Royals Rumblings - News for April 29, 2024
Welcome to the big leagues, Jonathan Bowlan!
Chris Stratton explains his struggles on Saturday.
“I just left pitches over the middle of the plate,” Stratton said. “Those are big-league hitters, and they did exactly what they were supposed to do. I came in and just didn’t execute. And they made me pay for it.”
Jonathan Bowlan will be called up to make his MLB debut tonight.
“He’s thrown the ball well, and he is somebody that we have built up as a starter for reasons like this,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “And, you know, hopefully this is a short-term thing, but you never know what happens here. We feel really good about him, that’s first and foremost, and he’s been off to a good start.”
Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter writes the scouting report on Bowlan.
Bowlan utilizes a sinker (12.9% usage), a curveball (7.6% usage), and a changeup (6.2%). However, his four-seamer and slider have been utilized a combined 73.2% this year with the Storm Chasers. Thus, if Bowlan ever returns to the bullpen, it’s likely that his pitch repertoire will focus on those two pitches, with maybe the other three sprinkled in here and there.
He remains a starter, mixing his other three offerings to keep hitters honest. The effectiveness of his four-seamer and slider will determine his success at the Major League level, not just on Monday but long term.
Sam McDowell writes that the Chiefs are ready to split with the Royals on stadium talks.
The city still has a liking for the Royals’ proposed Crossroads site — though it would need to be far more detailed than a proposal that did not provide the public enough answers to pressing questions before the April 2 vote.
“I really can’t speculate on how any of that is going to turn out,” Hunt said. “Arrowhead is a special place for our family and our fan base. That was one of the reasons that we focused on it with the last effort. But going forward, it may make sense for us to be in a new stadium.”
Anne Rogers profiles Royals analyst Pete Berryman, who used to play football at Auburn.
“I’ve always really loved stats, and there’s this technical angle to get in the game,” Berryman said. “If you love baseball and have an aptitude for that kind of stuff, it’s a really great route to go. And I think this field is just getting started. Really, every year, it seems like there’s more progression in terms of the opportunities to analyze data and understand more about the game that way.”
Zac Miller at Farm to Fountains writes that Blake Mitchell is looking to prove the doubters wrong.
The White Sox select pitcher Brad Keller and the Cubs select pitcher Richard Lovelady.
The Red Sox trade for Cubs first baseman Garrett Cooper.
MLB will finally fix its uniforms.
Rangers rookie Wyatt Langford hits his first MLB home run - an inside-the-parker.
The struggling White Sox sweep the Rays.
Shohei Ohtani’s smashes the hardest-hit ball of 2024 against the Blue Jays.
How these seven struggling hitters can turn things around.
Who has the best City Connect jerseys?
How will Jackson Holliday’s demotion affect his development?
The slow Cardinals start is similar to their start in 2007.
Baseball is attracting more younger fans.
Why did offense dominate the NFL draft?
WNBA legend Candace Parker retires.
The moon is getting its own time zone.
Why do we still use postage stamps?
Saudi Arabia is building a megacity in the desert and its not going well.
Your song of the day is Soul Asylum with Black Gold.