2012 Kansas City Royals Repository Thread

[alnorth]

2012 Slogan: Our Time

A better, more accurate 2012 Slogan: It is Finally Next Year
(from Great Expectations)

An alternative slogan if you don't like that one: Someone has to win this crappy division
(from alnorth)

With the beginning of a new year, it is time for the 2012 version of the Royals Repository Thread. We've got Hosmer, we've got a 2011-dominating Gordon, we've got Moose, we've got hopefully a killer bullpen, we've got a stereotypical slow slugging DH, we've got easily one of the best defensive shortstops in the AL, we've got a promising catcher in Salvador Perez. Hell, we've got offense and promising prospects galore.

We do not have starting pitching.

Oh yeah, we've also got this:



Get ready for, (as of January 2012 anyway), one of the most confusing puzzles of a baseball season in recent Royals history. Will they suck? Maybe, I don't know. Will we be given a year of 0.500 baseball? Possibly, I don't know. Will they win the division and go to the playoffs for the first time in 27 years? For the first time in a long time, it could happen, I don't know. 92 losses, 92 wins, or anything in between would not surprise a lot of us.

Everything goes here except Gameday threads and really big news. If a giant story breaks, the Royals achieve some awesome milestone, or we sign/lose a highly significant player/coach/mascot/whatever, then it might also deserve its own thread. This being Chiefs Planet, please do not clutter the board with new threads about trivial Royals news or you will only annoy those who come here for just Chiefs football. If you aren't sure and its not a Gameday thread, it goes here.

What sort of stuff often goes here? SPchief explained it well, so I'll just copy that:

If you locate something of interest.. ANYTHING.. deals on apparel, best ways in/out of the stadium, giveaways, great stories from this season or from seasons gone by, rumors, trades, anything.... feel free to post it here.

[Infidel Goat]

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

Rany is great and all, but Frenchy is there to park baseballs.

Speaking of Rany, his draft preview is also up.

http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/

I know less than Rany, but my short list for the #5 pick would be the following:

1) Carlos Correa
2) Byron Buxton
3) Mark Appel
4) Kevin Gausman
5) Kyle Zimmer

[RockChalk]

Hudler was on during the 8am hour this morning. Absolutely blasted Yuni for his lazy defense yesterday. Said that he's noticed it from Yuni a lot. Glad to see someone isn't sugarcoating how much he sucks...

Related - anyone hear why Ned pulled Gio in the 8th yesterday? I can understand getting Moose in for late-game defense, but why not just pull Betancourt? Gio played great defense all day yesterday, and IMO, it only sets him back to be pulled after he played his ass off in the field. Yost is really starting to wear on me...

[Deberg_1990]

"The only thing I’m certain of is that, when the draft begins at 6 PM CST, I’ll be riveted to every pick."


Can anyone really claim this about the MLB draft? Its hard to become riveted by the baseball draft because players dont make immediate impacts like they do in the NFL and NBA. Most of these guys you wont see for 3 years after they are drafted.




BTW, sounds like rany walked away and got some perspective in his life. Good for him. : )





"I’ve been writing about the Royals in a semi-regular capacity for nearly two decades. I wrote about the Royals on rec.sport.baseball in 1993. I wrote about them when we wrote the first Baseball Prospectus in 1996. I blogged about them with Rob Neyer in 1998. I started blogging about them here in 2008. And I’ve tried to write about them with the same passion all along, trying to ignore the reality that when I began, I was an 18-year-old in college with no responsibilites beyond myself, and now I’m nearly 37, with a 15-year-marriage, a mortgage, a practice, eight employees and four kids, and it’s time I finally get my priorities in order.


So I thank the Royals for giving me an excuse to get away. I never did turn on my Xbox, and I’m not even halfway through “The Hunger Games”. But I did catch up with the rest of my life. I’m going to try to do that more often going forward, and if this blog suffers, so be it. I’ll write when I can, but I reserve the right to step away for long periods of time without throwing a temper tantrum first."


http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/

[Tytanium]

Originally Posted by RockChalk

Hudler was on during the 8am hour this morning. Absolutely blasted Yuni for his lazy defense yesterday. Said that he's noticed it from Yuni a lot. Glad to see someone isn't sugarcoating how much he sucks...

