Royals Have Plan for Dozier If Free Agents Leave

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October 25, 2017 October 24, 2017 By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com LOCAL http://m.royals.mlb.com/news/article/259517942/royals- making-plans-for-hunter-dozier-in-2018/

Royals have plan for Dozier if free Of the many backup plans that Royals officials have agents leave discussed in the event first baseman Eric Hosmer, a pending KC considering playing club's No. 3 prospect at free agent, signs with another team, one involves former first- round pick Hunter Dozier. first or third base October 24, 2017 By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com Dozier, 26, has been mostly a third baseman since being http://m.royals.mlb.com/news/article/259517942/royals- drafted No. 8 in 2013, although he has played some outfield making-plans-for-hunter-dozier-in-2018/ and some first base. Eric Hosmer: How much are his One plan going forward in the event of losing Hosmer is intangibles worth in free agency? having Cheslor Cuthbert play third base next season October 24, 2017 By Lee Judge/KC Star (assuming pending free agent Mike Moustakas also signs http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns- elsewhere) with Dozier potentially at first base. blogs/judging-the-royals/article180554256.html After breaking home run record, That scenario, of course, depends on how much Dozier impresses the coaching staff next spring. Dozier has just 19 Mike Moustakas becomes second big league at-bats under his belt, but the Royals have made it Royal to win this award clear they could be in position for a rebuild. October 24, 2017 By Rustin Dodd/KC Star http://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city- Another scenario would have Dozier at third base and royals/article180636196.html Cuthbert at first base. Cuthbert impressed the coaching staff last Spring Training with his athleticism at first base in limited appearances there. MINORS "If both of those guys earn a spot on the team, it's a matter of how we line up best defensively," Royals assistant general 3 Omaha Alums Vie For World Series manager J.J. Picollo told MLB.com. "If Cuthbert is the better Crown defender at third, and to get Dozier on the team, Dozier could Beltran attempts to increase Omaha champions play first." streak to 6 Dozier, the Royals' No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, October 24, 2017 By Andrew Green/Omaha Storm presently is playing in the Mexican League where he has Chasers three home runs in nine games with an .894 OPS. https://www.milb.com/storm-chasers/news/3-omaha-alums- vie-for-world-series-crown/c-259510020 Dozier is playing mostly third base there.

"The plan is to primarily play him at third base with some NATIONAL first base," Picollo said. "The goal is just about at-bats. Moustakas wins TSN's AL Comeback "He's been playing [first base] enough over the past couple of years that we're not overly concerned if he gets work at first award base down there. It's more just about drill work at first base October 24, 2017 By David Adler/MLB.com for him, working on footwork, being on the bag, off the bag. http://m.royals.mlb.com/news/article/259543424/mike- That is more about practice than game situations. moustakas-wins-tsn-comeback-award/ Former Royals announcer Bud "There is something to be said about game experience but he needs more drill work than anything." Blattner up for Ford Frick Award He was the original Royals broadcaster Dozier has intriguing potential as a first baseman -- at 6 feet October 24, 2017 By Max Rieper/Royals Review 4, he has a large wing span, much like Hosmer. https://www.royalsreview.com/2017/10/24/16534140/former -royals-announcer-bud-blattner-up-for-ford-frick-award "And he's very athletic with very good hands," Picollo said. MLB TRANSACTIONS "And he has range." October 25, 2017 •.CBSSports.com Dozier likely won't play much more outfield. That was an http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/transactions experiment based on the possibility of Alex Gordon leaving for free agency two years ago. And the emergence of Jorge Bonifacio has secured the right-field position in the minds of LOCAL club officials. Royals have plan for Dozier if free Dozier is coming off an almost wasted season: He suffered an oblique strain coming out of Spring Training and missed agents leave April and May. Then in early June, he suffered a broken KC considering playing club's No. 3 prospect at hamate bone in his right hand and missed six more weeks. first or third base That is the principal reason Dozier is playing Winter Ball. If you tell a teammate to run out ground balls, you better do "Just trying to get him some at-bats so he's ready for Spring the same and do it every time. If you tell a teammate to tone Training," Picollo said. down the partying, you better not show up hung over for a Eric Hosmer: How much are his day game. intangibles worth in free agency? For a lot of veteran players it’s easier to stay in their lane, October 24, 2017 By Lee Judge/KC Star take care of their own business and stay out of everybody http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns- else’s. blogs/judging-the-royals/article180554256.html When people ask about Eric Hosmer’s leadership, I tell them When Eric Hosmer introduced me to his father, I told Eric’s a story about Yordano Ventura. dad he had raised his son right: Eric could talk for 30 minutes and not say a damn thing. Eric’s dad laughed and said: “I told One day Ventura got upset about an umpire’s call and him to keep it vanilla with the media.” worked out his frustration by throwing a billion-mile-an-hour pickoff throw in the general direction of Hosmer at first base. Athletes do not speak in clichés because they’re dumb, Ventura bounced the throw and Hosmer saved Ventura an athletes speak in clichés because they’re smart. error by making a difficult scoop of the ball.

