Kelvin Herrera has one of the best fastballs in the big leagues, one that gets up to 100 MPH on a regular basis. He should be really really good, and in 2012, he was, keeping the ball on the ground, in the park, and not walking many batters (and most importantly, not giving up many runs). However, this year, Herrera's groundball rate has evaporated, and he has given up more homers than walks (an insane 9.88 ...

1. Jonathan Gray RHP Oklahoma University          Top shelf fastball, nasty slider; promise for 3 plus pitch mix, workhorse top of the rotation ceiling. 2. Mark Appel RHP Stanford University         Plus-Plus fastball, deceptive plus change, more aggressive this season.  Top of the rotation ceiling. 3. Kris Bryant IF/OF San Diego University        Light tower power with solid contact, chance for overall plu ...

Jonathan Gray 6' 4" 245      RHP R/R     University of Oklahoma Length of Views: 3 years     Number of Views: 7 OFP: 68 Grades: FB: 8/8                  Agility: EX SL: 7/8                  Dedication: EX CH: 4/6                 Phys. Maturity: EX CNT: 5/6               Mental Maturity: GD CMD: 4/6 Description: He has a large thick athletic build. He has cleaned up since the last encounter, more imposing wi ...

It is trendy to talk about "two strike approach" these days, perhaps because of the rise of strikeouts in the Major Leagues. MLB league average with two strikes is .177/.246/.271. The Royals are hitting .199/.246/.287 with two strikes, meaning that they walk a little less, though are hitting for a little bit better average (same OBP), and a touch more power than an average MLB team with two strikes. So the ...

Why the rarity of a day-night doubleheader should be celebrated by every fan. ...

During my trip to Lexington I was able to see quite a few of Bubba Starling's plate appearances in the three games that he played in. In that time it was evident that Bubba still has a couple of elite tools in his power and speed however I came away wary if he'll be able to unlock those tools with enough contact to make a difference. The Video   I'm just an amateur scout but it definitely seems like th ...

One of the more interesting parts, at least for me, of the Wil Myers/James Shields trade in the off-season was the announcement that the Royals were transitioning Wade Davis back to being a starter. Davis had been a starter with the Rays, but his results never quite matched up with his raw stuff. As the Rays' rotation became ridiculously loaded before the 2012 season, Davis found himself on the outside look ...

Raul Mondesi SS listed as 6'1 165 lbs With my trip to Lexington I got another opportunity to checkout the 17 year old shortstop the Royals inked a couple summers ago for $2 million dollars. It was impressive to see Mondesi look like he belonged on the same field as those who are nearly 5 years older. As you can tell in the video I've posted Mondesi has a rather wide stance which allows for a balanced approa ...

#30 RHP Kyle Zimmer: 2012 1st Round Draft Pick, 5th overall The line: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO. * height: 6’2” weight: 217 lbs * big frame; thick lower half; good posture and momentum; innings eater type body * traditional 3/4 slot release; mechanics very smooth; very repeatable; effortless delivery; has no problem repeating perfect mechanics; works from 1B side The Stuff: Fastball 93-97 MPH (T97) * ...

I was in the stands for Bubba Starling's first home run of the year, a no doubter that he crushed to right center.     I'll have more video from the four games I'll see up next week. ...

What can you say about the Royals outfield play so far? Other than fantastic there isn't much one can really say to be honest. Alex Gordon - Easy Team MVP so far as pretty much every Royals blog and writer predicted Alex has started off on fire and appears to be playing at the level most had thought when he was drafted. Not only is his play on the field outstanding but his presence is even creating an impac ...

David and Clint discussed the first week of games from the Royals including the exciting home opening win over the Twins. Email the show podcast@pinetarpress.com or contact Clint @ClintScoles or David @DBLesky on Twitter.   ...

1. Bubba Starling, baseball player or athlete playing out a contract. The Royals invested a tremendous amount of money in Starling after missing out on getting Bauer, Hultzen and Bundy and while they knew it would take some time for him to develop his skill I doubt they want to wait a whole season in Single A on him.  Does that mean he'll fly through the system?  No it doesn't but I'm sure they would like t ...

David and Clint had a few writers from the site on to give their Royals season predictions. Darin Watson @Darin_Watson Wins 82 (2nd in Division) Team MVP Alex Gordon Hitter of the Year Billy Butler Pitcher of the Year Ervin Santana Biggest Disappointment Alcides Escobar or Lorenzo Cain World Series Winner Washingon Nationals Josh Ward @JoshuaKWard Wins 83 (2nd) Team MVP Gordon HOY Alex Gordon POY James Shie ...

Greg Schaum, David Lesky and Clint Scoles give some of their predictions for the upcoming 2013 Royals season. Also Aaron Bentley of Baseballinstinct.com discusses the Detroit Tigers minor league system. Listen and email the show at podcast@pinetarpress.com The show is available on Stitcher, iTunes, RSS feed and our new site RoyalsPodcast.com ...

Is Dan Wheeler really going to replace Fonzie as our man? Or, is Dan Wheeler a criminal alias for other similar players on the Royals roster? ...

Over the past few weeks I've heard a few media members in Kansas City start to perpetuate a myth in regards to Luke Hochevar.  While I don't know whether this idea came from the Royals organization or from their own mind it is one that is easily dispelled. The Myth:  Luke is either great or horribly bad with virtually no in between.  If you eliminate his 8 worst starts he has a 3.75 ERA. The first half of t ...

How difficult it is to respawn in a good location near all of your items as applied to the Royals Utility Infielders. ...

The Royals made a decent addition with Elliot Johnson yesterday as they finished the trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.  While Johnson's stats won't get you excited as he's shown very little with the bat that in his 200 major league games his ability to play every major league position outside of catcher in the bigs could help the bench. As I've written earlier in the offseason the Royals are very weak at secon ...

Former Royals hitting coach Kevin Seitzer had plenty of interesting things to say about hitting approach, Eric Hosmer's tough 2012 and Ned Yost on the latest PTPodcast. We also had Aaron Bentley of Baseballinstinct.com talking about the Chicago White Sox farm system. @aaron_bentley Listen and email the show at podcast@pinetarpress.com Also available at iTunes, RSS feed as well as our new site RoyalsPodcast. ...