The KC Royals fended off a Cleveland Indians rally to win 3-2 on Saturday night. They won despite being out-hit 9-6.

Salvador Perez at the plate on April 6, 2013 in Philadelphia.

The Royals took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd inning on Salvador Perez‘ first homerun of the season. They tacked on an insurance run in the seventh on an Eric Hosmer bases loaded walk with two outs. The Indians used five relievers two record the three outs and walked three in a row.

Kelvin Herrera survived a leadoff double in the 8th inning and handed the ball over to closer Greg Holland in the ninth. With one out, Mark Reynolds singled before Hosmer committed a fielding error. After striking out Drew Stubbs (but then who doesn’t strike him out?), Michael Brantley tripled in two runs. Holland bounced back to strike out Jason Kipnis to end the game.

If you thought Ervin Santana was going to be this good, raise your hand. I’m sure they are not many of you out there. But he has pitched well so far for the Royals. Tonight, he pitched seven shutout innings. Santana allowed six hits while striking out five (he did not walk a batter). Tonight’s performance lowered his ERA to 2.00.

On offense, Alex Gordon collected two hits and stole his first base of the season.

The two teams will play a day-night doubleheader on Sunday, with Jeremy Guthrie and Justin Masterson matching up in the day game. Lefty Will Smith will be called up as the 26th man and start the night game. Corey Kluber will start for the Indians.

With the Caribbean Series set to complete on Thursday and spring training about a week away, now is a great time to look back on the winter league season. The KC Royals were well-represented across the four major winter leagues.

First, let’s take a look at the Venezuelan Winter League, where there were 11 Royals playing.

Salvador Perez

Catcher Salvador Perez was named the league’s Rookie of the Year after hitting .371 in 32 games for La Guaira (mostly as the DH). He hit ten doubles, eight homeruns, and drove in 39. He walked nine times and struck out 17 times.

Juan Gutierrez was named the Relief Pitcher of the Year. He was 1-1 with an 0.81 ERA in 24 games for Caracas. He led the league in saves with 14 (14-of-15 in save opportunities). Over 22.1 innings, he gave up 12 hits (one homerun) and seven walks while striking out 21.

Guillermo Moscoso was just as dominant in the Caracas bullpen before moving to the starting rotation. He ended up 2-1 with a 3.10 ERA in 15 games (four starts). He was 3-for-3 in save opportunities. Over 29 innings, he allowed 36 hits and seven walks while striking out 18.

Shortstop Alcides Escobar hit .349 in 26 games (69 at-bats) for Lara. He had five doubles, two homeruns, and 16 RBIs. He walked seven times and struck out 11 times. Escobar also stole four bases and was caught once.

Outfielder Paulo Orlando was a teammate with Lara. He hit .346 in 32 games (136 at-bats). He hit seven doubles and drove in 16. He struck out 23 times compared to just three walks. Jose Jimenez was also with Lara. He was 1-1 with a 4.32 ERA in 32 games. In 16.2 innings, he allowed ten hits and 15 walks while striking out 14.

Outfielder Luis Durango hit .286 in 32 games (112 at-bats) for Caribes. He had three doubles and five RBIs. He walked 19 times compared to 17 strikeouts. Durango stole six bases, but was caught five times.

» Continue reading “Royals Venezuelan Winter League Wrap Up”

Somehow, I forgot to post about last week’s MLB Network’s Top Ten Right Now. They did an episode on left fielders and right fielders and no Jeff Francoeur did not make the list.

Alex Gordon, did however make the cut (I even had a post all written I just forgot to post it). Anyway, the KC Royals left fielder came in at number four on “The Shredder” list, along with Bill James’ list. Former big league outfielder Eric Byrnes only had him at number ten because Gordon has yet to hit for power or drive in 100 runs. Left fielders are supposed to be the big boppers in the lineup.

via MLB Network’s Twitter

Salvador Perez came in at number six on the list of catchers, with SF Giants catcher Buster Posey topping the list. I was really surprised out at how high Perez is ranked considering that in two years, he still has not played a full season’s worth of games. I have high hopes that he will be great, but I think the jury should still be out on him.

Former big league catcher Dave Valle also had him at number six. Bill James did not have Perez in his rankings.

Some of the catchers that are on the list surprised me, like AJ Ellis of the Dodgers and that Miguel Montero of Arizona was so high. I was surprised that Baltimore’s Matt Wieters was so low, at number eight.

Speaking of Perez, check out this article by the Kansas City Star’s Pete Grathoff.

*In the first baseman category, Eric Hosmer did not crack the list or even just miss the cut. They did not even mention him at all.

The provisional rosters for the World Baseball Classic were released this afternoon and there are quite a few current and former KC Royals on those rosters.

I wrote earlier about lefty reliever Tim Collins being a member of Team USA.

