Daily Clips
January 23, 2018
LOCAL
Royals prospects pay homage to Ventura
Trip to Dominican Republic part of Cultural Development Week
January 22, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Yordano Ventura died one year ago: How we covered the tragedy, tributes that followed
January 22, 2018KC Star
‘Family is Forever.’ Yordano Ventura’s former teammates remember their friend
January 22, 2018By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
Royals fans share memories of Yordano Ventura, one year after his death
January 22, 2018By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
Yordano Ventura’s hometown ballpark will get a facelift from Royals’ ACE 30 Fund
January 22, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
Yordano Ventura’s friends built this memorial at his crash site in the Dominican
January 22, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
Royals players, staff honor Yordano Ventura at Dominican Republic ball field where he played baseball as a kid
January 22, 2018By Michelle Pekarsky/FOX4KC.com
NATIONAL
Giants find center fielder, sign free agent A-Jax
Outfielder could solidify position or platoon after club added Cutch to play right
January 22, 2018By Chris Haft/MLB.com
MLB TRANSACTIONS
January 23, 2018 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Royals prospects pay homage to Ventura
Trip to Dominican Republic part of Cultural Development Week
January 22, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
One by one, Royals prospects somberly approached and stood at the gravesite of Yordano Ventura.
No words were spoken.
"No words to describe this moment," Royals director of baseball operations Alec Zumwalt tweeted at the scene.
Visiting the gravesite of Ventura, who died in an auto accident one year ago -- Jan. 22, 2017 -- in the Dominican Republic, was just one of many scheduled stops for a group of 17 Royals prospects during a recent visit to that country.
The trip was part of the Royals' Cultural Development Week, now an annual excursion in its second official year.
Members of the baseball operations staff also attended, along with Royals Charities personnel.
Nick Pratto, MJ Melendez, Richard Lovelady, Khalil Lee, Michael Gigliotti and many other Royals prospects made their way through the Dominican, including a stop in Ventura's hometown of Las Terrenas.
The goal of the trip was to help Royals players connect with and better understand the diverse backgrounds of their teammates.
"It's designed to help American players learn about the Latin culture," Royals assistant general manager J.J. Picollo said. "It's really an eye-opener for the guys, especially the ones who have just signed and so forth."
During the week stay, the players sometimes worked out in the mornings before setting forth on their scheduled appearances.
One of the stops included conducting a baseball clinic for 75 local youth in Las Terrenas. Marisol Hernandez, Yordano's mother, was there, as well as other family members and friends of Ventura.
The players also visited the Casa Amor orphanage, supported by the Royals Dominican Academy and Royals Charities.
"Incredibly humbling experience to go to an orphanage in the Dominican Republic," tweeted prospect Chris DeVito. "Kids with so little with smiles so bright."
Royals Charities visited Ventura's hometown baseball field that received a special Royals Fields grant to improve the facility.
"We're committed now to doing this trip every year," Picollo said. "We'll have different players every year go.
"Last year, Yordano was with our players, just a week or so before the accident. It was such a thrill for them to hang around with Yordano, a very special moment."
Yordano Ventura died one year ago: How we covered the tragedy, tributes that followed
January 22, 2018KC Star
As far as anniversaries go, this one may be the worst one for Royals fans.
One year ago on Monday, pitcher Yordano Ventura died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic. For many people, they’ll long remember where they were on that stunning Sunday morning when the news came of Ventura’s death.
Chris Fickett, The Star’s Deputy Sports Editor, shared links to some of the stories that were written after Ventura died. (click link for story links)
‘Family is Forever.’ Yordano Ventura’s former teammates remember their friend
January 22, 2018By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
Royals fans on Monday shared their thoughts about the one-year anniversary of the death of pitcher Yordano Ventura.
Ventura died on Jan. 22, 2017 in a one-car accident in the Dominican Republic. Like fans, Ventura’s former teammates also miss him.
Many took to social media to share messages about Ventura. (click link for photos)
Christian Colon wrote: “I miss u kid”
Eric Hosmer shared a photo from last year’s tribute to Ventura at the home opener.
Edinson Volquez posted a picture from the World Series championship parade.
Alcides Escobar wrote a message in Spanish that translated to: “Already at one year after your departure My brother you are where you want to be we miss you so much and may God have you in his Holy glory”
Jeremy Guthrie wrote: “Family is Forever. #RIPAce”
The Royals tweeted: “Forever in our hearts. We miss you. #Ace30”
The Royals minor-league affiliates also remembered Ventura.
Royals fans share memories of Yordano Ventura, one year after his death
January 22, 2018By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
Yordano Ventura’s final record was 38-31 with a 3.89 ERA and 470 strikeouts in 547 2/3 innings pitched.
Many Royals fans expected Ventura would add to those statistics over the next decade. Instead, Ventura died on Jan. 22, 2017 at the age of 25 after a car accident in the Dominican Republic.
