Talkin Royals

The Royals in the early 2000's had multiple players that became stars after leaving the organization such as Johnny Damon, Carlos Beltran, Zack Greinke, and others. Jose Bautista could be one of those who finds himself in a team's hall of fame after leaving Kansas City. Although he was drafted in 2000 by Pittsburgh in the 20th round (599th) overall, Bautista certainly had one heck of a playing career. However, he would not shine until later in his career. While a member of the Royals, after being acquired from the Rays for cash, the outfielder wasn't a player that would open many eyes and rightfully so. The outfielder's time in a Royals uniform wasn't long lived. In fact, the power hitter only played in 13 games with 26 plate appearances and 25 at bats.  Bautista certainly didn't get his nickname "Joey Bats" while he was in the Midwest. Bautista's stats with the Royals were very poor. The hitter posted an .200 batting average with a poo...

This season Kansas City has struggled to hit, and Edward Olivares has definitely been one of the hitters in a hitting slump. According to cbssports.com : "Olivares has been slumping at the plate recently, putting up just a .638 OPS in 34 plate appearances since the start of August." The demotion to Omaha could be a big blow for Olivares's future with Kansas City, along with the addition of outfielder Nelson Velázquez whom the team acquired from the Cubs for reliever Jose Cuas. Before being dealt to Kansas City, Velázquez struggled at Triple-A Iowa with the Cubs. While with Iowa in 74 games, the outfielder hit 16 home runs. The boys in blue certainly believe Velázquez could be an impact player right away; but what kept him in Iowa for a majority of the season with Chicago? According to Sports Illustrated: "Cubs manager David Ross had Velazquez on the bench in the Cubs' two games following his strong 2023 debut.” In the same article, Jack Vita of Sports...

As we all know, the Royals this season have been awful from the offense to the pitching staff; but most bad teams have at least one or two good veteran players, and Kansas City is no exception. Since the beginning of July, Scott Barlow was brought up as a potential big trade piece for the Royals entering the trade deadline. Earlier in the season, several teams were mentioned as possible landing spots for Barlow—the Marlins, Dodgers, Brewers, and Reds. Last season, the Royals could have gotten a better return for the righthander when he had an ERA of 2.18 in 69 games played. However, Barlow's 2023 season with Kansas City has been one to forget. The 30-year old this season with the boys in blue posted an ERA of 5.35. Stats like that certainly hurt his trade value. Fortunately, Kansas City was able to acquire a pair of players from San Diego. The Royals front office, like many other teams around the majors, are always looking to add pitching depth in the big leagues and in...

The Royals have been abysmal this season, mostly on the pitching side. Despite the pitching struggles for Kansas City, the team does have a few good bullpen arms. Many Kansas City fans believe Scott Barlow, and as of recently Ryan Yarbrough would be the two big names dealt during the trade deadline. Kansas City showed Barlow and Yarbrough could bring good young talent back to the organization. The Royals do however have the history of finding diamonds in the rough either through trades, minor league free agent signings, and even the Rule 5 Draft. Although Brad Keller has struggled in 2023, he proved to be one of the better finds in the Draft of recent memory. Kansas City is hoping "small trades" work out the same way. The boys in blue are hoping that Nelson Velázquez will be a diamond in the rough. Based on what Cubs fans have said about the 24-year old, he certainly could be. Chicago fans are calling him the next Jorge Soler, so hopefully Velázquez can be a good ...

Kansas City this season has played some of the worst baseball in the modern era, but they do however have some promising players in Brady Singer, Bobby Witt Jr., Nick Pratto, and others. The team's bad record unfortunately shows the lack of offense the team has, including Nicky Lopez. Despite Lopez's lack of pop in the bat, the infielder has a great glove and good speed. Before entering the 2023 season with the Royals, Lopez was the primary second baseman and played occasionally at shortstop and third base; but Lopez saw his playing time take a big dip following the surge of Bobby Witt Jr, Michael Massey, and Maikel Garcia. Lopez played in 68 games for the boys in blue, but he saw his stats decline: PA: 190 AB: 160 R: 19 and 34 hits. Although Lopez's stats aren't great, his presence in the Kansas City community will be greatly missed. During the 2020 MLB season, the infielder launched his program called Nicky's #1's. During an interview with Royals b...