Post by Commissioner Erick on May 17, 2019 18:21:45 GMT -5
Cleveland Indians (40-23) @ Kansas City Royals (27-36)
CLE: Jose Quinatana (6-5,4.28)
KC: Justus Sheffield (3-7, 2.97)
After a slow start the Cleveland Indians are charging towards the top of the AL Central as they haven't lost a series to a non-division leader since mid-April. They'll take on a Kansas City Royals team that's starting to find some of the plants of their rebuild bearing fruit.
It's an AL Central battle when the Indians take on the Royals in the Game of the Week.
Cleveland got off to a slow start with a surprising amount of turnover for a returning championship team, plus some pitching injuries to navigate. They've brought some veterans up from the minors, gotten a little bit healthier, and seen their outlook skyrocket. After a 5-10 start, they've gone 35-13 to vault to the Wild Card lead. They're three games behind the Chicago White Sox, and will face them later this week with a chance to make up the ground.
After a season with 125 RBIs, good defense in Center Field, and a strong postseason, Lewis Brinson started the year in the minors. Scouts believe his bat speed as sagged, and while he still sells out for power, he isn't as quick through the zone. He slugged in Columbus where the pitchers aren't as good, but it'll be interesting if he regains his skills against the best pitchers in the majors.
He's back in the lineup as J.D. Martinez has struggled. Now 33, Martinez has struggled to slug. His .206 isolated power number is his lowest mark since 2018 when he dealt with a fractured jaw. Martinez has never been patient, and is only hitting .214. Without the power or defense, he doesn't bring too much to the table as an everyday player.
Cleveland also brought up Bradley Zimmer from the minors to play center field after being relegated to Triple A most of the past two years. Zimmer's only full season in the majors was 2019, and he only hit .222. He provided power, speed, and defense, but on a team crowded with players like Martinez, Brinson, and Giancarlo Stanton, there wasn't a lot of room for him. Zimmer was the International League's Most Valuable Player last year, and after a hot start this year, was called up to play Center Field. He's scuffling to a .191 average with just two doubles and one RBI in 50 plate appearances, but it's a very small sample.
Cleveland will need Zimmer and Brinson to step up if Martinez won't be able to give them the offensive jolt they were counting on.
Kansas City is looking for players who can provide a jolt as they're in the midst of a lengthy rebuild. Tonight's starter, Justus Sheffield, is one such player. Sheffield spend much of his rookie season as a 22-year old in 2018. He struggled then, and in 2019, as he gave up an exorbitant number of home runs despite pitching in an expansive stadium. Sheffield began to turn it around last season. He cut his home run mark in half, while maintaining similar strikeout and walk numbers. As a result, he recorded a 4.05 ERA and won double digit games.
This year, Sheffield has taken it up a notch. He's a little more comfortable attacking within the strike zone, which has boosted his strikeout totals, while cutting his walks. He's back to allowing a significant number of home runs, but with a reduction in walks and strong BABIP marks, the majority of those are solo shots. Sheffield is starting to pay off as a strong mid-rotation arm.
The offense is still searching. Chase Vallot looked like a future star in 2019. He badly sprained his ankle in 2020 and has been lost since. The former 25-home runs hitter has spent much of the year in Triple-A Omaha and no longer appears to be the star the Royals hoped he'd be. Instead, that mantle has fallen on Gavin Lux. Lux, like Sheffield, struggled in his rookie year as a 22-year-old. Unlike Sheffield, he's figured things out sooner. Lux is batting .288/.338/.424 with seven steals, a respectable strikeout rate, and strong defense. Scouts see Lux refining his approach even more, which should see him as a top-of-the-lineup fixture for the Royals for years.
Rizzo is the other batter the Royals are counting on to become a force. He had a strong rookie year with 22 home runs and 36 doubles, and was able to earn an All-Star nod. Teams aren't giving him as many pitches to hit this year though, so his numbers have fallen. He only has seven home runs so far, with a .358 on-base mark though.
Only 23, he'll have plenty of time to refine his power. However, he'll have a lot of pressure on him though, as the Royals are finally starting to form a core of players to get them out of their doldrums.
Questions for the GM's:
For David Springgay, you've got Bradley Zimmer, Lewis Brinson, J.D. Martinez, and Kole Calhoun. Who do you think becomes a starting outfielder when the dust settles?
Jonathan Villar has a reputation of being bad in the clubhouse, but your clubhouse is strong and Villar's playing well. What has been the key?
You selected Danny Bilbrew in the first round of the latest draft. Why did you select him over other players?
For Daniel Kent, with Gavin Lux, Nicky Lopez, and Christopher Torres on the team, you have a lot of dynamic middle infielders, so many that Lopez is playing third base. Will you try to squeeze the three of them into two positions going forward, or hope one of them hits for enough power to make sense at third base?
Players seem to dislike Oliver Atteridge, and nobody is really crediting him directly for their development. His contract expires after this year. Will you look to extend him?
You drafted Jimmy Whitaker in the first round. What excites you about the selection?
