PEORIA, Ariz. -- All the excitement that was felt early in Spring Training for the Royals hasn’t subsided one bit, left-hander Danny Duffy said Tuesday afternoon.
Now in the second week of Cactus League games, the Royals are still feeling the buzz around camp thanks to the offseason acquisitions they made to the lineup, including the most recent one in outfielder Jarrod Dyson, who brings high energy to the Royals clubhouse.
“The volume in the clubhouse has changed,” Duffy said after allowing five runs in three innings in the Royals’ 6-3 loss at Peoria Sports Complex. “… There’s something different about this squad. I feel like the confidence level is just at an all-time high, at least since the ‘14-15 seasons. I think we all could echo what everyone else is saying. We’re all really excited and confident that we’re going to be doing what we need to do.”
Duffy is in the final year of his five-year contract that he signed after 2016, and he’s one of a few players on the roster who have been in Kansas City since winning the World Series in 2015. Now, the Royals have brought back some of their key voices from that championship team to rejoin Duffy and Salvador Perez. Dyson, Wade Davis and Greg Holland are all back in Royals uniforms for 2021.
“Feels like we got a lot of the boys from a few years back, back in the clubhouse together,” Duffy said. "We picked up right where we left off. … We’ve had some awesome times in the last three or four years, but the seasons haven’t gone the way we’ve wanted them to. And then to bring back guys who have been there, done that, in this jersey, it’s only going to be beneficial.
“It’s so cool to see the confidence they have in what we already had. And then to supplement us with those guys says a lot. Speaks volumes.”
What can he not do?
One day after launching a 484-foot home run, Bobby Witt Jr., MLB Pipeline's No. 7 overall prospect, flashed his defensive talent. In the bottom of the first inning against the Mariners on Tuesday, Luis Torrens hit a rocket in between first and second base. The Royals infield was in a right-handed hitter’s shift, but Witt flew over to snag the ball before it got to the outfield, making a diving stop and whipping it to first base for the out.
His hat fell off. His sunglasses did, too.
He still made the play.
“The play he made in the hole today, he was shifted over to a righty shift, and he went over and got a ball that not a lot of people can get on this planet,” Duffy said. “It’s just something you kind of sit back and watch. The kid is a really good ballplayer.”
Witt almost made another stellar play on a popup to shallow right field, hustling over from second base and just missing it as it dropped inside the line. He also displayed a heads-up play when catcher Cam Gallagher overthrew second base.
“Some other things that are sometimes overlooked, like the overthrow to second base, you saw him put his glove on the runner to keep him from advancing,” manager Mike Matheny said. “Just the little things like that he’s doing, using his instincts, which is pretty good to see.”
Once again, Witt is showing his potential for the Royals on the field. And impressing his older teammates while doing it.
“It’s really incredible. I remember what I was doing at 20 years old is not what he’s doing at 20," Duffy said. "The kid is going to be a star, man. And without putting any extra pressure on what he’s doing or what he’s trying to do -- he is a talent. We’ve got a talent.”
Upcoming pitching schedule
• Right-handers Brad Keller and Jackson Kowar are scheduled to pitch Wednesday against the Reds, with Keller as the starter.
• Left-handers Mike Minor and Kris Bubic are scheduled for Thursday against the Brewers, with Minor as the starter.