What about bringing Dejesus back home? He seems like he'd be a nice piece to get some at bats at RF or DH? Both places we are under performing at.

We keep grousing (fairly I might add) about player development and its exhausting watching guys who are universally loved by scouts flop up in KC. My theory is DM is too patient and lax with young players but that's just my theory. I'm looking for other ideas.


Watching Chisenhall blow by Moose is nauseating to me. In my 2011 BBAmerica handbook all three guys (Callis, Lingo, Manuel) had Moose higher. Lingo had hm #3 overall. Behind Harper and Trout. Moose had 20HR as a 23 year old his first full season then shit the bed. We have a problem whatever it is

Yeah the Rays are in deep. At this point they're going to have to go 65-30 or something like that to even have a shot.

There are only 5 teams in the AL with a positive run differential. The A's are +124 and the next best team is +37. Detroit's one of the five and they're only +2.

Infante now has a 68 OPS+. Getz was 55. Infante has a 0.0 bWAR while Getz was at 0.2. Infante has 178ab and we only gave Getz 209 before we cast him down to Hades.

Infante has been a massive turd and I can't imagine what he'll be in years 3+4 of that bad contract.

I wonder how much that shot to the face really ****ed him up mentally at the plate. It seemed like he was putting up good numbers until then.

Agree that some of the issues with player development involve coddling the players too much and being too lax with them. Promotions come fairly easily.

Moustakas probably didn't REALLY earn his way out of Wilmington after his 2009 season there, but he then followed that up by hitting 36 bombs and posting a .999 OPS over AA and AAA the next year.

The coddling issues with him didn't really start until he was in the big leagues.

Hosmer is kind of the same story, although they had him repeat Wilmington after a disastrous debut there and he went off on that league.

He was .270/.325/.392 at the time of the injury.

He is .160/.185/.213 since returning.

Clearly is not 100 percent. But, since Moustakas and Hosmer have been so bad, they really had little choice but to bring him back. He isn't this bad, but it's time to drop him in the lineup if he doesn't get hot soon.

I know a lot of you don't care about fantasy but I thought this trade offer I just got was hilarious.

Trevor Plouffe/Drew Hutchison for Michael Wacha. Keep in mind, this is also a keeper league so it's not even just Wacha's services this year.

That sounds worthy of an even more ridiculous return offer.

Shane Victorino/Tony Cingrani for Jose Bautista?

Well, sweeping the Indians sure helped.

That's pretty good.

I once had a guy who was desperate to acquire Hanley Ramirez (this was in 2010, coming off of Hanley's 30/50 year) and he kept offering me garbage for it despite being told that I wouldn't consider trading Hanley unless I got Ryan Braun + from him).

I think I ended up offering Grant Balfour for Ryan Braun straight up before he finally shut up (this was before Balfour was a closer - just a stud setup man at the time I was carrying to help with ratios and Ks).

Crazy. I've been getting trade offers like this all year. I'm one of two new guys in a league with a bunch of guys that have been together a few years. I think they're all testing me to see if they can fleece me because I haven't played before.

One guy kept offering me 4 for 2's. Like downgrading at two positions would be worth it because I got two other pieces of trash alongside it.

I think he had Lasix surgery between those seasons, right?

Oh not at all! I'm totally fascinated hearing stories of fantasy teams. It's utterly fascinating. Especially when it's someone else's team.

I'm always that guy in my league. I will low ball trade offers all year just to see what I can get them to counter offer.

He had Lasik and recovered from a broken hammate bone. That bothered him all of his first year in Wilmington, as I recall.

Is his wrist still broken?

About time you score some runs:)

Whatever Infantes issue is, he better fix it quickly because we dumped Getz for a reason. For us to pick up his doppelgänger AND pay 8M for the privilege is just infuriating. He frankly sucks balls.



Didn't we think getting rid of Getz and Frenchy would automatically boost the offense? Nope!


