So this dude is gonna replace Collins in the pen

Hey, we've got plenty of other picks to draft damaged pitchers. They'll draft guys with arm trouble so they can sign them cheaper. You watch.

So when Danny Duffy flames out, we'll have this guy to be the next Danny Duffy.

Royals: Where bulldog is an attribute

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Royals&amp;src=hash">#Royals</a> scouting director Lonnie Goldberg on Finnegan, &quot;He’s got the make-up, the command and the bulldog in him that we were looking for.&quot;</p>&mdash; Josh Vernier (@JoshVernier610) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshVernier610/statuses/474726754947330048">June 6, 2014</a></blockquote>
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we need some more focking bulldogs on this shitty team

Any guesses on pick 28?

somebody we won't appreciate

Foster Griffin another LHP

Foster Griffin is the 28th pick.

Hud just said that Finnegan might be with the club later this season?

Wtf?

Our number one...
http://i61.tinypic.com/2s9emgp.gif

Just said the above in regards to this in the game thread. About to get lost, though, so I'll copy it over here.

40th pick: Chase Vallot - Catcher

Compared to Mike Napoli.

Believe, bitches :D. Long season.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Since starting the year 27-12, the Tigers are 4-13. This season is nuts.</p>&mdash; Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) <a href="https://twitter.com/jazayerli/statuses/474743367801532416">June 6, 2014</a></blockquote>
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So he has long greasy hair and listens to GnR and Slayer nttawwt

Has really good power. The Royals will turn him into hosmer

Fixed it

Will bump thread in 2017 when Finnegan busts.

LMAO. That's ****ing great.

And so sadly true

Royals drafted some rhp with possible arm issue...also a tigers fan

Last place sucks.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Royals said they had Vallot here Sunday to hit at the K. He hit a ball near the Hall of Fame. And yes, the fountains were on</p>&mdash; Pete Grathoff (@pgrathoff) <a href="https://twitter.com/pgrathoff/statuses/474760039555551232">June 6, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Oh don't worry. Our organizational batting coaches will correct that, I'm sure.

No sweat. He'll just revert back to what he was doing in high school and crush like he was born to.

Does he have any idea how that will kill a rally?

Saw Vallot play in the state championship game in Louisiana earlier this year. Dude is a beast.

need moar pitchers!!

You can never have enough pitching, IMO. As fragile as arms are these days I'll take all we can get.

Pitching is baseball currency. Trade arms for bats.

Turned on MLB Network just in time to hear them praising Kevin Seitzer and how since May 1st the Blue Jays are 25-9 and 1st in 4 hitting statistics :banghead:

So the Royals picked a pitcher named Blewett? Hahahahahaha

Was so pissed when they fired him

Called him the best hitting coach in MLB. Not good enough for Ned. :shake:

So, we took an undersized, hard throwing, injury plagued pitcher with our first pick? Great, yet another reliever for our bullpen..........

Dale Sveum got this!
Posted via Mobile Device

It's not THAT bad (though, let's be honest, this is the Royals, so...)

Finnegan missed ONE start this year as a precaution and his shoulder is otherwise fine. He blamed the shoulder tightness/inflammation on sleeping on it funny.

He was 4th in the NCAA in K:9 before the skipped start, and pitched well enough once he came back to before the NCAA leader in K:9.

It is the only injury I can find in his college career, so calling him "Injury plagued" really doesn't fit.

Now, if you want to talk about his size and durability, those are possibly legit concerns. He also has some flack in his mechanics that makes them less than ideal (but adds deception).

Every scouting report I can find, though, shows him maintaining his velocity though 100 pitches, which lessens any concerns I'd have about his size.

The Royals passed on some guys like Chris Sale in round 1 because they weren't "classic" pitchers in terms of size/appearance. I'm actually fine with the idea of being a little more outside-the-box on a guy like this.

It would be nice if he could be a Sept call up to add to the bullpen. His K:9 rate hopefully translates into pro ball.

Come on, this is the Royals we are talking about. If I can't be pessimistic and over-exaggerate the bad, , I got nothing left. Please.........

