2012 Kansas City Royals Repository Thread

[alnorth]

2012 Slogan: Our Time

A better, more accurate 2012 Slogan: It is Finally Next Year
(from Great Expectations)

An alternative slogan if you don't like that one: Someone has to win this crappy division
(from alnorth)

With the beginning of a new year, it is time for the 2012 version of the Royals Repository Thread. We've got Hosmer, we've got a 2011-dominating Gordon, we've got Moose, we've got hopefully a killer bullpen, we've got a stereotypical slow slugging DH, we've got easily one of the best defensive shortstops in the AL, we've got a promising catcher in Salvador Perez. Hell, we've got offense and promising prospects galore.

We do not have starting pitching.

Oh yeah, we've also got this:



Get ready for, (as of January 2012 anyway), one of the most confusing puzzles of a baseball season in recent Royals history. Will they suck? Maybe, I don't know. Will we be given a year of 0.500 baseball? Possibly, I don't know. Will they win the division and go to the playoffs for the first time in 27 years? For the first time in a long time, it could happen, I don't know. 92 losses, 92 wins, or anything in between would not surprise a lot of us.

Everything goes here except Gameday threads and really big news. If a giant story breaks, the Royals achieve some awesome milestone, or we sign/lose a highly significant player/coach/mascot/whatever, then it might also deserve its own thread. This being Chiefs Planet, please do not clutter the board with new threads about trivial Royals news or you will only annoy those who come here for just Chiefs football. If you aren't sure and its not a Gameday thread, it goes here.

What sort of stuff often goes here? SPchief explained it well, so I'll just copy that:

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.

[Shogun]

**** this franchise, had an opportunity to capture us again and let it go

[DeezNutz]

And people thought Hoch wasn't Moore's draft pick...

[siberian khatru]

Originally Posted by KevB

This also signals to me that the org is pessimistic about obtaining another starting pitcher via trade or FA, which is almost as depressing as the decision to bring that turd back.

But I don't get that. They can't find someone for the same money to do better, or less money to do the same? Anywhere? REALLY?

[alnorth]

This was just.... demoralizing.

Maybe we'll sign a good pitcher, maybe this will be a false alarm, we'll cut Hoch later but even then we'll have wasted about $1MM for no good reason. If we were eager to cut him, we probably would have done it tonight!

I'm gonna play video games. G'night

[BigMeatballDave]

[siberian khatru]

Of course, then there are people like this out there:

Eric Chippeaux ‏@ewchippe
@Greg_Schaum am I the only one who is not upset at this. I am fine with this decision. I am fine with one more year of him.

[dallaschiefsfan]

Originally Posted by KevB

This also signals to me that the org is pessimistic about obtaining another starting pitcher via trade or FA, which is almost as depressing as the decision to bring that turd back.

Could be the exact opposite. Meaning, they might have stirred up enough interest in him that they are going to keep him as part of a trade next week. That might be a pipe dream, but teams actually do things like that prior to winter meetings. We'll see.

[clyde05]

I heard that the rays are interested in Hochever on 610, hope its true. I would give up Luke and Myers for shields and Hellickson in a heartbeat

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

Of course, then there are people like this out there:

Eric Chippeaux ‏@ewchippe
@Greg_Schaum am I the only one who is not upset at this. I am fine with this decision. I am fine with one more year of him.

Eric later died in a fire after crashing into a burning aids tree. It appears he had anti-freeze in his system. Tragic.

[siberian khatru]

Craig Brown ‏@royalsauthority
Breaking: David Stern just fined the #Royals $250k for tendering a contract to Luke Hochevar.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

And people thought Hoch wasn't Moore's draft pick...

I'm not making that argument anymore. Hoch was his boy all along, I was stupid to think otherwise. And now he might, possibly, waste a year of possible contention to give his boy another chance, God damn it.

[CaliforniaChief]

Why do we have the GM's with emotional attachments?

[KevB]

Who is trading for a guy with one of the worst 10 ERA's in history for someone with 100 starts? I realize ERA isn't the end all be all stat anymore, but historically worst 10 in any f'ing stat should signal it's time to let this guy go sell insurance.

[alnorth]

To anyone who might possibly have an inkling of making the "well we don't have pitchers, what are ya gonna do, Hoch isn't worse than what we have in AAA or AA", argument, save it.

By offering Hoch a contract, he can refuse and take us to arbitration, In arbitration he'll probably get over $4 million.

We aren't necessarily pissed at having no pitching (though we ought to be able to find pitching in a trade), but if you are going to settle for Hoch, you could get a pitcher as crappy as him for the F'ing major league minimum. And for that money we'd save, maybe we could have paid someone else who was better. But no, we're dumb because Hoch has good stuff and gee wiz gollee gosh, he's always unlucky, but next year is the year, promise! No it, ****ing isn't. Hoch is garbage.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

Of course, then there are people like this out there:

Eric Chippeaux ‏@ewchippe
@Greg_Schaum am I the only one who is not upset at this. I am fine with this decision. I am fine with one more year of him.

*sigh*

He is an idiot