2013: 4.00 runs/game (11th) .694 OPS (11th) 89 OPS+
2014: 3.95 runs/game (12th) .667 ops (14th) 83 OPS+



Obv Country Fat-ass & Erica are the two biggest falls. But anyone thinkin we'd make up with Infante & Aoki was dead wrong.

Please chill with your sensationalism.

Dale Sveum effect, anyone? His main objective was for our guys to lay off pitches lower in the zone, while jumping on higher pitches.

We've scored 60 runs in 13 games with him as hitting coach, while only scoring 197 in 52 games.

4.6 vs 3.8 runs per game, respectively.

Seems like a simple tweak, but this incredibly small sample size might foreshadow a better offensive team moving forward.

We can only hope.

If the Royals win again, are the Rep threads back!?! LOL

Our team has an 83 OPS+, and it's my post which is "sensational"? Thanks for the laugh.

I'll be at the game tomorrow night so it's almost a guaranteed loss.

You called Omar Infante a Chris Getz doppelganger.

Also, why didn't you compare the team's offensive output through June 10 in 2013 to the offensive output through June 10 in 2014? Wouldn't that comparison be more fair?

We all know that the Royals offense improved quite a bit after June 1 last season. Looks like it might be improving again.

Can we stop talking about fantasy baseball/other teams/general baseball information in this thread? It's getting a little out of hand. Start a new "general baseball thread" or go to the Fantasy/Casino Planet forum if you want to talk about that stuff.

Here's what I look at. Can Infante drive the ball? Yes, he can, seeing as he has twice as many homers as Getz had during his whole stay here in a mere two months. Is Infante a slap-hitter? Depends on the definition. Getz got most of his hits by softly hitting the ball through holes in the infield, rather than hitting line-drives into the outfield.

I believe Infante has done all of the things Gets has done and far more and, honestly, this is one of the dumbest comparisons I've ever seen anyone make. Getz was the worst player in baseball, and Infante is average. Is Infante a great hitter? No, but he's miles ahead of Getz will ever be.

Since trades are being brought up, one I have been thinking about for a while for the Royals that could make some sense for them is with the Padres.

Chase Headley
Carlos Quentin

3rd base and right fielder. Both have been hurt this year, thus numbers are down but for the right price they could be enough to push the Royals over the hump into the playoffs.

Coincidence. Im sure Alex Gordon really cares what Dale Sveum has to say...

Headley's been almost as bad if not worse than Moustakas, and is coming into a contract year.

I grant that injuries have been a factor, but there hasn't been much from Headley for quite some time now.

I'd rather deal Greg Holland to the Dodgers for Joc Pederson, but I doubt they'll do that now.

No.

Why's that? He's pretty blocked.

I wouldn't mind picking up Headley and Quentin, but I don't think it would be a surefire success.

A change of scenery might ignite either guy. Getting out of Petco might ignire either guy. Or it might not.

Long term 3B picture could be interesting...

Cuthbert and Dozier are the oft-mentioned internal candidates (and for reason... each has a nice skill set. Dozier has been hot at High A since the start of May and Cuthbert is showing good OBP skills though marginal power at AA), but I think Orlando Calixte is still a name to watch there.

He's OPSing .850 as a SS at Northwest Arkansas. Pretty solid, and has apparently improved his plate discipline quite a bit (small sample size, though). He's a good defensive shortstop, but if he keeps hitting at this level, KC could promote him to Omaha ... and if he finishes this season strongly, Calixte COULD be an option at 3B if Moustakas continues to suck.

I think Calixte's long-term future is as a 2B (with Mondesi playing SS), but he's a RH bat with pop and good defensive skills... wouldn't be a bad UTIL guy next year, if he earns it.

I loooooove reading about fantasy teams. Especially trade talk, wow the intrigue!!!! In fact I log into this site just to read about who's being offered what for Michael Wacha.

I've noticed guys like Billy and Alex laying off pithes low in the strike zone, though. Billy has been elevating the ball more. Gordon too. It's not like Sveum is totally re-vamping their approach. He's simply sharing an observation.

