You know, it wasn't hard for me prior to 1985. My mom and family had close StL ties. Went to a lot of games in old Busch Stadium. KMOX radio could be picked up in Topeka on the right night and WREN radio was a broadcast affiliate in Topeka for many years.
My mom worked at Sportsmans Park as a teen. But that series turned me off StL forever.

Right now, I'm not sure if I dislike the Royals or the Cards more. I think I hate the Royals more.

Cool, we're the underdogs again. Great position to sneak in and win the division

As of right now? I'd say it's look for the first hittable pitch and hit it. They don't really show any patience unless it's an obvious part of the game-plan, and there's little to no pitch recognition by any of the players in the lineup with the exception of Infante.

I was wrong. Dayton spoke today! Hooray! Same old song and dance.

NO need to panic Royals Fans. Patience....

:facepalm:




SAN DIEGO — Fresh off a crushing extra-innings defeat on Monday night, Royals manager Dayton Moore preached the necessity of accountability with his wayward club.



But do not expect sweeping changes in the wake of a five-game losing streak.

Instead, Moore stressed in a telephone conversation Tuesday afternoon, the team remains committed to their current crop of players and coaching staff.

Moore has placed his faith – and staked his reputation – on the ability of the on-field personnel to adjust their approach in the face of adversity.

“As a team, our players, our coaching staff and our front office have all shared a level of frustration with a 14-17 start,” Moore said. “We know we’re capable of being much better. We understand where our deficiencies are. And we’re working through them.”

From his seat, Moore believes their chief deficiency is obvious. He cited a lack of production and a spate of over-aggression when batting with runners in scoring position. Night after night, the players struggle to capitalize in these spots, he said.

“The truth of the matter is we are where we are because we have failed to have quality at-bats in RBI situations,” Moore said.

The Royals rank 24th in the majors with a .648 on-base plus slugging percentage with runners in scoring position. They are also one of baseball’s least effective clubs at putting runners there. The team ranks 22nd in on-base percentage (.307) and 25th in slugging percentage (.364).

The lack of offensive production is a chronic, continual issue for this club. It was also the source of their decline in 2013, when an 8-20 record in May sunk the team’s playoff hopes. The Royals are now 0-5 this May.

Moore indicated he had no intention of making changes to the coaching staff, and stressed his confidence in manager Ned Yost and hitting coach Pedro Grifol.

Yost received a two-year extension after 2013. Moore also said there was no plan to expand the role of George Brett, who joined the staff as a temporary hitting coach last May and still serves as an advisor.

“George is involved,” Moore said. “He may not be in the dugout or on the field, but George is in constant communication with Pedro, myself, whoever. When George is at the game, we sit up there and we look at video and we talk about hitters. He’s back and forth with Pedro.”

The changes are expected to be more subtle. Moore seeks more patience from his hitters. He expects the team’s core of Eric Hosmer, Billy Butler and Alex Gordon to produce in RBI situations. He is frustrated with their lack of results when swinging at 3-0 pitches, but does not want the organization to place restrictions on players.

“You don’t want to have your hitters go up there and have everything scripted out on what they can and can’t do,” Moore said. “They’re major-league hitters. They have to have a certain level of freedom and ownership of their at-bat. It’s their at-bat. It belongs to them. And they’re accountable to the team.”

He added, “I know how Ned manages. He’s given guys a little more freedom right now. If it doesn’t turn around . . .”

There are few tweaks available to the roster. The farm system is bereft of top-flight talent at the upper levels. The Royals lack the funds necessary to pursue the two premier remaining free agents, infielder Stephen Drew and first baseman Kendrys Morales, according to people familiar with the situation. And it is too early in the season for serious trade discussions.

Thus, for the immediate future, the composition of the 2014 Royals will not change.

“We believed in this team in November of 2013,” Moore said. “We made some adjustments to this baseball team, we made some additions that we felt good about prior to spring training. When we left spring training, we felt positive about this team. And after 31 games, there’s no reason not to remain very positive about the 2014 season.”