It was rumored that lefty starter Bruce Chen might join Team China. Well, it looks as though the crafty veteran will be anchoring the Chinese staff in the WBC. I am surprised that he is going to be leaving the Royals early in spring training when he is going to be in a tight battle for the final rotation spot. Their pool, Pool A, begins play on March 2nd, but China starts play on the third against host Japan.

Pitchers are only allowed to throw 65 pitches in the first round of pool play, so if Chen can be economical, he could realistically go five or six innings (unless he gets ripped).

Joining Chen in Pool A is Royals minor leaguer Paulo Orlando. The outfielder was a member of the surprise Brazilian team that upset Panama in the WBC Qualifier. He will be with Brazil in their first WBC when they begin play on March 2nd against host Japan. As of right now, Brazil’s lone big leaguer, catcher Yan Gomes, who played in the qualifier, is not on the roster (but they only have one catcher listed on their roster).

The Netherlands shocked the world in 2009 and look to do the same in 2013 in Pool B with some players with a little more name recognition (like Jair Jurrjens, Andruw Jones, Andrelton Simmons, and Jurickson Profar). Pitcher JC Sulbaran, who the Royals received from Cincinnati for Jonathan Broxton, is a member of the Netherlands pitching staff.

I am most looking forward to seeing some of the veteran Netherlands players, like Robbie Cordemans and Yurendell de Caster, along with some of the prospect guys like Jonathan Schoop, Xander Bogaerts, and Spencer Kieboom.

The Netherlands begin pool play on March 2nd against Korea in Taiwan.

Former Royal Justin Huber is yet again a member of the Australian team that is looking to use some of that explosive offensive (over .300 average in 2009) to make it out of the pool.

Huber will be joined with other veterans Luke Hughes, Peter Moylan, and Brad Harman. They also have some young prospects like Stefan Welch, James Beresford, and Clayton Tanner.

» Continue reading “WBC Rosters Full of Royals”

As I mentioned in last week’s KC Royals Winter League Update, no Royals are playing in the postseason in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, or Mexico.

However, three Royals were named award winners for some of the league’s regular season.

Salvador Perez

Starting catcher Salavdor Perez was named as Venezuelan’s Rookie of the Year (though he DHed 21 times). He hit .371 with eight homeruns and 39 RBIs in 32 games for La Guaira. He also had a slugging percentage of .412 and an OPS of .629, which would have led the VWL if he had enough at-bats.

Juan Gutierrez took home Reliever of the Year honors. He had a league-best 14 saves and a 0.81 ERA in 24 relief appearances. He also held opponents to a .158 batting average.

Two players from Zulia earned big honors in the VWL. Ernesto Mejia was named the MVP after hitting 16 homeruns and drove in 48 in 61 games. Dwayne Pollok was named the league’s Pitcher of the Year with a 7-2 record and a 2.36 ERA in a league-high 72.1 innings.

Former big league infielder Jose Castillo was named the Comeback Player of the Year. He hit .335 with 45 RBIs in 59 games for Caribes.

In the Puerto Rican League, infielder Christian Colon was named the Rookie of the Year. He hit .301 in 39 games for Ponce (his first time in winter ball). He also stole a league-best 13 bases.

His teammate with Ponce, Nick Ortiz, was named the PRL’s Comeback Player of the Year. He hit.278 with two homeruns and ten RBIs in 30 games. Andy Gonzalez was named the MVP. With Caguas, he hit .311 with a league-best 27 RBIs. Ricardo Gomez was named the Pitcher of the Year with a 1.02 ERA in 16 appearances. He converted all 14 save opportunities and struck out 22 in 7.2 innings.

In the Dominican Winter League, St. Louis Cardinals prospect Oscar Taveras earned the ROY after hitting .316 with five homeruns and 17 RBIs in 39 games for Aguilas. Hector Luna was named the DWL’s MVP after hitting .307 for Aguilas with a .408 on-base percentage and .514 slugging percentage. Former big leaguer Daniel Cabrera was named the Pitcher of the Year, as he went 5-0 with a 2.16 ERA in 11 starts for Leones. He struck out 32 and walked 16 over 58.1 innings.

I did not receive a weekly update from the Royals media department this week and their stats section does not cover Panama or Columbia, which is where there are a few players still playing. Plus, a Google search found me nothing on either league.

It was a lot easier to find out information on outfielder Carlo Testa in the Australian Baseball League. The Melbourne Aces lost all four of their games last week and Testa played in all four. He went 4-for-14 (.286) with five RBIs. He walked twice and struck out three times.

*The answer to Tuesday’s trivia question is: Billy Butler hit 21 homeruns in 2009 and had 95 RBIs in 2011.

Another week has gone by, SO…

It’s time for a KC Royals winter league update.

