2010 Kansas City Royals Repository thread

[SPchief]

All Royals All The Time!

After consultation with others who peruse the game threads we decided to create this as a repository for all things Royals. Minor league news, AL (ahem) Central (thanks Vonne) news and anything Royals can be found here.

alnorth, me and atleast 5 others will continue the game threads as usual. But 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.

If a big story breaks, you can still start a thread about it. There is merely an all inclusive thread that will make a easy for us all to keep up with all things Royals.


Welcome! "Grab a Brew... don't cost nuthin"...[spills beer on feet]

[tk13]

Yeah, that's why Rany isn't a GM. I don't know about Gordon, I hope he's turned the corner. I think Kila is ready though, time to find out what he's made of.

But, in the large scheme of things... it isn't going to hurt either one of these guys to wait a couple more weeks. Everybody always wants to rush. The smart play has to be running Guillen and some of these other guys out there and see if anyone bites. With our luck no one will and we'll keep playing them.

But until that happens, the correct move is to run out the veterans who are actually playing fairly decent and flip them for whatever we can get. Then actually give Gordon and Kila AB's everyday and not some platoon garbage. Kila really should be up now, but it's in the best interest of both him and Guillen to get AB's everyday.

[Sure-Oz]

I hear you about Guillen and the vets. I'm impatient but we definetly need to get them for whatever. Guillen will probably keep playing RF as a showcase anyway. I hope they get Pods out of here as well and Willie and whoever else that is real dead weight to the team. Ankiel looks like he'll be here the rest of the year on the DL

[CaliforniaChief]

Originally Posted by Sure-Oz

I hear you about Guillen and the vets. I'm impatient but we definetly need to get them for whatever. Guillen will probably keep playing RF as a showcase anyway. I hope they get Pods out of here as well and Willie and whoever else that is real dead weight to the team. Ankiel looks like he'll be here the rest of the year on the DL

Rick Ankiel might succeed Coco Crisp as the recipient of the Zach Thomas Award. It's a trophy with an exercise bike and a phrase that says:

"You were going to be great for us. Well, bye."

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by Sure-Oz

#Royals put LHP prospect Mike Montgomery back on DL at Class AA Northwest Arkansas following a recurrence of elbow soreness. about 5 hours ago via web

Not good, let the kid rest as long as possible

Ah, yes, "elbow soreness." Also known as the familiar prelude to Tommy John's.

And the fact that Kila and Gordon aren't up now is stupid. I could care less about what little value Guillen and Pods might possess, as it would be in the best interest of the organization, long-term, to...wait for it...have the best players, who happen to be the younger players, actually, you know, playing.

[tk13]

If this was April it'd be different. We're a week away from trade season kicking in, with a guy who at least looks like he could hit 30 HR and another that could steal 50 bases. You aren't getting Kyle Drabek but at least try to get something. Otherwise that would be just giving up, I hate that.

But I don't think making them wait a couple more weeks is going to hurt anything. Although Kila should be up. Gordon maybe... but he really wasn't more productive than Pods and he's still playing a new position. I'm willing to have a bit of patience with Gordon... if he comes up and plays like he did before... that might be game over for him in KC.

But it's the same never ending cycle of amnesia... most people that have been around know how that drove me nuts going back to Baird. Bring up the young guys.. oh man they aren't ready, they need to go down. They go down, in a couple weeks get on a hot streak... bring them back up! Play the young guys, they're the future! The list of prospects the Royals haven't flubbed around with is embarrassingly small.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by tk13

Yeah, that's why Rany isn't a GM. I don't know about Gordon, I hope he's turned the corner. I think Kila is ready though, time to find out what he's made of.

But, in the large scheme of things... it isn't going to hurt either one of these guys to wait a couple more weeks. Everybody always wants to rush. The smart play has to be running Guillen and some of these other guys out there and see if anyone bites. With our luck no one will and we'll keep playing them.

But until that happens, the correct move is to run out the veterans who are actually playing fairly decent and flip them for whatever we can get. Then actually give Gordon and Kila AB's everyday and not some platoon garbage. Kila really should be up now, but it's in the best interest of both him and Guillen to get AB's everyday.

Regarding Rany, you might want to re-read his article, particularly the "I hope we are trying to trade Guillen and Podsednik" part. He said if they are not playing August 1, then our front office is screwed up.

I remain hopeful that the Royals really do understand that Gordon and Ka’aihue could step into the team’s lineup tomorrow and improve the team at two positions, and that they’re simply waiting to unload guys like Guillen and Podsednik onto other teams first. Whether they’re able to do that or not is a question that requires its own article. For now, it’s not unreasonable of the Royals to hope they can swing a trade. But the team’s excuses will pass with the trading deadline in six weeks. Come August 1st, both Gordon and Ka’aihue are in the Royals’ everyday lineup, or I’ll take back every nice thing I’ve said about this organization this year.