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2014/05/06...#storylink=cpy

:LOL:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Kyle Zimmer had some mild soreness &amp; his first XST start of the year now pushed to next week. <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals">@Royals</a> hope to have in peak form in Aug/Sept.</p>&mdash; Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/jimcallisMLB/statuses/463832310471614465">May 7, 2014</a></blockquote>
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I'm sure George is thrilled at having his name dragged into this shitfest again this year...

If George can be drunk and be an asshole to everyone, he doesn't give a flying **** how this team performs.

Oh rubbish. My mom grew up outside stl and her and her siblings listened to that old hack Jack Buck in the day. All her kids are big Royals fans growing up here. I'd poke my eyes out with hot needles before I ever rooted for those shitheads out east.

By all means, go all Louis Braille on yourself.

Hopefully we can get a few runs tonight off of a good pitcher in Iwakuma.

マイク自身moustakas無責任に触れるとピッチング左利きにヒットすることができない人は、FAT、油ぎったねずみ男の子です!

The fat acceptance people don't find that funny

Obesity coalition supports Butler

Offensive WAR value, bbReference:

Yordano Ventura: 0.1
Billy Blubber: -0.2
Moustakas: -0.3


So in 3 plate appearnances this season, where he singled once, Ventura has provided more offensive value than our DH and our 3B.

Royals lead MLb with 31 wins in one run games last year. 2-8 so far this year. We should've seen that reversion coming a mile away.

So, at what point is Mike Moustakas so horrible you can't let him play anymore?

That point has passed. It's being reeruned that he still allowed to wear a Royals jersey at this point. I think the Royal brass probably gives him another 3 weeks though.

They were 32-25 in one-run games. Generally, teams are about .500 in one-run games year-to-year. So being 7 games above .500 in one-run games with the bullpen the Royals had last year (the best in two decades in terms of run prevention) is really not an outlier at all.

It's not like they were the 2012 Orioles (29-9) in one-run games.

2-8 is pretty awful and actually quite likely to normalize as the season goes on.

It's time to start seeing Valencia against RHP more, no doubt. But just like with Francoeur, they will do the baseball equivalent of beating a dead horse with Moustakas, just to make sure he isn't going to turn it around.

I have never seen a staff so willing to keep trotting out failing players at a role they're pretty much proven they cannot handle just so they don't have to be afraid of that player succeeding elsewhere.

If only the Royals had a UTIL player with a good bat they could just slide in there to play everyday while Moustakas deals with his demotion...

Heard the Cubs have such a player

Still baffles my mind that he plays for the Cubs

They just refuse to make him earn his time here. It's surely sending a horrible message to the rest of the players that Golden Boy can hit .140 and keep his job.

But he's such a good guy and try's really, real hard.

I'm starting to get more optimistic about this team. Why do I do this to myself???? :facepalm:

Oh, you're feeling inspired after yet another Kansas City Royals Singles Parade?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Among the 201 players with 100 PA, Mike Moustakas ranks 200th in BA (.142), 200th in OBP (.212) and 197th in OPS (.514).</p>&mdash; Andy McCullough (@McCulloughStar) <a href="https://twitter.com/McCulloughStar/statuses/465184062315839489">May 10, 2014</a></blockquote>
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:facepalm:

"You guys, Moose is close. He's just missing the ball. I've seen guys come up. Rickie Weeks, Ryan Braun, Corey Hart. I've never been wrong about a young player. He's going to be a star.

He just needs about 2000 AB in the major leagues to get there."

Also, he's leading the team in home runs!

Which is like being the tallest Pygmy in Africa.

They're also trying to sell the idea that his glove balances out his bat.

I don't think they can keep the sun from rising, though. He's got to be days away from being sent down.

Nicely done. :thumb:

There's a reason why Gio has been playing half his games in Omaha at 3B...

ok, maybe its because of Colon, but still, I'd rather Moose get sent down instead of Gio.

