SPLOOGE.....

We can only hope that those prospects come to fruition and gordon figures it out to be a solid bat. Hosmer as an Adrian Gonzalez would be a damn dream come true.

Those prospects may save DM's job, if he could just damn well figure out the majors

Yep. His FA acquisitions have been abysmal, but if draft picks pan out, we'll be just fine.

Yeah, our low minors are kicking ass right now. We'll have one of the best AAA teams at some point next season.

The only reason I haven't been calling for DM's job right the hell now is because, as Rany hinted at a day or two ago, he's really done a terrific job of drafting amateur talent. I'm unhappy with a lot of his free agent decisions and he isn't giving players he didn't personally pick a fair shot, but our Advanced A and AA prospects are so good we pretty much have got to keep DM around just to see if they continue to be great next season and if so, was that a fluke and will his next draft picks suck?

I just wish DM would be more "acceptable" in terms of FA signings and trades. I mean, Farnsworth? Ouch. Yabutia or whatever the clown's name was? Brutal. Beanacourt? That was abysmal.

Multiple sources have confirmed on Twitter that Danny Duffy is back with the organization. He reported to extended Spring Training this morning.

Danny Duffy-S-Royals Jun. 2 - 11:49 am et per rotoworld.com

Royals prospect left-hander Danny Duffy has returned from extended personal leave.
He has reported to extended spring training. Duffy, 21, decided to take a leave of absence from baseball in March. He was 9-3 with a 2.98 ERA with Class A Wilmington last season and was ranked as the organization's No. 8 prospect by Baseball America over the winter.


Great news!

Rany quoted DM as saying it takes 7-8 years to rebuild an organization. He cited several examples...made a decent argument.

Rany sure called that one.

This is most excellent news.

Yep

Also, say what you want about Dayton's moves with our MLB roster (as reeruned as they have been), but he and JJ are doing an amazing job rebuilding the minors. Truly, there is a reason for hope.

chitown did you attend the chiefs v cowboys game.

Umm, can I ask why first?:D

you were in section 119

:spock:

I agree that we should be hopeful.

Howwwwweeever, it's my contention that the improvements in the minors have far less to do with DM, specifically, and everything to do with Glass being willing to spend top dollar in the draft.

With where we've been picking and the budget he's been given, it would take an impressive act to **** up the draft COMPLETELY.

Stop throwing clouds on my sunny day. I was just fixin' to order a drink with an umbrella in it, and re-read Rany's column.................

And you should.

I'm hoping beyond hope that Moose keeps kicking ass and makes all of the people like myself, who went ape shit because the team passed on Porcello and Wieters, look foolish.

Look at these selections: Hochevar, Moose, Hosmer, Crow.

Sorry, you can't pick this high as an organization and not come away with at least one star. One.

Thus far Hoch is not going to answer the bell. Fine guy to have in the rotation, but I might just prefer Longoria instead. Moose is on deck, though, and let's hope he's not pulling an Alex Gordon in the minors.

Gordon is raking, do they not have guys that throw down and away sliders/curves?

Your thoughts on John Lamb? Kid has looked outstanding thus far.

Love the strikeout to walk ratio and lowish WHIP. As a fifth rounder? Damn. Could be an absolute steal.

As Rany mentioned in an earlier update, I believe, this is probably the most left-handed pitching talent we've ever had in the organization, which is outstanding since we've been bereft of talented lefties at the ML level.

This is why I was in favor of Miller over Hochevar several years ago, though it looks like the latter might be the better selection, ultimately.

Rany had a good article. Right up until the point that he had Gordon in the lineup. Then it really lost something.

He needs to be there, pete. I realize he's a frustrating sumbitch because of all the failed expectations, but...

Would you guys trade Gordon to the Diamondbacks for Chris Young? Similar flashes of great potential, clears room for Callaspo to LF when Moose comes up, solves our CF dilemma, keep DDJ in right? I don't even know how realistic this is but maybe a change of scenery would help Gordon develop as well as Young.

Chris Young has been pretty good this year, so I'm not sure the DBacks would want to trade him at this point.

He needs to be there why??? So we can have another hitter that swings and misses?

@aroundthehornkc #Royals claim Kanekoa Texeira off waivers from the Mariners. RHP Brad Thompson designated.

Getting duffy back just increases the reasons for hope in this minor league group.

With crow, Monty, duffy, arguelles, lamb and whoever is taken at no. 4 (I think it will be pomeranz or the kid from the citadel), the Royals are stockpiling a huge number of arms that will be big-league ready within a few years of each other. Encouraging.

