Looks like the dumb dog praise has begun.

Exactly.

I would be mildly surprised but would not argue with making Mendoza the No. 5. It also would be a strong departure for Moore, to go with a guy who doesn't "Look" the part.

Chen's spring performance is discouraging. Might be a case of not being the same without Bob McCLure around to play "soft-tossing lefty whisperer," I guess.

Side note: Did anyone else almost vomit listening to Hud and Moore gush about Hochevar "blowing it out" and throwing 96-97 from the bullpen?

I'd set the over/under on games before Hochevar is brought in with men on base and costs the Roylas a game on 3.5.

I like Mendoza and what he brings. I think he is a quality #5 with a little upside.

My rage is against Hoch-the-starter. If that pitcher is gone, I'm willing to see what happens with Hoch-the-reliever. Baseball is full of failed starters who turn into great 1-inning guys.

:clap: - I really dig this rotation, minus the fact that there isn't a lefty in the group. That's okay though. I'll take quality over that metric any day

I would take the over but I wouldn't feel good about it. Hoch needs to start clean innings, but that doesn't mean Ned won't try to force the square peg into the round hole.

official

Excellent. If you would have told me this before Spring Training, I wouldn't have believed it. Hoch to the pen and Mendoza the #5 starter.

We have a very solid starting rotation. Best since when...1985?

Yes best starting rotation since the 80's IMO!

As long as Davis and Santana improve from last year, and Guthrie is more like the 2nd half vs the 1 half and Shields doesn't get hurt. This is the Royals though and thinking about that makes me dizzy.

Credit to Mendoza. He really won that spot...he was beast all spring.

Dang it, people! Stop getting me all optimistic for the season! I'm still bracing for 90+ losses. /royalsway

We had a pretty salty rotation in the early 90's with Cone, Appier Gubs and Gordon

Nice move. I might have to change my prediction to 90 wins now!

2013 spring training stats:

Chen - 13.2 IP, 7.90 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 7HR, 3BB, 12K

Mendoza - 11IP, 0.82 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 0HR, 2BB, 8K

This is the manager who continues to use Tim Collins in lefty-on-lefty matchups. Despite all the evidence showing he has reverse splits.

Ned Yost is a great example of an old-school baseball man who continues trying to rhomboid pegs into square holes because they both have 4 sides.

I was just thinking about this. We drafted David Cone and traded him. Got him back and traded him again. We got jack shit for him both times. Ed Hearn was the "Center Piece" of the trade the first time we got rid of Cone. He had all of 35 ML AB's with KC ROFL

I got perez as my fantasy catcher last night and i got cain on the bench.

Ed Hearn was a good player. He unfortunately suffered a career ending injury right after we traded for him. He was like the Percy Snow of the KC Royals.

I never draft Royals in baseball or Chiefs in football so I don't have to hate them later in the season. I don't know how others do it. Good luck to you though.

Don't forget Hipolito Pichardo. Everyone ALWAYS forgets Hipolito.

Jeebus! That's a homer every other inning

Shields also had a crazy-high ERA, but he may have just been working on stuff rather than trying to get guys out. I assume Chen was going out there every day trying to win the job.

American League Rookie of the Year


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb...1_a3&eref=sihp




Chen
Wil Myers, Royals. There was no chance he was going to make Tampa Bay's Opening Day roster, but Myers should be in the Show before the All-Star break, and by September he'll have emerged as one of the Rays' best hitters, a middle-of the order masher on a World Series contender




Lemire
Wil Myers, Rays. In a close race with the Indians' Trevor Bauer, Myers wins the award thanks to a prolific second half in which he helps power the Rays to an AL East title after his June call-up.

Jaffe
Wil Myers, Rays. The Rays have already sent him down, and may not bring him back until June due to service time issues. Even so, the opportunity for a full-time role is clearly there once he's recalled, which is more than can be said for many other top prospects, including Jurickson Profar.

Corcoran
Wil Myers, Rays. Myers won't open the season in the major leagues, but he hit .304/.378/.554 in Triple A last year and the Rays need another impact bat like his in their lineup. Ben Zobrist will start the season in rightfield, but who is going to keep him there and Myers in the minors, Kelly Johnson? Ryan Roberts? James Loney? Myers, the fourth-best prospect in baseball this spring per Baseball America, should be up sometime in May and a key middle-of-the-lineup bat for the Rays soon after.

Sheehan
Wil Myers, Rays. He won't be in the minors for long, and when he comes up, he's going to hit for excellent power out of the gate.

Isn't he the guy Albert Bell tried to kill with a bat once???

Meh, I attribute this more to Myers’ name being on everyone’s minds after the big trade.

Its kind of like when we traded Jared Allen – Joe Fan in NY or Cali didn’t know his name, then suddenly a big trade and everyone considers him one of the best DEs in the game.

Sounds like the same stuff they said about Alex Gordon as a rookie.