It's possible... will depend on how much deeper TCU goes, how long it takes to sign him, and how he performs once he is signed.

I wouldn't say it's likely, but if the stars align, he could give them some help late.

He's pretty close to a finished product. Changeup is MLB average, fastball and slider are plus, according to every report I can find.

True.

I had just finished reading an article breaking Finegan down in which it talked about the "significant time" he missed this year because of the shoulder and how concerning that was, so I was probably a little more sensitive to that than I otherwise would have been.

It's kind of sad how lazy some of these "draft guys" are when it comes to that.

Leaving one start early, being skipped as a precaution, and coming back even stronger is not missing a significant part of the season.

My wife, the TCU grad, is extremely excited about Finnegan joining the Royals. If it gets me more time at the K because of it, I'm sold:thumb:

Looking at the Day 1 picks, I think Chase Vallot is probably my favorite pick.

He's got the arm and pop time to stick behind the plate, apparently has tremendous raw power (won the HR derby at the Perfect Game showcase, which included all the elite HS guys) ... and lost 20 pounds before the start of baseball season because he realized he needed to.

He's a project, but if he can stick behind the dish, the bat is intriguing.

Oh, and he won't turn 18 until August and has not grown up as a baseball prima donna like some you could mention.

EDIT: I should also mention that all 4 of the Day 1 draft picks are top 40 talents according to many. I think Keith Law has them all in his top 34. If the Royals can sign all of them (and they've done a good job gauging who is signable over the past several years), that's a pretty good indicator.

And my guess is he'd be ready by the time Sal is gone, correct?

Blewett is my favorite pick of yours :)

He should be knocking on the door by the time Perez is in his last year or two of this contract.

2015 - A
2016 - High A
2017 - AA
2018 - AAA
2019 - MLB

Of course, that's assuming he hits enough at each level to progress, and his defense is good enough at each level to progress.

Catchers sometimes take more time to move.

Side note on Vallot: Sounds like a pretty mature, mentally tough kid. He was able to perform over the past year and a half while his mother dealt with breast cancer. Pretty nice family story.

Move Perez to 1st, Hosmer is leaving. Put Vallot at home.

Just HOW IN THE ****!!!!! are you planning to replace the 1 HR per year from Hosmer leaving? How!?

BullDog Finnegan!! Now we will have a Moose and a Bulldog on the team. :doh!:

LMAO

Didnt we pick some guys with arm troubles last year too?? :doh!: royals give me a headache!!

No.

[Chiefsplanet Royals fan]We keep spending first-round picks on guys with arm problems![/Chiefsplanet]

[Reality]Sean Manaea never had arm problems (hip surgery - completely fine and recovered). Brandon Finnegan missed one start in his college career due to shoulder stiffness, as a precaution, and has pitched BETTER since skipping that start. He does not have an injury history. [/reality]

Easy. Sign Cubs pitcher Travis Wood to play 1st or DH. He has as many HR as our current 1b and DH combined

:thumb: That is right we picked a guy in a full body cast on life support with our first pick last year. Next year will be a blind catcher-just to show the fans they are thinking outside the box. :p

Must-read interview on Brett's days as hitting coach:

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...%E2%80%99.html

Refreshing honesty from the organization. Loved the read, thanks for sharing.

Oh **** you!:)

Not that anyone cares, because by reading many comments in this thread Hosmer is a bust, worthless, hopeless, etc. but...

June 6, 2013 - .265/.321/.335 1 HR, 9 2B, 18 RBI
June 6, 2014 - .264/.305/.358 1 HR, 20 2B, 25 RBI

Obviously I would prefer he plays a whole season to his potential but compared to this time last season he is actually performing slightly better right now. Maybe he needs a better off season program.

I guess the increase in doubles is encouraging... as well as the extra seven runs generated with men on.

But that's still ****ing sad.

Ya he needs a good kick to his nuts and someone to tell him he's not the shit.

Lol. Just the messenger man, just the messenger.

And I'm sure he'll post ok numbers buy years end but he was supposed to be Paul Goldschmidt and instead he's a better Lyle Overbay

The thing about the doubles is that I can think of 3 right away that were each about a foot away from being HRs. I think there are a few others.

