The Royals are getting back to great defense.
Jaylon Thompson writes about Vinnie Pasquantino’s defense and his ability to do the splits.
“I mean, it’s just part of the job description,” Pasquantino said. “A lot of my offseason work goes into obviously the lifting portion, the defense portion, but some of it that isn’t really talked about is the aspect of having a functional moving body.”
There is a lot that goes into playing first base. Pasquantino has elevated his game in multiple aspects this season. He has registered a 3 DRS (defensive runs saved) rating through 27 games, per FanGraphs.
David Lesky notes the defense overall has been great.
I generally like to focus on something positive here, but when things are going well overall, I certainly do. And right now, the Royals defense is pretty much the best in baseball. By Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), they lead all of baseball with 23. They’re fifth in Outs Above Average (OAA) and first in Fangraphs Def rating. And unlike last season where the Royals ranked highly in the last two but poorly in DRS, they’re doing well everywhere. This year’s teams that seem to have an odd rating are the Giants (-2 DRS, 11 OAA, 9.1 Def), Brewers (0 DRS, 10 OAA, 6.8 Def) and Twins (-11 DRS, 3 OAA, 5.4 Def). But the Royals rank well in all of them.
Jesse Newell writes about Salvador Perez’s improvement in pitch-framing.
Making a change took trust. Perez had to believe in Hoover that getting closer to batters wasn’t going to result in his glove getting hit by additional swings. Hoover also communicated that moving up meant foul tips would hit Perez’s mitt more often, meaning he’d get hit less by fouls behind the plate.
“He was super far away from the plate two years ago — probably one of the worst,” Hoover said. “And now he’s up there with the best guys.”
Salvy was scratched from the startling lineup yesterday with back tightness.
In a late lineup change before the Royals’ series opener against the Blue Jays in Toronto on Monday, the Royals scratched their cleanup hitter and veteran catcher. Perez and manager Matt Quatraro were unavailable to provide any context or severity because the scratch did not happen until after pregame media availability, but word was that it was a precautionary move to avoid anything more severe.
The Kansas Legislature takes steps to lure the Chiefs and Royals across the state line.
“Sorry for the short notice,” said Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Stilwell Republican and chairman of the House commerce committee, told five other legislators on a negotiating committee. “I think it’s important to have this done before we adjourn the session. It’s just important to send a very positive message to the sports community that we’re here and we’re very serious about this.”
Jackson County Executive Frank White is waiting for the right opportunity to talk to the teams.
Preston Farr at Farm to Fountains has a mock draft out.
Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter talks to Royals minor league pitcher Walter Pennington.
The Rockies are just the second team to trail in each of their first 28 games.
Mets pitcher Luis Severino has his no-hitter broken up in the eighth inning against the Cubs.
Jesus Luzardo has a mild flexor muscle strain.
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The Rays unveil their City Connect uniforms complete with a skateboarding ray.
Travis Kelce signs a two-year contract adjustment with the Chiefs.
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