2013 Kansas City Royals Repository Thread

[duncan_idaho]

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?

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

I guess posting WAR stats is "caveman" in your book. I guess referring to Fan Graphs is something Don Fortune would do. Clearly, I need to get into your good graces by posting something even more SABR-metric-y.

For crying out loud, come on, focus. You are angry at having your Chisenhall analogy refuted, and you are flailing away blindly.

ONCE AGAIN, the argument is, since May, since Moose has worked on whatever it is they asked him to work on, he's done much better. Using his season-to-date WAR, which includes April, does not do a damned thing to help your argument that Moose and Chisenhall are the same.

They are not. Moose has done well recently, Chisenhall has not. I can not believe you actually used his May batting average, and then when I pointed out the obvious (you ignored his May power), you then reverted back to arguing about his whole season again. Using his whole season does nothing to address what we are all saying. You are not arguing in good faith, at all.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

This is some serious Twilight Zone stuff here. So now to that point: explain why Chisenhall is down but not Moose.

I did. Over and over and over again. You refuse to accept it.

Chisenhall sucked from April to now. Moose has done well recently. It is completely illogical to send Moose down when he may have turned a corner.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by alnorth

For crying out loud, come on, focus. You are angry at having your Chisenhall analogy refuted, and you are flailing away blindly.

. Refuted? More like proved. Cleveland basically proved my whole argument on this.

ONCE AGAIN, the argument is, since May, since Moose has worked on whatever it is they asked him to work on, he's done much better. Using his season-to-date WAR, which includes April, does not do a damned thing to help your argument that Moose and Chisenhall are the same.

I already posted that Moose's avg + walk/K ratio hasn't improved at all in May. It's a myth in your mind. He hit a few fly balls out finally, Wooptydoo. I don't know what either's splits are in fielding or baserunning.

They are not. Moose has done well recently, Chisenhall has not. I can not believe you actually used his May batting average, and then when I pointed out the obvious (you ignored his May power), you then reverted back to arguing about his whole season again. Using his whole season does nothing to address what we are all saying. You are not arguing in good faith, at all.

Go look at the monthly splits. It'll be instructive to you. Either way here's how it boils down: The Indians seem to agree with me, the Royals seem to agree with you.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by alnorth

IChisenhall sucked from April to now. Moose has done well recently. It is completely illogical to send Moose down when he may have turned a corner.

What's great is that I'll be wrong either way. If we let Moose stay up and he turns it around, then I'm disproven. If he doesn't and is sent down later this month, the poster above said I'll still be wrong. It's a fascinating way to look at debate when no matter what happens, you are guaranteed to be wrong. lulz

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

He hit a few fly balls out finally, Wooptydoo. I don't know what either's splits are in fielding or baserunning.

Either you are not making sense because making sense would be inconvenient for your argument...

... or you are the first person in the history of baseball to embrace both batting average and WAR, but completely discount power.

Slugging doesn't matter, and OPS should be ignored unless the AVG is high, are you kidding me with this?

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

poster above said I'll still be wrong. It's a fascinating way to look at debate when no matter what happens, you are guaranteed to be wrong. lulz

This is correct, you will have still been wrong, because with the information we had at the time, your position makes no sense.

[Deberg_1990]

Frenchy just needs more time to figure it out.

Signed Hochevar
Posted via Mobile Device

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaChief

How about Colon/Giavotella, Coleman, and Eibner for him?

For Kendrick?

Probably is not enough unless the Angels really like Gio or Colon.

Coleman is a nice throw-in piece. Eibner is not valuable.

I'd guess the Royals opening offer might be something like:

Chris Dwyer (has recovered intriguing prospect status), Will Smith (capable of being a solid 4-5 starter), Gio, and a lotto ticket arm like Jason Adam.

That would give the Angels three cheap and close MLB guys and a lotto ticket that might help. In Dwyer, they have a guy who has 3/4 starter upside.

I suspect the Angels would come back asking for something that includes Yordano Ventura, though.

[CaliforniaChief]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

For Kendrick?

Probably is not enough unless the Angels really like Gio or Colon.

Coleman is a nice throw-in piece. Eibner is not valuable.

I'd guess the Royals opening offer might be something like:

Chris Dwyer (has recovered intriguing prospect status), Will Smith (capable of being a solid 4-5 starter), Gio, and a lotto ticket arm like Jason Adam.

That would give the Angels three cheap and close MLB guys and a lotto ticket that might help. In Dwyer, they have a guy who has 3/4 starter upside.

I suspect the Angels would come back asking for something that includes Yordano Ventura, though.

I would not surrender Ventura for Kendrick. I'd tell the Angels to go choke on their under-achieving old team.

But I'd surrender the prospects you named. I have a high view on Kendrick, just not Ventura-high.

[duncan_idaho]

al -
Save yourself some heartburn and stop trying to argue baseball logic with PB. It's either beyond him or he's trolling.

Funny how the Bitch was nowhere to be found three days ago (when Moustakas was in the midst of a two-week tear in which he was hitting over .350 and slugging around .700).

Funny how he keeps ignoring the fact that in his last 50 at-bats - even including the recent 0-13 skid over the past 3 games - Moustakas is STILL:

.260 AVG
.339 OBP
.540 SLG

With 6 XBH (2 2B, 4 HR), 7 R and 9 RBI.

He has OPSed .879 since making the changes to his swing that were mentioned in the Star/since the start of the Cleveland series.

Send him down!

NOw stop quoting the troll, please.

[Great Expectations]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Tonight I'm going to see "42" the Jackie Robinson Story. Looking forward to it very much.

Very good flick, better than I expected

[Chiefspants]

Prison seems like one of those special Pioli esque guys who'd rather double down on his blunders than admit he was in the wrong.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

Prison seems like one of those special ***** esque guys who'd rather double down on his blunders than admit he was in the wrong.

MOOOOOSE! now in an 0-18 skid. Looks like he's finally found his groove.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

MOOOOOSE! now in an 0-18 skid. Looks like he's finally found his groove.

If the slump is still going strong into June, by all means, send him down.

[Prison Bitch]

So was I wrong?