Royals Rumblings - News for November 22, 2022

Nov 22, 2022 - 1:00 PM

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Salvador Perez praises new White Sox manager Pedro Grifol.

“He always said, ‘Good players make good coaches,’ he always told me that, but I think it’s the opposite,” Perez said. “I think good coaches make good players. And he’s the best.

“That’s why today I can say that it’s kind of like, I’m here because the way Pedro helped me and the way he talked to me and the relationship I have with him. He always taught me the right way. Today I can say he helped me a lot.”

Lynn Worthy writes about how the Royals were able to snag Austin Charles in the 20th round of the draft.

“We were very excited,” Picollo said. “He was a 20th-round pick but certainly not a 20th-round talent.”

Picollo echoed Ontiveros’ physical comparison to Aaron Judge and added that other scouts saw elements of Hall of Famer Dave Winfield’s swing in Charles.

“You can dream a lot,” Picollo said. “This is what scouting is about. You find a guy who has got strength and tools and a desire to play and wants to play professional baseball. It causes us to be excited.”

Eric Longenhagen and Tess Taruskin at Fangraphs look at Central Division 40-man roster decisions.

Left off the 40-man was a cluster of pitchers for whom 2022 was a down year. Zach Haake and Charlie Neuweiler saw their command worsen as they advanced to the upper minors. Drew Parrish and Austin Cox both ended the year with mid-teen strikeout rates. Josh Dye failed to miss bats the way he needs to in order to capitalize on his funky delivery, and while Noah Murdock stayed healthy and was sitting in the mid-90s during the Fall League, he also put forth a career-high walk rate. Omar Hernandez and Wilmin Candelario had less impressive seasons that didn’t warrant 40-man promotion, and Candelario wasn’t even protected from the minor league Rule 5. Tyler Tolbert, Omar Florentino and Darryl Collins each put together promising seasons in 2022, but are likely still too far from big-league ready to be considered vulnerable. Despite being part of the Benitendi trade, T.J. Sikkema was left off the 40-man, though his 18.7% strikeout rate since joining Kansas City seems unlikely to turn any heads from other orgs in advance of the Rule 5.

Steve Kraske at KCUR talks with Field of Schemes editor Neil DeMause and “Ballpark” author Paul Goldberger about how a new downtown ballpark might be funded.

Jacob Milham at Inside the Royals thinks the Royals need to add depth to their coaching staff.

Vinnie Pasquantino is among the hidden gems Darragh McDonald at MLB Trade Rumors identifies.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter reacts to Dayton Moore’s shock at his firing.

Former Royals infielder Miguel Tejada was detained at an airport for writing bad checks.

Aaron Judge will meet with the Giants.

The Blue Jays are interested in Cody Bellinger.

Alek Manoah calls Gerrit Cole the worst cheater in baseball history.

How next year’s rule changes could impact free agency.

Ten things to know about this year’s Hall of Fame ballot.

Olivia Pichardo becomes the first woman to make a men’s Division-I baseball roster.

How Travis Kelce and the Chiefs beat the Chargers at their own game.

Kellyn Acosta’s clutch foul on Gareth Bale saved USMNT in their opening World Cup match, a 1-1 draw with Wales.

How much would you pay to see a woolly mammoth?

The new space race is about removing space junk.

What would breaking up Ticketmaster and Live Nation actually do?

Your song of the day is Santogold with Lights Out.