Originally Posted by duncan_idaho (Post 12248301)

I've been thinking about what, exactly, the Royals would look like if they stay in it this year and make the playoffs again.

I'll start with the lineup.

I think Brett Eibner is someone who could have some really significant instant success at the MLB level... He has a lot of raw power and knows how to pick his pitch and put a swing with good loft on it. I wouldn't be surprised to see him start really hot, but I don't think he can sustain it long-term. KC needs Dyson/Orlando to continue to hit and Lorenzo Cain to continue his return to 2015 form. If all those things happen, the y may survive until Gordon is back and healthy.

Ultimately, I think Eibner's lack of contact will keep him from being an everyday guy, but I could see him being something similar to Randal Grichuk in St Louis, though not quite that good.

Originally Posted by Simply Red (Post 12248331)

Originally Posted by kcfanXIII (Post 12248322)

This right here. Let's just enjoy our victory lap. If we make the playoffs again, it will be great. If not, we can just pop in the 2015 highlight reels.

Originally Posted by BWillie (Post 12248420)

Hopefully Brett Eibner can be Brett Gardner-lite. That is the only comp I can think of at the moment. The difference is Gardner is a better hitter, and Eibner with more power. But somewhat similar players, I hope.

Originally Posted by siberian khatru (Post 12248426)

Or maybe more like Jeremy Hazelbaker, an older guy who gets off to a hot start and fades.

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho (Post 12248301)

I've been thinking about what, exactly, the Royals would look like if they stay in it this year and make the playoffs again.

I'll start with the lineup.

I think Brett Eibner is someone who could have some really significant instant success at the MLB level... He has a lot of raw power and knows how to pick his pitch and put a swing with good loft on it. I wouldn't be surprised to see him start really hot, but I don't think he can sustain it long-term. KC needs Dyson/Orlando to continue to hit and Lorenzo Cain to continue his return to 2015 form. If all those things happen, the y may survive until Gordon is back and healthy.

Originally Posted by C3HIEF3S (Post 12248461)

I'm done with my grieving. Let's **** up these scumbags.

Originally Posted by WilliamTheIrish (Post 12248708)

All right. Now bring along the rest of them and watch the next flag get raised.

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho (Post 12248301)

I've been thinking about what, exactly, the Royals would look like if they stay in it this year and make the playoffs again.

I'll start with the lineup.

I think Brett Eibner is someone who could have some really significant instant success at the MLB level... He has a lot of raw power and knows how to pick his pitch and put a swing with good loft on it. I wouldn't be surprised to see him start really hot, but I don't think he can sustain it long-term. KC needs Dyson/Orlando to continue to hit and Lorenzo Cain to continue his return to 2015 form. If all those things happen, the y may survive until Gordon is back and healthy.

Ultimately, I think Eibner's lack of contact will keep him from being an everyday guy, but I could see him being something similar to Randal Grichuk in St Louis, though not quite that good.

If Merrifield can put up something like .275/.325/.375-.400, I think that's a major bonus at 2B (and with the offensive downgrades elsewhere, they need to bump 2B production). If Merrifield does that, I'd like to see them try him in the lead off spot, eventually.

Cuthbert is also key. He needs to hit a little more than he has, but he's a solid fill-in that keeps them from being in disaster mode. His performance with the bat has improved at every level over time/once he adjusts... Would need to do that quickly to be an average MLB stick at 3B.

Ultimately, unless Gordon is able to return in a best-case-scenario type situation, I think they'll need to make a trade to shore up the lineup if they're still in contention for a spot.

Thankfully, there are several minor leaguers who have taken nice steps this year, so the farm isn't as barren as it might have looked at the beginning of the year (dozier, bonifacio, mills, Strahm, all come to mind... But Chase Vallot, Foster Griffin, Jake Junis, and a few other younger guys have started strong and made themselves into worthwhile trade pieces.

The rotation is going to come down to how the 4-5 spots fill. Some combination of Duffy, Minor, Young, Medlen, Gee... That's a lot of bodies for those spots. I'm optimistic they'll do OK at filling them.

A trade for a starter wouldn't hurt - I think something like Chase Vallot + Bonifacio + Alec Mills is something close to what it would take to get someone similar to Scott Kazmir (that's pretty close to what the A's got for him last year), but we will see how that trade market shapes up.

Ventura pulling his head out of his ass and pitching consistently well would also help. Need him to be strong behind Kennedy and Volquez.

To sum: I don't think it's over. If they make it through the next 20 games or so still within a few games of first in the Central and still in the playoff hunt, I think they make the playoffs, because the schedule gets much easier in the second half.




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Originally Posted by KChiefs1 (Post 12248832)

Any chance if Cuthbert fails that they would bring up Dozier?


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Originally Posted by Simply Red (Post 12248331)

Originally Posted by lewdog (Post 12248877)

If we don't want to check it in, trading for Trevor Plouffe in a down year might not require much from the Royals.