Royals 2013 Kansas City Royals Repository Thread - Page 156

duncan_idaho · 10:01 AM

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 · 04-03-2013, 07:16 AM

Going to be a little better in Chicago today. Virtually no wind so even though the temperature is only going to be around 44 degrees, the sun and no wind should keep the hitting conditions better.

KCUnited · 04-03-2013, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

Eric Henske is pinch hitting and his walk up music is pantera.

Gordon Beckham's mom can get DP'd by Arthur Ashe and Pedro Zamora, but he was walking up to Megadeth's Holy Wars when I was down in Surprise, he might still be, respect for that.

Demonpenz · 04-03-2013, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCUnited

Gordon Beckham's mom can get DP'd by Arthur Ashe and Pedro Zamora, but he was walking up to Megadeth's Holy Wars when I was down in Surprise, he might still be, respect for that.

WhawhaWhat · 04-03-2013, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

Trevor Rosenthal from Lees Summit just threw a ball 100 mph for the Cards. Sweet job #Royals...not scouting your backyard again.

He was drafted in the 21st round so it's fair to say no one really scouted him. I don't think the Royals are really hurting for flame throwers in the bullpen either.

**gblowfish** · 04-03-2013, 09:02 AM

We're playing baseball again today? Cool!
Maybe we'll score a run or something!

duncan_idaho · 04-03-2013, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

Trevor Rosenthal from Lees Summit just threw a ball 100 mph for the Cards. Sweet job #Royals...not scouting your backyard again.

I understand the sentiment, but here's the reality:

Trevor Rosenthal was a SS at at CC on the Kansas side of the metro. A Cardinals scout was at a tournament scouting other players and saw Rosenthal pitch the 5th or 6th inning of his college career (seriously, he had only pitched a few innings before getting noticed).

It was a flyer on a kid with a big arm and practically no pitching experience. Cardinals got very, very lucky. He could have just as easily ended up like Colt Griffin.

Different story than with Pujols, who was heavily and thoroughly scouted and still passed by 13 times.

mr. tegu · 04-03-2013, 09:11 AM

I still can't believe they passed on me when I was dominating in grade school! Where were the scouts then?

Deberg_1990 · 04-03-2013, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Different story than with Pujols, who was heavily and thoroughly scouted and still passed by 13 times.

I still cant believe he went in like the 12th round or something?? How does that happen??

duncan_idaho · 04-03-2013, 09:24 AM

Prospect updates from Baseball Prospectus today. Lots of attention to Royals' guys today.

Notably:

Adalberto Mondesi: Plus (6/7) defender who is no doubt to stick at SS all the way up the ladder because of his arm strength, lateral movement and quickness. Power projection is just to 4/5 (which translates to 10-15 HR in the majors), but everything else is 6/7 (Hit, Run, Field, Throw).

7 prospect (regular major league all-star)

RHP Miguel Almonte: This is the one that might surprise you. Jason Parks is calling him equivalent to Kyle Zimmer as a prospect. Plus-plus fastball (sits 93-95, touches 98), plus change, curve that flashes plus. Calling him a top 5 guy in Royals system

6 prospect

Kyle Zimmer: Same report we've been seeing. Easy plus-plus fastball, plus curve that is commanded well. Change is average currently and useable. Also is flashing an average/useable slider to give him a change of pace breaking pitch. Sat 93-95 also, touched 99.

One thing I did see that was concerning is that he is lacking in deception... might have to adjust his delivery a little as a pro to fix that. Fastball gets him more than his stuff says it should.

6/7 prospect.

John Lamb: Starting to look like his ability to recover his velocity is going to be make or break for him. Parks' scouting report mentioned that it looked like he wasn't letting it go all the way, so maybe he's still holding back a bit. His last few starts had the fastball ticking up. Will bear watching as the season plays out.

Tough to rank as a prospect. 4/5 guy if the velocity never comes back. 6/7 guy if it does.

duncan_idaho · 04-03-2013, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

I still cant believe he went in like the 12th round or something?? How does that happen??

1) Bad body
2) Everyone thought he was 2-3 years older than reported (still dogs him)
3) Questions about his position
4) Questions about his skills other than with the bat

The Rays were going to take him with their next pick when the Cardinals took him off the board.

eazyb81 · 04-03-2013, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Prospect updates from Baseball Prospectus today. Lots of attention to Royals' guys today.

Notably:

Adalberto Mondesi: Plus (6/7) defender who is no doubt to stick at SS all the way up the ladder because of his arm strength, lateral movement and quickness. Power projection is just to 4/5 (which translates to 10-15 HR in the majors), but everything else is 6/7 (Hit, Run, Field, Throw).

