The Spring of Singer | Kansas City Royals Podcast

Singer Brady singer made his first start of the spring what did we think about it we'll tell you next on locked on Royals you are locked on Royals your daily Kansas City Royals podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day you are tuning to another edition of lockon Royals on the locked on podcast Network as always I'm your host Jack Johnson and you can follow me on Twitter Johnny j15 that's jny j15 you also can find us on wherever you may be getting your podcast that can be Spotify Apple podcast Amazon music Google podcast Odyssey we're also on YouTube just be sure to hit that follow button and subscribe if you're a first time listener of course welcome and we always love new listeners here on the lockdown podcast Network and if you want to know a little bit more about me if you want to get more information on my sports background well I work here in Kansas City at sports ready weight 10 whb got a show once a week over there and then Monday through Friday I've got a show on ESPN Kansas City at 10: am to 11: am. so if you ever want to check me out over there catch my thoughts on things that may not always pertain to Major League Baseball you can easily find me over there but when you click on this podcast link when you're looking for Royals baseball this is the place to come to five episodes a week Sometimes they come to you in the morning they come to you in the afternoon or in the evening the late evening as it is uh right now as I'm recording this podcast uh but just know that every single week I'm gonna try my best to get five episodes out a week that is the goal I'm not going to say from week to week it might be three next week will be be a little bit different I'm going out of town might only get four episodes next week but uh again shouldn't be too much of a problem to get those four out I'll be out of town Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday so the week after that I might have to do one weekend episode just to catch up on those five episodes a week so next week might be looking closer to four episodes week after that five episodes but we'll extend into the weekend and that's what I want to do if I ever have to change up my schedule a little bit I don't want to uh skimp any of the listeners or the followers with only like two episodes a week because we're in full swing of spring training and it was actually funny one of the the YouTube commenters was uh saying or responding at least to what I yesterday about spring training how it can be boring and he's like don't speak for me I never find Royals baseball boring and I was like you know it's not so much that I find Spring trading boring it's I think every fan goes through it once you get like 15 games in you're like all right I'm ready for the real deal here I'm tired of exhibition games like baseball is great we talk about this every single day we have five episodes a week I obviously have to love the Royals and love baseball to do five episodes a week uh so that's not really an issue for me but for spring training man I I want to get to the part where these things do matter where the wins and losses matter the numbers matter the stats matter and right now all we're left with is just hoping that these can translate over and I think one guy we're hoping can translate the success the add the day into the regular season is Brady singer and good news for the Royals I mean these don't matter the stats don't matter but as I think I also said in Monday's episode like they don't matter at least you want to have the confidence that you're doing well like you can always fall back if you struggle of it is spring training but you also can look at it and say hey I pitched pretty well I threw the ball well I felt good it felt good out of my hand and I'm sure that's what every single member of the Royals rotation has felt like following their outing I mean Cole Reagan Seth Lugo Michael walk and Brady singer haven't allowed a run they've also had pretty good strikeout numbers for the inning they threw the two innings that they threw hard to be disappointed with the first four guys that went now Jordan ly throws tomorrow we might have a little bit more of a podcast segment on him and what he looked like but Brady singer today against Seattle I thought was very sharp and it seemed like he was utilizing a couple of his new pitches I know that some people were asking me you know what he was throwing UNT Ely baseball does not make it that accessible to find that information I've tried extensively to go to statcast to find ways to look at what pitches are being thrown how hard they're throwing it the spin rate you know the swing and miscount I can't find it I have to go through the game day app and Game Day app also doesn't really update pitch by pitch it's usually just if it's an out a walk a hit a run that's when they're updating so to me it was very limited and I have to wait for the highlights to be posted at the end of the game but Brady singer threw two scoreless innings only allowed one hit and he had three strikeouts no Walks from what was being said from the word coming out of spring training he looked pretty good uh it