That then allows you to work from a position of strength and find trades YOU like to fill in position pieces at the big-league level.

Moose and Hosmer are playing as they were expected to ... And look like valuable picks in their drafts. The key will be levearging the abundance of pitching talent to support hr "stars" in development. Moose, hosmer and myers need to progress into stars, though.

Hopefully, Robinson can be an answer in CF. I'm not goin to count on Gordon, but he might be a nice fit in the two hole if he can keep his average in the .275 range in he majors (which likey translates to a .375ish obp). He will take pitches, he runs well, and he has some pop. Guys like that can be GREAT two hole hitters.

Robinson
Gordon
butler
Moose
Hosmer (rf)
Kila/fa
Aviles (2b/as)
fa (2b/ss)
fa (placeholder at c)

looks pretty good for 2012/13 ...

Jamey Wright-R-Indians Jun. 4 - 12:01 pm et

Indians designated RHP Jamey Wright for assignment.
Wright was cleared to make room for Frank Herrmann on the roster. The veteran right-hander compiled a 5.48 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and a mediocre 9/9 K/BB ratio over 18 relief appearances with the Tribe.

I wonder if we will try to get him back lol

Keith Law & Greg Schaum are talking on Twitter that the Royals may have worked out a pre-draft deal with Yasmani Grandal, C, University of Miami.

Which is exciting to me. I'd much rather the Royals draft Grandal than Sale or Pomeranz.

Thoughts on Choice, anyone? Like Reaper, I'm in favor of going the position player route. Machado is #1 for me, obviously, but he'll almost surely be gone.

http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/06/04/s...medium=twitter

Draft day is not until Monday, but we may have the first big news from this year's event on our hands.

According to multiple industry sources, the Kansas City Royals have an agreement in place with University of Miami catcher Yasmani Grandal and will take him with the fourth overall pick in the first round on Monday.

The Royals have looked at a number of options this spring, including college lefties Drew Pomeranz and Chris Sale, but have been high on the potentially fast-moving, polished catcher from the start.

Given the nature of the draft, there is no way to completely confirm that a deal is in place until it becomes official on Monday, but industry sources who spoke with FanHouse are confident that the deal has been agreed to. Details of the deal are not yet available and most likely won't be until after the draft.

The right-handed hitting junior has not disappointed scouts who have come out in force to see him this spring, hitting .422 with 14 home runs for the Hurricanes.

Myers obviously being thought of as an OF?

Myers has the athleticism to move. Doesn't mean he has to. Besides, Grandal will be the best position player at #4 - a situation similar to 3B Evan Longoria the year after 3B Alex Gordon. Just take the bat and positions will be sorted out when necessary.

The writer missed that Grandal is a switch hitter who struggles pretty mightily from the right side. He's a good hitter from the left side with good power.

His defense probably is good enough to stick as a catcher, and he could be a quick mover if they can sign him quickly.

Yeah. Too bad Grandal isn't as high an upside player as Longoria was...

:(

Not convinced this is true. If he can stick at catcher, then I can see the value and impact. However, there are several interesting college bats, including Cox and Choice.

There really isn't a college hitter who doesn't have a few warts...

Grandal can't hit from the right side of the plate and doesn't have an ideal throwing arm (though he has long been regarded as a strong defensive catcher).

Cox's power is questionable.

Choice's ability to hit for average at the big-league level is suspect.

Basically the top 3 to go are the best and after that 4-20 is about the same value wise. I'd rather take Grandal than Sale. I heard Grandal is pretty close to being ready and probably gets through the system fast.

Seems like this has been the way it's been going for the Royals of late. Upton? No chance. Price? No soup for you.

Eh, oh well. Let's hope Grandal is a stud. At least it's a logical choice, if he's indeed the guy.

Everything I've read is that this is a very, very bad year to pick #4. Apparently the difference between 3 and 4 is large this year (to the extent that anyone knows what the hell they are doing with this crapshoot draft)

If we have a pre-draft deal, thats good news and bad news.

The good news is it means we'll probably take him at slot. pre-draft deals are almost always for the slot, and he'll play right away instead of August 15. Slot for #4 is still pretty high, and it would be quite a gamble for him to refuse, he's not amazing enough to comfortably demand crazy money to sign. Plus, another reason for him to sign with us rather than take a chance at falling lower is that our catching depth sucks. He goes in immediately annointed our catcher of the future with no roadblocks, he continues to hit well for a couple years, he's in KC in record time.

