Dayton Moore Covers Variety of Topics with KCMO Talk Radio
On the morning of June 3, Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore was interviewed on KCMO Talk Radio (710am/103.7 FM) by host Pete Mundo.
Several topics were brought up including full capacity stadiums, Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi’s hot start since being reinstated from the injured list, his subsequent hamstring issue, how Northwest Arkansas’s Bobby Witt Jr. could progress through the summer, and if Omaha Storm Chaser’s Jackson Kowar could be an option sooner rather than later at the big league level.
Moore first touched on opening up the stadium to full capacity.
"We talk about the importance of our fans and this environment." Moore said. "It’s all of our sports teams. I believe there’s no better fan base that supports their teams through thick and thin. Whether that be at Arrowhead Stadium, Kauffman Stadium or out at Sporting KC is an environment you can’t replace with fan enthusiasm."
"It’s the commitment that families have to attend games together and the unity that exists when the stadiums are packed," Moore said. "Fans are what provides us the emotion to get through a season of 162 games."
Moore was asked about Mondesi, his injury history and hot start, and what the plans were for him going forward after another small injury had him held out of the series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 1.
"He had a little tweak in his left hamstring on a slow roller play, a spectacular play that very few shortstops in the league can even make that play, but he felt a little tug there," Moore said. "Our medical team feels like it isn’t very serious but we’ll see where he’s at today and certainly tomorrow. Hope he can play tonight, but if he can’t play in the next two or three days, might need a short IL stint so he can be back in the next 10 days or so, worst-case scenario."
After the conversation on Mondesi, Mundo mentioned fans and media alike had been raving about the minor league system, including players like Bobby Witt Jr. and Jackson Kowar, and was curious if Kowar could potentially be brought up to Kansas City soon.
“Jackson pitched well again last night [June 2nd],” Moore said. “We’re monitoring that. We are going to need to add a starter. Danny Duffy isn’t back yet. We have 14 straight days where we will need that fifth starter. We’re looking internally, [Ervin] Santana is an option. [Jakob] Junis is an option. Some of the guys in our minor leagues are an option.”
Continuing to talk about Kowar, Moore said that he is not on the 40-man roster, so calling him up would be a bit more complicated than calling up someone already on the 40-man roster, but it can be done.
In terms of another prospect, Moore mentioned he isn’t really a "service time watcher" when asked about Witt.
"When players are ready," Moore said. "We move them from level to level and when they are major league ready we’ll bring them up. These guys have worked their entire lives to play in the Major Leagues and we aren’t going to look at service times and count days and try to manipulate the roster. Bobby Witt Jr. is right where he should be right now in Double-A, had another good night and we expect him to continue to progress like every other very talented player has throughout the history of this game."
"Hopefully we can get him to Triple-A at some point and time this year," Moore said. "And once he gets there, it’s up to him. He’s knocking on the door. He’s doing everything he’s supposed to do right now."
A few hours after Moore’s interview on KCMO Talk Radio, Jon Morosi of MLB Network tweeted that he believes Witt could see his major league debut sometime in the next two months.
Bobby Witt Jr., who has 5 HR in past 4 games, could make his @Royals debut in the next two months, as I reported on @MLBNetwork. He's played SS and 3B at Double-A; the availability of everyday at-bats at those positions would be a key factor in promoting him. @MLBPipeline
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) June 3, 2021
There’s a lot to be excited about as the season continues to roll on for the Kansas City Royals. The team started the month of June out on a good note, getting back above .500 for the first time since early May. Mondesi looked good in his return from the IL, and if he can stay on the field, looks to be a game-changer. Left fielder Andrew Benintendi has been raking at the plate.
Jackson Kowar has been dominating in Omaha and could see his Major League debut soon. Witt continues to impress and Nick Pratto was named Double-A Central player of the month after hitting nine home runs in May. And of course "Salvy being Salvy" as Royals manager Mike Matheny would say.
The Royals may not be on pace for a playoff berth this season, but they’ve already shown the fight that is necessary to weather a storm. They have the attitude to compete throughout the entire season and to keep things interesting. That’s all that Royals fans wanted to see going into the 2021 season.
Check out the audio from the full interview with Moore below.
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Mark Van Sickle was born in Seattle, Washington, but has lived in the Kansas City area for 30 years. He has followed the city’s sports teams along the way, from the KC Blades to the Chiefs to the Wizards/Sporting KC, now the KC Current and — of course — the Royals. Mark has been a radio producer and on-air talent in Kansas City since 2011 and is currently a producer for morning shows on KCMO Talk Radio. He is a writer and podcast host for the Heartland College Sports Network, a writer for Arrowhead Report on FanNation and a consistent guest on Roughing the Kicker Chiefs podcast. He is also a writer and weekly contributor to FanNation’s InsideTheRoyals.com