Weekend Rumblings - News for August 10, 2024

Is Bobby Witt Jr. the MVP?

Mike Lupica at MLB.com marvels at the season Bobby Witt Jr. is enjoying.

Witt is the player Alex Cora described as special, who just keeps doing special things for the Royals. There have been a lot of fine Kansas City players since George Brett. The club still has a great catcher in Salvador Perez, who has 20 home runs and is hitting .280. But the Royals have a total star again in Witt. He is the one to watch in Kansas City, and he is the one who has given Kansas City fans hope.

Zachary Rymer at Bleacher Report makes the case for Bobby winning MVP over Aaron Judge.

In focus here are FanGraphs playoff odds from the start of the season vs. the current day. Thing 1 is for the Yankees, whose chances have increased 40 percent. Thing 2 is for the Royals, whose chances have increased 360 percent.

In other words, the Yankees are where they were expected to be, while the Royals are where anyone could have only hoped they would be.

Anne Rogers has a John Schreiber injury update.

Schreiber, who has been sidelined with a right knee injury since July 29, threw a bullpen on Thursday and is scheduled for another on Sunday, after which the Royals will be able to see how he feels and determine the next steps for his return. Manager Matt Quatraro said Schreiber feels good pitching-wise, but he still needs to check off some boxes in his recovery, especially fielding off the mound and running to bases.

David Lesky looks at the schedule down the stretch.

Friends, they’re for real. They’re 64-52 after 116 games. They have the fourth-best run differential in all of baseball. Theyr’e 25-10 in games decided by five or more runs, which is a great indicator of a good team. A lot of people cite their record against .500+ teams. No, it’s not great, but it’s 15th-best in baseball, which is right in the middle of the pack. Are they great? I don’t think so. But are they good enough to make the playoffs? I don’t think there’s any way you can say they’re not. I don’t care what their record is when you take away the 13 games against the White Sox. Those count too. They are for real. But will they make the playoffs? That’s the million dollar question.

Baseball America moves the Royals’ farm system up from #30 to #25 in mid-season rankings.

After a series of fallow years following the graduation of Bobby Witt Jr., among others, Kansas City’s system is on the rise. The organization now has a Top 100 prospect—2024 first-rounder Jac Caglianone —and catchers Blake Mitchell and Carter Jensen aren’t far off. Kansas City also has a host of intriguing players up and down the minor leagues.

Hunter Samuels writes about how fun it is to watch Bobby.

Some of the top prep players in the Midwest participated in a showcase at Kauffman Stadium.

Grady Sizemore went from being an intern to manager of the White Sox in less than a year.

Who could be candidates to serve as White Sox manager full time next year?

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. extends his hitting streak to 20 games.

The Giants demote 2023 All-Star closer Camilo Doval to the minors.

The champion Texas Rangers visit the White House.

San Francisco is interested in a long-term deal with third baseman Matt Chapman.

The Orioles sign veteran infielder Jean Segura to a minor league deal.

Jackson Holliday has provided a jolt to the Orioles.

ESPN Insider looks at how the Mets turned their season around.

What managers are on the hot seat?

Is the cable industry a zombie waiting to be put out of its misery?

A 36-year-old Olympic breakdancer had fans scratching their heads at her routine.

Jake Paul wants to compete in boxing at the 2028 Olympics.

MDMA could be approved by the FDA to treat PTSD.

Sunday nights on HBO used to be appointment TV - what happened?

The new film Borderlands has a 0% debut score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Your song of the day is Jim Croce with Bad, Bad Leroy Brown.