Related - anyone hear why Ned pulled Gio in the 8th yesterday? I can understand getting Moose in for late-game defense, but why not just pull Betancourt? Gio played great defense all day yesterday, and IMO, it only sets him back to be pulled after he played his ass off in the field. Yost is really starting to wear on me...

100% applicable Rany tweet during the game, and I agree completely:

Rany Jazayerli ‏@jazayerli
The Royals got out of it, but if Giavotella had made that error, a shuttle van would have driven on to the field to take him to Omaha. #Yuni

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

"The only thing I’m certain of is that, when the draft begins at 6 PM CST, I’ll be riveted to every pick."


Can anyone really claim this about the MLB draft? Its hard to become riveted by the baseball draft because players dont make immediate impacts like they do in the NFL and NBA. Most of these guys you wont see for 3 years after they are drafted.




BTW, sounds like rany walked away and got some perspective in his life. Good for him. : )





"I’ve been writing about the Royals in a semi-regular capacity for nearly two decades. I wrote about the Royals on rec.sport.baseball in 1993. I wrote about them when we wrote the first Baseball Prospectus in 1996. I blogged about them with Rob Neyer in 1998. I started blogging about them here in 2008. And I’ve tried to write about them with the same passion all along, trying to ignore the reality that when I began, I was an 18-year-old in college with no responsibilites beyond myself, and now I’m nearly 37, with a 15-year-marriage, a mortgage, a practice, eight employees and four kids, and it’s time I finally get my priorities in order.


So I thank the Royals for giving me an excuse to get away. I never did turn on my Xbox, and I’m not even halfway through “The Hunger Games”. But I did catch up with the rest of my life. I’m going to try to do that more often going forward, and if this blog suffers, so be it. I’ll write when I can, but I reserve the right to step away for long periods of time without throwing a temper tantrum first."


http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/

I'll be watching the draft really closely.

Not only to see what the Royals do (which I will be paying attention to), but also to see how the draft shakes out with the new rules. It's a shakeup, and could make things really interesting.

I like both of the HS arms - McCullers and Giolito. They're both high-polish HS pitchers, not quite to the same level as Dylan Bundy, but they're guys who should move quicker than a lot of HS pitchers.

If you can get McCullers signed to a deal quickly, I think he can work out of short-season pretty much right away (which would put his arrival date, on an aggressive schedule, in late 2014).

But I think the BPA approach is the right one. Just take the best guy, with the knowledge they are excellent trade bait at a time the Royals likely will need it.

[duncan_idaho]

The obsession with Yuni Betancourt is astounding.

He's lazy.

He can't run.

He has no range.

He has good power for a middle infielder, but is otherwise a below-average hitter.

His glove is inconsistent (flubs a lot of easy plays)

He does have a strong throwing arm.

I thought that PERHAPS he could be a better fit playing 2B, where his range could play up (by playing deeper and having less ground to cover). He does turn the double-play fairly well, due to his arm strength. But otherwise, he's pretty bad there.

I don't get it. Yuni is everything Yost should hate in a player (according to what he looks for/likes). Gio is everything Yost loves. Just doesn't make sense.

[ShowtimeSBMVP]

Jerry Crasnick ‏@jcrasnick

#Reds have released LHP Jeff Francis at his request. He had an opt-out in his contract on June 1. Francis is now a free agent

[mr. tegu]

Three game set starts tonight at home against the twinkies. They have actually been playing better, winning 5 of their last 6 so we need to make sure we jump on this series early with a victory tonight. Will Smith will be going for his second win.

[Demonpenz]

Rex Hudler laying into someone reminds me of FogHorn Leghorn giving the chicken hawk the business.

[BigMeatballDave]

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

Rex Hudler laying into someone reminds me of FogHorn Leghorn giving the chicken hawk the business.