looked like he was mixing and matching a lot of his different pitches I did see on one of his strikeouts he utilized that change up that's going to be a big part of his success but I I actually go back to 2022 and the numbers that he put out there and compare them to 2023 look it's all fine and dandy for Brady singer to have multiple pitches it is a good thing to be able to turn to a third pitch or a fourth pitch but if I'm being quite honest and I'm being transparent about this all I do not think it matters unless Brady singer's velocity comes back and the velocity that he had in 2022 that said sets up everything in his Arsenal last year there was not that big of a a difference in his two seam Sinker that he would throw and his slider uh you go back to last year I think he was sitting anywhere from 91 to 93 maybe topping out at 95 on a good day and his slider was 84 85 86 and you go back to 2022 that two Seaman Sinker sometimes and a couple of of pitches in a row consecutive pitches it'd be 95 96 97 and that slider could be a firm 87 or 88 and that made his pitch because of the run it had the horizontal movement to become at times virtually unhitable and maybe it was the shorten spring training he had last year the good thing for him this go around there's no hiccup there's no WBC he's going to have a start every fifth day or so he'll probably ramp it up to three Innings next time out and then four Innings and then you'll see where you're at from there uh but to me the velocity is so important building up that arm again making sure the velocity comes back because I've gotten to the point where he can have a change up he can throw in that for seamer he can throw in the sweeper if the velocity is not there on his main pitches I don't think it's going to be that hard to differentiate what he's throwing if you're a hitter you know last year we saw it he couldn't set up the slider as well because his two seamer Sinker was running around 9192 you know it was a near two mile per hour difference on his Sinker per the the baseball Savant numbers that's a huge jump or huge dip I should say for a starter now the good thing for him what I'm sure a lot of people are factoring in here and why he feels like a good bounceback candidate I believe I picked him as my exactor in yesterday's episode episode he doesn't have the pressure of being a number one or a number two at this point it's let's just hope Brady singer works out let's hope he reverts to form it's not he has to be the guy because he's the fourth best pitcher in this rotation he's behind Reagans he's behind Waka he's behind Lugo know to me you can take that and run with it you know people are expecting things of me we're not treating Brady singer like Jordan ly but he is closer to the Jordan ly's expectation than he is for the Cole Reagan's expectation and that's the beauty of having somebody like Brady singer as your number four starter because if he looks like he did in 2022 then you've got an unbelievable one two really in Brady singer and Cole Reagan's and then your threes and fours are walk and Lugo now all of a sudden as we brought up in The X Factor segment it's a pretty goodlooking rot but it was a good first step today I think you can feel good about what you saw from Brady singer mixed and matched a little bit uh it seemed like the velocity was fine uh you want to see him use maybe even more of those new pitches like the sweeper like the forc moving forward through spring training but when you throw about 30 pitches or a little bit under that if you're freaking out about the dosage you had of the for seam and the sweeper don't be freaking out about it it was 30 pitches in fact I think it was a little bit under that if I'm not mistaken he got three strikeouts didn't walk anybody gave up one hit you take that and you move on I have no complaints whatsoever about what I've seen from the Royal starting pitcher so far seven games through spring training okay we're GNA take our first break of the show when we come back a guy who's in no man's land a little bit I think it's Nick prto now he's look so good he look good so far in spring training he's already got a home run he had a hit ear earlier today but what do you do with Nick prto like I said No Man's Land let's talk about that next on lock on Royals you are tuning to lockon Royals Pratto on the lockon podcast Network I'm your host Jack Johnson be sure to give me a follow on Twitter orx Johnny j15 that's at jny YJ or15 before we go any further want to give a shout out to the title sponsor today in FanDuel get buckets with your first bet on FanDuel America's number one sports book because right now customers get $150 in bonus Bets with any winning $5 bet that's 150 bucks if your team wins bet on all 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situation of the 2024 Royals and go I don't know where you play him uh there are some followers that I have that are much higher on Nick prao than maybe I am I know there's some people that think that he's a gold glove first baseman I would strongly refute that I do not not think he's a good defensive first baseman I think Vinnie pasquantino is very much interchangeable defensive wise with Nick pra and