For the first five innings, you could almost fool yourself into thinking this was a Major League Baseball game. Then guys like Jack Pineda, Carson Scott, and Diego Hernandez started getting into the game. The Royals won it, so I guess they own the Surprise Sports Complex until next spring. Hooray for them.
Winners
Mark Canha
The Royals traded for Canha late last night and immediately inserted him into their lineup for today. He immediately knocked three singles, which is exactly one more hit than he had in the entire spring before today. Good start for him!
Bobby Witt Jr.
Bobby had a pair of hits, infield singles to both sides. Dude is so, so fast and we are so, so lucky to get to watch him play.
Michael Massey
Massey had a couple of knocks in this one as well, bringing his OPS over 1.000 for the spring. Awesome!
Salvador Perez
Salvy had a pair of hits of his own, including a double. The Rangers announcers also insisted he’s a future Hall of Famer, so that was cool.
Chris Stratton
Stratton learned he made the team today, and then he pitched a 1-2-3 inning…I think. We’ll come back to that.
Losers
Mark Canha
Yes, it’s Canha again. He knocked three singles, but he also ran into a ridiculous out on an MJ Melendez infield fly out with the bases loaded and no one out. It’s Spring Training so whatever, but you absolutely cannot make that mistake during the regular season.
Vinnie Pasquantino
Vinnie was a hard-luck 0-for-3 in this one, but even worse he came up limping after failing to beat out a double play in the fifth inning. Per Anne Rogers, he was due to come out of the game anyway, but the guy just can’t seem to shake the injury bug. I’m sure the immediate thought for many will be that Jac Caglianone should now make the team, but the far more likely scenario if Vinnie’s injury requires he miss some time is that Canha becomes the first baseman until Vinnie gets healthy and Nick Loftin, Joey Wiemer, or Dairon Blanco will get a few extra weeks in the bigs before getting demoted or cut.
Sam Long
Long has not had a good spring. He came in to relieve Seth Lugo and immediately gave up the game-untying home run to Adolis García. Not what you want to see. Though, as noted above, he seems to have a roster spot secured regardless.
MJ Melendez
Melendez came up hitless in three plate appearances. He did take a walk but he also had the popup mentioned earlier and another strikeout. He finishes the spring with a ~28% strikeout rate and a below-average spring wRC+ after adopting his new swing. Things could still turn around for him, but we’ve been saying that for years now.
Carlos Hernández
Carlos didn’t pitch in this one, but he found out he won’t be breaking camp with the Royals. The best-case scenario for him now is that some other team claims him off of waivers and gives him a spot in their bullpen. But even though that would mean major league paychecks and service time, it would also mean moving to a new city and having a whole new set of coworkers and job expectations from what he’s used to. None of that is ever fun, and that’s if he avoids just getting outrighted to Omaha.
The ABS and MLB’s technology in general
At some point around the seventh inning, MLB’s ability to track pitches or generate a box score for the Gameday app broke and every other website seems to be tied into it as well. Since I didn’t keep score on my own for this game, and I’m too old to have a completely reliable memory, I don’t have reliable numbers for the end of this one. Stratton’s inning was the eighth, hence my inability to confirm he really did pitch a perfect one. Someone attempted to challenge a ball or strike in the ninth inning and after a short on-field delay, were just told they weren’t going to be able to. That won’t fly if this tech comes to the regular season next year, so hopefully they iron out whatever the heck bug that was.
Next up the Royals will, as one Texas broadcaster put it, follow the Rangers home and play a couple of exhibition games on Monday and Tuesday before returning to KC to host the Guardians for the season opener on Thursday.
