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?

[mr. tegu]

Big piece on the Royals at SI.com today.

http://mlb.si.com/2013/01/21/winter-...?sct=uk_t11_a5

Preliminary grade: D. The Royals haven’t done enough to make themselves contenders, and what they’ve done may do more to set them back than to advance their cause.

[stonedstooge]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

Big piece on the Royals at SI.com today.

http://mlb.si.com/2013/01/21/winter-...?sct=uk_t11_a5

Our time?

[ImAWalkingCorpse]

Ouch. Seems like Soren Petro is the only person on earth that liked that trade.

[stevenidol]

Blue Jays signed Mark DeRosa for 1 year, $750k, with a club option for 2014. That would have been a good signing for the Royals, because the dude can play all over the field and he's a decent bat. Very cheap as well. Report I read said that he just wanted to be the 25th man on the roster.

[stevenidol]

D'backs trade Justin Upton to Braves. Their outfield is now Justin Upton, BJ Upton, and Jason Heyward.

Braves get Justin Upton and third baseman Chris Johnson from D'backs
D'Backs get third baseman/outfielder Martin Prado, starting pitcher Randall Delgado, minor-league shortstop Nick Ahmed, minor-league pitcher Zeke Spruill and minor-league infielder Brandon Drury.

Good deal for both sides.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

Big piece on the Royals at SI.com today.

http://mlb.si.com/2013/01/21/winter-...?sct=uk_t11_a5

Well, on the positive side
if thats true, at least Moore will be gone soon.....

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Well, on the positive side
if thats true, at least Moore will be gone soon.....

not if Glass wouldn't give him any money so his only option was a trade

[Three7s]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Well, on the positive side
if thats true, at least Moore will be gone soon.....

Yep, if the Royals crash and burn as predicted, he's fired.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

not if Glass wouldn't give him any money so his only option was a trade

He had over $83MM to work with.

The alternative was not to go buy some other pitcher, the alternative was to presume that 2014 would be the year to go for it, with Myers firmly entrenched in RF.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Three7s

Yep, if the Royals crash and burn as predicted, he's fired.

A "crash and burn" is not really expected. What is expected is something around .500

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by alnorth

A "crash and burn" is not really expected. What is expected is something around .500

These expectations suck.

Playoffs. If DM traded Myers for .500, he's one stupid SOB.

[KevB]

Originally Posted by stevenidol

D'backs trade Justin Upton to Braves. Their outfield is now Justin Upton, BJ Upton, and Jason Heyward.

Braves get Justin Upton and third baseman Chris Johnson from D'backs
D'Backs get third baseman/outfielder Martin Prado, starting pitcher Randall Delgado, minor-league shortstop Nick Ahmed, minor-league pitcher Zeke Spruill and minor-league infielder Brandon Drury.

Good deal for both sides.

Keith Law's take:

Arizona's return boils down to this: One year of Martin Prado, six years of a fifth starter in Randall Delgado, two fringy prospects, and one non-prospect. If that sounds like a good deal to you, I have some beachfront property in Phoenix to sell you.

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

These expectations suck.

Playoffs. If DM traded Myers for .500, he's one stupid SOB.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

These expectations suck.

Playoffs. If DM traded Myers for .500, he's one stupid SOB.

Well yeah, I was just responding to a comment.

Most people don't equate "crash and burn" with an 80-something win season.

[DeezNutz]

Fair enough. But, in my view, the Royals should be in the playoff hunt this year. I won't flip my shit if we're eliminated in the final few games, but if we're, for all intents, out of it at the break, DM needs to be fired.

It's win or GTFO time.