I would take Vinnie's bat a hundred times over Nick prao do I believe that you just punt on him as a prospect or punt on him as a player absolutely not I think that he should be in that same category as an MJ Melendez if we're gonna give MJ you know the second chance or the third chance well pra deserves one as well what MJ has going for him though is that he's not a big strikeout hitter I mean he he does strike out more than you would want to but Nick pra was in the pitcher range he striking out 40% of the time last year I mean nearly a coin flip I know it's not exactly 50% but that's about as close you can get to 50% as a position player swinging a bat now MJ Melendez he at least has a walk rate in the double digits and he hits the ball incredibly hard I know he's not a great Fielder but again I I don't think Nick pra is that great of a Fielder either but I'm also rooting for him in spring training because I'm not going to give up on him as a prospect I'm not g to give up on him as some form of an everyday player there are aspects to his game that he has to change if he is ever GNA be playing every single day in Kansas City I mean I I go back to last year that I think it was in early July his OBP was still near 350 like he was getting on base at a high clip he was one of the few guys in the lineup you could count on to get on base he was a leadoff hitter for a little bit of time Mata went with the unique approach you put a first baseman not too quick but a high OBP guy at the top of your lineup now it didn't last that long because once we got to August Nick prao tailed off he got hurt he started striking out a hell of a lot more than he was at the beginning of the year and then by the end of it it was I don't even think this guy is a everyday player anymore I don't think you can pencil this guy in for the lineup in 2024 and the Royals aren't going to do that I would you know put my chips in right now that he's going to begin the year in Triple H H even with a good spring because who does he push out I would say the only possibility would be of Nelson Velasquez bombs in spring training which so far he hasn't been incredible but Nick pra's also had a very small game sample size we have 20 plus games to go before we can truly make that decision but the only guy I think he would bump out Vinnie pasquantino is going to play first base they may rotate a little bit and Vinnie will get some time at DH but Nick pra right now is in that no man's land you know he doesn't have a good enough bat where it's we gotta just put him out there somewhere because he's B his Bat is so good right some hitters force you to put them in the lineup like just throw them in left throw them in right throw them at first throw them at third they're such a good hitter I'll take take bad defense out there problem is Nick pra is not that great of a hitter even when he was getting on base at a high clip it wasn't like he was torching the ball he was uh kind of being a singles hitter which is fine a single double triple home run you're getting on base a walk is the same as a single you just reach first base you feel good about it but to me I wanted to see a little bit more of that upside I wanted to see a first baseman that could you know play at a high level for a full season I wanted to see the hard hit rate go up I wanted to see the barrel percentage go up I wanted to see the home run power go from five to 10 to 10 to 15 or 15 to 20 I really wanted to see that surge for Nick prao in year two but it was a bad end to the year now I also understand that injuries can cause problems they can make you feel uncomfortable at the plate you don't really have your Rhythm I think Kyle Isbell had that same issue and I believe he said one of the main things on his mind is staying healthy you know that's that's a top of his list if I stay healthy I feel good in my abilities and maybe Nick pra thinks the exact same way when I feel good when I feel healthy I trust my game I trust my Approach at the plate and those are important things to bring up but I I just I I feel like the Royals are at of spot right now where they need to know if Nick pra is or isn't a player pretty soon you know I tweeted this out and again you can follow me on Twitter Rex Johnny j15 he needs a Big Spring like he has to have a Big Spring to get back on the radar because right now with the way the Royals have gone a little bit Allin they try to compete for American League Central title he's not fitting into that conversation they want Melendez in left they want isbel in Center they want Ren and right they want Velasquez dhing they want Vinnie at first and since he's a left-hander now that rules out Third Base so you're either a first baseman DH or Corner outfielder all those spots are taken up right now so he can start the year in Triple A he can be that guy right off the bat that is you know the the first man on the highway to get to Kansas City from Omaha he can be that first man up or that second man up but is he an everyday player and that's going to be what the Royals have to identify and we have seen over the course of decades really the Royals have let guys walk away or DFA guys that seem hopeless seem lost I mean Ryan