The bad news is it means we'll probably take him at slot. We have shown that we aren't afraid to overpay for the best player on the board. If we are signing someone for slot at #4, that points to how weak this draft apparently is.

I heard this was a bad year to have the 4th pick, apparently next years draft is supposed to be one of the best in quite sometime, lets hope we pick well there.

I guess we need to start losing a lot more games, then.

So i hear will ferrell and paul rudd were at the royals game today

Well best means depth so it's not really necessary. Like you could get a better player at 10 then you could at 5 this year.

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**** Choice. I'm not impressed with him. Cox is meh. I like Grandal way better than those two.
I'll bet that Grandal rapidly improves his hitting from the right side of the plate once he gets into a pro system and is regularly hitting against lefites.

I'm with you. Grandal is the college hitter I like most. That he is a passable defensive catcher is just a bonus.

Well, as long as he's a Royal, he will probably never be able to escape "COME ON, CHEN!"

Holy shit that was great

"Chen's throwing a perfect game!"

"Stage-side at Yakov Smirnoff"

Good stuff for a quick impromptu interview

Pretty cool of Ferrel to come into KC and support his buddies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CSi9XDyM

Here's the 2nd part of the interview.

Says the URL contained a malformed id

I can't even recognize horatio sanz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJnihSp_BLw

Alright, try this.

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Holy shit, Horatio Sanz is Mr. Flopnuts!

And part 3.

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Thanks TK for posting part 2 and 3.....lmao at the 'price chopper' commercials 'we also love hyvee' haha

I guess billy crying how he's not voted higher for the all star game is paying off kind've....from butlers twitter

BillyButlerKC

Pretty awesome of the Royals to do this cool promo! I'm a lucky guy to be playing for KC!!! http://yfrog.com/6pom6j 27 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone

http://yfrog.com/6pom6j

Hey, Billy - if you want more all-star votes, hit more home runs and into less double plays.

shizzyrocks

@BillyButlerKC If I vote for you will you buy me that shirt?

LOL

He might, but he probably won't like it.....

This, all he is now is a right handed version of John Kruk

I like giving him crap, butterball needs to realize he isn't an AS, atleast yet...esp in a position of power, when he's hitting for just average

http://twitpic.com/1txm62

bill definetly thinks he's an all star now...

#yankees not confident nick johnson will return in '10. likely to seek on-base guy. brooklyn-born david dejesus (.383) fits 2:47 PM Jun 4th via web Retweeted by 31 people

via john heyman twitter

Probably can find a trade that works there. Move DeJesus for Some prospects... Possibly Slade Heathcott? Or one of their catching prospects. Throw in a pitcher or ss, and I think it works.

Talking to Greg Schaum from what he hears Gordon still has flaws in his swing and it probably will be a little while before he is called up...Dayton wants those kinks to be worked out first. Interesting, i'd rather have it this way, that said lets hope it works. Kila needs to be up now though.

As for DDJ i definetly wonder what will happen there, he could bring a solid prospect or 2 back

John Lamb dominant again at Wilmington. 6 innings, 9 Ks, 1 run, 2 H and 2 BB. 1.50 ERA in 4 starts at Wilmington.

Moose was 1 for 5 (2B) but had 3 RBIs. Hosmer was 1 for 2 with 2 BBs and 3 runs scored.

http://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/blog...fantasy,247036

Wed Jun 09, 2010 6:14 pm EDT
What the heck do we do with Zack Greinke?

By Scott Pianowski

You drafted Zack Greinke(notes) to be your staff ace but right now he's the reason you're pulling your hair out. He's only got one win through 13 starts, and every stat he's contributed to your bottom line is worse than what you, or anyone, projected back in March.

Let's separate some fact from fiction with the 2010 Greinke file. He's been ridiculously unlucky when it comes to Kansas City's offensive support – of the 105 pitchers who have logged 60 or more innings in 2010, Greinke currently ranks 99th in run support. The Royals haven't scored a single run while Greinke has been in the game over his last four starts. The 1-8 record is patently unfair. The Royals defense is a problem as well, albeit it's much trickier to get a perfect statistical evaluation on that.

