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data-dom-id="ArticleShow-react-component-410470e7-569a-4d7f-9bb5-75aaaaa41bd3">{"id":"livingston-native-makes-major-league-debut-in-kc-royals-opening-day-lineup","town_id":"livingston","category_id":null,"section_id":"livingston-athletics-spotlight","column_id":null,"master_head_info":{"is_article_preview":false,"is_path_user_sign_in":false,"is_iframe":false,"town_slug":"livingston","section":{"id":98,"mongo_id":"57d6bddea947ca17dc010085","_type":"Section","approved":true,"approved_at":"2016-09-12T10:38:22.000-04:00","article_count":0,"column_ids":null,"created_at":"2016-09-12T10:38:22.000-04:00","event_category_ids":[1964199],"name":"Livingston Athletics 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your town","title":"TAPinto another town's news"},"local_news_header":"TOP LOCAL NEWS"},"after_subscribe_message":null,"host":null},"rev_content":null,"breadcrumbs":[{"label":"Livingston","url":"/towns/livingston","type":"Town"},{"label":"Livingston Athletics Spotlight","url":"/towns/livingston/sections/livingston-athletics-spotlight","type":"Section"}],"video_ad_content":null,"article_body":" \u003cp\u003eLIVINGSTON, NJ 鈥斅燗fter years of consistent performance throughout the Kansas City Royals' minor league system, Frank Schwindel of Livingston is finally getting his shot.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eSchwindel, a 2010 Livingston High School graduate, was not even on the Royals' 40-man roster this spring training despite an .842 OPS (on-base-plus-slugging percentage) at the Triple-A level last year at Omaha. But the right-handed hitting first baseman tore up the Cactus League in spring training to such an extent that the Royals could not ignore it.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eKansas City added Schwindel to the major league roster, and manager Ned Yost had him penciled into the opening day lineup Thursday afternoon for the Royals' first game against the Chicago White Sox.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSIGNUPSCRIPT\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\"A couple of days before our exhibition game against Omaha, Ned Yost called me into his office,\" said Schwindel. \"He was meeting with the guys and telling them what their status was, and he said to me 'You will be on our flight to Kansas City.' That was pretty cool.\"\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eSchwindel聽was selected in the 18th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft after attending St. John's University for three years. He then proceeded to hit at every level of minor league baseball as he moved up the ladder, cracking 102 minor league home runs and batting .287 in 692 minor league games.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2018, Schwindel batted .286, hit 24 home runs and 38 doubles and had 93 RBI. The year before, he hit 24 homers and batted .329. But, as so often happens in major league organizations, players who were drafted in lower rounds as Schwindel was are saddled with a greater burden of proof than high draft choices who received bigger contracts and pricier signing bonuses.**BULLSEYE\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\"I felt like I deserved a shot a couple of times, especially after my first Triple-A season,\" said Schwindel. \"So there was a little bit of frustration, but it's all about getting that opportunity and being patient. If I had requested a trade or decided not to play anymore, yesterday would not have happened.\"\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eWhen opening day did roll around, Schwindel's wait was prolonged by a two-hour rain delay in Kansas City before the first pitch.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\"There was a lot of waiting around in the clubhouse, watching video of other White Sox starters,\" Schwindel said of the rain delay. \"I had about 15 friends and family there. I got to see them before the opening ceremony. When they called my name for pre-game introductions, it started to hit me that it was real, being out on the field with those guys.\"**STANDARD\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eSchwindel went hitless in four at-bats in the Royals' 5-3 victory over the White Sox on Thursday, although he reached base on errors each of his last two at-bats, with one of those producing a run.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eFor now, the plan appears to be for Schwindel to be part of a first base platoon with Royals' left-handed hitter Ryan O'Hearn. Schwindel, at least early in the season, would likely be slated to play when the opposing team starts a left-handed pitcher, as the White Sox did when they threw Carlos Rodon on Thursday.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eAnd although Schwindel doesn't deny he'd have loved a call to the big leagues a little sooner than this, he has praise for the Royals organization.**BULLSEYE\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\"The Royals treat me really great not only as a player, but as a person,\" he said. \"Obviously, I would have liked a callup a little sooner, but the front office treats me well, we've got a great group of coaches that helped me along the way, and I have nothing but good things to say about the organization.\"\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eScott Schroeder, the LHS alumnus'聽former high school baseball coach, said on Friday that he has been following Schwindel's progress since college聽and that Thursday night聽\"was such an amazing experience for everyone involved.\"\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\"Frank has worked his tail off over the years and deserves his shot,\" said Schroeder.聽\"I hope he and his family enjoy every second of this new chapter in his career.\"\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eIt's a few weeks away, but if Schwindel sticks and maintains his spot on the roster through the next month, the Royals make a visit to Yankee Stadium for four games April 18-21.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\"I don't think I'll have enough pull to get all the tickets I need for people that weekend; it's gonna be unreal,\" Schwindel said of Kansas City's games in New York. \"I was a Yankee fan growing up. It would definitely be a dream to play at that stadium.\"\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eBut, considering Schwindel's late addition to the major league roster, there have also been a lot of life issues that he has been trying to arrange and get organized during the Royals' first day off on the schedule.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\"It is not an easy transition,\" he said, \"but it's an unbelievable feeling that I wouldn't trade for anything.\"\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\n","category_name":null,"subscribe_to_content":{"type":"town","id":3,"slug":"livingston","name":"Livingston"},"is_article_preview":null,"is_town":true,"is_premium":false,"ad_targets":{"towns":["livingston"],"sections":["livingston-athletics-spotlight"]},"article_disclaimer":null,"disclaimer_policy_page_links":[{"page":"letters_to_editor_policy","path":"/pages/letters-to-the-editor-policy"},{"page":"candidate_statement_policy","path":"/pages/candidate-statement-policy"}],"town_editor_email":null,"section_name":"Livingston Athletics Spotlight","can_edit":false,"edit_url":null,"section_link":"/towns/livingston/sections/livingston-athletics-spotlight","article_for_preview":null,"bullseye_ad_count":1}</script> <script type="text/javascript"> (function(e,t,o,n,p,r,i){e.visitorGlobalObjectAlias=n;e[e.visitorGlobalObjectAlias]=e[e.visitorGlobalObjectAlias]||function(){(e[e.visitorGlobalObjectAlias].q=e[e.visitorGlobalObjectAlias].q||[]).push(arguments)};e[e.visitorGlobalObjectAlias].l=(new Date).getTime();r=t.createElement("script");r.src=o;r.async=true;i=t.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];i.parentNode.insertBefore(r,i)})(window,document,"https://diffuser-cdn.app-us1.com/diffuser/diffuser.js","vgo"); vgo('setAccount', '90850284'); vgo('setTrackByDefault', true); vgo('process'); </script> <script> // Copyright 2013 Google Inc. 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