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.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by KevB

Let's look at 2007's roster compared to current roster :

2007 Kansas City Royals
Most Games by Position

C John Buck (112) - huge upgrade
1B Ross Gload (89) - upgrade, with big upside
2B Mark Grudzielanek (116) - Grudz better, but not much
3B Alex Gordon (137) - Moose is much better
SS Tony Pena (150) - big upgrade
LF Emil Brown (78) - Gordon much better
CF David DeJesus (156) - DeJesus better, but Cain has ability
RF Mark Teahen (137) - push?

Starting pitching is a push; sucked then and sucks now
SP Brian Bannister
SP Jorge De La Rosa
SP Gil Meche
SP Odalis Perez

Bullpen is better now than 2007, even with Soria on the shelf
RP John Bale
RP Ryan Braun
RP Octavio Dotel
RP Brandon Duckworth
RP Jimmy Gobble
RP Joel Peralta
RP David Riske
CL Joakim Soria

In addition, we have much more promise still sitting in the minors than in 2007.

I'm not an apologist for DM, his leash is getting shorter and I'm as frustrated as anyone. But it has everything to do with an inability to find starting pitching. The win-loss speaks for itself as well, I'm not going to disagree with the importance of simple wins and losses. But we're in a better spot today than when he took over.

Ive explained this to people on here before. Who cares if we have the best minor league system of all time if it never translates to more WINS at the major league level?? Thats all that matters.

[Deberg_1990]

Rany talking about All Star Week last week:



Did you notice how David Glass wasn’t introduced to the crowd? I mean, if Royals fans were told that David Glass would be on the field in front of 45,000 fans, and if they were given a week to prepare about it, you don’t think they would have booed him until he fled inside a dugout?


The message that Royals fans sent to major league baseball? It was also a message to the Glass Family: THIS IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF YOU’LL JUST BUILD US A WINNER. What bothers me about the Glass family’s unwillingness to spend on major-league payroll* isn’t that it’s cheap: it’s that it’s poor business. Spending money on player salaries isn’t a cost – it’s an investment. (Unless you spend it on Jose Guillen.)


*: As recently as 2 or 3 years ago, I felt that the Glass family was spending a reasonable amount of money on major-league payroll, particularly given how much they were spending to sign amateur talent. But this season, the Royals’ payroll is roughly $64 million. That’s almost identical to their payroll in 2008, and more than $10 million LESS than their payroll in 2009 and 2010. Given how much industry revenues have increased the last few years, AND given that the Royals are now prohibited from spending as much money in the draft and in Latin America, that’s inexcusable.

If All-Star week didn’t convince the Glass family that there’s an upside to spending the money to build a contender, nothing will.



http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/

[CoMoChief]

Originally Posted by FringeNC

DM made a bet that Sanchez could regain his velocity from 2010. Not only did he not, it's even worse than last year. It was a reasonable bet DM made, but he lost. Way past time to move on.

And is there a reason WM and JO haven't been called up?

Royals baseball. Gettin' shit wrong since 1985.

[KCUnited]

Originally Posted by FringeNC

And is there a reason WM and JO haven't been called up?

That Frenchy Quarter spot running on FSKC was paid in full up front and man strength.

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

I still won't attend another ballgame, or buy another logo'd item until Glass sells the team. Sucks that I feel trapped as a fan.

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by KCUnited

That Frenchy Quarter spot running on FSKC was paid in full up front and man strength.

Sadly that seems like the real reason for Frenchy still being here and playing

[ShowtimeSBMVP]

DKnobler ‏@DKnobler

Lots of interest in Broxton, but Royals still may try to sign him for next year rather than trade him.

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by ChiefsandO'sfan

DKnobler ‏@DKnobler

Lots of interest in Broxton, but Royals still may try to sign him for next year rather than trade him.

NOOOOOOOOOOO!

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

NOOOOOOOOOOO!

Par for the course, tbh.

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by ChiefsandO'sfan

DKnobler ‏@DKnobler

Lots of interest in Broxton, but Royals still may try to sign him for next year rather than trade him.

.

The numbers lie! /DM

[Demonpenz]

I don't quite agree with Rany. The Cano deal was pretty simple. We don't like liars, yankees, and we love fat hitters.

[ShowtimeSBMVP]

Royals are surprise shoppers on July pitching market

By Danny Knobler | Baseball Insider
July 17, 2012 1:58 pm ET

Among the teams shopping for starting pitching on the July trade market, there's one that may surprise you, or even shock you:

The Royals.

Despite having very little chance of contending for a playoff spot this year -- they woke up Tuesday 10 1/2 games out of first place and eight games out of a playoff spot -- the Royals have quietly been making inquiries on pitchers they could acquire now and control through next year.

One big name they've asked about: Matt Garza of the Cubs.

The Royals are determined to add at least one high-quality starting pitcher who could help them contend in 2013, and they understand that it could be easier to obtain that pitcher now rather than wait until this winter. With one of the strongest farm systems in the game, the Royals have trading chips to offer, even without giving up their very top prospects.

The Royals' current rotation is something of a mess, in part because of bad luck with injuries but also because pitchers they were counting on haven't performed. The latest disaster came Monday night, when Jonathan Sanchez (acquired last winter for Melky Cabrera) couldn't make it out of the second inning in a 9-4 loss to the Mariners.

The team planned to call up Vin Mazzaro and Ryan Verdugo on Tuesday, with one of them (likely Verdugo) set to start against the Mariners.

Meanwhile, the Royals have been fielding offers for closer Jonathan Broxton, even though it's not certain they'll trade him. Broxton has expressed some interest in staying in Kansas City, and there's a chance the team could sign him rather than trade him.

The Royals had the same idea last year with Cabrera and Jeff Francoeur. They offered Cabrera a two-year deal that he turned down, then instead signed Francoeur to a two-year deal and eventually dealt Cabrera to the Giants for Sanchez and Verdugo.

That deal has become a disaster, with Cabrera blossoming into an All-Star, while Sanchez has a 7.76 ERA that's the second-worst ever by a Royal with 12 or more starts (Chad Durbin's 8.21 in 16 starts in 2000 is the worst).

[mr. tegu]

He is not a world beater but Garza would come pretty cheap and be a good replacement for a season and a half because of our injuries. I like it. But I still want a long term guy as well.

[duncan_idaho]

I will do freaking backflips if the Royals trade for Garza.

That's part 1 of my "Makes Total Sense but Probably Won't Happen" plan. Part 2 is signing another pitcher in free agency.

Not holding my breath, but at least it has moved from "It should happen" territory to "It's actually being discussed."

[ShowtimeSBMVP]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

He is not a world beater but Garza would come pretty cheap and be a good replacement for a season and a half because of our injuries. I like it. But I still want a long term guy as well.

Not really gonna be like 6 teams going after him.