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Hunter Dozier gets bruised.
Royals Rumblings - News for July 9, 2020
Hunter Dozier suffered a right hand bruise after being hit by Brady Singer in Wednesday’s intrasquad game.
Manager Mike Matheny said he had no issues with Singer over the hit-by-pitch.
“He’s got to pitch inside,” Matheny said. “That’s baseball. You can’t take that away from him.”
Lynn Worthy has some notes from the first intrasquad game on Tuesday.
“There are going to be times when Mondi and Bobby Witt are on the field at the same time, and Mondi is going to be at shortstop,” Matheny said. “We felt better about putting him on the left side of the infield, where he wasn’t necessarily having to deal with turns in the middle. We got him some work at third base so he’d have some comfort to him.
“The honesty of it is even as the shortstop when you’re in a complete shift, you’re basically playing second base anyhow. We’ll try to get him reps anyway that we can.”
Alec Lewis at The Athletic shares his observations.
Two Royals starters, Nicky Lopez and Adalberto Mondesi, warmed up their arms in front of the first-base dugout. Both played in the intrasquad game and played well. Notably, though, the presence of masks on the field was an eye-opener.
“Maybe they’re following our lead as a staff,” manager Mike Matheny said. “We’re just trying to be as cautious as possible. And the answer is, really, why not? … They haven’t told us that you have to keep that mask on when you’re at distance, but part of it is telling them, ‘It’s not that big a deal.’ The more we can do that, we increase our odds. And everything we do that increases our odds, I believe, is the right thing to do.”
Jeffrey Flanagan provides an update on the TV negotiations.
Hearing that the Royals continue to inch closer to finalizing/signing their handshake TV deal with FSKC. (Covid obviously delayed matters). The plan is for FSKC to televise 59 games (one is national) and the deal -- expected to average around $48-52M -- will be prorated in 2020.
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) July 8, 2020
He also writes about Greg Holland’s battle to make the team.
“I felt good leaving Spring Training, and that’s part of the reason I was upset when we had to leave. For me, it’s just taking care of today, and we’ll just see where the chips fall. I can’t worry about making the team. I understand that part is there. But I also know that if I work hard and do what I need to do, it puts me in the best position to help the team.”
In his Mellinger Minutes, Sam considers if the Royals have a chance at more success in a shorter season.
But baseball people also know that a 162-game schedule is professional sports’ great equalizer, that warts will be exposed, and nobody other than the 2006 Cardinals can luck into the postseason.
Sixty games? That’s entirely different. You can’t have a bad first month, but what about a hot month?
What if, for instance, Adalberto Mondesi can floor it for 60 games in a way that he’s so far been unable to over 162?
What if Sal Perez’s body doesn’t become overworked?
What if power bullpen arms — the Royals have two guys who will regularly throw 100 mph — can air it out more than usual, and the high-ceiling rookies-to-be don’t have to worry about pace or fatigue?
I’d still bet against the Royals playing in the postseason.
Pete Grathoff writes that Mike Sweeney had a beer in his hand when he learned of his promotion to the big leagues.
Local high schoolers OF Chase Jans, of Blue Valley is ranked #77 and RHP Ben Kudrna of Blue Valley Southwest ranked #100 in Baseball America’s high school draft rankings for 2021.
Trevor Bauer wants to start every fourth day and the Reds might let him.
Doug Glanville suggest five things MLB can do now to confront systematic racism.
A Philadelphia columnist thinks that players that opt out of this season are abandoning their teams.
The rooftop seats across from Wrigley Field are selling for $350.
Who has baseball’s fastest changeup?
The Braves might ditch the Tomahawk Chop, but they won’t be changing their name.
Jon Miller discusses some of the challenges facing baseball broadcasters this year.
Stories of the lost season from around minor league baseball.
The White House is considering offering tax breaks to lure fans to the ballpark.
Baseball America’s JJ Cooper argues that scouts shouldn’t be shut out of this season.
Extra substitutions in soccer this year may hint at a larger evolution.
The Ivy League announces it will not play fall sports.
Disney World in Florida opens on Saturday.
Microsoft Teams wants to put you and your co-workers together in a virtual environment.
A Wonder Years re-boot from Lee Daniels is in the works.
Your song of the day is The Raveonettes with That Great Love Sound.
