Utility man Mejia a natural behind plate, too
Witt, Singer continue to wow; Woods struggles in outing
Jeffrey Flanagan
@FlannyMLBKANSAS CITY -- Super utility man Erick Mejia may have just cemented his spot on the Royals¡¯ 30-man roster.
Royals manager Mike Matheny mentioned earlier this week that Mejia, who can play infield and outfield, was also asked to try life behind the dish. Mejia responded enthusiastically.
And in Saturday night¡¯s intrasquad game, Mejia got to catch one inning with righty Glenn Sparkman on the mound.
The early reviews of Mejia¡¯s catching abilities were positive. Mejia looked smooth, and he received the ball like he¡¯d been catching most of his life.
¡°I¡¯ve never seen a player who just three days ago had never put on catcher¡¯s equipment [yet look so good],¡± Matheny said. ¡°And actually [catching and bench coach Pedro Grifol] said he didn¡¯t know how to put on his chest protector. He didn¡¯t know it buckled on the sides and he just pulled the whole thing over his head.
¡°Pretty funny to see how little he knew about the position and then to see how incredible he looked. The main thing was for him to keep his throwing hand away from catching. And he really was hoping someone would run on him so he could show off his arm.¡±
Matheny was asked if Mejia¡¯s versatility also included being an emergency pitcher.
¡°Maybe," Matheny said. ¡°I know he¡¯d bring it at 95 [mph].¡±
Witt watch
Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., the Royals¡¯ No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline, continues to wow everyone in camp. Witt had three more hits Saturday night, including two doubles. If batting averages were kept, Witt surely would be hitting over .600 this summer.
Other takeaways from Saturday:
? Outfielder Seuly Matias, the Royals¡¯ No. 14 prospect, delivered a two-run single in his first at-bat. He left the game in the middle of his third at-bat, favoring the left side of his torso. The Royals say he has a low-grade left oblique injury.
? Opening Day starter Danny Duffy gave up two runs in four innings.
? Potential No. 5 starter Foster Griffin threw three scoreless innings and gave up just one hit.
? Jorge Soler, Alex Gordon and Maikel Franco went back-to-back-to-back off Glenn Sparkman.
Brutal night for Woods
Stephen Woods Jr., a Rule 5 Draft pick trying to squeeze onto the 30-man roster, didn¡¯t do himself any favors Friday night with a rough outing. In less than two innings, Woods walked six batters.
When Woods found the strike zone, he got punished, first with a rocket off the bat of Witt that caromed off shortstop Nicky Lopez for a hit. Then, he left a fastball up to Bubba Starling.
¡°It was just one of those tough nights,¡± Matheny said. ¡°Same thing for [Jorge] Lopez. Couldn¡¯t get into any rhythm.¡±
Jorge Lopez gave up home runs to Salvador Perez and Franco as he wobbled through his first two innings. He finished strong by retiring the final five batters he faced.
¡°Yeah, that last inning he got a couple of strikeouts,¡± Matheny said. ¡°He was working in advantage counts, which he needs to do.¡±
Singer impresses
Right-hander Brady Singer, the Royals¡¯ No. 2 prospect, had another impressive outing Friday night, throwing four scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks.
¡°Brady is just a fast worker,¡± Matheny said, ¡°and that tempo helps everyone, especially his defense, so they¡¯re not just standing around. He had guys on base and just found a way to work through it.¡±