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?

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

I'm still not that wowed by Wong (who I think ultimately is a LHH Omar Infante), and in my defense, at the start of the year he was coming off a .754 OPS in a hitter's park in a hitter's league hitting in front of the best or second-best hitter in the minor leagues.

I don't remember exactly what I said about Colon vs. Wong, but I know I was saying I didn't see a big spread between them, based on their production. They were similar (.754 OPS vs. .756 OPS in the Texas League) guys in many ways, though Wong is what, 18 months younger? I think you wanted Mondesi for him, which was an ultimate no-go for me.

I'm a HUGE Mondesi believer, and if you compare his numbers at age 17 to what Profar did at the same age, I think you'll see why. He is putting up the same numbers in his age 17/18 season that Profar did in his age 17 season... but Mondesi is doing it in the Southern League and Profar was in Low-A.

I remember being all over Craig for Herrera and Collins. Would have loved to pull the trigger on that one.

If Wong is Infante he's a 2.5 WAR player, which makes him better than any 2B your organization has had since Frank White. Wong isn't going to be Bob Cano, but he's a valuable player.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by penbook

I'm hoping Getz or Johnson gets sent down.

Johnson has 1 hit in his last 35 AB.

I told my friend the other night watching that I truly think he might be the worst hitter I've ever seen. Even worse than TPJ at the end, or Sal Fasano. Truly he is so bad to the point he can't even hit the ball.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by penbook

Why would they? He's been a beast ever since we called him up.

Because we are the Kansas City ****ing Royals, who practically does everything oh so ****ing wrong these days.

If GMDM dares to even send Lough down, I hope someone **** him with a barbed wire dildo in his sandy anal-vagina.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

If Wong is Infante he's a 2.5 WAR player, which makes him better than any 2B your organization has had since Frank White. Wong isn't going to be Bob Cano, but he's a valuable player.

Dude when are teh Cardinals gonna score another run? In the next week perhaps?

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by tk13

Ken Rosenthal's twitter is basically a feed of what teams are not doing. Just nothing out there unless you went crazy.
Posted via Mobile Device

Proof that trading for players at the deadline is just not rational anymore. The sellers haven't realized that the buyers don't get comp picks, and are still dangling them as though they will. Ultimately, I think those moves push the sellers farther back, because they picks they acquire for their players leaving are later in the round, and almost always farther away from the bigs than the players they would acquire.

[siberian khatru]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

If Wong is Infante he's a 2.5 WAR player, which makes him better than any 2B your organization has had since Frank White.

Mark Grudzielanek (3.2 WAR in 06 and 07) disagrees.

[WhawhaWhat]

Houston got a AAA 2B/OF hitting over .300, 19 year old, single A pitcher and the #35ish overall pick in next years draft from the O's for Bud Norris.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Dude when are teh Cardinals gonna score another run? In the next week perhaps?

Good one. Maybe when 3/4 sleeve linen suits come back in style you'll make the playoffs again.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

Mark Grudzielanek (3.2 WAR in 06 and 07) disagrees.

That is pretty damned amazing that 36 year old Grudz gave you that kind of value. He was only 2.6, fWAR, though.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Good one. Maybe when 3/4 sleeve linen suits come back in style you'll make the playoffs again.

[Mr. Laz]

i was really hoping we would try send a pitcher to the Cardinals for Wong.

position of need and a young guy


I thought the Cardinals wanted some pitching help


instead they pretty much did nothing

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I said Mondesi or Calixte. I knew you guys probably wouldn't hav egiven Mondesi for him, but Calixte seemed totally fair. At this point, however, I don't think I'd send him for Calixte. That K rate is terrifying.

We had a pretty good conversation. I just read through it. I don't think my reaction was quite as extreme as you're remembering. My basic take was: Wong is pretty good, org loves Calixte, not enough separation between Wong and Colon to make the move with Calixte at that point.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

If Wong is Infante he's a 2.5 WAR player, which makes him better than any 2B your organization has had since Frank White. Wong isn't going to be Bob Cano, but he's a valuable player.

Sure, I think Wong will be a very valuable and solid major league player. Comparing him to Infante was not intended as a slight.

I do think he has gotten a little overrated by both fanbases. The Cards fans on here are not so out of control, but I know some in other forums who seem to think Wong is going to be Rod Carew or something.

Royals fans have kind of done the same thing. I think ultimately he's a good MLB player who has a long career but is never really a STAR player.

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Deez, Saul and Nightfyre were all arguing against it around pages 33/34 and underselling the hell out of Craig.

Come to think of it, every time I see something from Nightfyre, it's usually pretty stupid. Something along the lines of "Salvador Perez is worth more than the entire Cardinals farm system..."

Maybe I'm just projecting his insanity onto the rest of you fine gentlemen. As for Deez, well nobody bats 1.000.

Huh. Linkage? I was pretty ****ing stupid to take that stance, if I did. I have my share of moments of stupidity, however. I'm hopeful that the conversation at least happened in the evening so that I can try to blame the fine folks at Boulevard for my missteps.

[mr. tegu]

No reason to be worried about Lough going anywhere guys. You don't send down your 5 hitter in the lineup who is actually producing fairly well and plays pretty dang good defense.

Heck, he could be here to give all the regulars a break once a week considering 3/4 of the outfielders are lefties. That would have him playing 2-3 times a week about which would allow him to only face left handed pitching. Then in the 7th or 8th you make the defensive subsitution in a close game to the regular player, whether Gordon, Dyson/Cain, or Lough.