[AndChiefs]

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/po...bubba-starling

Bubba Starling has yet to play a professional game. He's older than Bryce Harper. #Royals #Nationals
16 May 12 ReplyRetweetFavorite


Yes, I just quoted my own tweet.

Bubba Starling was the fifth pick in last year's draft. The Royals selected the multi-sport star from a Kansas high school ahead of polished college hitter Anthony Rendon (Nationals), high school pitcher Archie Bradley (Diamondbacks) and high school shortstop Francisco Lindor (Indians). A quarterback recruited to play at Nebraska, Starling received a $7.5 million bonus to forgo his college commitment.

Viewed as the best athlete in the draft, an outfielder with tape-measure power potential and plus-plus speed, the Royals were ecstatic to sign a kid who grew up rooting for the Royals. "The combination of speed, power, athleticism, the ability to play the field up the middle, we feel like he's got the makings of a star player in the major leagues," Royals assistant general manager J.J. Picollo said when the club signed Starling last August.

Right now, Starling has yet to play his first professional game as he's in extended spring training. Meanwhile, Bradley is dominating Class A hitters in the Midwest League, with just 14 hits allowed in 40 innings, and Lindor is hitting .322 with four home runs in the same league. (Rendon fractured his ankle in his second game and may miss the rest of the season.)

Back to the above tweet. I mentioned this to a friend of mine, who made the good point that Harper and Mike Trout have spoiled us by reaching the major leagues while still 19 years old. I pointed out that Jason Heyward and Giancarlo Stanton were just 20 when they debuted, but the larger point remains true: Most players -- even stars -- don't reach the majors until they're at least 22 or 23, sometimes older.

Still, Starling's age is an issue. Born Aug. 3, 1992, that made him an old high schooler -- nearly a year older than many of the kids he competed against. Now factor in that he didn't play last summer and won't play in an official professional game until rookie season begins in June and he'll be nearly 20 years old when he plays his first game. Even then, he'll be competing against many players born in 1994 or maybe even 1995 in the case of Latin American teenagers. Compare that to Lindor, who was born Nov. 14, 1993. He's 15 months younger than Starling and already playing well in low Class A, a league Starling may not play in until 2013. Starling is only a month younger than 2010 Orioles first-rounder Manny Machado, who is already holding his own in Double-A. As Rany Jazayerli wrote last fall in an important piece of research, "At least when it comes to high school hitters, young draft picks are a MASSIVE market inefficiency."

Certainly, Starling's raw tools are off the charts. Maybe he'll be a star; frankly, there's no way of judging that now until we start seeing him in games where they keep track of the numbers. But I'll say this: I would absolutely take Francisco Lindor over him right now.

* * * * *

I looked up the debut ages of all position players drafted in the top 10 from the 2001-10 drafts who have reached the major leagues. Here are the relevant guys:

Year Player Team School Debut age
2001 Joe Mauer Twins HS 21 years, 0 months
2001 Mark Teixeira Rangers College 23 years, 0 months
2002 B.J. Upton Rays HS 20 years, 0 months
2002 Prince Fielder Brewers HS 21 years, 1 month
2003 Delmon Young Rays HS 20 years, 11 months
2003 Rickie Weeks Brewers HS 21 years, 0 months
2003 Nick Markakis Orioles JC 22 years, 5 months
2005 Justin Upton Diamondbacks HS 20 years, 0 months
2005 Alex Gordon Royals College 23 years, 2 months
2005 Ryan Zimmerman Nationals College 21 years, 0 months
2005 Ryan Braun Brewers College 23 years, 6 months
2005 Troy Tulowitzki Rockies College 21 years, 10 months
2005 Cameron Maybin Tigers HS 20 years, 4 months
2006 Evan Longoria Rays College 22 years, 6 months
2006 Drew Stubbs Reds College 24 years, 10 months
2007 Mike Moustakas Royals HS 22 years, 9 months
2007 Matt Wieters Orioles College 23 years, 0 months
2008 Eric Hosmer Royals HS 21 years, 7 months
2008 Buster Posey Giants College 22 years, 6 months
2009 Dustin Ackley Mariners College 23 years, 4 months
2010 Bryce Harper Nationals JC 19 years, 6 monthsMike Moustakas was the oldest high schooler, debuting at 22 years and 9 months. If Starling is to match that, he'd debut in May of 2015. Certainly, if everything comes together for him and he proves as much baseball player as great athlete, he should accelerate quickly through the minors: 2012 in rookie ball, 2013 in low A/high A, 2014 in Double-A, 2015 in Triple-A/majors. I'm not saying that Starling won't be a star, just that his clock to stardom is delayed compared to the normal curve.