Who is 201st?

Billy Butler

Thank God a MLB manager would never have a way of thinking so stupid

Carlos Santana. Behind him in OPS - Yonder Alonso, Will Venable, Nate Schierholtz, Dan Uggla.

I don't know who's worse than this...but I bet no one else knows who they are either.

Posted these in the game thread. They belong here too.

http://i.imgur.com/cjzeenw.png

So can Gio play 3rd?

Kind of late, but what happened to Omar?

Sure can. I'd hope he stays up instead of bringing up a shitty mop up reliever.

I'd be fine with it for now. Swapping Gio for Moose will likely hurt us somewhat defensively, but Gio clearly provides better offensive production. (For now)

If they send Moose down they really have to leave Gio on the roster. They're down to one legit utility guy and Gio fills that role since he can play 2B and 3B. Sucks for platoon splits but Moose wasn't hitting RH either. He's had a long leash as it is, time to wrap that leash around his neck and drag him back to the minors

Yep. The dude is literally an automatic out. Combined with Butters worthlessness this year, it's actual kind of shocking the Royals are even sniffing .500. Maybe Mouse can go pull an Alex Gordon in the minors. I doubt it, but maybe.

People forget that Alex's output was at least respectable before he was sent down to the Minors (injuries were more of a factor for him than his on the field performance).

Moose is closer to Tony Pena Jr. than he's ever been to Alex.

http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/a-l...try-breakfast/
A Less Balanced Country Breakfast
by Chad Young - May 12, 2014

For the past few years, we’ve grown accustomed to a steady diet of high on-base, high-average, moderate power output from Billy Butler. In the early going, 2014 hasn’t been nearly as tasty.

Terrible breakfast puns aside, Butler’s numbers are down across the board, and anyone lining him up in a util slot has got to be concerned. So is Butler a buy low or a guy you should be trying to get rid of?


Let’s start at the surface – a career .297/.362/.454 hitter, good for 15-20 HR (not counting the crazy 2012 season), Butler has kicked off 2014 on pace for 5-6 HR with a .242/.295/.311 line. His .298 BABIP doesn’t scream “bad luck,” but Butler’s career BABIP is .326. His batted ball data shows an increase in line drives and a decrease in fly balls this year, which should lead to a higher, not a lower BABIP, although a big drop in HR/FB rate means that more of those fly balls are staying in play, which definitely hurts.

The thing is, even if we assume a .327 BABIP, that adds three hits. Let’s assume, just to be nice, that they are all doubles. Three more doubles and his line looks like this: .265/.319/.356. So, you know, still really bad.

Part of the problem is that Butler has been striking out far more than normal. His career rate (14.5%) is a bit lower than he has shown the last two years (16.3% in 2012, 15.3% in 2013), but so far this year he is at 20.5%, which dwarfs all his previous numbers. At the same time, his BB% (7.8%) would be his lowest since 2008. I don’t know if anyone has done any research on this, but I’d bet more Ks plus fewer BBs equals less production. Just a hunch.

The problem for Butler seems to be an odd shift in his plate discipline. He is making contact just as well as ever, both in pitches in and out of the zone, but he appears to be swinging at fewer good pitches (59.3%, compared to 62.7% for his career, and on pace to be a career low) and more bad pitches (31.3%, compared to 27.5% for his career, and on pace to be a career high). The result is two-fold.

First, the increased strike out rate is coming despite no meaningful shift in his SwStrk%, which may be partially bad luck, but is also likely due to take pitches for strikes so much more often.

Second, his IFFB% is 9.5%, more than 3x the 3.1% he posted last year, and 50% higher than his career rate of 6.3%. Butler is chasing more pitches and making contact with more bad pitches – bad contact (like, say, infield fly balls) seems like a plausible outcome.

It’s worth noting that the plate discipline numbers I am citing come from Baseball Info Solutions and that that the PitchF/x data for Butler does not show the same discrepancy compared to his career numbers, but the impact is pretty clear.