TRIVIA: Who is the only Royal to have more than 25 home runs in a season?
CLE: Jose Quinatana (6-5,4.28)
KC: Justus Sheffield (3-7, 2.97)
After a slow start the Cleveland Indians are charging towards the top of the AL Central as they haven't lost a series to a non-division leader since mid-April. They'll take on a Kansas City Royals team that's starting to find some of the plants of their rebuild bearing fruit.
It's an AL Central battle when the Indians take on the Royals in the Game of the Week.
Cleveland got off to a slow start with a surprising amount of turnover for a returning championship team, plus some pitching injuries to navigate. They've brought some veterans up from the minors, gotten a little bit healthier, and seen their outlook skyrocket. After a 5-10 start, they've gone 35-13 to vault to the Wild Card lead. They're three games behind the Chicago White Sox, and will face them later this week with a chance to make up the ground.
After a season with 125 RBIs, good defense in Center Field, and a strong postseason, Lewis Brinson started the year in the minors. Scouts believe his bat speed as sagged, and while he still sells out for power, he isn't as quick through the zone. He slugged in Columbus where the pitchers aren't as good, but it'll be interesting if he regains his skills against the best pitchers in the majors.
He's back in the lineup as J.D. Martinez has struggled. Now 33, Martinez has struggled to slug. His .206 isolated power number is his lowest mark since 2018 when he dealt with a fractured jaw. Martinez has never been patient, and is only hitting .214. Without the power or defense, he doesn't bring too much to the table as an everyday player.
Cleveland also brought up Bradley Zimmer from the minors to play center field after being relegated to Triple A most of the past two years. Zimmer's only full season in the majors was 2019, and he only hit .222. He provided power, speed, and defense, but on a team crowded with players like Martinez, Brinson, and Giancarlo Stanton, there wasn't a lot of room for him. Zimmer was the International League's Most Valuable Player last year, and after a hot start this year, was called up to play Center Field. He's scuffling to a .191 average with just two doubles and one RBI in 50 plate appearances, but it's a very small sample.
Cleveland will need Zimmer and Brinson to step up if Martinez won't be able to give them the offensive jolt they were counting on.
Kansas City is looking for players who can provide a jolt as they're in the midst of a lengthy rebuild. Tonight's starter, Justus Sheffield, is one such player. Sheffield spend much of his rookie season as a 22-year old in 2018. He struggled then, and in 2019, as he gave up an exorbitant number of home runs despite pitching in an expansive stadium. Sheffield began to turn it around last season. He cut his home run mark in half, while maintaining similar strikeout and walk numbers. As a result, he recorded a 4.05 ERA and won double digit games.
This year, Sheffield has taken it up a notch. He's a little more comfortable attacking within the strike zone, which has boosted his strikeout totals, while cutting his walks. He's back to allowing a significant number of home runs, but with a reduction in walks and strong BABIP marks, the majority of those are solo shots. Sheffield is starting to pay off as a strong mid-rotation arm.
The offense is still searching. Chase Vallot looked like a future star in 2019. He badly sprained his ankle in 2020 and has been lost since. The former 25-home runs hitter has spent much of the year in Triple-A Omaha and no longer appears to be the star the Royals hoped he'd be. Instead, that mantle has fallen on Gavin Lux. Lux, like Sheffield, struggled in his rookie year as a 22-year-old. Unlike Sheffield, he's figured things out sooner. Lux is batting .288/.338/.424 with seven steals, a respectable strikeout rate, and strong defense. Scouts see Lux refining his approach even more, which should see him as a top-of-the-lineup fixture for the Royals for years.
Rizzo is the other batter the Royals are counting on to become a force. He had a strong rookie year with 22 home runs and 36 doubles, and was able to earn an All-Star nod. Teams aren't giving him as many pitches to hit this year though, so his numbers have fallen. He only has seven home runs so far, with a .358 on-base mark though.
Only 23, he'll have plenty of time to refine his power. However, he'll have a lot of pressure on him though, as the Royals are finally starting to form a core of players to get them out of their doldrums.
Questions for the GM's:
For David Springgay, you've got Bradley Zimmer, Lewis Brinson, J.D. Martinez, and Kole Calhoun. Who do you think becomes a starting outfielder when the dust settles?
Jonathan Villar has a reputation of being bad in the clubhouse, but your clubhouse is strong and Villar's playing well. What has been the key?
You selected Danny Bilbrew in the first round of the latest draft. Why did you select him over other players?
For Daniel Kent, with Gavin Lux, Nicky Lopez, and Christopher Torres on the team, you have a lot of dynamic middle infielders, so many that Lopez is playing third base. Will you try to squeeze the three of them into two positions going forward, or hope one of them hits for enough power to make sense at third base?
Players seem to dislike Oliver Atteridge, and nobody is really crediting him directly for their development. His contract expires after this year. Will you look to extend him?
You drafted Jimmy Whitaker in the first round. What excites you about the selection?
TRIVIA: Who is the only Royal to have more than 25 home runs in a season?