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.

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Apparently, the Mets ALSO are looking for bullpen help. That is a bonus for KC.

It seems like Crow is someone the Royals are willing to move, and maybe that makes the package you send to the Mets a little less painful.

Hell, if it takes Holland, that's OK, too.

For the right guy, everyone from our bullpen should available

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I'd still rather give up Colon. Cain could be a very valuable weapon for the Royals, both offensively and defensively.

I think everybody would. Colon isn't nearly valuable enough to get the deal done.

A deal would probably revolve around Cain, and unless the Mets are putting up a smoke screen about preferring to extend if their high price isn't met, I'm not sure that Cain would do it. If the Mets don't budge from Myers or Perez, a trade wont happen.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

For the right guy, everyone from our bullpen should available

Yeah, 4 years of Crow or Holland or 5 years of Herrera is a pretty valuable piece. It also seems like folks in the northeast value closers quite a bit more (maybe because of the media scrutiny?)

Probably not the centerpiece of a deal for Dickey, but it might be a useful chip in putting the Royals over the top.

[DJ's left nut]

Fair enough, I hadn't followed Colon as closely as you guys have. As far as I knew, you were still seeing him as your 2b of the future and potential #2 hitter.

I do kinda question the concerns about his offense, though. He still clearly has plus bat control; he doesn't K much at all and generally walks about as often as he Ks.

He could use a little more power, but 10 HRs from a MI isn't bad. The real knock appears to be his 2011 season where he put up a pretty miserable line...but was it really? Normalize his BABIP (I tend to use .305 for speedy hitters) and you end up with 141 hits on the season, good for a .287 BA (and a commensurate uptick in OBP getting him up into the .360 range; very good for a non-power hitter). That was at 22 yrs old and in his first trip around AA. Then he proceeded to do almost exactly that in 2012 in his time at AA. That suggests his 'true' performance level is probably right about there.

So if you're getting a .290 hitter (w/ a .350 OBP) with plus bat control and SS range at 2b, aren't you doing pretty well for yourself?

I dunno that I'd say he's Cox. Cox didn't have a defensive position and ultimately just wasn't showing any real useful skill at the major league level. You could argue, however, that Colon is showing a little of what we saw in Matt Carpenter in the minors. I tell ya, if Carpenter had Colon's ability to play the middle infield, he'd have been a cinch starter.

I think the Royals should be able to sell Colon higher than you're suggesting.

[gblowfish]

Send the Mets Ed Hearn back.

Seriously, Sal Perez is untouchable. That kid is going to be a multiple year all star. He's Sandy Alomar Jr. and Pudge Rodriquez rolled into one. He makes our pitching staff much better, because he calls a good game and nobody runs on him. Being strong up the middle is key. Perez, Esky, Cain. Now we need a second baseman and we're set.

[RockChalk]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Perez, Esky, Cain. Now we need a second baseman and we're set.

Don't worry! We re-signed Getz, so we're all set!

[CaliforniaChief]

Would you require a 2 year extension in order to do the deal, or would you just take him this year and roll the dice? (Dickey, that is).

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Fair enough, I hadn't followed Colon as closely as you guys have. As far as I knew, you were still seeing him as your 2b of the future and potential #2 hitter.

I do kinda question the concerns about his offense, though. He still clearly has plus bat control; he doesn't K much at all and generally walks about as often as he Ks.

He could use a little more power, but 10 HRs from a MI isn't bad. The real knock appears to be his 2011 season where he put up a pretty miserable line...but was it really? Normalize his BABIP (I tend to use .305 for speedy hitters) and you end up with 141 hits on the season, good for a .287 BA (and a commensurate uptick in OBP getting him up into the .360 range; very good for a non-power hitter). That was at 22 yrs old and in his first trip around AA. Then he proceeded to do almost exactly that in 2012 in his time at AA. That suggests his 'true' performance level is probably right about there.

So if you're getting a .290 hitter (w/ a .350 OBP) with plus bat control and SS range at 2b, aren't you doing pretty well for yourself?

I dunno that I'd say he's Cox. Cox didn't have a defensive position and ultimately just wasn't showing any real useful skill at the major league level. You could argue, however, that Colon is showing a little of what we saw in Matt Carpenter in the minors. I tell ya, if Carpenter had Colon's ability to play the middle infield, he'd have been a cinch starter.

I think the Royals should be able to sell Colon higher than you're suggesting.

Nice to get an outside perspective on Colon.

Part of the deal with Colon is that he was so meh/average offensively at Northwest Arkansas, which typically is a place where guys put up monster numbers (though that's more true for lefties than righties).

He's a 2B option, but I don't know that Royals fans consider Colon the answer at 2B that he was after being drafted.

The Mets also have a pretty bright young 2B prospect in Jordany Valdespin, too, who I'd rank above Colon. So unless the Mets buy Colon at SS, I'm not sure he's an attractive piece to them.

[alnorth]

The Texas League is not a pitcher's league. Advanced-A Wilmington is rough for hitters, but offense heats up in AA and AAA. Someone who projects out to be a decent hitter in the majors should be OPS'ing above .800 in AA, preferably above .850. (Wil Myers hit above 1.100, so he might be an All-Star)

[alnorth]

Mets are still pushing us to give up Myers. They have got to come down from that, Myers for 1 year of Dickey (who knows if he'd agree to extend) is not going to happen.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Mets are still pushing us to give up Myers. They have got to come down from that, Myers for 1 year of Dickey (who knows if he'd agree to extend) is not going to happen.

Yeah, the Mets are crazy if they think that's a realistic option.

Especially when Myers for Shields or Myers for Hellickson + are on the table.

I doubt anyone offers them more than:

Cain + Crow + Ventura.

Which I'd do, gladly, if you feel like you can extend Dickey for 2-3 more years (Age doesn't matter to a knuckleball guy).

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Mets are still pushing us to give up Myers. They have got to come down from that, Myers for 1 year of Dickey (who knows if he'd agree to extend) is not going to happen.

**** them.

[Codered]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Mets are still pushing us to give up Myers. They have got to come down from that, Myers for 1 year of Dickey (who knows if he'd agree to extend) is not going to happen.

No thanks ...

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

If Cain stays healthy, he's due a breakout this year, IMO.

He showed surprising power even after the leg injury that could've really robbed him of his base.

You give him 600 ABs, you could potentially have a 20/20 player on your hands. Granted, a ton would have to break right for that to happen and he'd certainly need to continue to work on his strike zone judgment, but it's not impossible.

You guys will really regret Myers in CF, IMO. You cannot cut corners on your defense up the middle. I guess you also have that banjo hitter off the bench you could run out there, but man are you really eager to give that guy 500+ ABs?

I'd still rather give up Colon. Cain could be a very valuable weapon for the Royals, both offensively and defensively.

I'd be very willing to move Cain. I just don't think he will ever be healthy enough to play every day.

[BlackHelicopters]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Mets are still pushing us to give up Myers. They have got to come down from that, Myers for 1 year of Dickey (who knows if he'd agree to extend) is not going to happen.

Push away Mets. This won't happen.