When a ballplayer is being interviewed by a reporter he Between innings, Hosmer could be seen talking to Ventura in doesn’t know or trust, clichés are a safe way to go. Nobody the dugout. ever got in trouble for saying “we played hard for 27 outs” or “that’s a good team over there.” When I asked Hosmer how that conversation had gone, he said he told Ventura he couldn’t get upset and then take out Off camera, with a reporter he trusts, Hosmer is open, honest his frustration by doing dumb things on the field. and perceptive, but when the cameras are on and he’s surrounded by reporters he doesn’t know, Hosmer can roll Then Hosmer went the extra mile for a teammate: Before I out clichés with the best of them. wrote anything too negative about Ventura, Hosmer asked me to consider his background. Fortunately for Eric and whatever team he’s playing for, he’s got enough charisma and charm to make those clichés sound Eric talked about his own background: he’d grown up with a fresh and meaningful and that’s a good skill for a pro athlete dad who would give him a swift quick in the pants if he to have. behaved like that on a baseball field. Ventura grew up having to fight for everything he had and sometimes that pugnacious And according to a recent column by Sam Mellinger, that’s attitude came out at the wrong time and in the wrong way one of the reasons agent Scott Boras thinks Eric Hosmer is during a game. worth $200 million. Hosmer’s numbers speak for themselves, but Boras is arguing that Hosmer’s intangibles make him Once again, having a veteran player willing to mentor worth more than his numbers alone. younger players and defend them to the media is worth something. Media skills Clubhouse effect After games the media need quotes from ballplayers so we trudge into the clubhouse looking for some and almost every When you enter the Royals clubhouse, Eric Hosmer’s locker night, Eric Hosmer was willing to provide. That took a lot of used to be close to the door, just off to the right. Most of the pressure off his teammates. Not every athlete handles the Latin position players had lockers at the far end of the media well or enjoys dealing with them, so if Hosmer would clubhouse in the right-hand corner. talk, some of his teammates didn’t have to. That’s logical. If you were playing in Japan, life would be And that was good for the Royals because they knew Hosmer easier if you lockered next to the guys who spoke English. wasn’t going to put his foot in his mouth. One day I came into the clubhouse and found Hosmer had Baseball teams are in the business of selling tickets and as changed lockers, he was now down in the right-hand corner, every business knows, it helps to have a good spokesman. If smack dab in the middle of the Latin players. When I asked a player is attractive, charismatic and articulate, that helps. It why, Hosmer said the new clubhouse ping-pong table was also helps if the player puts up good numbers. right behind his old locker and he was getting peppered with errant ping pong balls. Eric Hosmer checks all the boxes and that’s worth something. But Hosmer’s choice of a new locker was significant.

Being a team leader As I’ve said before, teams like to present themselves as one, big happy family, but in reality there are divisions within More than most fans would suspect, big-league teams are run those teams and one of those dividing lines is language. Latin by big-league players. If a coach with a one-year, six-figure players tend to hang out with other Latin players. contract gets in a dispute with a player with a multi-year, nine-figure contract, the coach might be the one in trouble. Having a guy who speaks enough Spanish to relate to his That being the case, veteran players are often the ones who Latin teammates and is comfortable moving back and forth need to police their younger teammates. between his English-speaking teammates and Latin teammates is helpful and worth something. But being a team leader can be a pain in the neck. But is it worth $200 million? The Sporting News has given out the comeback player When fans look at a player, we look at his numbers because awards since 1965. According to the publication, this year’s that’s all we know about most ballplayers. awards were based on voting by 125 American League players and 88 National Leaguers. When teams look at a player, they look at his numbers, but also want to know something about his personality. Invite the wrong guy into your clubhouse and he can cause more MINORS trouble than his numbers are worth.

