| WhawhaWhat |
05-03-2024 07:28 AM |
Ken Rosenthal wrote a little bit about the Royals and James McArthur in the Athletic.
Quote:
The transaction was the kind fans barely notice. One year ago today, the Kansas City Royals acquired right-hander James McArthur from the Phillies for minor-league outfielder Junior Marin and the $100,000 waiver price. Little did the Royals know, they were getting their future closer.
Actually, the Royals’ pitching braintrust — pitching coach Brian Sweeney, assistant pitching coach Zach Bove and bullpen coach Mitch Stetter — had an inkling of what McArthur could do. General manager J.J Picollo, who also had recommendations from his scouts to acquire McArthur, decided to trust his coaches, all of whom were in their first year with the club.
“This was our first chance with new people, different ideas,” Picollo said. “I thought, you know what? I’m going to pursue this. It was a little bit of an experiment from a front-office perspective. It was the first time our pitching coaches were as adamant, saying, ‘Get this guy.’”
McArthur, the Phillies’ 12th-round pick in 2018, was available on waivers after the team designated him for assignment. Picollo could have simply lodged a claim, taking the chance that every team with a worse record would pass on McArthur. But to separate the Royals from other potential suitors, Picollo also offered Marin, a 20-year-old outfielder in rookie ball.
Picollo said the Royals’ coaches specifically thought they could help McArthur by changing the shape of his breaking ball. McArthur, 27, reported to Triple A and started to make adjustments. The Royals promoted him on June 28. In his first outing, against the Cleveland Guardians, he gave up seven runs in one inning. Back to Triple A he went.
Gradually, things started to click. Paul Gibson, the Royals’ director of pitching performance, told Picollo, “This is starting to look a lot different.” McArthur returned in August and posted a 2.01 ERA the rest of the way, completing his season with 16 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings.
The Royals didn’t intend for him to be their closer, signing free agent Will Smith to fill that role. But when Smith faltered, they switched to McArthur, with spectacular results. Since April 5, McArthur is 7-for-7 in save opportunities with 12 strikeouts and two walks in 10 2/3 scoreless innings. He is throwing his curveball about 35 percent of the time, nearly as often as his sinker.
Picollo said McArthur’s success has made him more likely to act on the suggestion of his pitching coaches again.
“They’re not all going to work out,” Picollo said of such additions. “But if you can get one every year or two, it makes you a lot better.
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*****Official 2024 Royals Season Repository Thread*****
(https://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=351629)