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?

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

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 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.

[alnorth]

official

Kansas City Royals ‏@Royals 59s #Royals name Luis Mendoza (@luismendozar) fifth starter. Bruce Chen (@ChenMusic) will start in bullpen.

[CaliforniaChief]

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?

[ChiefMojo]

Yes best starting rotation since the 80's IMO!

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaChief

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?

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.

[CaliforniaChief]

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

[Three7s]

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

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaChief

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?

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

[mr. tegu]

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

[alnorth]

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

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

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.

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.

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

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

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

[Chief_For_Life58]

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

[gblowfish]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

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

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.

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by Chief_For_Life58

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

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.