I think his main problem is too many wasted ABs where he is unsure of what he wants to do at the plate. There are times where he will go a week taking pitches for the sake of taking them even though they are hittable, then realizing he has missed opportunities, he has a week or so like this past one where he swings at everything and gets himself out.

People call brett and asshole-but he is the most candid person in KC.

This tells you everything you need to know about this team. You have a HOFer and one of the Best hitters of his generation at your disposal and yet you don't use him to help your swing?? 3 batting titles in 3 different era's-the guy can hit. Why wouldn't you ask for advice Moose, Hosmer? Why-becasue - Brett wouldn't message your big fat ****ing ego-he would tell you straight away you suck at this or that. They didn't want the truth and either did the front office-these guys are bums that will never win shit in KC. Brett knew it, the fans know it- but the Royals are in denial the last 30 years.

That is encouraging. Thanks for the reminder. Hopefully he turns it up.

Each team in the division, other than Minnesota has a pretty tough series this weekend. With us avoiding Tanaka, hopefully we can win our series and make up some good ground and maybe even jump back into second place.

What's with all the kneejerk reaction as if anyone has a damn clue on how 40+ selections are going to pan out. ..

Does anyone think Paredes can be anything more than a AAAA guy?

He's done well lately in Omaha, at least.

Just drafted Eric Skoglund another LHP:

A tall, lean left-hander, Skoglund has excelled since becoming the Friday night starter at Central Florida this spring. Skoglund's fastball sits around 90 mph with riding life. His slider and changeup give him two more average offerings, and he knows how to use all three pitches effectively. He has improved his control over the past year and has no problem throwing any of his pitches for strikes. Scouts can still project on Skoglund, who is listed at 6-foot-6, 170 pounds. He has an easy delivery and could still add some velocity as he fills out his large frame. Even without any added velocity, he has the tools necessary to be a Major League starter.

We should have a stable of arms large enough to bring in a fresh pitcher every inning.

New approach- having all your pitchers with lights out closer stuff each only work an inning or 2 throwing full gas. This would offset our crap of an offense.

Vallot hasn't even played yet and he's only 1 HR behind Hosmer.

Why not spare him the torturous bungling and misinformation of our developmental system, put him in the majors tonight, forbid any of our coaches from talking to him, and watching him lead the Royals in HR's by the end of next week?

There's like seventy reasons why not.

I don't find this encouraging at all. Last year at this time we were all ripping Hosmer for being a bust. Then he caught fire the rest of the year and gave us hope: hope that he had FINALLY figured it out. Now he has reverted back to being a ****ing bust again, and that hope is gone.

A Gold Glove bust?? ;)

Ross Gload was pretty nifty with the glove, too.

Interesting article.

I feel one big difference between the generations of hitters that at at has happened during my lifetime is the inability of our players to figure things out on their own. Professional players should have the inner desire to work on their own also.

Very distinctly I remember a story Dick Howser relayed to the press during the 1986s season about Hal Mac looking on the lineup card and seeing he was not playing that day. Hal had been in a mild slump. Instead of grousing, Hal grabbed a tee and a bag of balls and went to the bullpen to work on his swing.

Howser stated that Hal was "such a professional and took his craft seriously" even that late in his career, and Howser said that would rub off on younger players.

Maybe our players have they drive also. It sure doesn't seem like they do.

He was working on his golf game - aiming for Toma on the riding mower.

http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/kamDqL-AGzI/hqdefault.jpg

Hal don't take shit from nobody!

I'd rather have a power hitting first baseman with cement hands.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Royals&amp;src=hash">#Royals</a> prospect Bubba Starling hits grand slam off rehabbing <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Nats&amp;src=hash">#Nats</a> LH Gio Gonzalez for Class-A <a href="https://twitter.com/WilmBlueRocks">@WilmBlueRocks</a> tonight</p>&mdash; Steven Davis (@Steven_Davis3) <a href="https://twitter.com/Steven_Davis3/statuses/475064070975270912">June 6, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Fixed by Sveum!

And not a single **** was given.

Dick Stuart!