There was one new edition to the winter league family last week. Well, he’s new to the Royals organization.

Lefty Jose Jimenez is 1-1 with a 3.68 ERA in 25 games with Lara (25-24 and two games back of first place) in the Venezuelan Winter League. In 14.2 innings, he has allowed nine hits and six runs. He has walked 12 while striking out 13.

Jimenez is playing with two new Royals teammates with Lara. Alcides Escobar played in six games last week. He went 6-for-24 (.250) with a walk and four strikeouts. He drove in a run and stole two bases. Outfielder Paulo Orlando played in six games and went 8-for-26 (.308) with a double. He walked twice, struck out four times, and drove in two runs.

Caracas is 28-24 and a 1/2 game back of first place. Juan Gutierrez pitched in one game last week and picked up a save. His 12 saves lead the league. In one inning, he allowed a hit while striking out one. Guillermo Moscoso pitched in two games, one of which was a start.  Over four innings, he allowed two runs on four hits (two homeruns) while striking out five.

Salvador Perez

Salvador Perez continues to rake for La Guaira, who is 24-25 and three games back of first place. He isn’t catching everyday, but is getting a ton of at-bats. In six games last week, he went 8-for-26 (.308) with a double and two RBIs. He walked twice and struck out four times. Anthony Ortega pitched in two games. In one inning, he allowed one hit while striking out three.

Margarita is just 19-25, but they have two Royals on their team. Manny Pina played in one game and FINALLY picked up a hit in winter ball. He went 1-for-1 with two RBIs. Max Ramirez played in two games. He went 1-for-1 with a walk and an RBI.

Moving on to the Puerto Rican League.

Caguas is in first place at 15-7 with a three game lead. Rey Navarro has played all over the field for them, but last week played all four games at third base. He went 6-for-13 (.462) with three RBIs. He walked twice and struck out once, while stealing two bases.

Ariel Estades played in two games last week for second place Santurce (12-10). He went 0-for-1 with a walk.

Alex Llanos played in two games last week for third place Manati (10-9). He went 0-for-1.

Irving Falu played in three games at second base last week for Mayaguez (11-10), who is tied for third place. He went 4-for-13 (.308) with two doubles. He walked once, struck out once, and stole a base.

Despite the fact that Christian Colon is having a nice winter ball season, Ponce is in last place at 6-17. He played in four games last week, all at second base. He went 5-for-15 (.333) with a double and two RBIs. He walked once and struck out once.

Now to the Dominican Winter League.

Licey is in last place at 16-26. Atahualpa Severino pitched in three games last week. Over 2.1 innings, he allowed three hits and a walk while striking out one.

» Continue reading “Royals Winter League Update”

Another week has gone by, so it is time for another KC Royals winter league update. Five more have begun playing winter ball.

Salvador Perez

Let’s start in the Venezuelan Winter League, where Royals starting catcher Salvador Perez is now a member of La Guaira. In his game on Sunday, he hit two homeruns and drove in four. In five games played so far, he is 9-for-23 (.391) with four runs scored and nine RBIs.

His teammate is a new member of the Royals, pitcher Anthony Ortega. In 17 games, he is 1-1 with a 2.82 ERA. Over 22.1 innings, he has allowed nine runs (seven earned) on 19 hits. He’s walked eight while striking out 22.

Elsewhere in the VWL, outfielder Luis Durango played in six games for Caribes. He went 6-for-24 (.250) with a triple and an RBI. He walked six times compared to four walks. He was 1-for-2 in stolen base attempts.

Catchers Manny Pina and Max Ramirez are teammates with Margarita. Pina played in two games last week, but went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Ramirez played in four games last week. He went 3-for-11 (.273) with a walk and two strikeouts.

Relievers Juan Gutierrez and Guillermo Moscoso are teammates with Caracas. Gutierrez pitched in two games last week and picked up a save. In 1.1 innings, he allowed one hit while striking out three. Moscoso pitched in two games and picked up a save. In two innings, he allowed a hit while striking out two.

Infielder Rey Navarro played in five games for Caguas last week. He went 8-for-21 (.381) with a double and a triple, while walking twice.. He scored four runs and drove in five.

Moving on to the Dominican Winter League.

Tony Abreu played in three games last week for Aguilas. He went just 1-for-8 (.150), though he walked three times and scored two runs.

Michael Mariot pitched in two games last week for Licey. Over 2.1 innings, he allowed two hits while striking out one. His new teammate with the Royals is Atahualpa Severino. In 15 games so far in winter ball, he is 0-0 with a 4.35 ERA. Over 10.1 innings, he has allowed six runs (five earned) on ten hits. He has walked five while striking out 12.

» Continue reading “Royals Winter League Update”

The KC Royals got revenge on Saturday night, as they walked off against the LA Angels by a score of 3-2.

