Daily Clips
January 28, 2018
LOCAL
With Cain gone, Perez looking for next 'victim'
Catcher played numerous social media pranks on former Royals outfielder
January 27, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Hammel hopes change in routine leads to big '18
January 27, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Watch: Sal Perez calls Lorenzo Cain on stage at Royals FanFest for a final goodbye
January 27, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
Without Lorenzo Cain, here’s the Royals’ plan for center field
January 27, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
Lorenzo Cain fondly recalls support from Royals fans: ‘They loved on me’
January 27, 2018By Pete Grathoff & Maria Torres/KC Star
Salvy puts Lorenzo Cain on speaker phone while on stage at FanFest
January 27, 2018FOX4KC.com
Reliving past memories and looking forward to new ones at Royals Fanfest
January 27, 2018By Carey Wickersham/FOX4KC.com
NATIONAL
Salvador Perez called Lorenzo Cain during Royals FanFest and the two remain #friendshipgoals
January 27, 2018By Jessica Cleinschmidt/MLB.com/cutfour
Royals manager Ned Yost back on feet after near-fatal accident
January 28, 2018By Dave Skretta/Wisconsin State Journal (via AP)
MLB TRANSACTIONS
January 28, 2018 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
With Cain gone, Perez looking for next 'victim'
Catcher played numerous social media pranks on former Royals outfielder
January 27, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Now that Lorenzo Cain is officially a Milwaukee Brewer, having signed a five-year, $80 million deal Friday, who will be Royals catcher Salvador Perez's next clubhouse victim?
As any Royals fan knows, Perez took great pride in making Cain feel awkward and annoyed with numerous social media pranks over the years.
With Cain gone, Perez likely will be on the prowl for someone else to harass.
"I don't know, maybe Cheslor Cuthbert?" left fielder Alex Gordon pondered. "Cheslor is a pretty nice guy, pretty quiet. Maybe him."
Paulo Orlando? Jorge Bonifacio? Anyone innocent and unsuspecting will do.
But Perez doesn't think it will be quite the same, no matter who he chooses.
"There's nobody like Lorenzo," Perez said. "Nobody's going to get mad like him. If you don't get mad, then it doesn't make sense."
Cain, who isn't exactly the biggest fan of social media, said last year of Perez (with a smile), "There is something seriously wrong with that man."
But videos and Instagrams aside, Perez considers Cain a brother.
"I'm going to miss you, bro," Perez said. "But seriously, I feel happy for you and for your family. That's a great contract. I hope you do the best in Milwaukee, and hopefully we see you soon. I love you."
Perez said he didn't even want to consider what the Royals' clubhouse will be like without Cain.
"Lot of years together," Perez said, "so it's going to be a little hard when the season starts."
Hammel hopes change in routine leads to big '18
January 27, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals right-hander Jason Hammel looks back at his 2017 performance with a sense of frustration, as well as a commitment to change.
Hammel, appearing at the team's Fan Fest in downtown Kansas City, said he took a little bit longer this offseason to rest his arm. That's only natural, he said, at age 35.
He also changed his diet.
"I've become a pescatarian," Hammel said on Friday. "That's basically a vegetarian who eats fish. I know, I had to look it up, too."
Hammel began his new diet after discussion with a family member.
"Basically, it was a New Year's resolution," he said. "But I feel strong. I feel healthy.
"[I'm] just trying to extend [the life in] these limbs. I still miss a steak now and then, a Subway sandwich. We'll see how it goes in Spring Training."
The veteran right-hander would love to extend his good moments from 2017, as well.
The final numbers from last season, Hammel's first with the Royals, don't look appealing: 8-13, 5.29 ERA, 1.425 WHIP. But there were stretches when he was on top of his game. After making an adjustment to his setup position (squaring his shoulders to the plate) in late May, he flourished in June -- posting a 2.51 ERA in five starts.
Later, in mid-July and August, he posted six quality starts in 12 tries and gave up three runs or fewer in nine starts. He walked just 14 batters in 73 innings during that stretch.
"He's keeping us in games," manager Ned Yost said at the time. "That's all we want."
But Hammel struggled at times in September, giving up 19 runs in 12 2/3 innings over a three-start span. The team faded, as well.
"[We] still have that bad taste in our mouth from last year," Hammel said. "As a team, we fought our way back and didn't make it [to the postseason]."
Hammel vows 2018 will be better for him. He also cautions critics to not assume the Royals will flounder during their rebuilding effort.
"Put a uniform on me, and I'm going to play hard," Hammel said. "And I'm not really worried about [the critics]. We've got the warriors to battle with. It's just a matter of showing up to win."
Watch: Sal Perez calls Lorenzo Cain on stage at Royals FanFest for a final goodbye
January 27, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
A day after saying he didn’t have Lorenzo Cain’s number, Royals catcher Salvador Perez was able to deliver a goodbye message to his former teammate directly on the main stage at FanFest on Saturday afternoon. In front of fans, he pulled out his phone, dialed Cain’s number and turned up the volume.