Even given that though, I simply do not agree at all with even that point. I believe you reach a point where it gets utterly silly. 1.100-1.200 OPS in a lot of AB is that point, where you pretty much have to play or trade them right now. The fact that Gordon and Kila could be in Omaha instead of here another 4-5 weeks is highly difficult to defend. These aren't marginal guys who are maybe hopefully getting close. They are, right now, arguably 2 of the best baseball players in the entire minor league systems of all 30 MLB clubs. There is not a very good reason for them to keep playing in Omaha, at all.

edit: as far as "rushing" them, they are 26. In Kila's case, he is being held back, not rushed. He should have been up here all of last year. Gordon... who knows. It's not a fluke small sample size with him though, perhaps he figured something out this year and wasn't given much of a chance this season at all before being banished up north.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by tk13

But it's the same never ending cycle of amnesia... most people that have been around know how that drove me nuts going back to Baird. Bring up the young guys.. oh man they aren't ready, they need to go down. They go down, in a couple weeks get on a hot streak... bring them back up! Play the young guys, they're the future! The list of prospects the Royals haven't flubbed around with is embarrassingly small.

26 years old.

Gordon was given a tiny 31 AB in KC, just 12 games. He's had 184 AB over 50 games in AAA to prove to all of us that we made a hilarious mistake by over-reacting to a cold start. This team isn't winning anything anyway, he can learn left field in KC.

[Sure-Oz]

http://www.baseballdecuba.com/newsContainer.asp?id=2217

Arguelles may be a bust?

But then there is also the issue of Noel Argüelles, who might just be the biggest bust yet in the overselling of rather mediocre Cuban League talents. No one is a bigger champion of the Cuban League than I am, as all my readers know. I am not at all denigrating the level of island talent when I pick apart either Chapman or Argüelles; neither one was anything close to an island superstar. The problem here is that the large majority of ballplayers who have left the Caribbean island and reached the majors were not from the upper echelons of league talent. I have made this argument many times before, and I will not belabor it again here. Kendry Morales, Liván Hernández and El Duque are clear exceptions, of course. Alexei Ramírez, Yunel Escobar, Yunieski Betancourt and Danys Báez all showed great initial promise but have now slid to the same middle-level talent displays they earlier flashed in Cuba. But at least they were legitimate big leaguers in potential if not in staying power. But when it comes to, say, Yasser Gómez, Leslie Anderson, José Julio Ruíz, Yadel Martí and a handful of other recent so-called “defectors”—there I don’t think the big league talent stamp is anywhere nearly as clear cut. Aroldis Chapman also might yet prove to be closer in mold to Osvaldo Fernández or Yadel Martí, despite the eye-blinking fastball, elastic arm, and lithe 6-foot frame.
All of this second guessing about Aroldis Chapman eventually brings us back to Argüelles. Here is a pitcher that showed surprisingly little talent in Cuba beyond the national youth team level. Part of the problem may have been that Argüelles came to the Cuban League on the roster of a ball club with so much pitching talent that he never got a very good shot at making the grade. But that in itself speaks volumes. If Argüelles was worth $7 million than what were four or five of his Habana Province teammates (Jonder Martínez, Yadir Pedroso, Yulieski González, Miguel Lahera and Miguel Alfredo González) actually worth? Two of those guys—Jonder and Yadir—have been Cuban League ERA champs, Yulieski just missed that honor on this past season’s final weekend, and Miguel Alfredo was a top starter on September’s World Cup team in Europe. Noel Argüelles was lost in the shuffle as a 2007 season rookie in Habana Province, but his few opportunities to perform on the league’s most talented staff (15 appearances, 3 starts, a 0-5 ledger with a 7.23 ERA and almost twice as many walks as strikeouts) hardly seemed to have seven million bucks written all over them.
The irony here may well be that another recent “defector” still sitting unsigned down in the Dominican Republic seems to indeed be a legitimate potential big league starter—everything that Cincinnati and Kansas City have been claiming about Chapman and Argüelles. Yunieski Maya may be a few years older, but he was a true ace on a national team staff (2008 Olympics and 2009 World Baseball Classic) that Chapman had considerable trouble even qualifying for. Maya was by most measures the best pitcher in Cuba the season immediately before his June 2009 departure. Now we find out that Argüelles has a damaged arm and may be on the shelf for the entire summer. Compare Chapman so far to Strasburg or to his own Louisville teammate Travis Wood—or compare Argüelles to just about any other healthy prospect in the entire Kansas City organization. Either of those comparisons has to lead to a similar conclusion. It may not be clear yet how much money either the Reds or Royals organizations threw down the drain in their deals for over-sold Cuban talents. But it does seem that both clubs paid a heck of a lot more for their over-sold island prospects than they likely had to if any sanity still reined in the world of big league international talent hunting.

