I would be curious to know if the Royals would be thinking about Jac as a possible 2-way dude if Ohtani hadn't made such a big deal of it? I've always been in favor of having a 2-way guy as a possibility out of the bullpen. It would save a roster spot, no?
The bullpen is where Jac would be, but I think at this point it's a massive long shot. However, a lefty who throws in the upper 90s will always bring intrigue.
He has a lot of work to do to make the adjustments to pro ball with his hitting.
I don't think they're seriously considering it. They've already said he won't be doing any pitching this year. A guy goes 1.5 pro years without pitching and then adds it later? Seems unlikely.
My guess is they told him he could try - as many people have been told they could try - and then keep convincing him not to actually do it until it doesn't make sense to do
Why does the MLB Style Guide exist? The DeRenne stuff was great; I think those of us ”of a certain age” forget that there’s work around this stuff. It’s not always just Brett spending a spring morning with Lau and the rest is history….
Hitting a baseball isn't easy, that's for sure. I'm impressed with how comfortable Melendez looks right now. Although, given how he looked last year just about anything would be an improvement.
From the GIF (another GIF!!!) he seems a bit stiff, which is reasonable to expect at this point; but, this is how great MLB stories are born. As long as he stays true to the Style Guide…..
A little excited to see MJs swing. Scared to completely buy in, but I feel like whenever Anne Rogers writes about something, its usually a lock. It sure would be nice to find a competent bat who could take LF for a bit if MJ needed to perfect his swing in the minors, or at least platoon with him to ease the press temptation.
Super excited to see the full powder! That may be the biggest leak to come out of front office in some time. Wasn't that Brett photoshoot in '23? - I just assumed they put them back in the mothball juju remover when they opened season going 1-6 at home.
MJ is going to have to prove that he can stick with the new swing and not fall back into old habits/mechanics and he’s going to have to prove that it actually works. I feel we’re a long way from knowing if this works or not, but he’s on the right track, so that counts for something. At least in Spring Training.
I do believe the powder blue photoshoot was in ‘23. Nicky Lopez sighting! As MB says below, I guess it was ONLY for Opening Day. Which is strange to me.
Regarding the powder blue pants - the Royals announced two years ago they'd wear them on Opening Day - but just on Opening Day. I thought they brought them back for a game against st. louis as well in '23, but I could be mistaken. This is obviously a huge upgrade. They introduced the powder blue jersey around 2007. We've been asking for the pants to match ever since!
If MJ can make the swing changes stick, including maintaining faith in those changes, I think it's nearly guaranteed to help with the bad contact issue. Obviously a quicker swing means more time make good swing decisions, but I think DeRenne is suggesting that the most important part is actually reducing the amount of time where MJ's "hyper-mobility" can manufacture contact with pitches that he would be better off missing.
By itself this would raise his floor as a hitter, of course, because less contact with bad pitches means fewer at-bats ending with bad outs. As for his ceiling, fewer bad outs means more chances at hittable pitches, so it is my opinion that his ceiling depends on whether his past Flashes of Potential showed us what he can do consistently when he gets more hittable pitches, or only what he can do when he gets hot.
Everything I've ever read about him says he's a hard worker and a good guy all around, and I would really love to see him succeed. Boy would this be a different team if he was 13% above league average at the plate instead of below.
Agree. And it pretty much can't get worse for Melendez. And the status quo isn't an option here, either. If he can raise that floor and show real improvement, it would be akin to a free agent signing. Perhaps the outfielder JJ was looking for was here all along. That's wildly optimistic, but it's spring.
I am no Craig Brown, but these days I would be pretty happy to see Verdugo on a 1 year deal. At least he is an above average defender, and if he can get back to '23 offense great. Royals need a back up plan for the corner OF that's a little more solid than "we have some athletic infielders that may be able to play there".
Do you remember where you have seen these rumors? - are they even better than spring training daydreams?
I would be curious to know if the Royals would be thinking about Jac as a possible 2-way dude if Ohtani hadn't made such a big deal of it? I've always been in favor of having a 2-way guy as a possibility out of the bullpen. It would save a roster spot, no?
