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?

[BlackHelicopters]

Solid pitching. Timely hitting.

[SPchief]

Blatently stolen from Rany

Royals starters have gone 6ip in each of the first 3 games. Last year they didn't get 3 straight starts of 6ip until June 17-19. With our bullpen, if the offense shows up and the starters hold up, it's gonna be a fun season.

[Canofbier]

[SPchief]

Originally Posted by Canofbier

Wasn't funny the first 4 times it's been posted

[alnorth]

Non-Royals baseball news, just now exploding on twitter. The umps apparently badly blew a call in the Rays-Orioles game that probably stopped a comeback.

Rays down 6-2 in the bottom of the 9th, runners on first and 2nd no outs with Longoria up. Longoria belts one to the wall, first base runner is holding up near second to make sure that it wasn't going to be caught. Its not, banged off the wall, lead runner scores, he goes to third, Longoria at 2nd, runners at 2nd and 3rd no out down 3.

The umpires rule that Longoria committed a little league mistake, saying he passed the runner who was holding up near second, so he's out, they just have man on 3rd down 3 with 1 out.

The replays clearly show that Longoria did not pass the runner. As I typed this, they just got another baserunner before the final out, game over. So, without that blown call the Rays would have had the lead runner at the plate for one more out.

[gblowfish]

Good. Longoria was bad mouthing Shields in the paper this AM. Serves him right.

[ShowtimeSBMVP]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Non-Royals baseball news, just now exploding on twitter. The umps apparently badly blew a call in the Rays-Orioles game that probably stopped a comeback.

Rays down 6-2 in the bottom of the 9th, runners on first and 2nd no outs with Longoria up. Longoria belts one to the wall, first base runner is holding up near second to make sure that it wasn't going to be caught. Its not, banged off the wall, lead runner scores, he goes to third, Longoria at 2nd, runners at 2nd and 3rd no out down 3.

The umpires rule that Longoria committed a little league mistake, saying he passed the runner who was holding up near second, so he's out, they just have man on 3rd down 3 with 1 out.

The replays clearly show that Longoria did not pass the runner. As I typed this, they just got another baserunner before the final out, game over. So, without that blown call the Rays would have had the lead runner at the plate for one more out.

First off it was close and it would of been the tying run at plate.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by ChiefsandO'sfan

First off it was close and it would of been the tying run at plate.

not after Escobar's walk, he wouldn't have been. The tying run would have been at first.

[ShowtimeSBMVP]

Originally Posted by alnorth

not after Escobar's walk, he wouldn't have been. The tying run would have been at first.

We can play the what if game how do you know he walks if Longo on 2nd?

[Nightfyre]

Take this shit to the O's thread.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by ChiefsandO'sfan

We can play the what if game how do you know he walks if Longo on 2nd?

dude, how do we know that everyone doesn't strike out after longo and there IS NO tying run at the plate?

You were following the same convention as I was, reconstructing the inning, you just apparently forgot that longo being on base meant that escobar would have been the tying run.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Nightfyre

Take this shit to the O's thread.

This is not an Orioles issue, this is a "hah-hah the umps suck! We need replay!" issue.

[ShowtimeSBMVP]

Originally Posted by alnorth

dude, how do we know that everyone doesn't strike out after longo and there IS NO tying run at the plate?

You were following the same convention as I was, reconstructing the inning, you just apparently forgot that longo being on base meant that escobar would have been the tying run.

Let's say they don't call it score is 6-3 with man on 2nd and 3rd.

[chefsos]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Good. Longoria was bad mouthing Shields in the paper this AM. Serves him right.

I'll accept your Royals Karma and say "Thank you very much."

EDIT: I think it was really close as to whether Longoria was past Zobrist. He was way wide going around first and Zobrist was in the base line.

EDIT 2: I really feel good for Guthrie. He deserves success.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by Canofbier

What am I supposed to be looking at here? The fact Getz is on first?