Once I talked to him eventually 12 months’s GM conferences, J.J. Picollo advised me that an offseason precedence was so as to add “guys with expertise” to a Kansas Metropolis Royals roster that was lengthy on promising younger expertise however brief on veteran presence. Picollo did simply that — Seth Lugo, Hunter Renfroe, Will Smith, and Michael Wacha had been amongst these introduced on board — and whereas the additions solely advised a part of the story, the top consequence was a greatest vendor. One 12 months after profitable simply 56 video games, the 2024 Royals went 86-76 and performed October baseball for the primary time in a decade.
What does the AL Central membership’s Govt Vice President/Normal Supervisor see as the highest precedence going into subsequent season?
“We should be slightly extra dynamic offensively, and by that I imply we have to get on base at a better charge than we did this 12 months,” Picollo advised me earlier this week in San Antonio. “We’re attempting to focus on gamers we are able to lengthen out our lineup with, whether or not it’s somebody on the prime, within the center, or towards the again finish. Our identification is extra pitching and protection, base operating, and situational hitting, so how can we add some guys that may complement what we have already got that may enable us to attain extra runs?”
The Royals crossed the plate 735 occasions in 2024, the sixth-highest whole within the American League. Their .306 on-base proportion was ninth-highest, whereas their .403 slugging proportion and their 170 house runs ranked sixth and tenth respectively. As energy clearly helps present extra runs, I requested Picollo if OBP is certainly the precedence.
“For what we want, sure,” Picollo replied. “We predict it may result in extra run manufacturing based mostly on who else we have now on the group. We’re nonetheless banking on guys that perhaps haven’t turned the nook but and may change into higher main league hitters. Whether or not that’s Maikel Garcia, Michael Massey, MJ Melendez — they’ve instruments to play the sport, so consistency on offense is the following step for them. If we are able to add guys who will take some stress off of them by getting on base, and from there be a group that places the sport in movement, I feel we have now a greater probability to attain extra runs.”
In Picollo’s view, simply how the added OBP is arrived at isn’t significantly essential.
“It come in several sizes and styles,” Picollo agreed once I introduced up how Luis Arraez does it in another way than, say, a LaMonte Wade Jr. “Arraez is a really distinctive participant in that it’s all in batted ball. He will get a whole lot of hits. After which there are guys who’ve the propensity to stroll extra. I don’t assume it issues which method they do it, it’s simply that they’re capable of get on base, and that’s what we should be a extra constant offense.”
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Al LeBoeuf would be the lead hitting coach in Milwaukee subsequent 12 months, the 64-year-old Putnam, Connecticut native having been promoted by the Brewers from Triple-A Nashville final month together with Eric Theisen. A former Phillies prospect who started his teaching profession in 1988, LeBoeuf will likely be supported by Theisen and the returning Connor Dawson.
In keeping with Matt Arnold, LeBoeuf is a mixture of progressive and conventional with regards to working with hitters.
“Buffy has expertise,” Milwaukee’s GM stated in San Antonio. “He’s been a hitting coach — a extremely good hitting coach — for a really very long time. Anyone with that sort of expertise who is ready to mix the old-fashioned and the brand new college approaches… he’s been launched to a whole lot of new college concepts, and he’s tremendous receptive to all that. He additionally has a whole lot of components that I feel assist our hitters in methods which have been examined over the course of time. His means to deliver each of these colleges collectively is one thing we’re excited to have on the main league degree.”
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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS
Willie McCovey went 18 for 33 in opposition to Bob Moose.
Willie Stargell went 24 for 57 in opposition to Joe Niekro.
Willie McGee went 25 for 44 in opposition to Mike Scott.
Willie Mays went 25 for 60 in opposition to Roy Face.
Willie Davis went 32 for 75 in opposition to Bob Good friend.
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The Cleveland Guardians hit 185 house runs this season, the sixth highest whole within the American League. That doesn’t sound like rather a lot, however it’s a massive enchancment over the previous two seasons. In 2022, the Guardians went deep 127 occasions. In 2023, they went deep 124 occasions.
