Weekend Rumblings - News for June 22, 2024

Welcome back, Wacha!

Michael Wacha is set to return for the start today.

Wacha’s injury happened on the game’s first batter, and he remained in the game for 5 1/3 innings. Earlier this week, Wacha made a rehab start, pitching four scoreless innings with the Royals rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate.

“It feels like it healed up pretty quick,” Wacha said. “And I was able to keep my arm in shape.”

David Lesky writes about the emergence of Freddy Fermin.

When the Royals were willing to trade Perez last summer if that’s what he wanted, they were much more open to the idea because of Fermin and it’s easy to see why. It’s a little easier after a three-hit, two-homer day, but his body of work over the last two years - .289/.332/.456 with 17 doubles, one triple and 13 home runs in 377 plate appearances - is excellent and more than just a backup catcher’s line. Catcher ERA isn’t really a thing because of a million factors, so I even hesitate to bring it up, but Royals pitchers do have an ERA of 4.36 with Perez behind the plate and 3.22 with Fermin back there. I’m not even going to analyze that at this point, but it’s factual information, so do with that what you will.

Craig Brown echoes the sentiment.

At 29 and in just his second full-time season as a key member of this roster, Fermin has improved every facet of his offensive game. He’s cut his strikeout rate from 21 percent last year to his current 18 percent. He’s bumped his walk rate from 5.5 percent in 2023 to seven percent this year. He’s now hitting .303/.352/.447 in 142 PAs. He’s the perfect guy for a manager like Quatraro who regularly rotates his players.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter wonders if Tommy Pham would be a good fit for the Royals.

If Royals fans don’t want Pham, it should be because of the cost of acquiring him. While Pham would obviously help the lineup, the Royals shouldn’t give up any significant trade capital for him. Pham should solely be seen as a 2024 solution, and the Royals need to keep the long-term future in mind, even if it may result in the Royals falling short of the postseason.

Trey Donovan at Farm to Fountains considers whether Maikel Garcia should lead off.

The short answer is yes, he is still worth batting leadoff. This is mainly due to a couple of factors. He doesn’t chase, whiff, or strike out, and he hits the ball hard and often. Per his Baseball Savant percentiles, all of those numbers are in the 70th percentile or higher. One thing that stands out in those percentiles is his .266 xBA. That 27-point difference between his actual BA and his xBA is substantial.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signs the bill allowing the state to lure the Chiefs and Royals.

Pete Grathoff writes that a lot of fans don’t really care which side of the state line the teams play on.

Max Scherzer won’t start for the Rangers today.

Shohei Ohtani returns to Anaheim to hit a massive home run.

White Sox shortstop Paul DeJong forgets how many outs there are in a baserunning blunder.

The Mariners plan to be aggressive in adding offense.

Who stood out at the MLB Draft Combine?

Andrew McCutchen plans to play beyond this year.

ESPN Insider looks at the worst free agent contracts in recent memory.

Who is baseball’s greatest living player?

Tennessee will face Texas A&M in the College World Series finals today.

Georgia’s Charlie Condon is named Baseball America College Player of the Year.

The Edmonton Oilers come back from a 3-0 series deficit to force a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Who is taking a bigger risk - the Lakers or new coach J.J. Redick?

The Seine River remains too polluted to host swimming events at the Paris Olympics.

Amazon is mulling a major revamp of its unprofitable Alexa service.

Kevin Costner confirms he won’t return to Yellowstone.

Your song of the day is The Animals with Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.