Kansas City Baseball Vault

Hey! The Royals opened their season in Minnesota, ready to start their last year in The Window and get back to the playoffs!

Then the Twins - the Twins! - mopped the floor with them. 

We did our best to pick out a couple of bright spots, but we did have to cover the rough series and our impressions of what it means (if anything). 

Commiserate with us for an hour!

Follow the Vault at @KCBaseballVault. Follow host Jeff Herr at @TheJeffReport, co-host Michael Engel at @michaelengel. You can also email feedback to [email protected]. Email us a question and if we answer it on the air, we’ll send you a gift certificate to our friends at Kelly’s Westport Inn.

It's been an active winter for the Royals, full of difficult decisions and even more difficult emotions. On Monday, however, it's time for another baseball season and Opening Day.

We discussed the sneaky potential in the starting rotation, the depth of the lineup, and the makeup of the bullpen and what the season may hold for each element. 

Follow the Vault at @KCBaseballVault. Follow host Jeff Herr at @TheJeffReport, co-host Michael Engel at @michaelengel. You can also email feedback to [email protected]. Email us a question and if we answer it on the air, we’ll send you a gift certificate to our friends at Kelly’s Westport Inn.

And please, feel free to come out and join us on Opening Day on April 3rd at Kelly's Westport Inn. Check in to the Facebook event page here to RSVP.

Six years ago this week, we started this podcast, so to commemorate it, we brought on an old friend and the founder of our show, Troy Olsen. We shared some memories and talked about Royals baseball.

In the second segment, Jeff and Mike unveiled their 3rd annual batch of Over/Under predictions for a number of Royals statistics in 2017, then offered up some bold predictions about the season.

Follow the Vault at @KCBaseballVault. Follow host Jeff Herr at @TheJeffReport, co-host Michael Engel at @michaelengel. You can also email feedback to [email protected]. Email us a question and if we answer it on the air, we’ll send you a gift certificate to our friends at Kelly’s Westport Inn.

We would also like to invite you to join us on April 3rd at Kelly's for an Opening Day Watch Party. 21 and up, please. Join in the fun of watching the start of a new baseball season with other diehard Royals fans in one of the best venues in KC. More info will be on our Twitter account.

This week, a look at some surprising performers in Royals spring training. From Raul Mondesi to Jorge Bonifacio and Scott Alexander to Yender Caramo. These guys are putting themselves on the radar for opening day, or at least another look later in the year.

We also talked about the injury to Salvador Perez in the World Baseball Classic and the sigh of relief Kansas City is breathing after good news.

And we also discussed David Glass's comments about Scott Boras and Eric Hosmer.

Follow the Vault at @KCBaseballVault. Follow host Jeff Herr at @TheJeffReport, co-host Michael Engel at @michaelengel. You can also email feedback to [email protected]. Email us a question and if we answer it on the air, we’ll send you a gift certificate to our friends at Kelly’s Westport Inn.

We would also like to invite you to join us on April 3rd at Kelly's for an Opening Day Watch Party. 21 and up, please. Join in the fun of watching the start of a new baseball season with other diehard Royals fans in one of the best venues in KC. More info will be on our Twitter account.

The Royals' big league camp is thinning out this week, as they made their first big cut, sending numerous players to minor league camp. Along with that, others are joining their countrymen for the World Baseball Classic.

Jeff and Mike discussed both topics in this episode, including thoughts about the importance of the WBC, the potential of Josh Staumont, and what Kyle Zimmer's move means.

We also talked about some defensive position swaps Ned Yost has been testing out this spring and which ones might stick beyond March.

Follow the Vault at @KCBaseballVault. Follow host Jeff Herr at @TheJeffReport, co-host Michael Engel at @michaelengel. You can also email feedback to [email protected]. Email us a question and if we answer it on the air, we’ll send you a gift certificate to our friends at Kelly’s Westport Inn.

We would also like to invite you to join us on April 3rd at Kelly's for an Opening Day Watch Party. 21 and up, please. Join in the fun of watching the start of a new baseball season with other diehard Royals fans in one of the best venues in KC.

This week, we looked at the first week of spring training and the early signs regarding some spring training position battles.

There aren't many, but second base has a trio (a quartet!?) of players who could see time there in 2017. We discuss Raul Mondesi, Christian Colon, Whit Merrifield, and - hey, it could happen - Cheslor Cuthbert.

We also talked about the fifth starter spot. It seems like it's Nathan Karns's job to lose, but Travis Wood has a shot, as does Chris Young, and all three have good numbers after one appearance each.

We also covered Kyle Zimmer and what expectations should be going forward. He throws on Saturday and we're very interested to see how he does.

And finally, we helped to spread the legend of Peter O'Brien, who felled a thousand trees with one swing, rescued the princess, and ran the villains out of town.

Follow the Vault at @KCBaseballVault. Follow host Jeff Herr at @TheJeffReport, co-host Michael Engel at @michaelengel. You can also email feedback to [email protected]. Email us a question and if we answer it on the air, we’ll send you a gift certificate to our friends at Kelly’s Westport Inn.

After two weeks off, we have returned to talk about a slew of signings that add depth and intrigue to the Royals' pitching staff this spring. 

We discussed Seth Maness and his miracle surgery, Jason Hammel and his value, Travis Wood and Nathan Karns and the starting rotation battle, as well as youngsters Matt Strahm, Josh Staumont, and Kyle Zimmer.

We also talked about the rumblings about Eric Hosmer contract extension talks and the difficulty in projecting what the kind of deal might look like.

Follow the Vault at @KCBaseballVault. Follow host Jeff Herr at @TheJeffReport, co-host Michael Engel at @michaelengel. You can also email feedback to [email protected]. Email us a question and if we answer it on the air, we’ll send you a gift certificate to our friends at Kelly’s Westport Inn.

The Royals added some pop to their lineup - again - by signing Brandon Moss to a two-year deal. 

We discussed his contract, his strengths and weaknesses, and the addition of some power and patience to the Royals' lineup in 2017. We also discussed what might come next, as Dayton Moore has said he isn't done yet. Perhaps Jason Hammel?

Follow the Vault at @KCBaseballVault. Follow host Jeff Herr at @TheJeffReport, co-host Michael Engel at @michaelengel. You can also email feedback to [email protected]. Email us a question and if we answer it on the air, we’ll send you a gift certificate to our friends at Kelly’s Westport Inn.

In this episode, we simply reflect on the life and career of Yordano Ventura in light of his tragic death at the age of 25.

Follow the Vault at @KCBaseballVault. Follow host Jeff Herr at @TheJeffReport, co-host Michael Engel at @michaelengel. You can also email feedback to [email protected]. We'll be back to business as usual next week.

Put on your finest bear suit, put on some sweet jams, and have a gnar time listening to Jeff and Mike talk about Danny Duffy and his new contract.

We spent time on this show to talk about Danny Duffy's career to this point, his commitment to the Royals, and what might lie ahead for him.

With the savings in 2017 on Duffy's salary, plus the payroll moved in the Wade Davis and Jarrod Dyson deals, the Royals might even have some room to add a couple more pieces.

Follow the Vault at @KCBaseballVault. Follow host Jeff Herr at @TheJeffReport, co-host Michael Engel at @michaelengel. You can also email feedback to [email protected]. Email us a question and if we answer it on the air, we’ll send you a gift certificate to our friends at Kelly’s Westport Inn.