We came back after a week off with a packed show that covered a lot of the names the Royals have been linked to since the end of the season. That includes guys like Jon Lester, Ervin Santana, Torii Hunter, and more. Then we talked about players the Royals haven't really been linked to, but who we'd like to see them snag, including Cuban prospect Yasmany Tomas.
After some time off to watch the World Series, we put off recording the first offseason show long enough. Of course, the Royals did not finish their dream run through the playoffs, but it was still a great showing. We talked about the memories, the new fans, and just how special the 2014 season turned out to be, even if Madison Bumgarner ended it. And since the season is over, we looked at the impact of departing free agents, mostly notably Billy Butler (whose option for 2015 was declined by the...
Pine Tar Podcast season recap and offseason preview episode with Royals Assistant General Manager J.J. Picollo. Talking Game 7 near miss, possible internal replacements at positions of need and the reaction of fans to the team. Also David and Clint discuss the Gold Glove and season ending awards.
Tickets have been higher this World Series than in history but how high? Jesse Lawrence of Tiq.com ( www.tiqiq.com ) tells exactly how record setting it has been and how awesome it is to see his child hood team, the Royals in the World Series.
David and Clint preview the upcoming World Series with the San Francisco Giants with a large focus on Game 1 that features superb Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner. Also featured on this podcast Dayton Moore to Atlanta is discussed, Ned Yost comfort level, the play of Eric Hosmer as well as predictions for series MVP.
Hot on the heels of a Kansas City Royals American League Championship -- no, really -- we threw it back to our roots. Back in the first months of the Vault, we did the show live and let things go where they would go so we did the same with this one, via a Google Hangout. So we brought Troy "KC Royalman" back to host and shared in the euphoria of an upcoming Royals World Series appearance. We talked about the path of the season, the perception of Dayton Moore, the likelihood of keeping the succes...
With ALCS Game 3 rained out, Mike and Jeff got together to talk about the Royals unbelievable playoff run so far.
After 29 years, postseason baseball returned to Kansas City. Jeff and Mike talked with Kevin Scobee about Tuesday night's wild card game and the elements that went into the Royals' comeback. But we looked a little past just the events of the game. We talked about the impact a game like this has and what it means about how the Royals have been constructed, including a focus on specialists, speed, leadership, and an emphasis on contact in a strikeout world. Then Kevin took off, but we kept going, ...
Toby Cook, Kansas City Royals VP of Community Affairs & Publicity joined the show Sunday to breakdown the Events that will be taking place this week. Including tomorrow's Take The Crown Rally and procedures for Tuesday and possible ticket availability.
Right after the Royals (finally) finished the suspended game against Cleveland and while Danny Duffy was dealing, Mike and Jeff talked about the Royals improving (or dwindling?) playoff odds in light of a near-disaster against Detroit and how the rest of the contenders shape up. Also, we discussed Dayton Moore as a candidate for Atlanta's open GM position and what it means for him and his legacy. He's done good things for the organization, but has he done enough? And could (or would) a different...
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN joined the show this week to discuss his recent Ned Yost article including Yost game management, personality, past failures and the Royals chances to make the wildcard. Also in this episode David and Clint discuss the recent Dayton Moore to Atlanta rumor, the Royals recent series with the Detroit Tigers and the upcoming series with the Cleveland Indians.
Well the Royals relinquished their hold on first place and blew a winnable series against Boston. They've had to wade through bad bullpen decisions, iffy offense, and a rough time on defense. And yet, they still stand a good shot to make the playoffs. We talked about all of these circumstances on Monday night (before the Royals ended up winning in wild fashion to open the homestand).
As the season enters its final weeks, the pressure is mounting. The Royals offense has sputtered and some players are showing signs of wear. We talked about the remaining series against Detroit, the expanded rosters, tried to do some schedule math (we failed - that suspended game crosses everyone's wires...) and talked about the impact of Danny Duffy's injury. We also looked at what options exist to fill in for Duffy in his next start and the quick ascent of Brandon Finnegan. We also talked brie...
Jeff Montgomery drops by to talk about the run the Kansas City Royals are on, the differences between this team and the teams he played on and the comments Alex Gordon made about his contract situation. Also on this show David and Clint talk about Liam Hendricks, Terrance Gore and what other possible September roster moves the Royals could make.
This week, we got a second straight show to celebrate your first place Kansas City Royals, so we took the opportunity to look ahead at the schedules for the Royals and their most likely competitors for a playoff spot, Detroit and Seattle. We also talked about Alex Gordon's unheralded value - you may not realize how good he really is - and where he stands as one of the best overall players in the game. We also talked about how first impressions and big moments can skew perception of a player....
Nate Bukaty of 810 WHB's The Border Patrol joined the show this week to talk about the job the front office has done, the Royals amazing turn around and how good Alex Gordon is. Also David and Clint discussed possible September call ups, Billy Butler and some possible offseason moves. Audio from Christian Binford and Omaha Storm Chasers announcer Mark Nasser is included in the minor league spin.