To what extent was the uptick in dingers a focused purpose, and to what extent was it merely natural?
“I’m unsure of your definition of natural, however a whole lot of the elevated energy got here from guys who had been on the roster the prior 12 months and it was a part of their progress and growth,” Chris Antonetti stated in reply to that query. “A few of it was new faces, however a whole lot of it was guys who had been already right here.”
The reality is within the numbers. José Ramírez jumped from 24 to 39, whereas Josh Naylor went from 17 to 31, Steven Kwan from 5 to 14, and David Fry from 4 to 14. Is Cleveland’s President of Baseball Operations happy with the present steadiness of contact and energy?
“I don’t assume we are able to ever be happy with the outcomes we obtain,”stated Antonetti, answering my query not directly. “We weren’t one of the best offensive group in baseball, so there may be clearly room for us to enhance. We’ll work to attempt to determine ways in which we are able to enhance on that within the winter.”
The Guardians’ 708 runs scored had been seventh-most within the American League. The group’s 100 wRC+ ranked ninth.
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A quiz:
Dwight Evans had 605 extra-base hits within the Eighties, probably the most of any participant. Who led MLB in extra-base hits within the Nineteen Nineties? (a touch: like Evans, he isn’t within the Corridor of Fame.)
The reply may be discovered beneath.
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NEWS NOTES
The Philadelphia Phillies introduced on Friday that they’re selling Preston Mattingly, who had been serving as farm director, to Vice President/Normal Supervisor. Sam Fuld, who has been the group’s GM, will likely be transitioning to President of Enterprise Operations. A Stanford grad and former big-league outfielder, Fuld is presently pursuing an MBA on the College of Pennsylvania’s Wharton College.
The twenty fifth annual SABR Jerry Malloy Negro League Convention will likely be held in Louisville, Kentucky from Thursday, August 7 to Saturday, August 9, 2025, Extra info may be discovered right here.
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The reply to the quiz is Albert Belle, who had 711 extra-base hits within the Nineteen Nineties. If you happen to guessed Barry Bonds or Rafael Palmeiro, that they had the third- and fourth-highest totals. Corridor of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. had the second-highest.
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A random obscure former participant snapshot:
Will Pennyfeather had a bunt single within the first of his 47 big-league plate appearances, all of which got here with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1992-1994. The Perth Amboy, New Jersey native would log simply eight extra hits at baseball’s highest degree, however his skilled profession was removed from over. After a number of seasons in Triple-A, Pennyfeather moved on to the unbiased Atlantic League the place he performed from 1999-2006 (he additionally spent a part of 2003 within the Northern League). Pennyfeather was a large receiver and kick returner at Syracuse College earlier than turning his consideration to baseball and signing with the Pirates as a non-drafted free agent in 1988.
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The Cincinnati Reds underachieved offensively final season, whereas not precisely stellar, their pitching confirmed a whole lot of promise. Is pitching presently the group’s energy? In keeping with Nick Krall, the reply isn’t completely clear.
“I feel we have now some actually good, dynamic beginning pitching,” Cincinnati’s prime govt advised me. “I feel we even have some actually good, dynamic place gamers. It’s simply attempting to get these guys wholesome. We had guys who obtained hit by pitches and broke their palms and wrists. We had guys that damage their shoulders, beginning with Edwin Arroyo who’s a prime prospect, to Matt McLain, to TJ Friedl diving for a ball, to Blake Dunn in Triple-A. We had a whole lot of place participant accidents that impacted us.”
As for the Reds’ projected beginning rotation, it contains 5 pitchers between the ages of twenty-two and 27. Is the workers primed to come back into its personal? Krall wasn’t about to present a definitive reply to that query, however he’s definitely bullish on the probabilities.
