Nelson Velasquez could be a good find for Royals


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 outfielder too. Velasquez's big league stats aren't probably what the Royals looked at when they went out and acquired him. The team looked at his minor league stats. The 24-year old's career minor league stats are great. While in the Chicago minor league system, he was dominant. He hit 76 home runs with 245 runs batted in. Velázquez has a bit of speed too with 61 stolen bases in his minor league career. Fans are probably wondering why the Royals would acquire a player like Velázquez who doesn't have good big league stats. The past two seasons with the Cubs, Velázquez played in a combined 90 big league games. While in a Cubs jersey, Velázquez hit nine homers and had 32 runs batted in. The Royals in my opinion can't lose in this deal, especially based on how the team has played this season. While with Kansas City, Cuas posted a career 4.08 ERA with 86 strikeouts in 92 games. Despite the Royals poor season, Velazquez could be a reason for more people to watch Kansas City baseball this season to see what the 24-year old brings to the ballclub. The comparison to Soler should really get Royals fans pumped. Velázquez has plenty of raw power and is a decent outfielder. And at the age of 24, he is still young enough to develop into a good everyday player for Kansas City in the near future.

Popular posts from this blog

Flashback Royals: Remembering a Murder Victim

Image
The Royals over the years have worn patches on their uniforms to remember tragic periods in American history including 9/11 and more. Kansas City in 2007 was stunned after learning that local teenager Kelsey Smith was abducted and murdered. The Royals wore light blue ribbons on their wrists in remembrance of the 18-year old after former manager Buddy Bell spoke to the Smith family.  Many Kansas Cityians remember the Kelsey Smith case well after the story of her abduction hit the local media and national media. On June 2, Smith was shopping at her local Target in Overland Park, KS looking for a picture frame for her boyfriend John Biersmith. While at Target, Smith's killer followed her throughout the store after noticing her at the jewelry counter. While Smith was in the checkout line, her abductor ran to his vehicle to grab his gun and waited for her to leave the store to grab her. The 18-year old was unable to fight off the kidnapper and was forced into her vehicle and
Read more

Tyler Duffey hit or miss signing for Royals

Image
The boys in blue are looking to boost the bullpen through the minor league free agent market, and Kansas City signed a familiar arm, Tyler Duffey, to a minor league pact. Duffey spent time in the Cubs’ organization last season; however, his last big league stint was with the Twins. The 32-year old was a member of the Twins pitching staff for seven seasons before signing with the Cubs last season. Duffey was designated for assignment by Minnesota on August 5 and released just two days later. The righthander, in my opinion, is a type of pitcher that could boost the pen next season. Last season, Duffey spent most of the season in Triple-A. While in Iowa, Duffey appeared in 36 games and threw a total of 45.1 innings. Duffey started two games for Iowa last season. The decision for the Twins to move on from Duffey was difficult for the organization and rightfully so. The organization had plenty to say about Duffey following his departure from the team. Twins manager Rocco Baldell
Read more

A well traveled arm could boost the Royals’ pen

Image
Kansas City will likely be signing many pitchers to minor league deals this offseason. Spring Training this season will be fun to watch as many arms will be competing for a spot in a wide open bullpen. Matt Wisler in my opinion would fit the Royals’ bullpen perfectly, and he would be cheap. Wisler and the Kansas City coaching staff are familiar with each other. The veteran righthander was a member of the Rays’ bullpen in 2021 along with 2022, and he had good numbers. Wisler's time with Tampa Bay came to a surprising end after being designated for assignment in September of 2022. The 31-year old had good numbers while a member of the Rays bullpen staff. He posted an ERA of 2.25 with 35 punchouts in 44 innings pitched. Following the end of Wisler's tenure with the Ray, he signed minor league deals with the Tigers and the Blue Jays. Last season Wisler didn't see time in the big leagues while as a member of the Detroit and Toronto Triple-A affiliates. Wisler's t
Read more