7 prospect (regular major league all-star)

RHP Miguel Almonte: This is the one that might surprise you. Jason Parks is calling him equivalent to Kyle Zimmer as a prospect. Plus-plus fastball (sits 93-95, touches 98), plus change, curve that flashes plus. Calling him a top 5 guy in Royals system

6 prospect

Kyle Zimmer: Same report we've been seeing. Easy plus-plus fastball, plus curve that is commanded well. Change is average currently and useable. Also is flashing an average/useable slider to give him a change of pace breaking pitch. Sat 93-95 also, touched 99.

One thing I did see that was concerning is that he is lacking in deception... might have to adjust his delivery a little as a pro to fix that. Fastball gets him more than his stuff says it should.

6/7 prospect.

John Lamb: Starting to look like his ability to recover his velocity is going to be make or break for him. Parks' scouting report mentioned that it looked like he wasn't letting it go all the way, so maybe he's still holding back a bit. His last few starts had the fastball ticking up. Will bear watching as the season plays out.

Tough to rank as a prospect. 4/5 guy if the velocity never comes back. 6/7 guy if it does.

Mondesi = Jurickson Profar

Almonte = Julio Teheran

**alnorth** · 04-03-2013, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

Going to be a little better in Chicago today. Virtually no wind so even though the temperature is only going to be around 44 degrees, the sun and no wind should keep the hitting conditions better.

Anyone want to throw up a game thread? This week, I was only planning on doing it Saturday/Sunday since I'll be here for those games from the beginning.

duncan_idaho · 04-03-2013, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eazyb81

Mondesi = Jurickson Profar

Almonte = Julio Teheran

That's Jason Parks' opinion... He actually has said Mondesi could develop MORE power than Profar as he fills out.

MORE power than a guy predicted to be a .300/20/100 R/30 SB player.

Do you have a BP membership?

**gblowfish** · 04-03-2013, 09:42 AM

Anyone want to throw up?

**alnorth** · 04-03-2013, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Anyone want to throw up?

Vomiting while posting a game thread would be strictly optional.

12-11-2012, 09:59 AM
duncan_idaho M-I-Z-Z-O-U Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $-1889692	2013 Kansas City Royals Repository Thread 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? Last edited by duncan_idaho; 07-15-2013 at 10:01 AM..
Posts: 22,318

04-03-2013, 07:16 AM	#2326
mr. tegu Forever Royal Join Date: Mar 2012 Casino cash: $-1658700	Going to be a little better in Chicago today. Virtually no wind so even though the temperature is only going to be around 44 degrees, the sun and no wind should keep the hitting conditions better.
Posts: 26,457

04-03-2013, 09:02 AM	#2330
gblowfish Be Kind To Your Pets Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Glorious Independence, MO Casino cash: $16896178 VARSITY	We're playing baseball again today? Cool! Maybe we'll score a run or something!
Posts: 41,011

04-03-2013, 09:11 AM	#2332
mr. tegu Forever Royal Join Date: Mar 2012 Casino cash: $-1658700	I still can't believe they passed on me when I was dominating in grade school! Where were the scouts then?
Posts: 26,457

04-03-2013, 09:24 AM	#2334
duncan_idaho M-I-Z-Z-O-U Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $-1889692	Prospect updates from Baseball Prospectus today. Lots of attention to Royals' guys today. Notably: Adalberto Mondesi: Plus (6/7) defender who is no doubt to stick at SS all the way up the ladder because of his arm strength, lateral movement and quickness. Power projection is just to 4/5 (which translates to 10-15 HR in the majors), but everything else is 6/7 (Hit, Run, Field, Throw). 7 prospect (regular major league all-star) RHP Miguel Almonte: This is the one that might surprise you. Jason Parks is calling him equivalent to Kyle Zimmer as a prospect. Plus-plus fastball (sits 93-95, touches 98), plus change, curve that flashes plus. Calling him a top 5 guy in Royals system 6 prospect Kyle Zimmer: Same report we've been seeing. Easy plus-plus fastball, plus curve that is commanded well. Change is average currently and useable. Also is flashing an average/useable slider to give him a change of pace breaking pitch. Sat 93-95 also, touched 99. One thing I did see that was concerning is that he is lacking in deception... might have to adjust his delivery a little as a pro to fix that. Fastball gets him more than his stuff says it should. 6/7 prospect. John Lamb: Starting to look like his ability to recover his velocity is going to be make or break for him. Parks' scouting report mentioned that it looked like he wasn't letting it go all the way, so maybe he's still holding back a bit. His last few starts had the fastball ticking up. Will bear watching as the season plays out. Tough to rank as a prospect. 4/5 guy if the velocity never comes back. 6/7 guy if it does. __________________ "You gotta love livin', cause dying is a pain in the ass." ---- Sinatra
Posts: 22,318

04-03-2013, 09:42 AM	#2339
gblowfish Be Kind To Your Pets Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Glorious Independence, MO Casino cash: $16896178 VARSITY	Anyone want to throw up?
Posts: 41,011