* * * *

The top prospect in the 2012 draft may be Georgia high school outfielder Byron Buxton (Keith Law has him No. 1 on his draft board. Here's a Baseball America feature on him. "This guy is better than (Pirates outfielder Andrew) McCutchen," a National League crosschecker said in the story. "He's probably the best player I've scouted." Buxton is compared to Starling for his athletic ability, but has more polished baseball skills. "I was a big Starling guy," a second National League crosschecker said. "There's not much separation for me."

Buxton was born Dec. 18, 1993, making him a more normal-aged high school kid, although not 17 when he'll be drafted like Machado or Lindor. When factoring in age, Puerto Rican shortstop Carlos Correa -- Keith has him No. 7 on his board -- becomes even more intriguing. His birthdate is Sept. 22, 1994, so he'll also be just 17 on draft day.

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by AndChiefs

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/po...bubba-starling

Bubba Starling has yet to play a professional game. He's older than Bryce Harper. #Royals #Nationals
16 May 12 ReplyRetweetFavorite


Yes, I just quoted my own tweet.

Bubba Starling was the fifth pick in last year's draft. The Royals selected the multi-sport star from a Kansas high school ahead of polished college hitter Anthony Rendon (Nationals), high school pitcher Archie Bradley (Diamondbacks) and high school shortstop Francisco Lindor (Indians). A quarterback recruited to play at Nebraska, Starling received a $7.5 million bonus to forgo his college commitment.

Viewed as the best athlete in the draft, an outfielder with tape-measure power potential and plus-plus speed, the Royals were ecstatic to sign a kid who grew up rooting for the Royals. "The combination of speed, power, athleticism, the ability to play the field up the middle, we feel like he's got the makings of a star player in the major leagues," Royals assistant general manager J.J. Picollo said when the club signed Starling last August.

Right now, Starling has yet to play his first professional game as he's in extended spring training. Meanwhile, Bradley is dominating Class A hitters in the Midwest League, with just 14 hits allowed in 40 innings, and Lindor is hitting .322 with four home runs in the same league. (Rendon fractured his ankle in his second game and may miss the rest of the season.)

Back to the above tweet. I mentioned this to a friend of mine, who made the good point that Harper and Mike Trout have spoiled us by reaching the major leagues while still 19 years old. I pointed out that Jason Heyward and Giancarlo Stanton were just 20 when they debuted, but the larger point remains true: Most players -- even stars -- don't reach the majors until they're at least 22 or 23, sometimes older.

Still, Starling's age is an issue. Born Aug. 3, 1992, that made him an old high schooler -- nearly a year older than many of the kids he competed against. Now factor in that he didn't play last summer and won't play in an official professional game until rookie season begins in June and he'll be nearly 20 years old when he plays his first game. Even then, he'll be competing against many players born in 1994 or maybe even 1995 in the case of Latin American teenagers. Compare that to Lindor, who was born Nov. 14, 1993. He's 15 months younger than Starling and already playing well in low Class A, a league Starling may not play in until 2013. Starling is only a month younger than 2010 Orioles first-rounder Manny Machado, who is already holding his own in Double-A. As Rany Jazayerli wrote last fall in an important piece of research, "At least when it comes to high school hitters, young draft picks are a MASSIVE market inefficiency."

Certainly, Starling's raw tools are off the charts. Maybe he'll be a star; frankly, there's no way of judging that now until we start seeing him in games where they keep track of the numbers. But I'll say this: I would absolutely take Francisco Lindor over him right now.

