MJ Melendez brings home four and Nick Pratto drives in three as the Royals crush the White Sox. Even Jackie Bradley Jr. gets in on the act. A total team effort.
I thought that Garcia's barehanded play on that bunt was even more impressive than MJ's fine catch near the right field line. I just wish that MJ would stop fielding ground balls off to his left side. Sooner or later another one is going to get under his glove as happened earlier this season. That's much less likely to happen if he positions himself directly in front of the ball.
Garcia is an elite defender. I also think Bobby has improved at short. With those two on the left side of the infield, that’s looking like a decent defensive alignment.
Mr. B, Speaking of derailments, that '17 trade for the three SD pitchers cost the team a shot at the postseason, IMO. Only Buchter was halfway decent. Cahill, in particular, and Maurer were abominable.
As abominable as Gonzalez's calls. Speaking of abominable, haven't heard much from the grievous Angel Hernandez. Is he still active?
As good as some of the trades were to build the championship teams, the deal with San Diego was brutal. Another sign at the time that the mojo they had in ‘14 and ‘15 had evaporated.
Hernandez is still around. I think he’s done one Royals series this year?
Terrible trade. Brandon Maurer might be my least favorite Royal ever. Not only was he terrible when they needed him to be good in 17, but I've seen very few players look like they care less than he did. And all of it only got worse when the team fell off a cliff in 18.
Just a question on pitching depth. I thought Austin Cox looked pretty good in his 2 innings the other day. Why did they send him back down so quick? Garcia's play was beauty.
In a homestand like this with a long stretch of games, they’re going to use this “revolving door” method of managing the pen. Rather than have a guy stick around for a day or two after he throws, they’ll send him down and replace him with someone who is available. Cox did well. He’ll be back.
Couldn't agree with you more about Garcia. But you're more optimistic than I am about BWJ's play at SS. Sure, the spectacular plays are there but the routine plays are still a bit of a crapshoot. That shouldn't be the case with a legit MLB SS. I suspect that he'll end up in CF where he can take full advantage of his magnificent athleticism. That would be my plan, anyway.
I am optimistic that he can stick for the time being but wouldn’t be surprised if he ultimately moves off the position. It’s nice to have Garcia as a fallback option at short. Now if they can just find a competent third baseman…
I'm not going to condition it with any "but"s or point out that it was by no means a perfect game. Last night's game was fun, maybe the only truly fun game I've been able to catch all season. So I'm just going to accept it and enjoy, and hopefully tonight, though the odds may be long, they can do more of the same and win 3! games in a row.
Some props to Castillo too, who managed to throw a fairly constant stream of strikes (except for the time when I said out loud how nice it was to see pitches in the zone, at which point he promptly walked the next hitter) and looked like the kind of long reliever one could come to love. That said, it's possible Chicago was just over it by the time he came in the game. Also, usually righties (no matter how good of a hitter they actually are) don't have the kind of aesthetically pleasing swing that great lefties feature, but Garcia definitely has a bit of that lefty vibe, where his swing is just pretty to watch.
May 9, 2023·edited May 9, 2023Liked by Craig Brown
Do you think there's any sort of a decent chance that Nate Eaton ends up at 3B, assuming that he can actually hit MLB pitching? Or was all that talk about his great defensive skills at 3B just vapid PR BS?
The arm certainly plays there. Seems like he has the reflexes to field the position. He's still getting reps there when he's been in the minors. I don't think it's PR BS. Now about the bat...
I thought that Garcia's barehanded play on that bunt was even more impressive than MJ's fine catch near the right field line. I just wish that MJ would stop fielding ground balls off to his left side. Sooner or later another one is going to get under his glove as happened earlier this season. That's much less likely to happen if he positions himself directly in front of the ball.
Garcia is an elite defender. I also think Bobby has improved at short. With those two on the left side of the infield, that’s looking like a decent defensive alignment.
you were prophetic re MJ...
Thank you for noticing! I just wish I could find a way to be right about something more than once every few decades.
Ha ... a good observation, stuck w/ me.
Mr. B, Speaking of derailments, that '17 trade for the three SD pitchers cost the team a shot at the postseason, IMO. Only Buchter was halfway decent. Cahill, in particular, and Maurer were abominable.
As abominable as Gonzalez's calls. Speaking of abominable, haven't heard much from the grievous Angel Hernandez. Is he still active?
As good as some of the trades were to build the championship teams, the deal with San Diego was brutal. Another sign at the time that the mojo they had in ‘14 and ‘15 had evaporated.
Hernandez is still around. I think he’s done one Royals series this year?
Terrible trade. Brandon Maurer might be my least favorite Royal ever. Not only was he terrible when they needed him to be good in 17, but I've seen very few players look like they care less than he did. And all of it only got worse when the team fell off a cliff in 18.
Just a question on pitching depth. I thought Austin Cox looked pretty good in his 2 innings the other day. Why did they send him back down so quick? Garcia's play was beauty.
In a homestand like this with a long stretch of games, they’re going to use this “revolving door” method of managing the pen. Rather than have a guy stick around for a day or two after he throws, they’ll send him down and replace him with someone who is available. Cox did well. He’ll be back.
Couldn't agree with you more about Garcia. But you're more optimistic than I am about BWJ's play at SS. Sure, the spectacular plays are there but the routine plays are still a bit of a crapshoot. That shouldn't be the case with a legit MLB SS. I suspect that he'll end up in CF where he can take full advantage of his magnificent athleticism. That would be my plan, anyway.
I am optimistic that he can stick for the time being but wouldn’t be surprised if he ultimately moves off the position. It’s nice to have Garcia as a fallback option at short. Now if they can just find a competent third baseman…
I'm not going to condition it with any "but"s or point out that it was by no means a perfect game. Last night's game was fun, maybe the only truly fun game I've been able to catch all season. So I'm just going to accept it and enjoy, and hopefully tonight, though the odds may be long, they can do more of the same and win 3! games in a row.
Three wins in a row? Dare to dream.
It was a fun game. An entertaining game. A good way to spend an early summer evening.
Some props to Castillo too, who managed to throw a fairly constant stream of strikes (except for the time when I said out loud how nice it was to see pitches in the zone, at which point he promptly walked the next hitter) and looked like the kind of long reliever one could come to love. That said, it's possible Chicago was just over it by the time he came in the game. Also, usually righties (no matter how good of a hitter they actually are) don't have the kind of aesthetically pleasing swing that great lefties feature, but Garcia definitely has a bit of that lefty vibe, where his swing is just pretty to watch.
Agree on all points. I’ve been on the Garcia bandwangon for awhile and am just delighted he’s having some early success.
Castillo did exactly what Q needed him to do. Steady. There’s value in that. Too bad he was one out away from the three inning save.
Do you think there's any sort of a decent chance that Nate Eaton ends up at 3B, assuming that he can actually hit MLB pitching? Or was all that talk about his great defensive skills at 3B just vapid PR BS?
The arm certainly plays there. Seems like he has the reflexes to field the position. He's still getting reps there when he's been in the minors. I don't think it's PR BS. Now about the bat...