The bullpen is where Jac would be, but I think at this point it's a massive long shot. However, a lefty who throws in the upper 90s will always bring intrigue.
He has a lot of work to do to make the adjustments to pro ball with his hitting.
I don't think they're seriously considering it. They've already said he won't be doing any pitching this year. A guy goes 1.5 pro years without pitching and then adds it later? Seems unlikely.
My guess is they told him he could try - as many people have been told they could try - and then keep convincing him not to actually do it until it doesn't make sense to do
Yeah...they're kicking the pitching can down the road.
Why does the MLB Style Guide exist? The DeRenne stuff was great; I think those of us ”of a certain age” forget that there’s work around this stuff. It’s not always just Brett spending a spring morning with Lau and the rest is history….
Hitting a baseball isn't easy, that's for sure. I'm impressed with how comfortable Melendez looks right now. Although, given how he looked last year just about anything would be an improvement.
From the GIF (another GIF!!!) he seems a bit stiff, which is reasonable to expect at this point; but, this is how great MLB stories are born. As long as he stays true to the Style Guide…..
Well said on the powder blues...
Hahaha...of course you agree! :)
A little excited to see MJs swing. Scared to completely buy in, but I feel like whenever Anne Rogers writes about something, its usually a lock. It sure would be nice to find a competent bat who could take LF for a bit if MJ needed to perfect his swing in the minors, or at least platoon with him to ease the press temptation.
Super excited to see the full powder! That may be the biggest leak to come out of front office in some time. Wasn't that Brett photoshoot in '23? - I just assumed they put them back in the mothball juju remover when they opened season going 1-6 at home.
MJ is going to have to prove that he can stick with the new swing and not fall back into old habits/mechanics and he’s going to have to prove that it actually works. I feel we’re a long way from knowing if this works or not, but he’s on the right track, so that counts for something. At least in Spring Training.
I do believe the powder blue photoshoot was in ‘23. Nicky Lopez sighting! As MB says below, I guess it was ONLY for Opening Day. Which is strange to me.
Regarding the powder blue pants - the Royals announced two years ago they'd wear them on Opening Day - but just on Opening Day. I thought they brought them back for a game against st. louis as well in '23, but I could be mistaken. This is obviously a huge upgrade. They introduced the powder blue jersey around 2007. We've been asking for the pants to match ever since!
Thanks for the clarification on only Opening Day. It doesn’t make sense to me. But it’s never made sense to me that they don’t go full powder blue.
If MJ can make the swing changes stick, including maintaining faith in those changes, I think it's nearly guaranteed to help with the bad contact issue. Obviously a quicker swing means more time make good swing decisions, but I think DeRenne is suggesting that the most important part is actually reducing the amount of time where MJ's "hyper-mobility" can manufacture contact with pitches that he would be better off missing.
By itself this would raise his floor as a hitter, of course, because less contact with bad pitches means fewer at-bats ending with bad outs. As for his ceiling, fewer bad outs means more chances at hittable pitches, so it is my opinion that his ceiling depends on whether his past Flashes of Potential showed us what he can do consistently when he gets more hittable pitches, or only what he can do when he gets hot.
Everything I've ever read about him says he's a hard worker and a good guy all around, and I would really love to see him succeed. Boy would this be a different team if he was 13% above league average at the plate instead of below.
Agree. And it pretty much can't get worse for Melendez. And the status quo isn't an option here, either. If he can raise that floor and show real improvement, it would be akin to a free agent signing. Perhaps the outfielder JJ was looking for was here all along. That's wildly optimistic, but it's spring.
White pants with powder blue jerseys always looked ridiculous, but it's a byproduct of an era in the front office. Better late than never to fix it.
I'm seeing lot's of rumors concerning Alex Verdugo to the Royals. If it's a 1 year prove it deal I wouldn't be opposed. How about you?
I am no Craig Brown, but these days I would be pretty happy to see Verdugo on a 1 year deal. At least he is an above average defender, and if he can get back to '23 offense great. Royals need a back up plan for the corner OF that's a little more solid than "we have some athletic infielders that may be able to play there".
Do you remember where you have seen these rumors? - are they even better than spring training daydreams?