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by tk13

If this was April it'd be different. We're a week away from trade season kicking in, with a guy who at least looks like he could hit 30 HR and another that could steal 50 bases. You aren't getting Kyle Drabek but at least try to get something. Otherwise that would be just giving up, I hate that.

But I don't think making them wait a couple more weeks is going to hurt anything. Although Kila should be up. Gordon maybe... but he really wasn't more productive than Pods and he's still playing a new position. I'm willing to have a bit of patience with Gordon... if he comes up and plays like he did before... that might be game over for him in KC.

But it's the same never ending cycle of amnesia... most people that have been around know how that drove me nuts going back to Baird. Bring up the young guys.. oh man they aren't ready, they need to go down. They go down, in a couple weeks get on a hot streak... bring them back up! Play the young guys, they're the future! The list of prospects the Royals haven't flubbed around with is embarrassingly small.

If either of these vets is moved in a week, I'll be dead wrong. But if we're waiting until the deadline, we're talking about 6 weeks and over 100 potential ABs. That experience would far outweigh any Kyle Davies (if we're lucky) that we'll get in return.

[Sure-Oz]

Lets hope this adjustment gets him back on track, maybe failure has hit him and he finally listened.

http://www.omaha.com/article/2010061...mean-promotion

Snippets i got from another board from the article...

courtesy of Rob White of Omaha World Herald

Gordon said his adjustments to his swing are relatively minor, though both Tommy Gregg and Omaha manager Mike Jirschele think that those changes have helped put him in a better position to succeed in the majors.

Quote:
We have just tried to shorten up his swing, take the loop out of it. We have opened up his front foot a little bit, which allows his head to be turned more easily to the pitcher, and that clears his hips so he can swing through the ball a little better. Normally he would dive in and keep his foot closed, which locks up his hips and forces him to just swing with his arms more. He has been fantastic, and that makes me feel good. Guys can be really stubborn when they have had success. But I have enjoyed working with him, because he has been open. He has been willing to make adjustments, mentally and mechanically, and that is what this game is all about. - Tommy Gregg


Jirschele said Gordons swing plane is keeping the bat in the strike zone longer, improving the possibility to make consistent, hard contact.

Quote:
I see a better swing than when he came here, and he has been working hard at it. There is not anybody here who works harder than Alex does. Mike Jirschele


Particularly impressive, Gregg said, is a .397 average in 58 at-bats against left-handed pitchers, (as well as) a .507 on-base percentage and a .690 slugging percentage against lefties.

With the trading deadline roughly six weeks away, speculation has already started that Kansas City would be willing to listen to offers for Guillen, Ankiel and Podsednik, certainly, and possibly DeJesus. Moving any of those players would clear a path for Gordon.

Gregg said Gordon seems to be having fun, and he wonders how much Gordon has even worried about returning to the big leagues.

Well, Alex, have you thought about it?

Quote:
Not really. Everybody wants to be up there, obviously, but the time for that will come. Alex Gordon

[BWillie]

Maybe this was good for Alex all along. He skipped AAA. Struggled a bit at the pro level. I think this well help him get his confidence back. There is no doubting Alex's talent. He may have just developed bad habits by getting frustrated at the plate in the pros

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by BWillie007

Maybe this was good for Alex all along. He skipped AAA. Struggled a bit at the pro level. I think this well help him get his confidence back. There is no doubting Alex's talent. He may have just developed bad habits by getting frustrated at the plate in the pros

He wouldn't listen to George Brett, but george said "how do you change a guy thats never failed?"

I just hope he can be a solid piece, he has more talent than most our roster.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by Sure-Oz

He wouldn't listen to George Brett, but george said "how do you change a guy thats never failed?"

I just hope he can be a solid piece, he has more talent than most our roster.

Yeah, but George Brett is a piece of shit. Just ask anybody who has met the guy. He probably didn't like the guy, didn't want to listen to him.

[shakesthecat]

http://twitter.com/ESPN_MLBDRAFT

"Heard Royals have agreed to terms with Christian Colon for somewhere around $2.8 million. He'll report to high-A in about ten days."



If true, they prolly won't announce it until they get back home so Colon can take BP in front of the home crowd.

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by shakesthecat

http://twitter.com/ESPN_MLBDRAFT

"Heard Royals have agreed to terms with Christian Colon for somewhere around $2.8 million. He'll report to high-A in about ten days."



If true, they prolly won't announce it until they get back home so Colon can take BP in front of the home crowd.

w00t.

Hope to see him in '11.