Monday was the anniversary of that terrible day when Ventura died, and many Royals fans took to social media to grieve and share memories and photos of the man whose nickname was Ace.
The hashtag #Ace30 was widely used by Royals fans.
Here is what fans were saying: (click link for tweets)
Yordano Ventura’s hometown ballpark will get a facelift from Royals’ ACE 30 Fund
January 22, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
Kids from Yordano Ventura’s hometown will not have to play baseball in a dilapidated stadium for much longer.
The Royals announced Monday that money from the ACE 30 Fund, which was established in Ventura’s memory shortly after his Jan. 22, 2017 death in his native Dominican Republic, would be used to renovate Estadio Municipal in Las Terrenas. Ventura learned to pitch in the stadium, and his casket was laid atop the mound there during his funeral procession last year.
The stadium has for so long operated in a state of disrepair that the local baseball association president said in a 2014 report by Dominincan newspaper Hoy that the country’s ministry of sports would take on some remodeling. If any repairs were done then, it was not apparent when The Star visited Las Terrenas last week. The concrete outfield walls had cracks, puddles of water dotted the playing surface and weeds twisted through chain-link fences, some of which were torn down.
“I think that’s a great idea because it’s necessary here,” baseball player Luis Alberto Johnson, 19, said last week. “(Ventura) said he was going to do it himself. But with his passing, it wasn’t possible.”
The village of Las Terrenas honored Ventura at the stadium on Monday afternoon for the one-year anniversary of his death. A framed Ventura jersey was placed on the mound and “ACE 30” was drawn on the infield dirt in front of it.
The Royals will level the outfield, fix the infield, apply new paint and install nets. They will also build a bullpen tunnel with cages for batters and pitchers and repair the dugouts.
So far, Royals Charities has raised $70,000 through the ACE 30 Fund, which was created to fund baseball-related projects in Ventura’s native land.
The Royals announced the renovation in Las Terrenas on Jan. 13, when a group of minor-leaguers and Royals Charities traveled to the village for a baseball clinic. Upon completion, the Royals plan to rename the stadium in Ventura’s honor.
“I don’t want to exaggerate, but I don’t think people heard about Las Terrenas a lot before Yordano,” said Victor Báez, longtime field coordinator at the Royals’ Dominican Academy in Guerra. “That town became better known because of him.
“We want Yordano’s legacy to live on in Las Terrenas and the stadium.”
Yordano Ventura’s friends built this memorial at his crash site in the Dominican
January 22, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
When he died in an early-morning crash in the mountainous interior of his native Dominican Republic last year, the only obvious signs of Yordano Ventura’s fatal incident were skid marks on the highway and the broken pieces of guardrail through which his Jeep had crashed.
These days, the crash site in Juan Ádrian bears a tribute to Ventura. Friends who’d grown close to Ventura in the last year of his life put the memorial together.
A small, white house sits atop a rock painted white, a few yards from where Ventura’s Jeep flipped onto its side. Candles burn inside. A laminated poster with a picture of Ventura is attached beneath the house, printed with messages in Spanish that say, “Your humility was your best quality,” and, “You left a mark on every heart you touched.”
Surrounding rocks, also painted white, bear Ventura’s name and his nickname ACE 30 in blue. A crucifix stands nearby. Friends also installed a small bench to bridge the two rocks.
Frank Burgos said Ventura’s friends plan to gather at the site this week to reminisce and play music for Ventura.
“That’s what he loved, the music,” said Burgos, who met Ventura when the pitcher sought him out to install a large stereo system in one of his vehicles. “His favorite hobby.”
The Juan Ádrian memorial is one of several tributes to Ventura’s memory.
Carlos Santana, the former Indians first baseman who signed with the Phillies this winter, put on his annual charity softball tournament in the Dominican in Ventura’s name last month.
Ventura inspired so many Dominican children that a search of Instagram hashtags “ACE30” or “RIPVentura,” as well as a glance at images in which Ventura was tagged on his account (@venturayordano), yields results of baseball players learning his unique throwing motion and others lamenting his sudden passing.
“I don’t think Yordano knew what he was,” said Burgos, whose own 11-year-old was mentored by Ventura. “There are so many kids, the way he threw, the way he played, they admired him.
“Yordano, you could have asked him for a photo and he stopped what he was doing. He didn’t tell anyone no. He was so different from other ballplayers. He was so humble.”
Royals players, staff honor Yordano Ventura at Dominican Republic ball field where he played baseball as a kid
January 22, 2018By Michelle Pekarsky/FOX4KC.com
One year ago, Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura died in a car crash in the Dominican Republic. He was 25-years old.
