team.
In fact, Royals officials, including manager Ned Yost, believe it was Cain's absence due to a hand/wrist injury last September that put the final road block up to the club's postseason chances.
The Royals had withstood injuries to Moustakas, Alex Gordon, Salvador Perez and closer Wade Davis, and near the end of August, they were still right in the thick of the American League Wild Card race and only 5 1/2 games back of the division-leading Indians.
But Cain's injury limited him to one game in September, and the defending World Series champion Royals faded from contention.
"We could sustain a lot of injuries," Yost said, "but that one kind of put it over the edge."
Cain desperately fought to return to the lineup, and he finally tried one game in Chicago.
"I did my best," Cain said. "The hand and wrist got to the point where I was just swinging with one hand. I tried to play through it, but I couldn't swing.
"It definitely makes you frustrated. My main goal every year is to stay healthy, and I didn't do a great job of that last year. I was frustrated, because I needed to be on the field and help this team win.
"To have to sit back and not be able to do anything and watch us lose, I wasn't happy about it. I'm all about winning this year and getting back to the playoffs."
The injury is completely healed.
"No problems with the wrist," Cain said. "I've been taking some heavy cuts and I haven't made a lot of contact yet. But the wrist is really good."
Cain knows his value to the team. He knows he can be the engine that drives the Royals.
"It's nice to hear that and glad people feel that way," Cain said, "but we got a lot of guys that are valuable to this team. As a team, the way we're built, we need everyone on the field.
"To get back to where we want to be, the playoffs, we need everyone."
And, of course, this could be a special farewell tour as several players could become free agents after this season, including Cain.
"You can't help but think about that," Cain said. "You try not to, but it's there. You know, if it were up to me, I'd be here long-term."
Royals, Ian Kennedy beat the Dodgers 7-2 behind strong pitching performance
March 3, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Returning to the mound for the first time this spring, Royals starter Ian Kennedy worked two scoreless innings Friday in a 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch.
As the Royals continued their first cycle through the starting rotation, Kennedy took the baton and issued one walk while cruising through his brief outing without allowing a hit. After pitching the first, Kennedy weathered a long wait while the offense exploded for five runs in the top of the second. But he returned to work an efficient second inning and needed a brief bullpen session to get his pitch count up. All in all, Kennedy said, the day served its purpose.
“I just tried to work on fastball down, down, down,” he said, before adding: “It’s just nice to knock off the rust.”
Kennedy, 32, was pitching for the first time since finishing 11-11 with a 3.68 ERA in his first season in Kansas City. Jason Hammel will be the last Royals starter to make his spring debut on Saturday, when he faces the San Francisco Giants at Surprise Stadium. Jason Vargas will make his second start of the spring in a split-squad game against the Reds in Goodyear.
The Royals improved to 5-2 in Cactus League competition. After holding the Colorado Rockies to one run on Thursday, the pitching led the way for a second straight day.
“Everybody looked sharp again today,” Yost said. “That’s two days in a row our pitching was pretty darn good from the first one to the last one.”
The Arms
In his second appearance, top prospect Josh Staumont allowed one run and three hits in two innings. He also struck out two.
Reliever Kevin McCarthy was nicked for a run in the bottom of the fifth, while Luke Farrell, Yender Caramo, Eric Stout and Malcom Culver put up scoreless outings.
“I think what’s so impressive for me this year,” Yost said, “is all our young guys, they got really good stuff, but they all come in banging strikes.”
The Regulars
With two split-squad games on the docket on Saturday, a large collection of Royals received the day off. First baseman Eric Hosmer did not make the trip to Camelback Ranch, while Mike Moustakas, Alex Gordon, Lorenzo Cain, Salvador Perez and Alcides Escobar also rested.
With Hosmer out, Whit Merrifield drew the start at first base and thumped a triple off the wall in right-center field. Christian Colon started at shortstop and was 1 for 3 with a run scored.
The Young Guys
A familiar name to Dodgers fans here at Camelback Ranch, Raul Mondesi continued a strong start this spring, roping a solo homer to right field in the sixth inning. Mondesi, of course, is the son of former Dodgers slugger Raul Mondesi Sr. The younger Mondesi was born in Los Angeles during his father’s playing days. He finished 2 for 2 after replacing Cuthbert at second base.
