2013 Kansas City Royals Repository Thread

[duncan_idaho]

Proposed 2013 Slogan: Tigers: They're what's for dinner
Actual 2013 Slogan: Come to Play
A better, more accurate, or alternative slogan: All in, no panic, we promise.

Dayton Moore has pushed all his chips in and is riding on King/Jack suited, hoping it comes together, he gets some good luck, and he hits the nuts by the river card. There's potential, oh yes, there's potential. There's also risk.

At the midway point, Dayton is left counting on the river card. The flop and turn didn't help him, and he's looking at the Tigers holding a pair of Queens and the Indians holding a pair of 9s. His 2013 plan hasn't failed - yet - but the odds are not in his favor.

Burning questions updates below.

Burning Questions for 2013:

1) Will the improve rotation be improved enough? Does James Shields pitch like a fringe No. 1 away from Tampa Bay? Does Ervin Santana pitch to his highest upside in his walk year? Can Jeremy Guthrie build on his strong performance as a Royal in 2012? Can Wade Davis bring his new mentality- and velocity - back to the rotation?

Midseason check-in: Yes, the rotation is certainly improved enough. Shields has pitched like a fringe No. 1 and Santana is having his best season. Guthrie has horrible peripherals but has continued to perform well at his home park and eat innings on the road. Davis brought neither his kick-ass mentality or improved velocity back to the rotation and is in Luke Hochevar/Hiram Davies territory.

2) When will Luke Hochevar be shown the door?
Midseason check-in: It appears, never, at this point. Hochevar has been solid in non-leverage situations, though pretty much every time he has been used with men on base in an inning, it has been a disaster.

3) Does Hosmer bounce back?
Midseason check-in: It took some time, but Hosmer's performance from June 1 on is probably the most encouraging thing about the 2013 season so far.
4) Can Moustakas hit for a whole season like he did in the first half of 2012?
Midseason check-in: Nope. Moustakas was god-awful, then great for about 3 weeks, then god-awful again. He has been better since he started working with Brett and Grafol but still has a long way to go.
5) Who regresses?
Midseason check-in: Welp, Alicides Escobar is not a surprising name here (though Yost's stubborn insistence on hitting him second is ridiculous). Billy Butler is a surprise. He isn't having a terrible year - still contributing a lot to the offense - but he's not hitting for the average or power he has displayed over the past several years.
6) Who plays 2B?
Midseason check-in: A whole bunch of people, and not that great. Gio is at least getting a shot, though he once again is not doing much with it.
7) Can Jeff Francoeur be at least replacement level, rather than epic horrible level?
Midseason check-in: Hahahahahahahahahahaha
8) Will Dayton Moore survive to see 2014?
Midseason check-in: Outlook uncertain. Probably still around, unless the team completely tanks in the second half and he does something foolish. My guess - he sacrifices Ned Yost this offseason and gets one more shot with a new manager in 2014.
9) Will Danny Duffy come back healthy? And if he does, is he the same, better or worse?
Midseason check-in: Yes. Velocity looks the same, and it looks likely he is the same guy as before.
10) And the big one: Has KC added enough to run down the big-money Detroit Tigers?
Midseason check-in: Doesn't look like it, does it?

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by lewdog

I have never played a baseball game on my PS3 and I really don't play video games at all. I hear the learning curve on this game is steep so I might be in trouble!

I will take a look at the sliders but might need to just start on beginner.

How do you most of you play as far as innings per game and simulation? I am assuming most don't have time to play full 9 inning games?

The pitching is not too difficult, that part you can pick up fairly quickly. Fielding is kinda tricky, but assuming you don't give up and let the computer do all the fielding for you, you'll eventually get that. Baserunning also takes a bit to get used to.

Hitting is what is tough. On beginner its easy, games get comical with the opponent throwing strikes every pitch, and almost every swing is hard hit, with 6-HR games being common. Anything above beginner and its a learning curve even if you bump down the hitting sliders a tick. The thing that is tough is recognizing, and not swinging at, bad pitches. Even a pitch that is in the strike zone if its a low or high strike, you don't want to swing unless you have to because you'll just get yourself out. You slowly learn how to recognize bad pitches and the fact that you are given 3 strikes, so you should use all 3 of them and not feel bad about letting a strike go. There's no way to get good at hitting except lots and lots of practice, I think I played 7 or 8 exhibition games before I started a season.

[Prison Bitch]

Any word on the 5- spot ?

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by The God Hypothesis

This year All Star seems to be the perfect level. That link I posted earlier to operation sports has a sub forum for sliders. In there you can probably find the perfect level you. How do you like the hit variety? I play with classic pitch and zone hitting without cursors or hot zones on. Also id recommend turning the fielding from default to just buttons. Absolute baseball heaven.

I haven't gotten up to all star yet, I got rocked on that level. I'm one level below that, but I'm starting to win a lot more often than I lose, so I may need to go up to all-star hitting and pitching soon.