“I’ve got my phone on speaker so everybody hears you,” he told Cain, who was introduced with the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. “What do you want to say to the people in here?”
Cain, who’s fallen victim to many of Perez’s pranks, didn’t miss a beat.
“Once again, you’re recording me, huh?” he said.
Watch the whole video above (click link).
Without Lorenzo Cain, here’s the Royals’ plan for center field
January 27, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
The Royals reconvened for the first time in 2018 at this weekend’s FanFest, still unsure what their lineup will look like when the season begins in two months. Free agent Eric Hosmer is still on the market, making him a viable candidate to clear up the conundrum at first base. Third base seems to be Cheslor Cuthbert’s job to lose.
But of all the questions surrounding the team, one took center stage on Friday: What form will the Royals’ post-Lorenzo Cain outfield take?
Cain agreed to a five-year contract with the Brewers on Thursday, officially shutting the door on a reunion with the team he led to back-to-back World Series berths and a championship. He truly never factored into the Royals’ plans for the 2018 season, anyway, as general manager Dayton Moore made clear that re-signing the 31-year-old would not jive with his attempts to rebuild what was once the best farm system in the major leagues.
Nevertheless, finding a replacement for Cain, a stellar defender who never won a Gold Glove with the Royals but still found himself lauded nationally for both his playmaking ability and his steady offense, won’t be an easy task to undertake.
“He’s one of those guys that I looked up to. But I think there are some guys in our system that can replace him,” minor-league outfielder Bubba Starling said. “I don’t think anybody will be able to get the job done like he did but we’ll be able to step in and hold our own.”
With a bevy of internal options at their disposal, Moore and manager Ned Yost would be jumping the gun if they attempted to pinpoint now, three weeks before pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Surprise, Ariz., who their opening day center fielder might be.
“Make no mistake about it, Lorenzo Cain was one of the elite center fielders in the game,” Moore said. “We all enjoyed watching him play and watching him emerge into the talent that he became. … It’s our job to find the next Lorenzo Cain.”
They will need the five weeks after full-squad activities begin on Feb. 19 to give Paulo Orlando, who missed more than two months while recovering from a fractured shin last year, the chance to emerge with a starting job like he did last spring.
They need to be able to evaluate Billy Burns, who in 2015 played 125 games in center field for the Oakland Athletics while hitting .294 with 18 doubles, nine triples, five home runs and 42 RBIs.
They need to give reps in center field to Alex Gordon, the five-time Gold Glove winner who led all left fielders with an ultimate zone rating of 11.5 and was third with nine defensive runs saved last season. Moore envisions Gordon providing relief in center.
And they need to see Starling, the beleaguered prospect, come to spring training and compete for a job that was blocked by Cain for so long — although Moore doesn’t expect him to win it.
“We’re not going to put official ceilings on him and we’ll see if he jumps up and takes it,” Moore said. “Do I expect him to be opening day in center field? No, I don’t expect that. He may expect that, and that’s good. If he wins it, he wins it. But right now we project him to probably be in Omaha and go from there.”
In a sense, the Royals have an embarrassment of riches to sort through. It’s just that none of them is the same five-tool player as Cain, and only two have shown offensive upside at the big-league level.
Orlando had a breakout 2016 season, during which he hit .302 with 24 doubles and 43 RBIs. But when he won the starting right field job last year, he hit .149 through 14 games and was demoted. He wound up with a .285 average in 30 games at Class AAA Omaha.
Burns floundered at the major-league level after logging 2.3 wins above replacement in 2015 in the Fangraphs version of the stat. He batted .235 in 97 games the following season, and only knocked one hit in six plate appearances for the Royals in 2017.
His upside is speed — Burns stole a base in 46 of 51 attempts over 242 big-league games and 24 of 35 at Omaha last season — and better plate discipline. Burns walked 44 times and struck out 60 times over 413 plate appearances last year.
Orlando drew nine walks and struck out 26 times in 129 plate appearances.
The sample sizes aren’t equal but they’re indicative of a trend. In his only full major-league season, Orlando struck out 105 times in 484 plate appearances (21.7 percent) in 2016. Burns logged 81 strikeouts in 555 plate appearances (14.6 percent) with the A’s in 2015, his only full major-league campaign.
With so much left for both parties to prove, the Royals are willing to give Burns and Orlando a chance to fill Cain’s shoes.
“We’re not going to be in a hurry to fill that center field position from outside because of the internal candidates we have,” Moore said. “They’re going to compete. … We’ll see who comes and goes and gets it.”
Lorenzo Cain fondly recalls support from Royals fans: ‘They loved on me’
January 27, 2018By Pete Grathoff & Maria Torres/KC Star
It may not be circled on his calendar, but Royals left-hander Danny Duffy is already looking forward to the Royals’ two-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 24 and 25.