Bubba Starling made the start in center field and delivered a two-run single to center off Dodgers starter Rich Hill during a five-run second inning.
Ask Rustin: Can Peter O’Brien fit on the Royals roster, the fifth starter, and more
March 3, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
It’s Day 18 at Royals camp, which means we have been here long enough to start to notice weird things.
For instance: Royals prospect Hunter Dozier always wears one batting glove. This is actually not that strange, but it does make Dozier an outlier. Nearly everybody in baseball wears two batting gloves — except former Royals prospect Wil Myers, who, in awesome fashion, wears zero. But the right-handed hitting Dozier wears one, on his left hand, and it makes him look very 1980s.
There was a time, of course, where players wearing one batting glove was quite prevalent. But that time seems to have died out about 15 to 20 years ago. Still, there are some players keeping the look alive. Hunter Pence is one. Dozier could be another.
So I figured Dozier just liked the feel of one glove and not two, but then he reminded me, during an interview the other day, that he battled a left hand injury last September while in Kansas City. So, wait, is the one batting glove just to protect the hand?!
Fortunately, no. That’s just a coincidence.
“I’ve always done just one batting glove,” Dozier said. “My whole life; I don’t know why.”
Dozier said he is a golfer, which might explain part of it. But for now, he’s sticking with one.
“I started doing it when I was a kid,” he said. “And I just stuck with it. I tried to go back to two. But I can’t.”
So let’s get onto the mailbag questions. The music pick of the week is a tie between the new Lorde song, ‘Green Light’ and The National’s ‘Sea of Love’.
@WeberwillKU: Other than Peter Moylan, most likely veteran with minor league contract to make the Royals team sometime in 2017?
If you include him as a “veteran,” I would say reliever Seth Maness, who signed with the Royals shortly before camp. When healthy, Maness, 28, was a productive member of the Cardinals’ bullpen. He posted a 2.32 ERA in 66 games in 2013 and a 2.91 ERA in 73 games in 2014. But his performance lagged a little bit the last couple seasons, in part, because of health issues.
He damaged his ulnar collateral ligament last year — yes, the injury that usually requires Tommy John surgery — but he underwent a new procedure called “primary repair” that sped up the recovery timeline.
The Royals have said they plan to take it slow with him. And despite his hopes, it appears unlikely that Maness will be healthy enough for Opening Day. But assuming he returns in good health, he could be an option in the pen down the road.
@scott89inkc: do you see a way Moss and O'Brien can be on the roster this year? Would love to platoon the DH but I know that's prob impossible
@andrew_wegley14: do you see Peter O'Brian as a possible platoon player this year or likely to Omaha? Also possible he could replace Hoz longterm?
So let’s talk about Peter O’Brien, who has spent the first part of spring training killing baseballs.
The question, I think, is this: How would Peter O’Brien fit on the roster? So let’s count up the spots. Assuming the Royals carry 12 pitchers at the start of the season, that’s 13 spots for position players.
The roster locks looks like this: Salvador Perez, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alcides Escobar, Alex Gordon, Lorenzo Cain, Jorge Soler, Brandon Moss, Paulo Orlando, Drew Butera. That’s 10.
That leaves three spots and we haven’t addressed the vacancy at second base.
Whit Merrifield is an ideal fit for a roster because he offers a fifth outfielder who can also handle three spots in the infield — and play shortstop in a pinch. He also might be the best option at second. Cheslor Cuthbert and Christian Colon are out of options, meaning they can’t be sent to the minors without going through waivers.
So to find a spot for O’Brien on the roster — theoretically as a fifth outfielder/platoon DH/pinch hitter — you have to do without one of Merrifield, Colon and Cuthbert. There is some redundancy in having all three of those guys on the roster. But they each offer versatility, and the Royals, like most teams, prefer to keep roster inventory high. Would they want to risk losing Colon or Cuthbert?
A couple things to keep in mind: The Royals rarely pinch hit. So they don’t have much need for that. And O’Brien has two options remaining, which means he could continue to pile up at-bats at Class AAA Omaha and polish his skills as a hitter.