<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Couldn&#39;t be more proud of my little brother getting moved up to AA today! Much deserved and excited to see what this next step brings!</p>&mdash; Devin Dozier (@dozierredraider) <a href="https://twitter.com/dozierredraider/statuses/478658050945867776">June 16, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Isn't there a good 3rd base prospect already at AA? Duncan ???

Since start of play on 5/29, @Royals are tied with @Athletics for most runs in AL (93). Entering that day, KC was last in AL in runs scored.

By the way Dale Sveum was hired as the new hitting coach on May 29.

This isn't a coincidence. Dale Sveum has literally by himself turned the Royals team around.

Thanks.

I'm certainly no expert on baseball but it seems to me like in most situations a hitting coach wouldn't make this big of a difference. Could it perhaps be that the previous coach just had everybody doing something funky with their swing, stance, etc. that was messing with them? So possibly Sveum has them back to doing what they're comfortable with?

I have absolutely no clue, just throwing something out there.

Cheslor Cuthbert.

He's below Dozier on the organizational chart at this point, though. And he's not a lock to stick at 3B. He's actually like a year younger than Dozier if I recall correctly.

It makes sense to move Dozier, though. He's an advanced college guy with a really strong approach who is slugging over .500 in the Carolina league since May 1. His really slow start in April has been completely overcome, it appears.

Cuthbert is a guy who might have to move to 1B/LF/RF eventually. They might be panning to do that now.

They also can split time between the two guys at 3B and DH, if necessary. I don't think Cuthbert is ready for a promotion to Omaha (He has a .700ish OPS at NWA, that's driven in large part by his OBP).

If anything it would have to do with approach. Working counts, looking for pitches in a certain area, etc.... I have noticed Infante basically refusing to swing at any first pitch lately to the point he's stepping back out of the box as the pitch is thrown. I don't recall him doing that before.

Do you think one of those two could be a September call-up?

Dozier would need to absolutely destroy the ball at NWA, force his way to Omaha, and keep it up there.

It's possible but unlikely.

The biggest thing working in Dozier's favor is that he has an EXTREMELY advanced approach. Guys like that can sometimes move faster than others.

From what I've been told, it had more to do with Grifol being in over his head than anything else. He's all about the swing and lower half feeling good and doesn't focus as much on approach or prep.

Sveum's philosophy is quite a bit different. Head and hands (a more classic focus for hitting) and preps better.

So, he could feasibly replace Moose if not sometime in 2015 then definitely in 2016?

Promoting him to NWA now is a move that attempts to get him ready for at least a mid-season callup in 2015, to me.

Also means they're probably not looking at a big splashy move like bringing in Adrian Beltre to handle 3B.

You are right that normally a hitting coach does not make much of a difference and they are usually convenient scapegoats. The only way they might make a difference is if they are doing something really bizarre to screw up the players.

Its difficult to know if that was the case here, because baseball teams are not going to throw guys under the bus even if they privately think he was a terrible coach and they had to get rid of him. From what little information we have been able to get though, Grifol's approach to teaching hitting was apparently really odd.