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 DeezNutz

Yep. Completely indifferent to this move today because the decision was made a long time ago, which is when I appropriately freaked out and mother****ed DM's idiotic ass.

"Luke Hochevar is a pitcher with the talent to pitch at the front of a rotation for a playoff team. He's a great teammate, and nobody works harder. We think this is the year he puts it all together."

[Three7s]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

"Luke Hochevar is a pitcher with the talent to pitch at the front of a rotation for a playoff team. He's a great teammate, and nobody works harder. We think this is the year he puts it all together."

I wonder where I've heard that before.

[stonedstooge]

Originally Posted by Three7s

I wonder where I've heard that before.

K.D. initials?

[Shogun]

Dont care if hoch is around another year. Kind of knew it was gonna happen. Can't wait for baseball season

[stonedstooge]

Originally Posted by Shogun

Dont care if hoch is around another year. Kind of knew it was gonna happen. Can't wait for baseball season

Catchers and pitchers report in about 3 weeks?

[SPchief]

Went out to FanFest this morning. Judging by the crowd, it took 20 minutes to get in (and this morning was only for season ticket holders) This town is ready for baseball season.

[SPchief]

Oh, and Hochaver has a Tom Hanks in Castaway style beard growing.

[alnorth]

Bob Dutton ‏@Royals_Report
#Royals don't say it, for obvious reasons, but they find the disconnect between Hoch's potential/performance as maddening as any fan, but...

Bob Dutton ‏@Royals_Report
...they're not ready to give up yet. How much longer? I don't know. But there's got to be something positive this season, preferably early.

At this point, the best we can hope for is that they give him only 2 months before exiling him to the bullpen. You could also hope that he's amazingly horrid in spring and they cut him, but thats a longshot. (We don't have to pay the full contract if we cut him in spring)

[Cephalic Trauma]

Originally Posted by SPchief

Oh, and Hochaver has a Tom Hanks in Castaway style beard growing.

If only...

[SPchief]

Originally Posted by alnorth

At this point, the best we can hope for is that they give him only 2 months before exiling him to the bullpen. You could also hope that he's amazingly horrid in spring and they cut him, but thats a longshot. (We don't have to pay the full contract if we cut him in spring)

Dutton yesterday was on a full out mission to defend Hochaver on Twitter. It was odd

[alnorth]

I guess if you want to dream, we could also hope that Hoch inexplicably explodes as the #2 type of pitcher we all long ago gave up on ever seeing, proving the Royals right, but that's crazy-talk.

[CaliforniaChief]

The writing with Hochevar was on the wall when we didn't DFA him at the deadline. I don't know why everyone's so upset.

As Al said, our best hope is that it clicks this spring. If not, we can still cut our losses or try him in the pen.

[CoMoChief]

I just absolutely do not understand this franchise's love for Hochevar.

Dude should have been cut 2 years ago.

[alnorth]

For those wanting him cut in spring, I don't remember all the details, but I believe he really does have to be completely, utterly awful for us to get out of paying the full contract. If he's merely mediocre or kinda bad in spring training and we cut him, Hoch would be able to file a grievance with the union to get his full contract paid and probably win.

[duncan_idaho]

I rarely defend Dutyon, but he is right when he says Hochevar has flashed no. 2 stuff. That's true. he even has flashed it over a full half season (2011).

I am as done with Hochevar as anyone, but there is plenty to pick at. No need to denigrate the raw stuff. It is there. I understand why scouts like him.