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?

[Prison Bitch]

It isn't rape if its consensual.

[KChiefs1]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

A month into the season and time to look at what Myers-Odorizzi-Montgomery are doing in Tampa's AAA farm club (Durham NC). Myers is in a 5-34 slump with 15 strikeouts. He's struck out a whopping 37 times in 105 at-bats with 3 home runs and 5 doubles. This is 2x the rate Hosmer & Moustakas struck out at Omaha. Read one analysis (not sure if fan or scout) who said he's looking less and less like Dale Murphy and more and more like....wait for it.....JEFF FRANCOEUR:
http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx...14&position=OF


-On the other hand, Jake Odorizzi is off to a fantastic start 3-0 2.65ERA. He leads that league in K with 39 already to only 13 walks. He started yesterday and helped throw a combined no-hitter.
http://www.mlbprospectportal.com/201...-odorizzi.html


-Mike Montgomery threw 3 innings, allowed 8 baserunners, got hurt and has been out since. Probably no reason to discuss this guy any longer.


-Patrick Leonard is in A-ball. He is hitting .135 in 96 at-bats so far with 0 home runs.
http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx...39&position=3B

Trade depends on Wade Davis.

[KChiefs1]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Francour just raping Glass's wallet.

I bet Glass gives Moore shit about this every time he sees him. Moore's love for Frenchy is remarkable.

[Prison Bitch]

Wtf happened to Montgomery?

[Ebolapox]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Wtf happened to Montgomery?

TINSTAPP

[Al Bundy]

2 kick in the nuts losses today.

[Archie F. Swin]

lets exercise the demons...

[AussieChiefsFan]

God damnit. Detroit get a 4 game series vs Houston and then another series vs Houston soon after.

[duncan_idaho]

Here's some positive news:

Yordano Ventura's last two starts at AA:

11 IP | 20 K | 5 BB (higher than you'd like to see) | 3 H | 0 R | 0 ER

For the year (six starts):

29 1/3 IP | 43 K | 11 BB | 19 H | 7 R | 6 ER

Works out to an ERA under 2, a K:9 of 13.2, a WHIP of 1.02, and a K:BB of 3.91:1.

Awesome. It would appear his mastery of AA is nearly complete. Next step for him will either be elevating him to Omaha, unless they want him to refine his off-speed pitches some more. I could see him left at Omaha a ittle while longer and told to pitch backwards more often.

Either way, he could be a nice weapon to call up in September and use out of the bullpen.

[Prison Bitch]

When will Dayton get in the faces of Hosmer and Moose and tell them their perforamnce is unacceptable and not tolerated at the MLB level? Doesn't the management have a duty to kick guys in the ass when they perform this badly?

Moose is down to .198 with a .276 slug %. Hosmer has a .326 slug %. These two are the biggest wastes of space. Dudes have 1,000 AB at this level.



P Yovani Gallardo has 2 homers in 16 AB. Yeah: a freaking pitcher for Milwaukee has more homers this year than Punch & Judy do COMBINED.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

When will Dayton get in the faces of Hosmer and Moose and tell them their perforamnce is unacceptable and not tolerated at the MLB level? Doesn't the management have a duty to kick guys in the ass when they perform this badly?

Moose is down to .198 with a .276 slug %. Hosmer has a .326 slug %. These two are the biggest wastes of space. Dudes have 1,000 AB at this level.



P Yovani Gallardo has 2 homers in 16 AB. Yeah: a freaking pitcher for Milwaukee has more homers this year than Punch & Judy do COMBINED.

Maybe when you stop obsessing over it?

Both are showing signs of life, if you do something other than scout box score totals.

Moustakas, for example, has raised his BA 50 points in the past week and raised his OPS 140 points. The level of at-bats he's having has raised significantly.

In that week, he's hitting .320 with a .480 SLG and a .414 OBP. And that includes the 0-4 yesterday (when he batted three times against Chris Sale and once against Matt Thornton, incredibly tough assignments).

Hosmer has been stinging the ball and hitting into a lot of bad luck lately. His approach at the plate has been strong, with good walk rates, and he's been putting good swings on balls he should drive (like the first at-bat against Sale... that ball would have been out of many parks, especially in June/July/August).

Your obsession with being right on this matter severely clouds your judgment.

[tredadda]

Originally Posted by AussieChiefsFan

God damnit. Detroit get a 4 game series vs Houston and then another series vs Houston soon after.

They also close the season against Miami. We need to ensure that we have a sizable lead on them going into the final week or so of the season.

[Archie F. Swin]

JFC.....

Baltimore Forecast

[Dartgod]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Moustakas, for example, has raised his BA 50 points in the past week and raised his OPS 140 points. The level of at-bats he's having has raised significantly.

In that week, he's hitting .320 with a .480 SLG and a .414 OBP. And that includes the 0-4 yesterday (when he batted three times against Chris Sale and once against Matt Thornton, incredibly tough assignments).

One of those was a 12 pitch AB in the first inning. He ultimately did not get on base, but that was a great AB given his struggles.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Maybe when you stop obsessing over it?

Both are showing signs of life, if you do something other than scout box score totals.

Moustakas, for example, has raised his BA 50 points in the past week and raised his OPS 140 points. The level of at-bats he's having has raised significantly.

In that week, he's hitting .320 with a .480 SLG and a .414 OBP. And that includes the 0-4 yesterday (when he batted three times against Chris Sale and once against Matt Thornton, incredibly tough assignments).

Hosmer has been stinging the ball and hitting into a lot of bad luck lately. His approach at the plate has been strong, with good walk rates, and he's been putting good swings on balls he should drive (like the first at-bat against Sale... that ball would have been out of many parks, especially in June/July/August).

Your obsession with being right on this matter severely clouds your judgment.

Wow, is that you Rex Hudler?