Completely random baseball tidbit, here is Pedro Martinez's 2000 Stratomatic card.

http://t.co/zahbLxicbD

I haven't played in over a decade, but I remember enough about the game to be amazed. Even if you aren't familiar with the rules, seeing "strikeout" written so many times in the middle of the card should be a hint.

You never drafted Priest Holmes in your FFL if you had the chance?

Damn son, that was stupid.

I had Priest the year he went down with the hip injury. Never Again!

perez is gonna ball this year... cain im just betting on. he was one of my last picks

Mendoza will be the fifth starter. Chen to the bullpen.

http://www.kansascity.com/2013/03/26...als-fifth.html

http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/new...ews_kc&c_id=kc

SI is never wrong. See: Peter King 2012 Kansas City Chiefs.

I will probably be at the game on the 10th, barring any freezing cold weather.

I will be wearing blue.

Buy me a beer.

Actually, it's for TV exposure. They want to get as MANY opening days on national TV as possible.

Wil Meyers Hosmer Butler Beltran Gordon all the same kind of bull crap hype

a fond childhood memory was listening on the radio as he pitched a one-hitter... good times!

Move Hosmer to RF and let Butters play first.

Just move Giancarlo Stanton to RF and move Francouer to the pature.

Let's just move Branden Albert out there.

I think the best "forgotten" Royals pitcher of all time was Jose Rosado.

From opening day starter (Staff ace) to the bullpen in 12 months.

Watched the Royals last night on TV and loved the pitching. Wade Davis may have trouble going deep into games, but Crowe and Hochevar coming out of the pen were nasty. Chen is tricky and Herrera can blow it by people. Mendoza deserved the 5th spot and I really only have questions about Santanna, whom I haven't watched at all. With Paulino and Duffy coming back, Lamb on the horizon, we have some tradeable pieces, building pieces and flat out stud pieces.

We've got a lot more good relief pitchers than we can use. A trade would make sense, but I'm not sure how we upgrade our only 2 real needs at this point with a RP.

wow, Billy. You are so slow. He just hit a ball off an outfield wall and came damned close to being tagged out at second.

Just a few more days until our hopes begin to be dashed, when it counts. Love April. Hate May, June, July..................

Why is this Sugar Ray whoever pitching today? Shouldn't we be getting our starters used to their five day rotations?

Billy getting a jump start on trying to help the Royals win. Smoked a ball off of Bonderman's leg.

Chen was originally scheduled to start. We only decided to put him in the bullpen today, so he'll be pitching relief today to get used to working out of the pen.

Royals take the lead, 4 runs (so far) in the 5th

It's pre-season...yeah yeah.

This offense is relentless.

Gotcha. Thanks.

Can't we clinch the Cactus League Championship today? LMAO

6 runs in the 5th now. Frenchy narrowly missed a 3-run homer.

Everybody hits!

Lol, Frenchy with the 2-run double. I wanted to post that now as I don't think I'll have many opportunities this season.

actually, it looks like you are right. We're 3.5 games ahead of Seattle, 6+ ahead of everyone else. A win today clinches the mythical title.

is this on tv anywhere?

I'm listening on MLB Game Day Audio. It actually comes for free with our fantasy baseball league through CBS Sports.

Really?

What do you have to do at MLB.com to sync these up?

I haven't been successful at that so far. I've been accessing it through CBS Sports' website...

Our closer is flashing the leather. 1-3 double play.

If the Royals win today, and continue exactly as they've been going, they would win about 128 games. woo! LMAO

Collins needs to pull it together.

Can you be less specific? :shake:

LMAO

I will be at a Royals game and probably have on a KC cap. Someone say hi.

I will not be at the royals game.

Buy me a beer.

LMAO

I will be wearing a Royals hat too.

But, in all seriousness...

I will let whomever know where my tickets are when I purchase them. I will buy you a Smirnoff just because I am a nice guy.

Just waiting on hearing back from potential employers for my girlfriend who has been filling out applications ever since she moved before the tickets are bought.

Does. Not. Compute.

Either you are gay (NTTAWWT), or you are straight and that's an empty promise.

Man. I feel like an outsider in this thread.

It's an inside joke amongst me and a couple of CPers. Apparently they're not baseball fans.

But, I would buy whomever a beer or two on the 10th.

Just joking man. I assumed it was an inside joke, but I couldn't pass it up.

Sorry:shrug:?

It's all good. :thumb:

2013 Spring Training Champions! Get drunk and celebrate! Riot! Burn some cop cars! Woohoo!

It's cool if we just get drunk and avoid the rest of the shit that White Sox fans would do, right? (Easy. Easy.)

Sorry man. No offense.

The Royals are killing it this Spring- set a new (meaningless) record for wins. At least it wasnt the record for losses.

Pitching a defense look much improved.

Gordon looks like an All Star. Moose reminds me of a guy we used to have that wore #5. Not sure about Getz and Francour- still look like easy outs. Butler will have a good hitter behind him this year with the line up change. Cain looks healthy.

The season can't start fast enough!!

Damnit.. Must not get excited... Think about baseball.. ****!