Those games are at Kauffman Stadium, and Duffy is sure that Royals fans will shower love on outfielder Lorenzo Cain, who this week signed a five-year, $80 million contact with the Brewers.
“As I know they will, the Kansas City fans will give him the ovation that he deserves,” Duffy said Friday at Royals FanFest. “I hope that ovation lasts 20 minutes. That dude did so much for this city, so much for this community, this team. He should be appreciated by all of us, and I know he’ll be appreciated by the fans as well.”
The love that Duffy and Royals fans have for Cain is mutual.
On Friday, Cain was interviewed on the MLB Network and talked about his tenure with the Royals, which included two World Series appearances, culminating with the 2015 championship and that epic parade.
“Oh, I mean, some of the best times I’ve had in my life,” Cain said. “The fans, they loved on me, they supported me, not only me, the entire team. It’s something I’ll always remember: the parade, winning the World Series. It’s something .. a team that I’m going to miss, an atmosphere I’m going to miss ...”
Here is the clip (WARNING: it may be a bit jarring to see him in that Brewers uniform), and Cain starts talking about the Royals at the 4:45 mark: (click link for video).
Royals manager Ned Yost said at FanFest that he and general manager Dayton Moore only want the best for Cain.
“I think both Dayton and I, our goal is to have these kids come out and be successful and provide a great living for their family and to have success like that,” Yost said. “I’m very happy for him. I’m very proud for him. I mean, do we want him here with us, yeah, absolutely. But for him to go out and get a contract like that, I’m extremely pleased and happy and proud of him.”
Salvy puts Lorenzo Cain on speaker phone while on stage at FanFest
January 27, 2018FOX4KC.com
Throughout their years together as Royals, Salvador Perez was known for sneaking up on Lorenzo Cain with his phone and recording their hilarious antics. Cain signed a new contract with Milwaukee this week, but Salvy got in one last sneak attack — an impromptu conference call with all of Kansas City.
Up on the stage at Royals FanFest, Salvy called up LoCain and put him on speaker phone, holding up the microphone for everyone to hear.
“Say ‘hi’ to the fans in Kansas City. We gonna miss you, brother. We love you,” Salvy said, as fans cheered. “Everybody’s good here. We’re on the stage. You remember the FanFest?”
“Yeah, y’all at FanFest right now?” Cain asked.
“I’m on the stage. I got my phone on the speaker, so everybody hear you,” Salvy said.
At that point, Cain laughed out loud, realizing their conversation was being broadcast to the entire auditorium.
“Once again, you’re recording me, huh?” Cain said. “Let all the fans know that I love them. I miss them. My heart goes out to KC. It was a fun ride. It was a fun ride. And I definitely told myself I’m gonna miss all you guys.”
Reliving past memories and looking forward to new ones at Royals Fanfest
January 27, 2018By Carey Wickersham/FOX4KC.com
The Kansas City Royals are celebrating their 50th season this year. It all began on April 8, 1969 with a 12-inning victory over the Minnesota Twins.
Some of the pitchers from the '69 season were at Fanfest this weekend sharing their memories of the first home opener. It happened at the old Municipal Stadium at 22nd and Brooklyn.
Many of the original Royals have passed on, but there are three pitchers from that first season who made Kansas City their permanent home. They remember what happened that Spring day like it was almost yesterday.
The oldest living Royals player, Dave Wickersham, reminisces, "Wally Bunker started that game. Burgie down here pitched the 6th inning. I pitched the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th innings. Moe (Drabowsky) pitched the 12th inning and got the victory. Moe and I would have both loved to have won that game."
"It was pretty exciting just to get in the game," remembers Burgmeier. "I understand I had a chance to win it, but I gave up a hit or something and was out of the game. I won the second game. That was my firs win as a Royal."
Wickersham, Burgmeier and Al Fitzmorris, who was called up later in the season, thrilled long-time fans wit their stories.
Fitzmorris said,"You are confident that you can do your job, but coming from A ball in '68 to the big leagues in 1969 was a big jump. I trusted myself and hoped I was good enough to make that leap in that short of time. I was only 23."
Although the Kansas City expansion team ended their first year with a losing record, that victory against the Twins was significant, because they would eventually win the division and Royals Center-Fielder Lou Piniella would become the American League Rookie of the year.
Curt Nelson is the Director of the Royals Hall of Fame.
"In the bottom of the first inning, the very first pitch a Royals batter ever faced, Lou Piniella-style, he slapped it for a double. Then Jerry Adair came up behind him and drove in a run. That game would go into extra innings. We didn't have baseball in 1968, so we had extra baseball that day. We had 12 innings. Joe Keough would get a pinch hit single to score Joe Foy and win that first game."
Fifty years and two World Championships later, the three pitchers are still true blue, and you will likely see a lot more of them as the Royals celebrate a half-century of baseball memories this season.