Royals Rumblings - News for March 20, 2025
One week until Opening Day.
Daniel Lynch IV’s last Spring Training outing could hint at his role this season:
Lynch will get a few appearances out of the bullpen this week as the Cactus League schedule wraps up, with an inning Wednesday and two scheduled on Friday, while Kris Bubic remains in the rotation and is scheduled for his sixth spring game (fifth start) on Thursday.
And that seems to be the way the staff is shaping up with a week to go before Opening Day: Bubic in the rotation behind Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Michael Lorenzen. That means Lynch could open the season as a reliever in Kansas City or a starter in Triple-A Omaha. The bullpen appearances this week give insight into how the Royals are thinking.
Eric Hosmer is excited about Jac Caglianone’s future with the Royals:
“All this combined with the Royals offseason program!” Hosmer wrote of Caglianone, who will start the season at Double-A. “Cags validates that he’s got big league tools, he’s seen the big leaguers work and how to take his routine & preparation to the next level! No more doubt for Cags as far as wondering what it takes, blueprints laid out young stud! Now we go!”
The Royals Reporter Kevin O’Brien ranks the best seating sections at Kauffman Stadium:
The view box sections tend to be smaller, which means you get less traffic going up and down the aisles and fewer distractions or people getting in the way of your view. You also get easy access to the concourse, where you can grab a quick bite, drink, or use the restroom in between innings and not miss much of the action.
Also, ushers tend to be more experienced working in these sections. Thus, fans get workers who don’t allow nonsense (it isn’t enjoyable when people don’t sit in the right seats and act righteous about it when the usher asks them to go to their seats) but are still friendly and maximize the viewing and gameday experience. We have had two different ushers in our section since being season ticket holders in this section since 2022 (we were in a different section in 2021), and they have been amazing people who have made us and everyone in our section feel welcome, regardless if they are STM or not.
FanGraphs rates Kansas City at the top of their shortstop positional rankings and much lower at third base:
The Royals and Bobby Witt Jr. experienced a scare last week when Witt took a fastball off the forearm, but fortunately he walked away from the plunking with just a contusion, which should mean minimal time missed for the Royals’ crown prince. Though Salvador Perez remains the club’s veteran leader, Witt is the clear successor to the throne, as the Royals committed more than double the years and money to Witt than they had to any other player in team history. The 24-year-old’s reign has started strong. In the year after signing his long-term deal, Witt posted 10.4 WAR and placed second in AL MVP voting.
The Athletic previews the AL Central ($):
The Royals improved their record by 30 games last season, which earned them their first trip to the playoffs since their World Series-winning run in 2015. Quatraro’s club won’t be sneaking up on anyone in 2025, not with one of the league’s top talents in AL MVP runner-up Witt Jr., plus a stout rotation (two of the top four AL Cy Young Award finishers) and a bolstered bullpen. The Royals didn’t have a splashy winter, but they addressed their needs, acquiring India to top the lineup and reliever Carlos Estévez to handle the late innings. Now, can they take another step forward after a massive leap in 2024?
Inside MLB’s process of authenticating game-used items.
Shohei Ohtani’s first homer of the season came with controversy as it appeared there may have been fan interference.
The Angels are banning cellphones in the clubhouse. ($)
The Astros unveiled their second iteration of City Connect uniforms.
Jose Altuve will begin the season as Houston’s primary left fielder.
The Department of Defense removed a page about Jackie Robinson’s military service from their website, later restoring it after immense backlash.
Women in baseball are redefining work and motherhood.
Tennessee takes over the top spot in this week’s college baseball top 25.
The NFL will review several rules changes this offseason, including one that would ban the tush push.
One season after setting an NBA-record for longest single-season losing streak, the Detroit Pistons are a real threat.
The U.S. restaurant industry has changed significantly after five years of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Your song of the day is Mayonaise by The Smashing Pumpkins.