Andre Ehtier has three years left on a big deal (that would require them to either eat big money or give him away)

Carl Crawford has three year left on a deal that probably makes him untradeable unless someone big gets desperate (that basically leaves the Yankees, who have a younger and better version of him in Ellsbury)

Yasiel Puig is a legitimate superstar talent and young and cheap. He's a franchise cornerstone.

Matt Kemp has 5 years left on a huge deal that puts him in the same boat as Ethier.

They also have a long-term option at 1B in Adrian Gonzalez.

There's really nowhere for Pederson to go anytime soon, and they'd get a much, much bigger return for him than for any of those other guys.

If I'm the Royals, I'd be willing to talk Greg Holland or Wade Davis for him. Would give the Dodgers a lights-out guy at the end of the pen, something they really don't have right now (Jansen has been very hittable this year and really only has one pitch right now).

Re: Sveum...

Based on what I was hearing from someone who works for the team, it wouldn't surprise me if flushing Grifol DID make a difference. He was in over his head, from what I was told. "Pedro doesn't talk about approach, just about taking good swings and having a swing that feels good" is a pretty direct quote.

Well if getting Joc Pederson is a realistic possibility, I'd be all in to get him. He's only 22 and is just destroying in AAA (of course we've heard that before, so there's that.)

I would argue that letting Davis or Holland go in a deal for him would make us both stronger today and in the future.

:thumb:

Thanks

I've been on board with this since the rumors last season. Whether or not those were just internet GM's that saw a fit, or the two teams have actually had discussions, I have no clue. But that would be an excellent coup if we could pull that. Solves the RF gap we have after Aoki leaves, and I don't think anyone is gonna cry if we don't try to re-sign him. And let's us leverage one of our power arms into future help before the either get too expensive ($8M) or production starts to decline. This should be a lesson learned from the Soria era for DM.

As far as Headley goes, color me unimpressed. He had a great year in 2012, more of an outstanding second half if memory serves correct. Wanted a new deal that offseason, couldn't get anything worked out and has been pretty below average ever since. I see 2012 as more of an outlier for him than what to be expected. Not that our 3B looks promising, but I wouldn't go throwing pieces at SD for Headley and thinking it fixes anything either.

Pederson is 4th in OPS in the PCL at age 22. Of course, Nick Franklin is 13th at age 23 and plays middle Infield. Is he worth Greg Holland? Of course had the rumors of Butler been true, imagine how that would've benefitted us to plug Franklin in at 2B and save 32m on Getz-er, Infante

Hey, I now feel like I'm qualified to be a major league hitting coach. Can someone let the Royals know I'm available?

Conkinydink or not, I have not problems believing that Grifol never talked about approach. It was more than obvious none of our hitters had one.

I wouldn't trade bullpen pitching speed or defense for hitting. Hitting goes into slumps.

Of course, Nick Franklin has sucked hard at the MLB level for 3/4 of a season, whereas Pederson has not failed yet.

It's also fairly generous to call what Nick Franklin does "playing" middle infield.

At least give it a few more months before you start panicking about Infante. He's an established MLB vet who's coming off getting drilled in the face by a pitch and back spasms.

Almost nothing in baseball is less reliable than bullpen pitching. Feared closers routinely suck just 3 years later. You always sell high on relief pitching unless you really need them to compete in that particular year, which might actually describe us this season.

:facepalm:

And what did they see in this guy again?

Do you like anyone on the team? You seem to gripe about Butler, Moose, Hosmer, Infante, Aoki, Escobar, etc quite regularly. Maybe Gordon and Salvy have been spared, but damn. If I just read your posts alone, I would think we were on pace to be the 2013 Houston Astros.

Are you projecting, perhaps? Were you the Chris Getz of little league and wear a pink tutu to a game and get laughed off the team (re:avid homophobia)?

