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.

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by ChiefsandO'sfan

All those pitchers are gonna get 7m a year. How can the royals get them if the reports are true over budget? I mean Joe ****ing Blanton got 2years 15m

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by tyton75

So, if we started playing today, who would our 5 starters in the rotation be?

Santana, Guthrie, Chen, Duffy, Hochevar?

not trying to stir shit, honestly curious.

Duffy will be out most of the year. Insert Mendoza

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by tyton75

So, if we started playing today, who would our 5 starters in the rotation be?

Santana, Guthrie, Chen, Duffy, Hochevar?

not trying to stir shit, honestly curious.

Swap in Mendoza for Duffy (who won't be ready until June/July, at the earliest - though reports on his recovery are good).

[tyton75]

What about the other guy that had Tommy John (sad I can't even remember his name)

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

Originally Posted by tyton75

What about the other guy that had Tommy John (sad I can't even remember his name)

he'll be back around the same time as duffy if not a bit later.

[AndChiefs]

Originally Posted by tyton75

What about the other guy that had Tommy John (sad I can't even remember his name)

John Lamb? Or are you talking about Paulino?

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by tyton75

What about the other guy that had Tommy John (sad I can't even remember his name)

Paulino?

[duncan_idaho]

Follow up tweet to Dutton: I told him to take a bucket of water with him the next time he was talking to Glass, because his pants were on fire.

Anyway... re: Tommy John and the Royals

1) Duffy's recovery is APPARENTLY going as well as these can go. Best case is getting back in 12-13 months. That would put him back in June, if all continues to go so well.

2) Paulino's, haven't heard much about it. July/August make sense for him.

3) John Lamb threw last year in extended ST, but his recovery was set back by leg injuries (non-related). He likely starts this season at AA. If he puts things together quickly and has good success, a September call-up might be in the cards.

Lamb has always been my favorite of the Duffy/Montgomery/Lamb trio. I think he'll be a little bit better than Duffy, ultimately.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

He was incredibly overrated because he didn't understand the strike zone. He still doesn't understand the strike zone. I said it then, I'll continue to say it.

And as I said at the time, writing off a player because of his K/BB in the major leagues at the age of 21/22 is simply ridiculous. It still is. Snider could have easily improved on that flaw at that age or still had significant MLB success in spite of it. He didn't...at least not yet anyway.

It was based on plenty of substance, you just ignored it. And you were clearly wrong.

You had no added insight into Travis Snider or his failings that nobody else in prospect world did. Nor did you have any idea just how mentally fragile and full of self-doubt he was (which seems to be the biggest reason among many for his failings so far). I've been wrong about many prospects before, though, and I will again. It's an inexact science and it's exactly the reason why you shouldn't get overly attached to them when talking trade for legitimate MLB players.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Shields FIP is about a 1/2 run lower in 2011 and 2012 than his career numbers, and his strikeout (and walk) rates have ticked up a bit. So he's probably placing more emphasis on chasing strikeouts than previously. And even over that time frame, he's averaged about 3.5 WAR a year.

He's also been doing it against some of the best offenses in baseball in hitter's parks. I've been pretty impressed by his progression and I think he'll at least maintain that level for a few years yet.

It just comes down to the Rays and Royals being a bad match for Shields. Myers is the only impact bat KC has that's CLOSE to MLB right now, and that's what the Rays are demanding. Hopefully, Dayton Moore is smart enough to stay away from it...



I like Shields and think he'd be a nice addition to KC. But the value just isn't there. Of course, these are all terms that probably would make Dayton and Bob Dutton and Lee Judge have a nice chat, chuckle and laugh about "newfangled nerds and their slide rules."

Does Dayton Moore even have a stats person in his organization's employ? Or does he just go off scouting reads and feels (WTF was the Frenchy signing, for example)? KC has always seemed way behind the times in this area.

[gblowfish]

C'MON CHEN!

Like we have any choice....

[gblowfish]

C'MON CHEN!

Like we have any choice....

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

He's also been doing it against some of the best offenses in baseball in hitter's parks. I've been pretty impressed by his progression and I think he'll at least maintain that level for a few years yet.


Does Dayton Moore even have a stats person in his organization's employ? Or does he just go off scouting reads and feels (WTF was the Frenchy signing, for example)? KC has always seemed way behind the times in this area.

Shields has definitely done it against good competition. I also think he has benefit some from the favorable home parK (check home/road splits) and the great positioning/defensive approach of that team.

I'd love to add Shields, honestly. Just not at the cost of Myers. Unfortunately for KC, the 2009 and 2010 draft classes have not produced anything of value beyond Myers that is close to the major leagues and is an acceptable substitute for him in a trade with Tampa. They just don't match up.

Moore has some SABRE guys in the org, but I don't get the sense that they get much play from Moore or Yost.

I mean, when Yost is talking about how he can't figure out what is wrong with Hochevar and why he doesn't succeed, it's pretty hilariously obvious.

Hochevar with bases empty: Numbers show a league-average pitcher
Hochevar with men on: Numbers show a pitcher who surrenders all-star type line.

Yost's incessant insistence on insipidly instructing his hitters to sacrifice a guy over early in games is another great example of ignoring the numbers.

[tyton75]

Paulino was the guy I couldn't remember. We definitely need someone to push Hochevar out of the rotation somehow. Chen, IMO, is a good #5 pitcher in the rotation.

I'm also really hoping one of the young guys can break out of Spring Training with the club

[tyton75]

Paulino was the guy I couldn't remember. We definitely need someone to push Hochevar out of the rotation somehow. Chen, IMO, is a good #5 pitcher in the rotation.

I'm also really hoping one of the young guys can break out of Spring Training with the club