Rogers Newsletter: 3 things we've learned about the '22 Royals

We’re rolling along with our Royals Beat newsletter this week, as we will every week this season, delivering Royals news and insight to your inboxes all year long.

KANSAS CITY — The Royals are eight games into the season and are still trying to get their rhythm, with two rainouts this past week and a scheduled off-day Monday. But they snapped a five-game losing streak Saturday against the Tigers and open a three-game series against the Twins tonight at Kauffman Stadium.

Even with the rainouts, here’s what we’ve learned about these Royals in the first week of the 2022 season.

1) Brad Keller and Hunter Dozier are primed for bounceback campaigns

Keller, who posted a career-high 5.39 ERA in 26 starts last season, has allowed two runs in 13 innings across two starts so far this season.

Despite taking the loss Friday when the offense couldn’t support his seven-inning, two-run start, Keller has been excellent. He refined a mechanical flaw that popped up last year, finding the form that has made him successful in the past. He has been pounding the strike zone instead of selling out for a strikeout, something he admitted to doing last year and that might have led to high pitch counts and short outings. And he’s mixed in his changeup to lefties, most of whom were confused by the pitch they saw.

Dozier’s two-run homer was the swing the Royals needed to win Saturday, and that swing has been a continuation of what he showed at the end of last season and during spring. Dozier has an .803 OPS entering Tuesday night and has been one of the Royals’ most productive hitters. That’s exactly what the Royals need him to be; last year, he played through injuries and then admitted he pressed too much to outperform the contract extension he signed during Spring Training.

He’s put 2021 in the rearview mirror with his early 2022 production.

“It just brings a little more confidence to me,” Dozier said. “Saying, ‘OK, the things I worked on, the things I did in Spring Training, I’m heading in the right direction.’”

2) One potential breakout campaign is brewing in the bullpen

Collin Snider was an intriguing 40-man roster add this past offseason, and he’s quickly showed why the Royals took a chance on him, earning a spot in the Opening Day bullpen and becoming a reliever manager Mike Matheny can turn to in tight spots.

Snider, 26, has not allowed a run in four innings (four appearances) so far this season. He’s struck out four and has been lights-out when coming in with runners in scoring position. That is thanks to his sinker-slider combination, which is, simply put, filthy.

Snider, much like Scott Barlow, is willing to come in whenever he’s needed, whether it be the fifth inning or the ninth. That’s advantageous for Matheny, who now has a mix of five or six high-leverage relievers he can count on.

“I treat every appearance the same,” Snider said Saturday after he stranded two men on in the fifth and pitched a scoreless sixth. “It’s always zero-zero, you got to come in ready to execute your pitches. Keeping that mindset no matter what the situation is helps when I do come in and it’s a little bit of a jam or tight spot.”

3) Losing streaks must be snapped early

This might seem obvious, but it’s why Saturday’s win was so huge. Good teams find ways to make sure the valleys of a long, 162-game season never linger around too long.

On Saturday, the Royals got back in the win column before the losing streak developed into something more significant, like they had to deal with last year with two separate streaks of at least nine consecutive losses.

“All of us take ownership that we’ve got to right the ship,” Matheny said Saturday. “We’re playing good enough. We’re just missing some small things that make the big difference.”

SAYING FAREWELL TO A FRIEND

This isn’t totally baseball-related, but late last week, my fiancé, Andrew, and I had to unexpectedly say goodbye to our dog, Hank. Hank was rescued five years ago and quickly became our best friend and the center of our world. He brought energetic joy into our lives every single day.

Hank was a sports dog and loved baseball. Although, he never did quite grasp that, if we were going to play catch at our local baseball field, he would have to give the ball back for the game to work. He loved watching baseball games with us and was always happy when the team we were rooting for won and sad when they didn’t — but I think that had more to do with his parents’ subsequent moods than the actual result.

There are many, many things I loved about Hank, but my favorite is probably this: He knew that he had to sit still for us to put his leash on for walks, and when it was time to eat, he had to sit and shake before he was fed. But during those moments, he could hardly control his movements, he was so excited. And could we really blame him? Nor could we get mad when he got random bursts of energy, speeding through the house and maybe knocking a few things over along the way. How do you contain that excitement, that happiness?

We could all use a little bit more of that in our lives.

I want to thank the Royals for donating to Wayside Waifs in Hank’s name, and I’m looking forward to visiting the rescue shelter’s tent tonight at Kauffman Stadium for Bark at the Park Night. Pets are special. They come into your lives, grab hold and never seem to let go. Andrew and I miss Hank deeply, but we are so grateful he was ours and we were his.

And by the way, I am totally for Nicky Lopez’s idea to have dogs in the clubhouse.

TRIVIA

While the “win” stat has somewhat diminished in importance over time, not one Royals starter has picked up a win this season. Which Royals pitcher holds a franchise record with 166 wins?

A) Paul Splittorff

B) Mark Gubicza

C) Dennis Leonard

D) Kevin Appier

IN THE NEWS

Some must-read stories around baseball this week:

THE PIPELINE

Another good week for Royals prospects, and if anyone was worried about catcher MJ Melendez getting work in around the field to increase his versatility — don’t be. The Royals’ No. 2 prospect made his outfield debut on Saturday, playing right field in Omaha, and made a sensational play in the ninth inning, throwing out Cristian Santana attempting a double.

Melendez’s bat will eventually force a promotion, so ensuring he can play other positions when Salvador Perez is catching helps create opportunity. Melendez has been working with longtime coach Rusty Kuntz on his jumps and routes in Omaha. Kuntz has lauded Melendez’s athleticism and ability to read the game, helping his outfield work as he gets more reps there.

Saturday served as a warning: Don’t run on Melendez — wherever he is on the field.

TRIVIA ANSWER

A) Paul Splittorff

FORWARDED FROM A FRIEND? SUBSCRIBE NOW

To subscribe to Royals Beat, visit this page and mark “Royals Beat” from our newsletter list. Make sure you’re following the Royals or that they’re checked as your favorite team.