Yes. If you can trade a bullpen piece for an everyday player with all star abilities, you do it.

Teams are rarely interested in trading top 20 prospects for bullpen pieces, but the dodgers are kind of unique thy year.

2014 Royals Repository
 

I am pretty sure he was leading the charge sometime last season or in the offseason about Gordon being worthless. Something about his defense wasn't really valuable since he played LF.

I try to remain optimistic about the Royals. It is easy to be negative all of the time cheering for a team in a sport where a player that fails 70% of the time is considered good.



I also have only see one losing season so that might have something to do with my optimism.

My hopes for this season are resting on the fact that we're only 2.5 out with such shit-tastic seasons from Hosmer, Butler, Infante, Aoki, and Moustakas. Honestly it's a miracle that we are where we are, and that we've managed to go 9-4 against the Cards, Jays, Yankees, and Indians.

If statistical trends are true, all should improve as the season progresses. And honestly, other than Davis/Holland, nobody's performing so well that they'll slump out badly.

Maybe we're just one of those teams who plays to the level of our competition?

Our pitching staff is the only reason we are one game over .500. I don't think anybody expected them to be this good.

Have fun man, love the Cell.

As much as I love CQ because he was a White Sox, stay away. Injury plagued.

The only starter who's been better than I expected is Vargas.

Shields has been slightly disappointing.
Guthrie has sucked.
Ventura has been good, but I thought he would be this good.
Duffy's been up and down.

Guthrie hasn't sucked.

He's by far at his worst since joining the Royals. His WHIP, HR rate, ERA are all elevated.

This isn't true at all.
His ERA and WHIP right now are both better than his career averages.

He is a #4 starter who will get you around a 4 ERA and 200 innings pitched. You take that all day.

And not to mention the guy isn't getting any younger, he is obviously going to have some decline, but he hasn't fallen straight off of a cliff.

His ERA with the Royals was:
Year 1: 3.16
Year 2: 4.04
Year 3: 4.10

You are correct that it's better than career averages, my statement was that it's his worst with the Royals.

My point is that really except for Vargas, none of our other starters are really outperforming the norm in a way that we could expect a "market correction."

I know what Guthrie is, and it still is a great trade that GMDM made to get him considering the dumpster fire we gave up in exchange. But he's not lights-out compared to expectations...and several of our position players are well below what I think we can reasonably expect, the reason for my optimism.

With the Royals defense and stadium I figured Vargas would have a better ERA than previous years. I was thinking maybe 3.5ish

The main issue with Vargas is that he'll throw too many changeups to righties and leave it up and it gets crushed. Most of his ERA is off of homers.

I don't like the offense, but at 83 OPS nobody should. Pitching and def are very good like last year.

no one would be complaining about our pitching much of we had a "true" AL lineup with power.

Should be a good series this weekend. Sox are 16-11 in the division meanwhile the Royals are 8-15.

I'd guess that at least 10 of those losses are of the one run variety. It's losses like those that bite you in the ass at the end of the year.

How has Duffy not been better than expected? He wasn't even in the rotation at the beginning of the year, and now he's started seven games, given up 3 runs or fewer in 5 of those 7 starts, pitched a 2-hitter, has a 3.26 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. What more do you want?

That 16-year old Italian kid we signed at SS for $1.3MM last year (now 17) who some think could be the best European baseball prospect ever, has been sent to Burlington. He would be, by far, the youngest player on the roster. (DOB 5/24/97)

Unreachable Expectactions....... It gets old .... This team is on a roll w/7 outta 9 W's and getting back into the mix. Try and Ignore the Asshats and there are many that will never be happy ....

Duffy and Vargas have been better than I expected.

I've got beef with duncan right now.

3 with the Sux and 4 with the tailspinning Tigers. Time to bitch slap them both

Not with your no HR hitting asses.

We do it with sac flies.

I'd rather do Davis for Pederson but this is the kinda trade the Royals need to make.

If the Royals went 4-3 over the next two series would you be happy?