18 Comments
Jun 3Liked by Craig Brown

I get most of the non-moves, but I utterly fail to understand why MJ is not being sent to Omaha. He could have a chance to get his 2023 second-half swing back and rebuild some confidence. Plus, Waters or somebody else could be brought up for a look. What is there to lose? Please explain.

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Ahhh…yes. That’s definitely in the hopper for tomorrow. Especially after watching what the Tigers and Twins did yesterday. Although the Twins move is a bit bizarre.

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Jun 3Liked by Craig Brown

What have you heard about Nate Eaton the past couple of weeks? I haven’t noticed him in the lineup at Omaha. With Isbel banged up, MJ unplayable offensively and Waters going cold, Eaton might be a piece of a short term answer in the outfield.

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He left the game in the sixth inning on 5/24 and then…I don’t know. We should investigate.

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I was at the K yesterday, and that 9th inning was electric. Everybody was on their feet and screaming when Nelly cranked that ball. I didn't think it had the distance, so my initial thought was I hope Vinnie didn't slow down Blanco enough to prevent him from tying it. Then I saw Velasquez rounding second and there was no way he was stopping. Once he got to third, it felt like it was over. I'm not always confident in those situations, even with no outs- I've watched enough Royals baseball over the years to know better- but there was no way Loftin wasn't going to get the job done yesterday. You could feel it in the air.

Going to the K has been refreshingly fun this season, but I haven't witnessed a moment like that since I attended a comeback and Moose walkoff against the Astros in 2017. But the best part was watching the 3 Padres fans sitting in front of me. They seemed like perfectly nice people, and even if they came off as slightly obnoxious when San Diego pulled ahead, I've been around way worse. I reminded myself they're just fans cheering for their team, I'd be doing the same thing if the game had been in SD. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't take a bit of petty pleasure in watching them deflate in the bottom of the ninth!

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Walkoffs are the best. And damn if it didn’t feel preordained once Velázquez hit that triple. This is a result that needs to be circled although I’m always loath to proclaim any win as pivotal or some such nonsense. You said it yourself…We’ve seen too much Royals baseball over the years where it feels like they’re turning the corner only to run smack into another wall. This team is different, though.

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I can't believe the White Sox fired Jason Benetti in favor of...whatever that is. Actually, I can. What an enjoyable season for us White Sox despisers.

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Insane. Yet on-brand for the White Sox. Anyone replacing Benetti would have a difficult time, but that guy is having a rough start and he’s bringing it on himself.

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Jun 3Liked by Craig Brown

I’d love to spread the word about this newsletter, but, I live in Virginia and I know absolutely no one else who cares about the Royals. It’s been me and only me since I was eight. It’s been a lonely ride, but fun at times.

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Jun 3Liked by Craig Brown

Hey Jeremy—I’m in Maryland and a Royals fan!

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Strong east coast presence for the newsletter!

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Appreciate you, Jeremy. Glad the newsletter can keep you some company out there.

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Jun 3Liked by Craig Brown

Good Lord, Pham is a friggin' tool.

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Hahaha. Yep.

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Jun 4Liked by Craig Brown

Speaking of Izzy getting banged up, I have seen Witt go for quite a few balls that I think should have been left to the outfield. This is not to disparage the marvel that is BWJ, and I love the bulldog in him, but maybe leave some bones for the OF instead of maybe breaking them. Isbel had to let one drop just last week to avoid a collision, and MJ is proving he can make some plays. Thoughts?

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Yeah, I don’t know how to sort that out. You don’t want to reign in Bobby, but you don’t want him being reckless and endangering himself or his teammates. Maybe give him priority on the shallow balls to left and have him leave the ones in center?

Is it bad my first thought after seeing that collision was about Bobby’s legs/knees?

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Jun 4Liked by Craig Brown

Hahaha fair concern. Agreed it is hard to tell Bobby not to be amazing, but his throws will need to be if he is running back like that (and probably will be). But y, your idea sounds like a good start, I'll call Alguicil if Witt doesn't figure out after almost concussing his teammate

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Jun 4Liked by Craig Brown

and oh yeah, great pic of Ragans and great writing - thank you!

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