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?

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

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

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

[Archie F. Swin]

Originally Posted by alnorth

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

Jeebus! That's a homer every other inning

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Archie F. Swin

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.

[Deberg_1990]

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.

[gblowfish]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

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

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

[sedated]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

American League Rookie of the Year


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

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.

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

American League Rookie of the Year


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

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

[alnorth]

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.

[CoMoChief]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

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.

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

Damn son, that was stupid.

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

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!

[Chief_For_Life58]

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

[DeepSouth]

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

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by DeepSouth

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

[BlackHelicopters]

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

[Ceej]

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

I will be wearing blue.

Buy me a beer.