If you are a Butler owner, or considering getting into the Country Breakfast business, I’d be watching those plate discipline numbers. If Butler keeps chasing, taking strikes, hitting pop ups and striking out, the BABIP regression (and it is coming), won’t be enough to help. If the BIS data isn’t as accurate as PitchF/x, or if Butler starts to show the approach we’ve come to expect, the results should follow.

Personally, I have never felt that Butler’s actual fantasy value matched his perceived fantasy value – util-only bats without much power just aren’t my thing. The troubling approach in the early season would be enough for me to want to sell off any shares I had. I’d push the unexpectedly low BABIP, point out the steady swinging strike rate, and hope to find someone willing to buy on a bounce back.

Butler’s Yahoo Average Draft position was 106.7, near players like Sergio Romo, Brett Lawrie, and Hisashi Iwakuma. If I could turn Butler into one of those players (particularly if I needed a closer, MI if Lawrie qualifies or a SP), I would do it in a heartbeat.
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We cannot continue with just 5 guys for the infield. Esky could use a day off here and there, and clearly so could Infante when he comes back.

Gio needs to stay up regardless if Moose goes down or not. I think he has earned that. On a daily basis we can put one of Valencia, Moose, or Gio at third and then still allow Esky and Infante to have a day off every now and then as well by keeping Gio around.

Get Moose the hell away from this team. He has more than played his way off of it.

This isn't inaccurate, but we would need a replacement infielder in my opinion. Five infielders is just not enough. We could really use someone who is comfortable playing first and third base. Imagine Billy at third?

Alex Gordon has played first before.

Escobar - SS
Infante - 2B/SS
Valencia - 3B/2B
Gio - 2B/3B
Hosmer - 1B
Butler - 1B

Time for Christian Colon to get a look if Moose goes down?

I'm good with Maxwell hitting the bricks. Dude is worthless

Yep. I have been beating this drum for a few weeks now.

That could definitely work. It seems like we may arrive at this spot soon.

If they want to make a push they need to make a deal and somebody to keep an eye on IMO is Chase Headley from San Diego. He will be a free agent at the end of the year so there is a risk involved plus he has been hurt this season with a calf injury. He turned down an extension from San Diego earlier this year so they might look to deal him come deadline time. Make the playoffs and the rent player cost will be fine.

The only problem, five out of those six bat right handed. That would leave the team with only one non-starter that bats left handed.

I would totally buy the "shut up Hud" or "warning track power". LMAO

Based on 29 at bats? This is asinine. Maxwell is a great back up OF. People overreacted last year to limited success in limited ABs, and they are overreacting this year to his lack of success.

I'd like to see him get that slug up over Moose BA even in 29 at bats.

So the Moose is headed to Omaha?? Can Butler drive him?

How about a career .225 BA for a 30 year old? The guy is replaceable with just about any backup OF in the ML.

Fair enough, but he has power, and hits well when platooned.

He must be on the juice/ Moose

That is a myth. Verse LHP he is .231/.347/.411. That is not much better than his numbers verse RHP. In over 900 PAs he has 34 HRs and just 40 doubles. Plus he doesn't do anything special in the outfield on defense.

I need that "Warning Track Power" shirt. NEED.

Me too, add in fam system champions to my order
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Someone make the SHUT UP HUD shirt. I will buy it right now $20.

30 yrs next year...who would have thought? :huh:

Would buy the shit out of a Warning Track Power shirt.

I turn 25 next month... :sulk:

FACT:

Barry Bonds was intentionally walked more in one year than Mike Moustakas was unintentionally walked in his entire career.

He'd probably strike out in the process of an intentional walk.

Well that's not saying much.

To get intentionally walked you actually have to be considered as a threat offensively by the other team.

I don't think you got the point he was making.

reading ain't your strong suit, eh?

What are the odds on Moose being sent to AAA today? If he goes, that leaves the Royals with one left handed bat off the bench.

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