Shutout by former ace Zack Greinke for eight innings, the Royals offense went to work in the ninth. After a strikeout, Greinke allowed a single to Alex Gordon.

That brought in Angels closer Ernesto Frieri. He threw just four pitches and quickly coughed up the game.

Billy Butler hit the first pitch he threw out of the park to dead center to tie the game at 2-2. Three pitches later, Salvador Perez gave the Royals the victory with a homerun to left.

Jeremy Guthrie had another solid outing, despite leaving the game with a loss. He allowed five hits, the first one coming in the 4th inning. Mike Trout singled to lead off the inning, but Guthrie picked him off.

The next hit came to lead off the fifth, a solo homerun by  Kendrys Morales.

Guthrie got into trouble in the 8th inning with two outs. He walked Trout with a runner on third base, but Torii Hunter followed with an RBI single to give the Angels a 2-0 lead.

The Angels dropped to 7.5 games back of the American League West leading Texas Rangers (though their lead over second place Oakland is down to two games). The Angels are however 2.5 games back for the second wild card spot.

*In minor league news, Triple-A Omaha lost in the Pacific Coast League finals on Saturday night. Now everyone will want to know, will the Royals call up outfielder Wil Myers and pitcher Jake Odorizzi?

It wasn’t pretty, but the KC Royals defeated the Minnesota Twins for the second straight night. They won 10-5. It is the first time this season that the Royals have taken a series from the Twins.

It wasn’t one of Luke Hochevar‘s better outings, but he picked up a win regardless. He allowed five runs on six hits and four walks over five innings. Three of those walks came in back-to-back-to-back fashion in the 3rd inning with one out. One of those walks drove in a run.

The Twins led until a five-run top of the 5th inning for the Royals. The offense got going with a leadoff walk to Eric Hosmer. Then five straight singles (which scored four runs) chased Twins starter PJ Walters from the game. The Royals got a two out RBI single from Lorenzo Cain to finish off their scoring.

The Twins got two of those runs back to cut the deficit to 6-5 on Jamey Carroll‘s two-run single with two outs.

After Hochevar left the game, three Royals relievers allowed just three base runners, one per inning, and zero runs. Tim Collins threw two scoreless innings and Kelvin Herrera and Francisley Bueno followed with one scoreless inning each.

The Royals got on the board in the 4th inning on Salvador Perez‘ tenth homerun of the season (he had two hits).

Every Royals hitter collected at least one hit. David Lough returned to the lineup, batted leadoff, and went 2-for-6. Alcides Escobar went 2-for-4 while Billy Butler went 3-for-5 with three RBIs.

With the Royals going for the sweep on Thursday night, they send Luis Mendoza to the mound against Liam Hendriks.

*Twins left fielder Ryan Doumit committed three errors. Not sure why he was playing the outfield anyway when they have a few young guys sitting on the bench. Oh and they’re in last place.

**Check out this article on MILB.com about one of the newest Royals minor league relievers, Donnie Joseph.

The KC Royals have now won three in a row against first place Chicago, as they won on Friday night, 4-2. It came in comeback fashion.

The Royals took a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning on a Lorenzo Cain homerun off White Sox starter Chris Sale (he is a CY Young award candidate).

The White Sox tied the game in the top of the 4th inning on Paul Konerko‘s solo homerun off Luis Mendoza. Konerko was just activated from the 7-day concussion DL on Friday.

With two outs in the 5th inning and a runner on second base, Gordon Beckham singled to give the White Sox a 2-1 lead. Beckham was thrown out at second base by Jeff Francoeur.

Billy Butler used his power once again to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the 6th inning. The Royals took the lead in the 7th inning on a Salvador Perez two-run double with two outs. The White Sox chose to intentionally walk Butler to load the bases to face Perez.

The Royals bullpen duo of Kelvin Herrera and Greg Holland made things interesting in the final two innings. Herrera allowed back-to-back singles to lead off the 8th inning, but proceeded to strike out the next three hitters (he threw a 100 mph a few times). Holland recorded the first two outs in the 9th inning on just five pitches, but then allowed back-to-back hits to bring the go ahead run to the plate. Holland got Dayan Viciedo to fly out to end the game.

Mike Moustakas was expected to get some rest due to his struggles and his knee pain, but was forced into the game due to an injury (more on that later). Moose started the 7th inning rally with a one out single.

Three Royals had multi-hit games: Alcides Escobar, Perez, and Cain.

*Second baseman Chris Getz broke his thumb in a bunt attempt in the 5th inning. He stayed in and finished the bat (a strikeout), but was taken out for defense. He is expected to have surgery on Saturday. No word yet on who will replace him. Johnny Giavotella? Irving Falu? Gio did not play tonight for Omaha.

**For more on the White Sox, check out South Side Hit Girl.