o'n was as lost as you could be people were just furious that he'd be in the lineup hitting fourth hitting fifth with his 160 batting average and then of course he goes to Baltimore on a cheap deal and he becomes a great bench bat for them and eventually starts in the playoffs like Ryan o'n did that so if I saw Ryan o'n make that change go from what he was in Kansas City to what he was in Baltimore I think the Royals could do the same with Nick pra but not see him do it for another club not let him walk and go well he's just another guy that's going to catch on somewhere Brent Rooker was in a Royals uniform for a few weeks they DFA him he gets picked up by Oakland and last year he's an Allstar for the Oakland A it can happen change of scenery is a big part of players successes I mean look at Cole Reagan it's not like the Royals are the only team that coughs up players and they catch on elsewhere I mean the Rangers traded Cole reagins likely not thinking he could become this because if that was a possibility they never would have included him in that trade so so Major League Baseball is always going to have guys that catch on elsewhere they like the change of scenery it gives them more confidence it gives them a boost and I don't want to see that with Nick prao but right now I don't see an opportunity for him to get every day at bats in Kansas City if Nelson Vasquez struggles or Hunter Renfro who's been dealing with his back tightness can't stay healthy well the the door opens up a little bit he's got an opportunity like that but the only thing he can control right now is his success in Spring trade if he hits well and he forces his way under the roster well that's good for him because he can't really control the roster moves the Royals make I mean he can try his best to hit 450 with eight home runs and walk away from Surprise Arizona is the clear favorite the clear MVP but the Royals could still look at him and say hey we just don't have a spot for you right now keep up that work in in Omaha and you'll be up to Kansas City in no time he can't control the roster construction all he can control is how he looks in Spring and so far so good for Nick prono before we move on to our final segment I want to give a shout out to lockon sports today it's here for you 247 covering the top sports stories of the day with the local Experts of lockon plus our national shows covering every League find locked on sports today now available on the free Fire TV channels app when we return I'm going to tell you one aspect so far in spring training that is concerning me just a little bit we'll dive into that next on lockdown Royals you are tuning to lockon Early concern Royals and the lockon podcast Network I'm your host Jack Johnson be sure to give me a follow on Twitter re Johnny j15 that's jny j15 also can catch us on wherever you get your podcast whether that be Spotify Apple podcast Amazon music Google podcast Odyssey we're also on YouTube just be sure to hit that follow button and subscribe before we go any further I want to give a shout out to the other title sponsor today in game time now opening day is one month away so go and buy your tickets so you can catch the Royals and twins on March 28th take the day off work and enjoy baseball in the regular season for the first time on the year but when buying tickets go over to game time and do so if there's a concert that's caught your eye if there's a comedy show that's caught your eye or you've just been wanting to go to some form of an event whether it's a sporting game or it's a concert or some type of gathering game time is the place to go to I'm going to a concert next weekend in Texas and you guessed it I bought those tickets on game time they make it so simple for you whether you're going by yourself you're going with a group of people like I am they just have all the great deals for you right there they show you the best spots the best prices and they take away all the hassle all the stress all the worry when you are buying those tickets so here's what you need to do go and download the game time app create an account and use code locked on for $20 off on your first purchase those terms apply so again create an account and redeem code l c k e d o n for $20 off download game time today last minute tickets lowest price guarantee so spring training is all about evaluating yourself it's all about seeing what some guys look like it's your first chance on the year to to see your new free agents your prospects your train Acquisitions in in game action though they exhibition games it's against other players it's against other teams other franchises other coaches other managers you know it's as close to the regular season as you're going to get you can talk about winter ball and feel good about it but it's not your team playing it's players know bouncing around playing for their country playing for teams back in their country and that's a really cool deal I mean we covered extensively Michael Garcia's surge over in the Venezuelan winter league also Nelson Velasquez's performance in the the Puerto Rican winter league Daniel Lynch uh was I think pitching in the Dominican winter league a few times so we had seen these