Royals Rumblings - News for June 26, 2023

Freddy Fermin makes his case.

Jordan Lyles was happy to finally get his first victory Saturday.

“It was another reminder that shaking hands after games is a lot of fun,’’ said Lyles (1-11), after his first victory with the Royals. “Obviously, we haven’t done that when I’ve [started]. It feels really good to win.

“My mindset hasn’t changed, record-wise. I’m a very positive guy overall. I believe the next day is another day to get better. It might sound cliché, but I’m still learning and still trying to get better. I’m always looking to figure out something to get me over the hump.’’

Daniel Lynch felt good about his outing on Sunday.

Lynch said he feels he’s trending upward — a sentiment that could be directed toward the Royals as a whole.

“I definitely gave up less hard contact, but I wasn’t quite as lucky,’’ Lynch said. “I made pitches when I had to. I thought our defense was awesome.

“You go up against a guy of that caliber [Glasnow], you know it’s going to be a battle. Overall this weekend, our offense did a great job against some really good pitchers. We were in the games. We battled back in a couple of them. We played great defense the whole time. There are definitely some positives to take away. Now it’s up to us to build on those positives.’’

Drew Waters was happy to snap out of a slump this weekend.

“I think the smile comes from beating the Tampa Bay Rays,” Waters said. “Everyone knows the type of team that they are and the quality they bring every night. Top to bottom, as a team, I thought we played really well. That’s what we are capable of (doing).”

Anne Rogers profiles Royals catcher Freddy Fermin.

The Royals signed Fermin for less than $10,000. One chance was all he needed. As he slowly made his way through the Minors, playing at every level of the Royals’ organization, his receiving skills got better. His bat became serviceable with sneaky strength.

And Fermin became someone on whom the Royals knew they could count.

“He’s a workhorse,” Boscan said. “Sometimes I have to tell him, ‘Freddy, that’s enough.’ He’s never told me, ‘Hey, I’m good.’ He wants to work and is open to information at all times.”

David Laurila mentions the Royals as an underachiever in his Fangraphs column.

I also ran a poll asking which of four AL teams has most underachieved. The results were Mariners 38.3%, Blue Jays 31.4%, Yankees 21.7%, and Twins 8.6%. A team that I didn’t include in the poll attracted the attention of Bill James. Commenting on the poll, the renowned writer and sabermetrician said “I would bet that the Royals are just as far beneath expectations as any of these teams. It’s just that the expectations were low to begin with.”

Matt Quatraro talks on MLB Network Radio about what the Royals are trying to build.

Gavin Cross falls off the MLB Pipeline top 100 prospects list, giving the Royals zero representation.

The Angels break a franchise record with a 25-run outburst against the Rockies.

Freddie Freeeman joins the 2,000 hit club.

Colorado trades third baseman Mike Moustakas to the Angels.

The teams that are primed to improve in the second half.

Aaron Judge’s toe injury may be worse than previously thought.

Dan Szymborski thinks Luis Arraez could really hit .400.

How the Reds have won back their fans.

Clayton Kershaw is still holding the Dodgers together.

Who would be on the All-Fun Team?

Derek Jeter made his FOX debut.

LSU’s Dylan Crews wins the Golden Spikes Award for top college baseball player.

Florida puts up 24 runs on LSU to set up a deciding Game 3 in the College World Series.

Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas sets an WNBA record with her fourth triple-double of the season.

Here is your 2024 NBA mock draft.

So....what just happened in Russia?

Forget noise-cancelling devices, why we actually need the noise.

The funniest R-rated comedies of the 21st century.

Your song of the day is Fleetwood Mac with The Chain.