As the day drew nearer, the Kansas City Royals knew they needed to honor their friend and teammate, so many took a trip to Yordano's hometown of Las Terrenas. Teammates conducted a clinic for 75 local youth at the Estadio Municipal, the baseball field where Yordano grew up. Yordano’s mother, Marisol Hernández, came to the clinic as well, which was led by Royals minor league players.
At the clinic, Royals Charities, through the ACE 30 Fund, announced its support of renovations to the Estadio Municipal ball field. Royals Charities/ACE 30 Fund will help pay for extensive field work, leveling the outfield and repairing the infield playing surface, repairing the dugouts, painting the backstop and stands, and adding new netting and bullpen tunnels for pitchers and batters to use.
Take a look in the photo gallery below (click link) at the visit to Las Terrenas, Yordano's hometown, and the fun everyone had at the clinic, in rain or shine. Photos are from Saturday, Jan. 13th and provided by the Kansas City Royals.
The group also stopped by the field it funded in Guerra, Dominican Republic. Less than two weeks before he died, Yordano Ventura joined Royals Charities and the Royals Dominican Academy to present a grant to renovate a youth baseball field in Guerra, DR. The field had fallen into disrepair with overgrown grass and an uneven infield. On January 11, 2017, Yordano presented the grant and with that funding, the DR Academy & Grounds Crew oversaw the construction to create a place for kids to play baseball where they couldn't play before. The youth field is located about 10 min from the Academy in a densely populated neighborhood near a school in Guerra.
NATIONAL
Giants find center fielder, sign free agent A-Jax
Outfielder could solidify position or platoon after club added Cutch to play right
January 22, 2018By Chris Haft/MLB.com
The Giants completed their outfield upgrade, at least on paper, by agreeing with free-agent center fielder Austin Jackson on a two-year, $6 million deal on Monday.
The club confirmed the accord shortly after a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand that the sides had reached a deal that could be worth up to $8.5 million with incentives.
Adding Jackson, who will turn 31 on Feb. 1, conceivably represents the final step in San Francisco's attempt to improve its outfield defense. Jackson gives the Giants a legitimate center fielder, though Steven Duggar -- their No. 5 prospect according to MLB Pipeline -- will compete for playing time during Spring Training. Former Pirates star Andrew McCutchen, obtained in a trade last week, is expected to play right field. Hunter Pence, the Giants' regular right fielder since he was acquired from Philadelphia at the non-waiver Trade Deadline in 2012, will play left or become the fourth outfielder.
Giants general manager Bobby Evans said in a statement that Jackson "is a talented and versatile player who will strengthen our roster and provide additional depth at all three outfield positions."
This indicated that Jackson, a right-handed batter, could platoon with the left-handed-swinging Duggar. Playing left field part-time is also a possibility for Jackson, who has made 42 appearances there during eight Major League seasons.
Jackson thrived with the Indians last season, recording a slash line of .318/.387/.482 with seven home runs in 85 games while mostly occupying a platoon role against left-handed pitchers. In 141 plate appearances against lefties in 2017, he posted a 1.013 OPS with four homers.
Jackson owns a lifetime slash line of .275/.336/.403, with 111 stolen bases and 62 home runs. The Giants limited him to a .231 batting average (3-for-13) while sweeping the Tigers, with whom he spent his first 4 1/2 seasons, in the 2012 World Series.
Though Jackson's defensive statistics aren't stunning, his presence ought to help improve the Giants' outfield defense overall. According to Statcast™, they ranked next-to-last in the Majors with minus-16 Outs Above Average (OAA) last year. Jackson had a minus-2 OAA. Denard Span, San Francisco's primary center fielder, and Pence ranked among the National League's bottom 20 outfielders in terms of average arm strength.
The Giants were said to have interest in other free-agent center fielders, including Jarrod Dyson (plus-7 OAA in 2017), Cameron Maybin (plus-2) and Jon Jay (minus-3).
According to FanGraphs, San Francisco also recorded minus-45 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), worst in the Majors last season. Its minus-11.4 Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) ranked third-to-last among the 30 teams.
Jackson had a minus-2 DRS and a minus-4.4 UZR in 2017.
MLB TRANSACTIONS
January 23, 2018 •.CBSSports.com
Arizona Diamondbacks / Fernando Salas / Signed to a Minor League Contract
Chicago Cubs / Chris Gimenez / Signed to a Minor League Contract
Chicago Cubs / Brian Duensing / Signed as Free Agent, ( 2018-2019)(two-year contract)
Chicago White Sox / TJ House / Signed to a Minor League Contract
Chicago White Sox / Chris Volstad / Signed to a Minor League Contract
Houston Astros / Buddy Boshers / Acquired Off Waivers From from Twins, Minnesota
New York Mets / Ty Kelly / Signed to a Minor League Contract
San Diego Padres / Allen Craig / Signed to a Minor League Contract
San Francisco Giants / Austin Jackson / Signed as Free Agent, ( 2018-2019)(two-year contract)