And in some cases, teams don’t care about a player’s 3 Omaha Alums Vie For World Series numbers. Crown Beltran attempts to increase Omaha champions In 2014, when the Royals went out and got Raul Ibañez, he wasn’t there for the numbers he was going to put up; he was streak to 6 there to mentor the younger players. Ibañez was a been-there- October 24, 2017 By Andrew Green/Omaha Storm done-that guy who had been in the postseason and could talk Chasers to the Royals players about what that was like and what they https://www.milb.com/storm-chasers/news/3-omaha-alums- were about to experience. vie-for-world-series-crown/c-259510020

So clearly, baseball teams will pay good money for The 2017 edition of baseball's Fall Classic will once again intangibles. have some Omaha flavor thanks to three members of the Houston Astros advancing to the World Series to face off I’m now getting asked if I think Eric Hosmer is worth $200 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Should the Astros million and the answer to this question, like so many others, successfully top the Dodgers, it would mark the sixth is I don’t know, but we’re about to find out. If some team consecutive season an Omaha alum has gone on to earn a thinks Eric Hosmer is worth $200 million then, whether you World Series title as a player. agree or not, Eric Hosmer is worth $200 million. Carlos Beltran , one of the best players statistically in MLB But now you know at least some of what that team will be Postseason history, returns to play in the World Series for the paying for. second time in his career. Entering Tuesday night's game, he owns a lifetime batting average of .311 (66-212) in 62 After breaking home run record, playoff matchups, adding 45 runs, 15 doubles, one triple, 16 Mike Moustakas becomes second homers and 42 RBI. Beltran in 129 games this year, his age- 40 season, posted a .231 clip (108-467) with 60 runs, 29 Royal to win this award doubles, 14 homers and 51 RBI. Overall in his MLB career October 24, 2017 By Rustin Dodd/KC Star he has recorded over 2,700 hits and earned nine All-Star http://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city- Game nods, in addition to three Gold Glove Awards and and royals/article180636196.html two Silver Slugger Awards.

Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas made history in 2017, Beltran's time in Omaha was brief, playing in only five clubbing 38 homers and breaking the franchise record of 36 games as part of a Major League Rehab Assignment during set by Steve Balboni in 1985. the 2000 Omaha Golden Spikes campaign, batting .333 (6- 18) with four runs, one double, two homers and two RBI. He The performance was impressive. The context was even recorded hits in five of his 11 at-bats at Rosenblatt Stadium better. One year after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in over three games between September 1-3 that year. As some his right knee in Chicago, Moustakas rebounded with one of may know, Beltran's counsin Rey Fuentes also played with the best seasons of his career. On Tuesday, he was rewarded the Omaha Storm Chasers between the 2015-16 seasons, by being selected The Sporting News’ American League combining for a .288 average (183-636) along with 102 runs, comeback player of the year. 19 doubles, seven triples, nine homers and 60 RBI, in addition to 46 steals in 57 attempts. Moustakas, who will become a free agent at the conclusion of the World Series, tied for fifth in the American League in Astros manager A.J. Hinch is also connected to the Omaha home runs and also set career highs with 75 runs, 85 RBIs franchise, having played for the Omaha Golden Spikes in and a .521 slugging percentage. He finished with 2.6 Wins 2001. He hit .321 (54-168) in 45 contests, adding 28 runs, 14 Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference. He doubles, ten homers and 33 RBI. He would go on to manage joins former starting pitcher Bret Saberhagen in 1987 as the the Arizona Diamondbacks during the 2009-10 seasons only Royals to earn the honor. before taking the reins of the Astros starting in 2015. His combined managerial record with the Astros in 486 regular Moustakas was voted to his second All-Star Game and season games is 271-215 (.558). competed in the Home Run Derby for the first time. He might have become the first Royal to eclipse 40 homers. But Should Hinch's club be victorious, he would become the first a nagging knee injury slowed his record-breaking pace in former player in Omaha franchise history to manage a club to August and September. a World Series win. Jack McKeon, the first manager in Omaha franchise history from 1969-72 managed the then- In the National League, former Royals closer Greg Holland Florida Marlins to a World Series victory in 2003. McKeon took home the comeback player award after returning from with the Omaha Royals also earned American Association Tommy John surgery and notching 41 saves for the Colorado League Championships in each of his first two seasons in Rockies. 1969-70. Astros first base coach Rich Dauer was also a member of the excellence in broadcasting. The other candidates are Joe 1993 Omaha Royals coaching staff , the second year of Jeff Buck, Bob Costas, Dizzy Dean, Don Drysdale, Al Michaels, Cox's three year reign as the club's manager, with the team Joe Morgan, and Pee Wee Reese. Denny Matthews won the finishing at a 70-74 clip. Dauer was also a ten-year Major award in 2007. Blattner was paired with Matthews for the League veteran with the Baltimore Orioles from 1976-85, original broadcasting team in Royals history back in 1969. batting .257 (984-3829) with 448 runs, 193 doubles, three triples, 43 homers and 372 RBI. He was a member of the Blattner grew up in St. Louis and played for his hometown Orioles' World Series Championship club in 1983, and also Cardinals for a season before serving his country in World won a pair of College World Series titles in Omaha during War II in the Navy. The second baseman returned for a few his time at the University of Southern California (1973-74). years with the Giants and Phillies before turning to Dauer is one of a select few to have won both a World Series broadcasting, working with the St. Louis Browns. He was and College World Series title. teamed with Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean, known for his folksy sayings and mangling of the English language (he Should that trio win the 2017 Fall Classic with the Astros, it would frequently say runners “slud” into the base.) Blattner would mark the sixth consecutive season in which an Omaha was the straight man to Dean’s mania, commenting, “People alum has earned a World Series ring as a player. 2011-12 liked (Dean) giving everything but the score, but wanted me Storm Chasers southpaw Mike Montgomery notched the save to restore sanity.” in the deciding seventh game of last year's World Series with the Cubs. A total of 14 former Storm Chasers alums won the Blattner and Dean were picked up nationally and eventually 2015 World Series with the Kansas City Royals, while 2011 did TV broadcasts for ABC. They were the first team ever to Storm Chasers outfielder Gregor Blanco earned a ring with do a weekly national broadcast. Blattner was known for “a the San Francisco Giants the previous year, in addition to the sunshiny voice and his Rotarian of the Year personality.” 2012 Fall Classic. 2013 Omaha outfielder Quintin Berry was Eventually, Blattner and Dean split up acrimoniously and acquired by the Boston Red Sox midway through that season Blattner returned to St. Louis to do Cardinals games. prior to winning that year's World Series with the Red Sox. After two seasons in St. Louis, Blattner moved on to the expansion Los Angeles Angels, where he served as their NATIONAL broadcaster from 1962 to 1968. In 1969, he again joined an expansion team, becoming the first broadcaster in Royals Moustakas wins TSN's AL Comeback history, along with a young, fresh-faced Denny Matthews. award Despite being 23 years his senior, Blattner meshed well with October 24, 2017 By David Adler/MLB.com the 26-year old rookie broadcaster from Peoria. Blattner http://m.royals.mlb.com/news/article/259543424/mike- became enormously popular, broadcasting games on 980 moustakas-wins-tsn-comeback-award/ KMBZ, with games occasionally simulcast on KMBC Channel 9 in Kansas City. Blattner worked for the Royals Mike Moustakas was named The Sporting News' American until 1975, when he decided to retire and hand things over to League Comeback Player of the Year for 2017 on Tuesday. Fred White, who paired with Matthews for the next two decades. The Royals third baseman set the franchise's single-season record with 38 home runs this year. Moustakas was named an Blattner was also a very accomplished table tennis player, All-Star for the second time in his career, finished the season winning a national championship, and being inducted in to tied for fifth in homers among AL hitters and tied for eighth the U.S. Table Tennis Association Hall of Fame in 1979. He in the Majors. passed away from lung cancer in 2009.

Last season, Moustakas was able to play only 27 games after The winner of the Ford C. Frick Award will be announced tearing his ACL on May 22 in a collision with teammate December 13, with a ceremony for the honoree at next year’s Alex Gordon while chasing a foul fly ball down the left-field Hall of Fame induction ceremony next July. line. MLB TRANSACTIONS October 25, 2017 •.CBSSports.com But Moustakas bounced back to play 148 games this season, http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/transactions finishing the year hitting .272/.314/.521 with the 38 homers, 85 RBIs and 75 runs. His slugging percentage, home runs, NONE runs and RBIs were all career bests.

The Sporting News' awards are voted on by a panel of players in each league. Moustakas joins Bret Saberhagen (1987) as the second Royals player to be named AL Comeback Player of the Year by The Sporting News. Former Royals announcer Bud Blattner up for Ford Frick Award He was the original Royals broadcaster October 24, 2017 By Max Rieper/Royals Review https://www.royalsreview.com/2017/10/24/16534140/former -royals-announcer-bud-blattner-up-for-ford-frick-award

Former Royals announcer Robert “Bud” Blattner is one of eight finalists for the Ford C. Frick Award, given annually by the Baseball Hall of Fame to recognize longstanding