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.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by Archie F. Swin

any concern that Salvy tweeked his knee yesterday?

He caught a spike in his leg. It didn't impact his knee.

[Archie F. Swin]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

He caught a spike in his leg. It didn't impact his knee.

thank the lawd!

[Kraus]

Originally Posted by Literature

4 game series against the Twins starting Friday. Then another four gamer in Toronto to finish up the first half. Be still, heart. Be still.

Don't forget a 3-game series with Detroit before the ASB.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Dave

Yankees lost Pettitte for 2 months with a broken fibula.

And Sabathia was placed on the 15 day DL with a groin.

They will most certainly be buying.

Yup. That likely changes things for them quite a bit.

[duncan_idaho]

While we're talking about collisions... did anyone see the Lincecum/Billingsley play at the plate?

I'm still someone in shock that:

1) Lincecum tried to block the plate
2) Billingsley tried to slide.

Billingsley is about my size or a little bigger (6-2, 225). I would have trucked Lincecum into next week for trying to block the plate on me.

[BigCatDaddy]

So in the short term would be better with Gordon/Cain/Myers or Gordon/Myers/Frenchy?

I expect Myers to hit, but Cain seems like a big questions mark and we at least have an idea of what we have with Frenchy. Although Myers CF are a big ? mark since he's new to the position.

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

Gordon, Cain, Myers... I'm not sure Myers projects as a very good Centerfielder at the ML level.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

So in the short term would be better with Gordon/Cain/Myers or Gordon/Myers/Frenchy?

I expect Myers to hit, but Cain seems like a big questions mark and we at least have an idea of what we have with Frenchy. Although Myers CF are a big ? mark since he's new to the position.

I would prefer to go with the former.

[SuperChief]

I thought Cain was the CF?

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

Originally Posted by SuperChief

I thought Cain was the CF?

I think that's the point

[Chris Meck]

You need plus speed to play center field, I don't care how well you hit. I don't see a converted catcher being able to cover enough ground. I've never seen a single indication from anyone that Myers is anything other than a RF at the major league level.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

You need plus speed to play center field, I don't care how well you hit. I don't see a converted catcher being able to cover enough ground. I've never seen a single indication from anyone that Myers is anything other than a RF at the major league level.

He has good speed, but not elite speed. He's faster than Melky or DeJesus.

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

You need plus speed to play center field, I don't care how well you hit. I don't see a converted catcher being able to cover enough ground. I've never seen a single indication from anyone that Myers is anything other than a RF at the major league level.

Then why play him in CF at AAA?

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

You need plus speed to play center field, I don't care how well you hit. I don't see a converted catcher being able to cover enough ground. I've never seen a single indication from anyone that Myers is anything other than a RF at the major league level.

Couple things...

1) Myers was a catcher for his senior year of high school (played CF and SS and 3B before that), then played 1/2 of his 2009 Minor League games there and 75/126 games there in 2010. He is not a lifelong catcher (and, judging by reports of his defensive abilities behind the plate, was never really a catcher, anyway).

2) I disagree that you need plus speed to play CF. It is a nice tool to have, but there have been a lot of very good CF who did not have more than decent speed (Dale Murphy, Jim Edmonds, to name a few modern ones). Myers has good-enough speed - for now - to play CF. The bigger question I'd have is how he reads the ball and what kind of routes he takes. If he reads it well and takes good routes, Myers can be an acceptable CF defender.

[Deberg_1990]

Basically Frenchy is blocking Myers from being called up. WTF??

The Royals act as if they are a 1st place team cruising to the playoffs. Good Grief.