After a week off so Jeff could get married (likely excuse), we returned to catchup from the trade deadline and to marvel about the now FIRST PLACE Kansas City Royals. We discussed the hot streak, the resurgence of some key players, and looked ahead at the Royals' schedule, as well as that of the Tigers. We also talked about SungWoo Lee, the Korean Superfan who visited Kansas City this week and basically captivated the entire Royals fanbase. Music provided by The Latenight Callers - thelatenightc...
Jim Callis talked with the Pine Tar Podcast about the Brady Aiken draft signing debacle, Mark Appel's development and perception of the Houston Astros around the league. He also discussed the Royals Top 20 prospects and the process that goes into creating the MLB Top 100. Also on this episode Lexington Legends broadcaster Keith Elkins and Idaho Falls announcer Chris Lewis discussed their teams performance up to this point in the season. David and Clint also discussed Billy Butler, Danny Valencia...
Jeff and Mike talked about the playoff race, the blockbuster Danny Valencia trade, and other trade deadline targets. Then we answered your questions about baseball, life, and other nonsense.
We recorded as the Royals were trying to find their first win of the second half, and the month-long plummet from first place to below-.500 had taken its toll. So Jeff and Mike winged it, talking about player development, run scoring approaches, buying or selling at the deadline, the lineage of Royals GMs, and what kind of hope might remain for 2014.
A new format to the Pine Tar Podcast after a week off. This week David and Clint talked with JJ Picollo about player development in the Royals system. When does the organization know when a player is ready for the next level and they view a few players within the organization. A few players that were talked about include John Lamb, Kyle Zimmer and Lane Adams. Prior to that J.J. interview Clint spoke with Adams about his season to date and whether he thinks he is ready for the jump to AAA and the...
After a week off, we got caught up by talking about the Royals first half and some of the key positives and nega---areas for improvement. Then we brought back Troy Olsen for a discussion of Billy Butler - why he's struggled, what expectations are placed upon him by fans and the organization, if he can return to form, and what happens next for him and his future with the Royals.
This week, we talked about the Royals' post-streak outlook and where they sit in the AL Central. Part of that evaluation includes the additions of Raul Ibanez and Christian Colon to the active roster. We're not sure how the Royals are going to use these guys, but it made for an interesting Monday, at least. We then talked about an article on Baseball Prospectus about Dale Sveum and his key adjustment since taking over as hitting coach and the refreshing part of that adjustment - that it's not ju...
This week the Kansas City Baseball Vault welcomed back Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star who talked about the Royals and their response to pressure after reaching (and falling out of) first place. He discussed the offensive struggles of Eric Hosmer and how he should be moved down, as well as the Royals front office's approach to praise and criticism. Mellinger also talked about his newest project, "The Art of Scouting", a book by he and Art Stewart, Royals Hall of Famer and longtime scout. T...
While the Royals were beating up on Max Scherzer, Jeff and Mike were talking about the Royals' (then) approach towards first place in the AL Central and the excitement it's bringing to fans. We talked about some of what's gone right during the streak and some of the key performers, and we also let ourselves get distracted by the game itself here and there (it happens). Then we talked about how to keep this going, and looked at who's rebounded from slow starts, who's been hot, and who's likely to...
Kansas City Baseball Vault, presented by Kelly's Westport Inn This week, we talked about the Royals' success against St. Louis and New York and swapped some Cardinals fan stories in the process. We also talked about the upcoming set of games against AL Central teams and the importance to keeping the Royals in the hunt. With that in mind, we hinted at some thoughts on the trade deadline (but it's still a bit early to really look at that). We took a brief look at a possible reason for James Shield...
This week, the Kansas City Baseball Vault talked about the lack of depth and its leading to the Royals bringing Mike Moustakas back and Aaron Brooks into a spot start. That tied into a discussion of Rany Jazayerli's column in the Kansas City Star about the Royals' development system and a comparison to the Oakland A's and how they approach their roster construction based on an article by Joe Posnanski. The Royals tend to assume things will come together; the A's take nothing for granted. In the ...
After the Royals were swept by the Houston Astros, there wasn't a lot to be happy about on this week's Kansas City Baseball Vault. In the past week, the offense has tanked, Mike Moustakas was demoted, Yordano Ventura got rocked and came out of a game in the middle of an at bat, and Kyle Zimmer was shut down for weeks. So. We tried. We really tried to be upbeat, but sometimes, there's just not much joy to be had. Nonetheless, we powered through it and talked about the rough stretch, then we broug...
Will Carroll of Bleacher Report stops by to talk about the injuries to Yordano Ventura and Kyle Zimmer. He also speaks to what the Royals could be doing to prevent these injuries. Also on the show Baseball Prospectus Prospect team member C.J. Wittmann fills us in on the players the Royals have in Wilmington.
This week we had a lot to cover, including Danny Duffy's bid for a perfect game, Alex Gordon's bombs on Sunday, Sal Perez getting hurt, Justin Maxwell getting designated for assignment, 810 Zone snubs, and some developments in baseball that could lead to an alternative to Mike Moustakas. Along with that, we also talked about some of the newly unveiled features of MLB's developing player tracking system and some ways it can be applied, which led to a discussion about just how to enjoy the game. T...
