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 Great Expectations

I assume you mean AA rehab starts. He is pitching in extended Spring training right now. They have him on a limited per inning pitch count. Only one inning so far has ended before he was able to get the 3 outs.

Yes. I also am fine with the idea of easing Duffy back in by bringing him out of the pen.

Having a lefty who can throw 100 mph heat out of the pen can be a really nice weapon.

[Prison Bitch]

Moose is at a 13% line drive rate, vs the league average of 20%. He's at 55% fly balls vs. 36% average. The rule:


A line drive produces 1.26 runs per out, while fly balls produce 0.13 runs per out and groundballs produce 0.05 runs per out.


Net: if he doesn't start hitting some of them out of the park, he's not going to create any value for us at the plate. Nobody needs a guy who hits lazy fly balls. I don't think I've seen many of his fly outs even reach the warning track. I'd bet he has an uppercut swing.

[Great Expectations]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

I'd bet he has an uppercut swing.

For all the junk you throw out I'd think you have at least watched him play. Have you never seen him swing?

[Cephalic Trauma]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Moose is at a 13% line drive rate, vs the league average of 20%. He's at 55% fly balls vs. 36% average. The rule:


A line drive produces 1.26 runs per out, while fly balls produce 0.13 runs per out and groundballs produce 0.05 runs per out.


Net: if he doesn't start hitting some of them out of the park, he's not going to create any value for us at the plate. Nobody needs a guy who hits lazy fly balls. I don't think I've seen many of his fly outs even reach the warning track. I'd bet he has an uppercut swing.

It's not that you're wrong. It's that everyone in this thread knows hosmer and moose are struggling. The difference is we dont bust out the baby oil and get off to the thought of their demotion.

We get your point. It's as if this crusade against hosmer and moose has given your life meaning or something. Just stop.

[KevB]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

"And I can promise you that opposing managers feel the same way and they have their pitchers pitch accordingly. So, if you take either one out of the game, you can be affecting the way the whole lineup is pitched to."
http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articl...osmer/13474021



So there it is: GM addresses the reasons why he won't demote the Cold Corner. It's so Dayton Moore isn't it? Making up totally unprovable (borderline funny) claims as a reason for why he does something. I know he hates Sabermetrics but at times the dude goes "full voodoo" on us.

In the context of the entire column, I don't think what he said is off base. If you replace Moose or Hosmer with a Tejada for example, opposing managers or pitchers would prefer to see Tejada. That's not a complete justification for keeping them in the majors, but he didn't use it as the justification. It was well down the list.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by Cephalic Trauma

It's not that you're wrong. It's that everyone in this thread knows hosmer and moose are struggling. The difference is we dont bust out the baby oil and get off to the thought of their demotion.

We get your point. It's as if this crusade against hosmer and moose has given your life meaning or something. Just stop.

I don't follow this at all. Duncan and AlNorth both totally dispute your claim here. They said Moose isn't struggling and that he's turned it around. So while you might be agreeing with me, others aren't and that's how the conversation got started.


Go back a few pages and you'll see how it evolved.

[Cephalic Trauma]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

I don't follow this at all. Duncan and AlNorth both totally dispute your claim here. They said Moose isn't struggling and that he's turned it around. So while you might be agreeing with me, others aren't and that's how the conversation got started.


Go back a few pages and you'll see how it evolved.

Either way, we get it. I'm not going to read the thing because it's probably a complete waste of time. Suffice it to say they've moved on and so should you.

[jbwm89]

Enright was just DFA'd. The mighty Royals offense claims its first victim.

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by Cephalic Trauma

It's not that you're wrong. It's that everyone in this thread knows hosmer and moose are struggling. The difference is we dont bust out the baby oil and get off to the thought of their demotion.

We get your point. It's as if this crusade against hosmer and moose has given your life meaning or something. Just stop.

this
Posted via Mobile Device

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

I don't follow this at all. Duncan and AlNorth both totally dispute your claim here. They said Moose isn't struggling and that he's turned it around. So while you might be agreeing with me, others aren't and that's how the conversation got started.


Go back a few pages and you'll see how it evolved.

no. They both said he was struggling. Then he started to come around.

Now both have said he's struggling again.

Quit making things up
Posted via Mobile Device

[Hootie]

Alex Gordon is really ****ing good.

Here is what our lineup should be:

1. Cain
2. Hosmer
3. Gordon
4. Butler
5. Perez
6. Moose
7. Escobar
8. Johnson
9. Dyson

[Hootie]

at this point

Johnson and Tejada can platoon at 2nd. **** Getz. DFA him and promote someone else that could be a good bench bat.

Dyson, if healthy, can pretty much play every day and Frenchy can rot on the bench for all I care. Dyson can hit .230 and still be more useful to this team than Francouer.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by jbwm89

Enright was just DFA'd. The mighty Royals offense claims its first victim.

[Nightfyre]

If I was designing the lineup:
Dyson
Cain
Gordon
Butler
Hosmer
Perez
Moose
Escobar
Johnson/Getz

[alnorth]

The only thing I'm confused about Prison Bitch is his obsession with Moose.

I'm not defending Hosmer, his performance this year has been thoroughly discouraging. I wouldn't bat an eye if he were sent down, but for some bizarre reason, he focuses most of his ire on the guy who started hitting the ball harder, instead of the guy whose OBP is higher than his SLG.