Okay, so the Royals don't hit for Greinke and the defense could be a lot better. But that doesn't mean Greinke is without blame for his messy start. He's been rather ordinary on the mound in 2010; yes, a regression from the 2009 dream season was an easy call, but he's fallen more than anyone expected. He's striking out over two batters fewer per nine innings and his HR/FB rate has climbed back to 9.0 percent (a reasonable number) after last year's minuscule 4.5 percent. Greinke's FIP (3.91) and xFIP (4.18) are in the neighborhood of his real, and mediocre, ERA (4.05). His strand rate has fallen to 71 percent, but that's not a crazy outlier.

There's another way to conclude that Greinke's stuff hasn't been as sharp this year – look at the plate discipline stats against him (courtesy of the irreplaceable Fangraphs.com). Swinging strikes have fallen to 5.8 percent against Greinke and batters are making more contact against him than ever (86.7 percent). We could blame some of this on a one mph dip in fastball velocity, or perhaps it's a command issue – Greinke's still throwing strikes, but not getting the ball precisely where he wants it. Manager Ned Yost, for one, supports that theory.

"His stuff is still great, he's throwing the ball fine," Yost said after Greinke allowed six runs to the Twins on Tuesday. "His command has just been a little streaky for him lately."

"It would be nice to out and score five runs for (Greinke) in the first inning and see what happens," Jason Kendall(notes) said. "I think he'd go out and cruise."

We could spend a week spinning the quotes and analyzing and debating the stats under the hood, but let's get down to brass tacks – what should fantasy owners do going forward? Sell low? Buy low? Wait for an uptick, and then shop him around? Delete the Royals from your games-to-watch queue? (Is it time to dump your fantasy teams and spend the rest of the summer watching Saved by the Bell reruns? At least their Zack has a more reliable supporting cast, no matter what you make of Screech).

If Greinke turns things around in June, it's going to come against the National League: his next three turns are slated for the Reds (fourth in the majors in runs scored), Braves (sixth) and Cardinals (15th). The White Sox lie in wait at the end of the month.

Let's band together on this. It's time to rank and price Greinke for the rest of the way. Let's try to make sense of this story.

Seriously? A fantasy baseball article?

Some of us are in money leagues damnit, and the stat about the 99th pitcher in runs scored got my attn

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/14...attention.html

Posted on Tue, Jun. 15, 2010
DeJesus to be center of attention for Royals as trade deadline approaches
By BOB DUTTON
The Kansas City Star

It’s all still wonderfully new for Royals outfielder David DeJesus and better than he ever imagined. Monday marked three weeks since he became a father for the first time.

“It’s been awesome to have this little guy come into the world,” DeJesus said. “I’ve only seen him for (a handful of) days, and that’s tough. And I also want to be with Kim to help her out. But we all understand this is my job and the way I provide for my family.”

It is those work-related responsibilities that point DeJesus toward another looming and, quite possibly, life-changing experience. This summer, for the first time in his career, he is likely to find his name bandied about in trade speculation.

And like most players, it’s not something he wishes to dwell upon.

“I hope the Royals want to keep me,” he said. “I really do, because I’ve been here since (being drafted in) 2000. But I understand it’s a business, too.”

The business says DeJesus, at age 30, is a productive player in the prime of his career who is making $4.7 million this season while poised to make $6 million next year unless the Royals exercise a $500,000 buyout.

The trade market will find few players with more universally attractive aspects as it works its way toward the July 31 nonwaiver deadline.

DeJesus can be viewed as a short-term rental for any club in playoff contention or as a comfortable fit over the next few years for those franchises with financial clout. Some clubs, already, have scouts taking a hard look at him.

And while DeJesus’ salary is sufficiently high for the Royals to consider offers, it is not so high as to force a deal if those offers are not to their liking.

General manager Dayton Moore anticipates “a busy trade market” and vows “we’ll evaluate what comes our way if anything does come our way.” And while he veers away from talking specifics, he does acknowledge the Royals have “some nice pieces” if opportunities present themselves.

Those pieces include outfielder Scott Podsednik, designated hitter José Guillen, reliever Kyle Farnsworth, utilityman Willie Bloomquist and starting pitchers Brian Bannister and Kyle Davies. Other possibilities are third baseman Alberto Callaspo and outfielder Rick Ankiel in addition to DeJesus.

Talks with opposing scouts suggest the following:

•Podsednik should draw interest from clubs seeking a lower-cost outfielder than DeJesus. He projects mostly as a short-term rental for a contender, about $600,000 over the final two months, because his contract is structured to make him a likely free agent after the season.