For hitting, I've got zone hitting turned off, thats just too hard for me. I just use timing and accept the fact that my guy might choose to swing too high or low even if I have a pitch perfectly timed. I use pulse pitching. Fielding I've got on the default, the only thing I let the computer help me with is the first steps and fly ball indicators. I also turned on the single-button jump/dive. Other than that, I'm determined to figure out fielding, I finally turned a damned double play today.

I read that a lot of people turned off the variable strike zone, but I left that on. I love the fact that the umpire might blow a ball or strike, its just as likely to help me as not, and it adds a fun little twist to pitching and hitting. I also left on the pitch call-out. I let the CPU basically play the part of the catcher telling me what to throw just like if I was the pitcher, and I think if you hit the mitt outside the strike zone, sometimes the game gives it to you since the catcher is able to frame the pitch.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by alnorth

I haven't gotten up to all star yet, I got rocked on that level. I'm one level below that, but I'm starting to win a lot more often than I lose, so I may need to go up to all-star hitting and pitching soon.

For hitting, I've got zone hitting turned off, thats just too hard for me. I just use timing and accept the fact that my guy might choose to swing too high or low even if I have a pitch perfectly timed. I use pulse pitching. Fielding I've got on the default, the only thing I let the computer help me with is the first steps and fly ball indicators. I also turned on the single-button jump/dive. Other than that, I'm determined to figure out fielding, I finally turned a damned double play today.

I read that a lot of people turned off the variable strike zone, but I left that on. I love the fact that the umpire might blow a ball or strike, its just as likely to help me as not, and it adds a fun little twist to pitching and hitting. I also left on the pitch call-out. I let the CPU basically play the part of the catcher telling me what to throw just like if I was the pitcher, and I think if you hit the mitt outside the strike zone, sometimes the game gives it to you since the catcher is able to frame the pitch.

Maybe we should make a thread in the Media Center since it seems a few of us are playing it and then we don't have to clog this thread? Plus I don't want to join the MLB Show forum to talk about this game. Would just be easier on here.

[no love]

sup y'all

thought we could get back on track here. don't post much, but I check the repository daily.

Hadn't seen this yet, thought I'd share. Sorry if repost
A Little diddy on Myers. Interesting.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb...?sct=uk_bf3_a3

Full disclosure, I was a fan of the trade that brought in Shields. But if this kid turns into Trout, Harper or, gasp, A person people compare other phenoms too... well.
I'm not sure what I'm rooting for, the 2nd coming of Mark Quinn or of a superstar.

[alnorth]

Man, the show is really fun when you've got the difficulty sliders appropriately set. I just got done winning a real struggle 3-1 in extra innings on a walk-off homer against Cleveland. (this was after a 7-4 loss in the first game of the series, I didn't want to go to bed without hopefully beating the Indians in the 2nd game)

Ubaldo Jimenez was just owning my soul, striking me out left and right, I got a random solo homer but that was it, and Guthrie gave up a run from a bunch of hits in the 3rd. I was able to take and foul off enough pitches to get Jimenez out in the 7th, but the damned bullpen kept stranding my runners. Meanwhile, Guthrie was out of gas in the 6th, Crow got me to the 8th before he got in a huge jam, I brought in Hoch but he got the bases loaded after only one out, brought in Collins to get out a lefty to end the 8th, he got in trouble in the 9th, brought in Holland in a tie 1-1 game to shut down the 9th, I couldn't bring home a runner from 2nd, Holland owned the Indians in the 10th, got Butler to 1st in a walk, subbed in Dyson, stole second, and Escobar hit a game-winning walk-off homer, woohoo!

[teedubya]

Quit taking about ****ing video games in here. I come here for Royals news, not video game GM bullshit. This thread is becoming worthless.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by teedubya

Quit taking about ****ing video games in here. I come here for Royals news, not video game GM bullshit. This thread is becoming worthless.

whatever, its March, there is no Royals news.

[Archie F. Swin]

do the Royals use the 3rd base dugout at the Surprise Complex?

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by teedubya

Quit taking about ****ing video games in here. I come here for Royals news, not video game GM bullshit. This thread is becoming worthless.

You want Royals news? We are destroying everyone who is unfortunate enough to cross our path!

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by teedubya

Quit taking about ****ing video games in here. I come here for Royals news, not video game GM bullshit. This thread is becoming worthless.

This!

[Three7s]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

You want Royals news? We are destroying everyone who is unfortunate enough to cross our path!

Other than the occassional Hochevar starts!

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by teedubya

Quit taking about ****ing video games in here. I come here for Royals news, not video game GM bullshit. This thread is becoming worthless.

No shit. Who gives a rats ass about video games?

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

No shit. Who gives a rats ass about video games?

My 5 year old loves them.

[duncan_idaho]

Hochevar's spring line:

8 IP
8 Ks
6 BBs
6 ER
1.88 WHIP
6.75 ERA

Kid might pitch JUST awful enough to be able to cut him and win the grievance. Maybe.

Of course, the team would have to be willing to cut him, first...