“I imply, you have a look at what Hunter Greene did final 12 months, the steps he took,” stated Krall. “You have a look at the place Nick Lodolo was earlier than he ended up getting damage (a sprained finger on his pitching hand) on the finish of the 12 months. Rhett Lowder pitched very well on the finish of his Double-A season, went to Triple-A and threw a shutout, then got here up right here to the large leagues and pitched very well. Andrew Abbott was stable earlier than he obtained damage (shoulder pressure) as effectively. It’s a matter of those guys staying wholesome.”
Graham Ashcraft is the opposite pitcher that Roster Useful resource initiatives to be within the Reds rotation.
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FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The WBCS Premier 12, which contains 12 groups from all over the world, obtained underway yesterday. The match may be adopted right here.
The Dominican Winter League season started a number of weeks in the past. Hitters off to a great begin embrace 22-year-old (was Oakland) Athletics infield prospect Euribiel Angeles, who’s slashing .323/.354/.371 over 65 plate appearances with Estrellas Orientales. Angeles cut up the 2024 season between Excessive-A Lansing and Double-A Midland.
The Fielding Bible named Chusei Mannami their NPB Defensive Participant of the 12 months. The 24-year-old outfielder performs for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
The Yokohama DeNA BayStars, who gained this 12 months’s Japan Collection, are owned by Tomoko Namba. The 62-year-old Harvard Enterprise College graduate is NPB’s first and solely feminine proprietor.
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Per experiences, Roki Sasaki will likely be posted to MLB this winter as a global newbie free agent. Japan’s highest-profile (albeit not statistically greatest) pitcher, the recently-turned 23-year-old right-hander went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 111 innings for the Chiba Lotte Marines this season.
Sasaki has been talked about quite a few occasions right here at Sunday Notes lately, together with on November 14, 2021 once I shared quotes from former MLB hurler Frank Herrmann, who had been the then-20-year-old phenom’s Chiba Lotte teammate. Herrmann agreed that Sasaki may very well be NPB’s subsequent celebrity, including that “If he was in A-ball he can be a Prime 10 prospect in MLB for positive.”
The earlier 12 months, Herrmann, who now works in participant growth for the Toronto Blue Jays, had requested Chiba Lotte pitching coach Masato Yoshii how Sasaki in comparison with Yu Darvish and Shohei Ohtani on the identical age (19). Yoshi stated that Sasaki was higher.
The subsequent younger Japanese pitcher to come back stateside as a global newbie free agent? If MLB groups had their druthers, it might possible be Hiroto Takahashi. The Chunichi Dragons right-hander, who turned 22 in August, went 12-4 with a 1.38 ERA and 130 strikeouts, with simply 107 hits allowed, in 143-and-two-thirds innings this season. Whereas likelihood is small that Chunichi will put up him any time quickly, you may safely wager that each MLB group has their eyes on him.
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FARM NOTES
Garrett Martin gained the Arizona Fall League’s house run derby on Friday. The 24-year-old New York Yankees outfield prospect outslugged 22-year-old Milwaukee Brewers third base prospect Brock Wilken within the last spherical.
The Fall Stars Recreation was performed final evening, with the American League beating the Nationwide League 6-5 due to a ninth inning, 437-foot bomb by Detroit Tigers catching prospect Thayron Liranzo. The 21-year-old native of San Francisco de Macori was acquired by Detroit from the Los Angeles Dodgers together with Trey Sweeney in alternate for Jack Flaherty at his summer time’s commerce deadline.
With the AFL season winding down, I need to give props to this 12 months’s media coordinators. I used to be there for per week in October, and each Michael Marcantonini and Julia Walter went above and past. They had been skilled and attentive all through.
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Tony Blanco, Jr. is a prospect to look at within the Pittsburgh Pirates system. The 19-year-old son of former MLB and NPB infielder/outfielder Tony Blanco slashed .305.385/.505 with 4 house runs and a 138 wRC+ over 109 plate appearances this 12 months within the rookie-level Florida Complicated League. Listed at 6-foot-7, 243 kilos, the Boston-born, Dominican Republic-raised slugger can do big-time harm when he connects. Earlier this summer time, our prospect analyst duo opined that Blanco “had probably the most current uncooked energy within the January 2022 worldwide signing class.”