•Guillen has shown sufficient bounce-back punch after an injury-filled 2009 to generate interest if a contender finds itself with a hole to fill. That might not happen until August, but he is likely to clear waivers (which allows him to be traded after the July 31 deadline). He is in the final season of a three-year, $36 million contract, which means a two-month rental would cost about $4 million. After that, even less.

•Farnsworth is gaining value as a front-end setup reliever and he, too, projects as a short-term rental. His contract contains a club option next season for $5.25 million with a $500,000 buyout, but he would cost a club only about $2 million for two months.

•Bloomquist drew interest last year at the trading deadline and is the type of do-everything type that contenders love down the stretch. He would only cost about $600,000 over the final two months before becoming a free agent.

•Bannister and Davies also generated offers last year and can be viewed as longer-term fits. Bannister is making $2.3 million but won’t be eligible for arbitration until after 2012. Davies is making $1.8 million and has another year of arbitration before gaining free-agent eligibility.

•Callaspo is making believers at third, but he’s about to get pricier. He is making $460,000 but could jump toward $2 million or more after the season in his first year of arbitration eligibility.

•Ankiel was signed in the offseason with an eye toward flipping him before the deadline. He’s been hurt since late April but could build some trade value if he returns soon and gets hot. He would cost about $1.1 million as a two-month rental, including the $500,000 buyout for next year to avoid a $6 million option.

While all are available, the Royals aren’t in a salary-dump mode or, from all indications, actively looking to move players.

“If you want to make a deal,” Moore said, “you have to be realistic about what you, potentially, are going to get back. And what you get back has to be better than what you have. If not, then why do it?”

For example, the Royals want an outfield prospect with pop, but they show little interest in swapping one of their veterans unless that prospect offers a higher overall upside than Derrick Robinson, Jarrod Dyson or David Lough.

“It’s like anything else,” Moore said, “you’ve got to have a willing trade partner. Both clubs have to feel like a deal makes sense.”

All of which points back to DeJesus as the trade piece most likely to generate a meaningful return, but the Royals figure to set a high price because they see him as a likely Type A player if he reaches free-agency.

That means the Royals want to match or exceed the anticipated free-agent compensation for DeJesus: a first- or second-round draft pick plus a supplemental pick between the first two rounds.

The Royals also see reason to retain DeJesus since they anticipate Ankiel and Podsednik are likely to depart after the season. If so, that would leave DeJesus, Gordon and Mitch Maier as the club’s projected starting outfield for 2011.

Club officials have several options if they choose to keep DeJesus:

•They can simply exercise a $6 million option for next season which is, in effect, a $5.5 million option since the deal contains a $500,000 buyout.

•They can decline the option, exercise the buyout and offer arbitration in the hope that would cost the same or less. Doing that would enable DeJesus to decline arbitration and become a free agent but, if he does so, the Royals get those two draft picks in return.

•They can seek to negotiate a new longer-term deal.

This much seems certain:

Speculation on all scenarios will intensify in the coming weeks.

“I want to win here,” DeJesus said. “ I’ve been through the lows, and there have been a lot of lows. But we can feel the tide is turning. I honestly see something happening here and want to be part of it.”

I just can't see us taking a step forward by trading DDJ. It really makes little sense. What could we possibly get for him that would help the team? To me, trading him takes this team a couple steps backwards and we go back to the "just wait a few more years" mantra. We are forever waiting a few more years. We were waiting on Greinke, then on Gordon and Butler. Now on Moosetacos, Hosmer, Montgomery and Crowe. Next in line to wait for is Colon.

Meanwhile we have this habbit of trading away good players and since the Moore era, overpaying has beens and players at the end of their careers that offer no long term value to this team.

Well I'm tired of it. There is nothing you can trade DDJ for that is going to make this team better off after the trade. We will literally, at best, be giving up 1 good player in one position to get aother good player at another position IF, IF we are lucky. So then why trade?

He is not trade bait for Pen fodder. We have a SS, 3rd baseman, LF, 1st baseman, cathcer and pitchers we are already waiting on. So why trade a piece of the puzzle you already have in a solid RF player with a good bat?

Its nice that David wants to stay.

If you really think this, then you must absolutely fire Dayton Moore.

Well, I can't say that would be a bad idea. I can see it now, Deez, we trade DDJ for a couple draft picks and maybe a high prospect, sign some old, Guillen re-hash for waaaay to much $ to replace him and go on the hurry up and wait wagon again.

Meanwhile you have a legit player who has a lot of his career still ahead of him playing for another team.