Royals Rumblings - News for July 1, 2025
Happy Bobby Bonilla Day!
Craig Brown digs into the Royals’ offensive woes.
What’s funny is that once the Royals fall behind 0-1, they turn into a league average offense. Collectively, this team hits .234/.268/.336, good for a 102 OPS+ after they fall behind 0-1.
When they get ahead in the count, they’re terrible. Overall, the team is hitting .242/.343/.374 when they jump ahead 1-0. Yes, those numbers are better than when they fall behind 0-1, which they should be. But the split of when this team gets ahead 1-0 has them at an abysmal 79 OPS+, worse than every team in the majors, save the Chicago White Sox.
David Lesky looks at where the Royals stand.
Nothing we’ve discussed has changed except for now they have a few fewer games to play to make up the ground. The reality is that they are likely on the outside looking in at the end of the season. Without a crystal ball at my disposal, I can say that the month of June feels like the reason why that will be the case, and particularly their work at home. That said, I’ll continue to beat the drum that they still have three games left against Boston, seven against Cleveland, six against Los Angeles, six against Minnesota, seven against Seattle (starting tonight), four against Texas and six against Toronto. They’re only ahead of three teams, but they play almost every team ahead of them in the Wild Card standings, so they still have a lot of control.
There are now 13 games left until the break. They’re 12 games into a 25-game stretch that I said (and still believe) determines their direction. They’re 5-7 in that 12-game stretch, which seems better than they are because they started 4-0. This week in Seattle is their biggest series of the year to date. They really need to go 8-5 to finish out their pre-break schedule. Does this team have an 8-5 stretch in them?
Anne Rogers reports Kyle Wright is out two weeks with an oblique strain.
“He’s going to be shut down for now,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “We’ll reevaluate in two weeks. He might be able to do some stuff before that, but it’ll be about two weeks until we reevaluate.”
A bunch of mock drafts dropped this week. ESPN:
Pick: Ethan Conrad, OF, Wake Forest
Royals GM Schoenfield: Don’t draft for need? That is the saying, but boy do the Royals need some help in the outfield. Conrad transferred from Marist to Wake Forest for 2025 after finishing second in the Cape Cod League in batting average last summer. He was off to a big start, hitting .372/.495/.744 before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery after 21 games. His hitting is more gap to gap, but that will work in Kauffman Stadium. Scouts would have liked to see him face better pitching in the ACC before he got hurt, but there is a projectable hit tool here.
23. Royals: SS Kayson Cunningham, Johnson HS (TX)
Slot value: $3,852,100
Typically when teams have extra picks, which the Royals do at No. 28 (the Prospect Promotion Incentive pick for Bobby Witt Jr. being 2024 AL MVP runner-up) and No. 71 (competitive balance), the play is to take the “safer” player first, then spend the savings on upside plays with the later picks. The Royals seem like a candidate to do the opposite and grab the high-end talent they want here, then figure out the rest later. Cunningham could hear his name called in the 10-14 range. Kansas City has really gone for upside with their last few first-round picks and I think they’d pounce on one of those prep position players who really has no business being on the board here for talent reasons, but would be available for money reasons.
23. Royals — Daniel Pierce, SS, Mill Creek HS, Hoschton, Ga.
Pierce has real action throughout the teens and into the 20s as we get into the most high school-heavy clubs in the draft. The Royals have more money to throw his way than any team picking after 15 outside of the Orioles and Brewers. This also feels like one of the more likely landing spots for Kruz Schoolcraft.Anne makes the case for Bobby Witt Jr. to start the All-Star Game.
23. Royals: Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP, Sunset HS, Portland, Ore. (No. 19)
Yes, giving the Royals a prep lefty might seem too easy in terms of demographics they like, but there is definite interest in the huge southpaw from the Pacific Northwest.
Why Freddy Fermin had to play an inning of second base over the weekend.
Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña lands on the Injured List.
Bryce Harper returns from the Injured List.
Mets owner Steve Cohen did not see this disastrous June coming.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy sees the value in long walks. [$]
What is a “line drive” exactly?
A ranking of the top 25 trade candidates this summer.
Should the Pirates trade pitcher Mitch Keller?
The WNBA announces plans to expand to Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia.
Carjitsu is the bizarre new sport that takes place in a car.
Space elevators could work if Earth days were shorter.
NASA will stream rocket launches on Netflix this summer.
We have a trailer for the much-anticipated film Hail Mary based on the popular novel.
Your song of the day is Good Looks with If It’s Gone.