Earlier this week, I requested Pirates GM Ben Cherington in regards to the raw-but-promising first baseman/outfielder.
“He’s a large human being,” stated Cherington, whose résumé consists of scout and farm director. “The exit velo is already on the highest percentile of main league high quality — it’s elite — however what was spectacular this 12 months was the standard of his at-bats. The contact [Blanco’s strikeout rate was 28.4%] was higher than we anticipated for a man in his first 12 months within the States.”
Well being has been a difficulty.
“He’s had a collection of nagging accidents since we signed him, and that’s the piece we have now to get him previous,” defined Cherington. “He’s not getting the quantity of at-bats he wants due to the time he’s missed. In all probability the most important purpose going into 2025 is to maintain him on the sector.”
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Of the eight gamers on the Traditional Baseball Period Committee poll, 4 performed into a minimum of the Eighties. If you happen to may vote for any (however only one) of the 4, who would it not be? I requested that query in a Twitter ballot on Friday, the choices being Steve Garvey, Tommy John, Dave Parker, and Luis Tiant.
The outcomes had been roughly what I anticipated. Garvey predictably trailed the sector, garnering simply 6.9% of the votes solid, whereas Tiant led the pack with 41.6%. In between had been Parker and John, who obtained 29.6% and 21.9% respectively.
Depend me amongst those that really feel that Tiant is probably the most deserving of the 4. Furthermore, he undoubtedly belongs within the Corridor of Fame.
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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE
On July 19, 1933, Corridor of Famer Rick Ferrell homered off of his non-Corridor of Fame brother, Wes Ferrell, who additionally homered that day (and was arguably extra deserving of a plaque in Cooperstown). Richard Cuicchi chronicled the 13-inning contest between the Cleveland Indians and Boston Crimson Sox for SABR’s Video games Venture.
At Widespread Science, Laura Baisas wrote about how the “magic mud” used to rub up baseballs has lastly been analyzed by scientists.
Trey Mancini is hoping to return to MLB after not enjoying this previous season. Andy Kostka has the story at The Baltimore Banner.
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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS
Max Fried is a mixed 11-0 with a 1.15 ERA in his profession in opposition to the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Invoice Voiselle, a right-hander who pitched for 3 groups from 1942-1950, grew up in Ninety-Six, South Carolina. He wore uniform quantity 96 in a few of his MLB seasons.
Dennis Lamp went 96-96 with a 3.93 ERA. Mickey McDermott went 69-69 with a 3.91 ERA.
Ken Griffey Jr. had 2,781 hits, 524 doubles, 1,662 runs scored, and a .284 BA.Johnny Damon had 2,769 hits, 522 doubles, 1,668 runs scored, and a .284 BA.
Larry McKeon went 18-41 with a 3.50 ERA for the American Affiliation’s Indianapolis Hoosiers in 1884. One 12 months earlier, John Coleman went 12-48 with a 4.87 ERA for the Nationwide League’s Philadelphia Quakers.
The Chicago White Sox acquired 21-year-old left-hander Billy Pierce from the Detroit Tigers in alternate for 33-year-old catcher Aaron Robinson on as we speak’s date in 1948. Pierce, a Detroit native, went on to play 13 seasons on the South Facet, profitable 186 video games and making seven All-Star groups.
Gamers born on as we speak’s date embrace Invoice Southworth, a 3rd baseman whose MLB profession comprised three video games with the Milwaukee Braves in 1964 when he was simply 18 years outdated. The Madison, Wisconsin native had two hits, considered one of them a house run, in 9 journeys to the plate. His a lot older cousin, Billy Southworth, performed within the massive leagues from 1913-1929.
Additionally born on as we speak’s date was Cal Ermer, a second baseman who in 1947 went 0-for-3 with the Washington Nationals in his solely big-league sport. Ermer went on to handle the Minnesota Twins in 1967 and 1968 as a part of a prolonged post-playing profession that included 26 years managing the minors, 4 teaching within the majors, and 5 as a scout.