guys over the winter get some game action but spring training's different right spring training is your team you were seeing your players your prospects your coaches everything about it and the scary thing about spring training which I go back to what the commenter had on our previous episode of well I don't find it boring at all baseball's baseball the winter was boring to me now I get to see the Royals in game action it's great I love that and I'm not saying that it bores me the death that was never my point of it but it can be stressful I think that it can really be a stressful thing for somebody that covers or watches this team or's a Die Hard fan or you're just an average Joe fan you want this team to be healthy Barone health is the most important thing and it feels good that the Royals are 5-2 like I If the games don't matter I still think winning is better than losing I wouldn't enjoy it if the Royals were losing 15 to nothing every single game in spring training that obviously wouldn't be a great sign for the regular season even though the games don't matter and there's guys that are just getting their work in they're getting comfortable uh back in the swing of things but if there's one concern I have so far this season or this spring training I should say it has been the health to be honest with you I was not expecting to already have two guys that are dealing with some form of a nagging injury I mean one Prospect already had his season ended and Christian Chamberlain I don't know if Christian Chamberlin would have had a great opportunity to compete in the Royals bullpen through spring training but he was there for a reason they have high hopes for a guy like Christian Chamberlain and then he had one outing and Tor his UCL you just feel gutted for a guy like that and Carlos Hernandez you know he's dealing with an arm problem I think it was a shoulder problem shoulder tightness he throws a live BP didn't respond well now he's got a setback and that concerns me even though Carlos Hernandez is the fifth sixth or seventh option out of the bullpen you know it's not a spot that I think has the best of depth if I'm being quite honest with you and then Hunter Renfro we haven't seen him so far this spring because of back tightness I thought he was supposed to play today but maybe there'll just be an extra caution and that's usually the way it goes in spring training you want to be cautious you don't want to force anybody to play but to me that's the anxious part of this all that's the anxiety creeping up in me of boy they're they're skating by right now some guys are dealing with the tightness and the soreness and they're not getting into game action and you want a lot of these guys to just get the Reps I would love to bubble wrap as many guys you can and say just show up for the regular season but the reality is a full spring trading is good for guys going into the regular season you don't want to be on Ice you don't want to be ice cold going into the regular season you have to have some form of of repetition in you you have to have some form of a rhythm and every game that passes you know because you're not really getting the full access you're not watching all of these games and all of a sudden you could see someone pop on your timeline of a key player for the Royals that's battling injury I remember he used to get so just nervous and battling the the butterflies and the anxiety of of watching adalberto monesy in spring training it was like please God just get him through this month and you could see him get hurt five games in sometimes he'd make it through the entire spring training and then he'd be hurt on the final day or he get hurt in April you know it just it's like a scarring thing and when you witness that it's like man with all this expectation all this hype the only thing that can stunt that momentum can just take the the wind out of the sales is injuries the key guys and that's why I look at the record I'm like five- two looks good it's seven games in but there's 20 plus more to go and a lot of these starters are still going to be getting reps and it's just it's the the anxiousness of it it's like watching preseason football it's like please do not leave the starters out there long I don't want to see them out there long I want to get to the real deal want to get the regular season and I know we're a month away we're a month away and these guys have to get the Reps but if I'm being quite honest some early concerns I'm not liking it that there's already been some some setbacks some guys that are battling tightness soreness it can happen early on in spring training just hoping this is a Full Slate of healthy guys once they break Camp here at the end of March okay before we say goodbye for the night one last shout out to lock on sports today it's here for you 247 covering the top sports stories of the day with the local Experts of locked on plus our national shows covering every League find locked on sports today now available on the free Fire TV channels app tomorrow we're going to dive into a little bit of what Jordan ly looked like in his start and some takeaways from the game tomorrow afternoon but until then you take it easy Kansas City