Weekend Rumblings - News for June 1, 2024

The Royals let Paul Rudd down.

Baseball America writes the Royals could have their best international signing class in years.

At one point it looked like the Padres were going to sign Cuban shortstop Yandel Ricardo, but after they lost $1 million in bonus pool space for signing free agent Xander Bogaerts, the Padres couldn’t sign both Ricardo and Dominican shortstop Leodalis De Vries. It worked out for Ricardo, who signed for $2,397,500 with the Royals. Ricardo is 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, combining good size, actions, tools and well-rounded skills as the top Cuban signing this year and one of the high-end prospects overall for 2024.

His swing is quick, direct and efficient from both sides of the plate, staying behind the ball well to use the whole field. He’s a little more advanced from the right side but with good contact skills both ways. It’s a mature offensive approach for his age with flashes of over-the-fence power in BP and the projection to grow into at least average power

Anne Rogers gives an update on Brady Singer.

As for Singer, whom Lynch filled in for Thursday, the righty is feeling better from the illness that prevented him from pitching, manager Matt Quatraro said. Singer stayed in Minneapolis on Thursday night but made it back to Kansas City on Friday, and was back in the clubhouse pregame. He played catch, too, and if he continues to progress, he could slot back into the rotation Sunday.

David Lesky looks at the bullpen problems - before last night’s game!

And therein lies the big problem in the Royals bullpen right now. Who can they trust? John Schreiber has been great this year and he got them out of that sixth inning, but even he walked a batter himself and he’s now given up 14 hits and walked four with just seven strikeouts in 9.1 innings this month. James McArthur is probably the best out there and I think you know how I feel about him, but he’s been gotten a few times recently. Will Smith has righted the ship some but even in the stretch since that brutal game against Baltimore where he has allowed just two runs on six hits in 10.1 innings, he’s only struck out four and walked three. You can’t count on that. Nick Anderson hasn’t been good.

Craig Brown has concerns about the lineup depth.

As followers of this franchise, we’re well accustomed to offensive dry spells. If I had a nickel every time I wrote about the Royals needing the big hit or an inning where they had to string together six singles to score two runs, this newsletter would be insanely profitable. Instead, it’s just emotionally gratifying. Now the Royals have legitimate, productive bats in the top half. They’re scoring runs, averaging 4.86 runs per game. They aren’t a stranger to the big inning, batting around more than a few times this season. Yet this game on Thursday can serve as something of a wake-up call. The bottom half of the order isn’t getting it done. Put it another way, they don’t have the talent there to consistently produce.

Baseball America has a new mock draft out.

The Royals have had the most smoke about a prep player of any of the other teams picking inside the top 10. Earlier in the spring Konnor Griffin was the name frequently mentioned with them, though over the last week or so I’ve heard that Rainer might be both the preferred target for Kansas City and more likely to be the first high school hitter off the board.

Rain didn’t dampen the Big Slick celebrity softball game last night.

Royals Weekly profiles Royals prospect and on-base machine Javier Vaz.

Pete Grathoff writes that the June schedule for the Royals will be a challenge.

What a Mets firesale could look like.

The Mariners fire bench coach Brant Brown.

How have some baseball stars handled position changes this year?

Teams are asking about Marlins reliever Taylor Scott.

Baltimore loses pitchers John Means and Tyler Wells to season-ending surgeries.

Has Toronto’s Rogers Centre become a pitcher’s park?

The administrative leave for Rays shortstop Wander Franco is extended to July 14.

How Georgia’s Charlie Condon went from an unknown to the best power hitter in college baseball.

Olympic gold medal wrestler Gable Steveson signs with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.

Mike Tyson’s boxing match against Jake Paul is postponed due to ulcers.

What we lose when we binge a series rather than watch it weekly.

Deepfakes of dead loved ones are a booming business in China.

What made Jim Henson a beloved cultural figure?

Your song of the day is Black Sabbath with War Pigs.