* * * * *

I looked up the debut ages of all position players drafted in the top 10 from the 2001-10 drafts who have reached the major leagues. Here are the relevant guys:

Year Player Team School Debut age
2001 Joe Mauer Twins HS 21 years, 0 months
2001 Mark Teixeira Rangers College 23 years, 0 months
2002 B.J. Upton Rays HS 20 years, 0 months
2002 Prince Fielder Brewers HS 21 years, 1 month
2003 Delmon Young Rays HS 20 years, 11 months
2003 Rickie Weeks Brewers HS 21 years, 0 months
2003 Nick Markakis Orioles JC 22 years, 5 months
2005 Justin Upton Diamondbacks HS 20 years, 0 months
2005 Alex Gordon Royals College 23 years, 2 months
2005 Ryan Zimmerman Nationals College 21 years, 0 months
2005 Ryan Braun Brewers College 23 years, 6 months
2005 Troy Tulowitzki Rockies College 21 years, 10 months
2005 Cameron Maybin Tigers HS 20 years, 4 months
2006 Evan Longoria Rays College 22 years, 6 months
2006 Drew Stubbs Reds College 24 years, 10 months
2007 Mike Moustakas Royals HS 22 years, 9 months
2007 Matt Wieters Orioles College 23 years, 0 months
2008 Eric Hosmer Royals HS 21 years, 7 months
2008 Buster Posey Giants College 22 years, 6 months
2009 Dustin Ackley Mariners College 23 years, 4 months
2010 Bryce Harper Nationals JC 19 years, 6 monthsMike Moustakas was the oldest high schooler, debuting at 22 years and 9 months. If Starling is to match that, he'd debut in May of 2015. Certainly, if everything comes together for him and he proves as much baseball player as great athlete, he should accelerate quickly through the minors: 2012 in rookie ball, 2013 in low A/high A, 2014 in Double-A, 2015 in Triple-A/majors. I'm not saying that Starling won't be a star, just that his clock to stardom is delayed compared to the normal curve.

* * * *

The top prospect in the 2012 draft may be Georgia high school outfielder Byron Buxton (Keith Law has him No. 1 on his draft board. Here's a Baseball America feature on him. "This guy is better than (Pirates outfielder Andrew) McCutchen," a National League crosschecker said in the story. "He's probably the best player I've scouted." Buxton is compared to Starling for his athletic ability, but has more polished baseball skills. "I was a big Starling guy," a second National League crosschecker said. "There's not much separation for me."

Buxton was born Dec. 18, 1993, making him a more normal-aged high school kid, although not 17 when he'll be drafted like Machado or Lindor. When factoring in age, Puerto Rican shortstop Carlos Correa -- Keith has him No. 7 on his board -- becomes even more intriguing. His birthdate is Sept. 22, 1994, so he'll also be just 17 on draft day.

Great So Starling didn't play against kids his own age and is now playing against kids 2-3 years younger while his counterparts are already in the minors performing well.

[BigMeatballDave]

So, how does everyone feel about Zimmer?

I know nothing about him.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Dave

So, how does everyone feel about Zimmer?

I know nothing about him.

Young, big upside. Velocity dipped down the stretch, reportedly due to a hamstring injury.

He's a great athlete who has a varied arsenal. Great strikeout numbers at USF against good comp. Has a classic pitcher's body.

Royals like his makeup (apparently better than Appel). Fastball runs into the high 90s, has sat at 95-96 through multiple starts. Good movement on the fastball. Curveball is a plus pitch, slider and change are potentially good/average MLB pitches.

BA had Zimmer at the top of its board.

Oh, and here's something you like... 104 K : 17 BB ratio. Also is a 10+ K/9 guy (work was done in 91.2 IP).

[RockChalk]

I brought this up in tonight's gamethread, but can anyone tell me what it is that Ned Yost does well as a manager? Are his good traits before/after games? His in-game management flat out sucks. Sometimes I wonder if he has any feel at all for what's going on throughout a game