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?

[Prison Bitch]

If Glass can blame Dayton, then Dayton will just blame Frenchy and others. Reality: Everyone is to blame.

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

If Glass can blame Dayton, then Dayton will just blame Frenchy and others. Reality: Everyone is to blame.

No, Dayton cannot blame Frenchy and others because Dayton ****ing Moore is the reason why these suck shit players are on the team.

As I've been saying for, literally, years, DM is one stupid mother****er and has no business being the GM of a professional team.

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

No, Dayton cannot blame Frenchy and others because Dayton ****ing Moore is the reason why these suck shit players are on the team.

As I've been saying for, literally, years, DM is one stupid mother****er and has no business being the GM of a professional team.

This!!!

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

No, Dayton cannot blame Frenchy and others because Dayton ****ing Moore is the reason why these suck shit players are on the team.

As I've been saying for, literally, years, DM is one stupid mother****er and has no business being the GM of a professional team.

Who hired him?

[Prison Bitch]

How is Moose "young"? He is in his 3rd year and turns 25 in September. In Brett's third year he won a batting title (.333) at age 23.


Yes one is a HOFer and one is a smelly turd. I get that. Just pointing out its nothing to do with age.

[CoMoChief]

Luke Hochevar

RE-signed 1 yr $7M



That pretty much sums up how I feel about Dayton Moore. You know he can't be a starter in this league. So a move to the pen is really the only option, yet you can't stick him in there when the game is on the line either, and with our pathetic offense/lack of run support, pretty much every game we've been in has been on the line. So he can only pitch when we're up by a lot (4+ runs) and there's no reason left to keep the SP in the game, or when the game is out of reach and he's in there for garbage duty.

Yup...$7M for that guy....when we could have just let him walk. I would have paid him half of that just to go away forever.

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

Luke Hochevar

RE-signed 1 yr $7M



That pretty much sums up how I feel about Dayton Moore. You know he can't be a starter in this league. So a move to the pen is really the only option, yet you can't stick him in there when the game is on the line either, and with our pathetic offense/lack of run support, pretty much every game we've been in has been on the line. So he can only pitch when we're up by a lot (4+ runs) and there's no reason left to keep the SP in the game, or when the game is out of reach and he's in there for garbage duty.

Yup...$7M for that guy....when we could have just let him walk. I would have paid him half of that just to go away forever.

I thought he was making 4.5mil?

[BlackHelicopters]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

Luke Hochevar

RE-signed 1 yr $7M



That pretty much sums up how I feel about Dayton Moore. You know he can't be a starter in this league. So a move to the pen is really the only option, yet you can't stick him in there when the game is on the line either, and with our pathetic offense/lack of run support, pretty much every game we've been in has been on the line. So he can only pitch when we're up by a lot (4+ runs) and there's no reason left to keep the SP in the game, or when the game is out of reach and he's in there for garbage duty.

Yup...$7M for that guy....when we could have just let him walk. I would have paid him half of that just to go away forever.

7 mil?

[KevB]

Yordano Ventura has been promoted from AA to AAA

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

I thought he was making 4.5mil?

He is. Consider the source.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by KevB

Yordano Ventura has been promoted from AA to AAA

He's ready. Last 10 games:

52 2/3 innings
69 K
20 BB (most troubling thing with him - must cut his walk rate to pitch deeper)
34 H

2.22 ERA
1.03 WHIP
11.8 K:9
3.5 K:BB

It appears his arm is so elite, even the Royals poor, cookie-cutter minor league system hasn't been able to ruin it.

Wade Davis better start performing soon, or he's going to find himself back in the bullpen.

[gblowfish]

The Royals have $12 mill total tied in up Hoch and Frenchy this year. Ouch. $7.5 for Frenchy, $4.5 for Hoch.

[Bambi]

Brought this up in the other thread but where the **** is Sal Perez?

[KCUnited]

Originally Posted by Bambi

Brought this up in the other thread but where the **** is Sal Perez?

Bereavement leave for his grandmother, I heard he'll be back for tomorrow's game.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

The Royals have $14 mill total tied in up Hoch and Frenchy this year. Ouch.

Hochevar: $4.5 million
Francoeur: $6.5 million
Chris Getz: $1 million

Together, they make the same amount as Ervin Santana.

I won't criticize signing Frenchy in the first place, because they needed a RF and he looked like a decent stopgap, even at that salary. Refusing to cut bait with him at any point (and letting him influence the decision to dump Seitzer) is a huge mistake and indicative of the extreme loyalty Dayton has (and is held back by). Still would have been better if year 2 had been a team option (even though we know Dayton was going to pick that up regardless).

Bruce Chen is making $4.5 million, but I'm not going to complain about that. He's worth it, and probably should be starting instead of Wade Davis at this point.