Royals Data Dugout breaks down infielder Maikel Garcia’s adjustments at the plate and how that is helping the Kansas City Royals.
His quality hands will always support the high contact rates and ability to put the ball in play, but the young third baseman opened previously untapped ceiling potential with adjustments that can lead to increased power, evidenced by far-and-away career-highs in his slugging percentage and isolated power (.158, good for 89th in MLB, and up from a career average of .104, which would rank 149th among 170 qualifers). It’s not that Garcia’s selling out for home runs or constantly looking to lift the baseball to left field. He’s staying within himself at the plate. He’s making quality contact. He’s punching the ball all directions. But now, he’s doing so with authority, and transforming himself into an All-Star candidate in the process.
David Lesky looks at the financial implications of Kansas City promoting Jac Caglianone.
One thing that sticks out to me is the fact that the Royals made this move before the projected date where a player would be considered Super Two status. If you’re not sure what that is, I get it. We can’t know everything about baseball contracts. A quick primer here is that a player is under team control for six seasons with the first three seasons having salaries determined by the team and the final three where a player is arbitration-eligible. They don’t always go to arbitration, but still, the team can’t solely determine the player’s salary without at least a conversation and sometimes it leads to a trial.
Kansas City Star’s Pete Gratthoff details the 48 hours after Caglianone’s promotion. [$]
Shortly after his promotion to Triple-A Omaha on May 18, Jac Caglianone began working with outfield guru Rusty Kuntz, who had a message for the Royals’ top prospect. “It could be coming quicker than you think,” Kuntz said of Caglianone’s promotion to the major leagues. Kuntz was right.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan names infielder Eugenio Suarez Kansas City’s best fit at the trade deadline.
With the prospect of Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo and Kris Bubic starting a three-game wild-card series, it’s already tough for any opponent, but adding a power bat like Suarez’s would let Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro toy with different lineup variations. Regardless of where Maikel Garcia and Jonathan India wind up playing, pairing them with Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, Salvador Perez, Jac Caglianone and Suarez would make for a representative lineup. And considering the way the Royals have hit this season, that would be welcome as Kansas City looks for the same sort of magic it rode to a championship 10 years ago.
Kevin O’Brien gives out his stars following the Detroit Tigers series and hones in on one Carlos Estévez.
Estevez may not get saves or even outs in the prettiest ways. He’s not like Royals reliever strikeout artists such as Wade Davis, Greg Holland, or even Kelvin Herrera. However, even though his style is different, it’s still been effective. That’s what matters the most for the Royals: That Estevez gets the save in the ninth.
Pitcher List’s Trevor Powers puts out the latest MLB mock draft, with Kansas City picking a prep shortstop at 22nd overall and Oregon’s Mason Neville at 28th overall.
Well, after a .293/.443/.745 season with 26 home runs and 16 doubles, it is evident that he improved. There are contact concerns from his 63 strikeouts, but that came with a 73.5% contact rate. Combine that with a 19.4% chase rate, and the foundation is there, even with the high strikeout numbers. Neville has one of the highest ceilings in the class and is trending in the right direction.
Listen to Caglianone from the dugout ahead of his MLB debut against the St. Louis Cardinals.
MLB.com’s Jason Foster looks at each league’s MVP favorites, with shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. sitting at 3rd in the AL race.
Witt continues to display a game-changing skill set. His .283 average and .822 OPS both rank third among qualified AL shortstops while he leads the group in doubles (22), triples (three) and stolen bases (20). In a 12-game stretch from May 4-16, Witt hit .354 and slugged .708.
Pitcher Kris Bubic earned AL Pitcher of the Month for May after his dazzling month. Congrats Kris!
Exit velocity – 98.4 MPH
Hit distance – 392 ft
Expected BA – .330
Bat speed – 81.0 MPH (BWJ’s average leads Kansas City, at 74.2 MPH) https://t.co/e0NuXEnhxZ
— The Royals Rundown Podcast (@RoyalRundownPod) June 4, 2025
Jackson County legislator Manny Abarca was served a restraining order last Friday, and his wife alleges she hasn’t seen their two-year-old son since last Wednesday. Abarca was a front-line voice opposing the sales tax extension last spring. [$]
Even with Caglianone still in the fold, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel is still not high on the Royals’ farm system in his latest system rankings update.
This system isn’t that good after the first handful of guys, with a number of players who haven’t turned the tools into reality yet. Pitcher, catcher and first base seem like they’ll be set for a while at the big league level — along with shortstop, obviously — but there are some holes to fill.
The Athletic’s Eno Sarris ranks MLB starting pitchers from the remaining season. Cole Ragans has the highest ranking for Royals pitchers at 11th. [$]
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand answers some trade deadline questions as we turn the calendar to June.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden looks at the likely sellers at the trade deadline and the players each could move. [$]
Lance Brozdowski names his May pitching standouts down on the farm.
MLB.com’s Mike Petriello examines Juan Soto’s slow start with the New York Mets.
Molly Knight looks at what fans can learn from the 2024 World Series rematch over the weekend.
Pebble Hunting looks at when baseball fans get on their feet around the league.
Could the Boston Red Sox actually be a seller after their lackluster start?
The New York Mets call up Ronny Mauricio after third baseman Mark Vientos’ injury against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Arizona Diamondbacks placed pitcher Corbin Burnes on the 15-day IL while the veteran seeks a second opinion following an MRI.
New York Yankees closer Luke Weaver lands on the 15-day IL as well after suffering a strained left hamstring while stretching.
Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper returned to game action after missing five games with a bruised right elbow.
The iconic Goodyear blimp is already 100 years old. Learn more about the staple of the sky’s history.
Just Pennywise, with a clock ten years shorter. Billions of cicadas emerge and create quite the buzz this summer.
Today’s song of the day is Kate McCannon by Colter Wall.