Royals Links: James Shields, Moose, Miguel Almonte, & More

When you were younger, did you ever have a toy that you absolutely loved? A toy with which you could play for hours at a time, because of how much joy it brought you? Do you remember how sad you were when that toy didn’t work anymore? I had forgotten that feeling, until Yordano Ventura walked off the mound with Roayls’ trainers during last night’s loss to the Astros. The pitcher who made me feel like a child, so in awe of everything, suddenly made me feel like a child who lost his favorite toy.

The Royals seem confident the lateral elbow soreness Ventura felt is not a sign of damage to the ulnar collateral ligament, which would require Tommy John surgery, although they won’t know for sure until the results of his MRI are back. Even a best-case scenario likely means a trip to the disabled list, which leaves us without a Yordano Day for at least a couple of weeks, perhaps even longer. That is a level of sadness I do not want to experience. To try and take your mind – and mine – off of Ventura’s elbow, let’s take a look at some links.

– Jeffrey Flanagan of FOX Sports Kansas City wonders what mechanical adjustments, if any, Mike Moustakas will focus on during his time in Omaha. More than likely, the author suggests, Moose will work on the mental side of the game more than tinkering with his swing, because rebuilding a swing can be a very lengthy process.

– KC Kingdom’s Aaron Reese wrote a great article on James Shields, and whether or not he’s an ace. While Shields has never had an otherworldly season in terms of ERA, his consistent excellence puts him on par with, if not above, many of the elite pitchers in the game.

– At Royals Review, KC Tiger explores the career trajectory of Kenny Diekroeger, who was once considered a potential number one overall draft pick, but has since fallen to essentially non-prospect status after two and a half disappointing professional seasons in the Royals’ organization.

– As a part of their Eyewitness Accounts series, Baseball Prospectus has a post containing a report on Miguel Almonte from CJ Wittman. Almonte’s curveball has improved quite a bit from last season, and if that pitch continues to develop, he’ll have that much-needed third option to add to his excellent fastball/changeup combination.

– The Hardball Times’ Matthew Murphy published a very thorough series of articles on the value of draft picks. He looked at historical data and models to calculate a draft pick’s value in terms of dollars and wins, as well as how teams evaluate the cost and value of those picks. The math can get a bit heavy at times, but it’s a fascinating read with an analytical angle.

Ok, none of that cheered me up, so let’s watch this video of a puppy rolling down a hill.