Royals (New) 2013 Kansas City Royals Repository - Page 165

duncan_idaho · 08-15-2013, 08:13 AM

New thread, this time with more burst.

Proposed 2013 Slogan: Tigers: They're what's for dinner
Actual 2013 Slogan: Come to Play
A better, more accurate, or alternative slogan: All in, no panic, we promise.

Dayton Moore has pushed all his chips in and is riding on King/Jack suited, hoping it comes together, he gets some good luck, and he hits the nuts by the river card. There's potential, oh yes, there's potential. There's also risk.

At the midway point, Dayton is left counting on the river card. The flop and turn didn't help him, and he's looking at the Tigers holding a pair of Queens and the Indians holding a pair of 9s. His 2013 plan hasn't failed - yet - but the odds are not in his favor.

Burning questions updates below.

Burning Questions for 2013:

1) Will the improve rotation be improved enough? Does James Shields pitch like a fringe No. 1 away from Tampa Bay? Does Ervin Santana pitch to his highest upside in his walk year? Can Jeremy Guthrie build on his strong performance as a Royal in 2012? Can Wade Davis bring his new mentality- and velocity - back to the rotation?

Midseason check-in: Yes, the rotation is certainly improved enough. Shields has pitched like a fringe No. 1 and Santana is having his best season. Guthrie has horrible peripherals but has continued to perform well at his home park and eat innings on the road. Davis brought neither his kick-ass mentality or improved velocity back to the rotation and is in Luke Hochevar/Hiram Davies territory.

2) When will Luke Hochevar be shown the door?
Midseason check-in: It appears, never, at this point. Hochevar has been solid in non-leverage situations, though pretty much every time he has been used with men on base in an inning, it has been a disaster.

3) Does Hosmer bounce back?
Midseason check-in: It took some time, but Hosmer's performance from June 1 on is probably the most encouraging thing about the 2013 season so far.
4) Can Moustakas hit for a whole season like he did in the first half of 2012?
Midseason check-in: Nope. Moustakas was god-awful, then great for about 3 weeks, then god-awful again. He has been better since he started working with Brett and Grafol but still has a long way to go.
5) Who regresses?
Midseason check-in: Welp, Alicides Escobar is not a surprising name here (though Yost's stubborn insistence on hitting him second is ridiculous). Billy Butler is a surprise. He isn't having a terrible year - still contributing a lot to the offense - but he's not hitting for the average or power he has displayed over the past several years.
6) Who plays 2B?
Midseason check-in: A whole bunch of people, and not that great. Gio is at least getting a shot, though he once again is not doing much with it.
7) Can Jeff Francoeur be at least replacement level, rather than epic horrible level?
Midseason check-in: Hahahahahahahahahahaha
8) Will Dayton Moore survive to see 2014?
Midseason check-in: Outlook uncertain. Probably still around, unless the team completely tanks in the second half and he does something foolish. My guess - he sacrifices Ned Yost this offseason and gets one more shot with a new manager in 2014.
9) Will Danny Duffy come back healthy? And if he does, is he the same, better or worse?
Midseason check-in: Yes. Velocity looks the same, and it looks likely he is the same guy as before.
10) And the big one: Has KC added enough to run down the big-money Detroit Tigers?
Midseason check-in: Doesn't look like it, does it?

SPchief · 11-21-2013, 06:50 PM

Unsurprisingly, Kottaras was designated for assignment to make room for Vargas.

eazyb81 · 11-21-2013, 07:17 PM

I'm surprised that Dave Cameron is fine with the Vargas deal.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/royal...-jason-vargas/

Sure-Oz · 11-21-2013, 07:49 PM

Royals have to get a bat now...

I'm kinda bummed they don't try to get Hughes also

Deberg_1990 · 11-21-2013, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bowser

We might not have gotten Kinsler, but we got Justin Vargas. In your face, Detroit.

Wal Mart grandpa is perfectly fine wth this crap......as long as The K stays full. Yippee!

**lewdog** · 11-21-2013, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Wal Mart grandpa is perfectly fine wth this crap......as long as The K stays full. Yippee!

I guess you missed the part where we were in the bottom 5 for average attendance all year. And in one of the best seasons in decades. Kind of disappointing that a competitive team didn't draw more. We were right along with Tampa, Miami, Cleveland and Houston in the bottom. Wow, what company.

siberian khatru · 11-22-2013, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archie F. Swin

#Royals say they have a "major baseball-related announcement" to make at 4 p.m. That suggests -- suggests -- a free-agent signing.
— Bob Dutton (@Royals_Report) November 21, 2013

"It'a a major award!"

tyton75 · 11-22-2013, 08:18 AM

Its not a bad signing at all. I just hope this isn't the ONLY signing. It was dumb to call it a "Major Announcement" but its still a solid move for the rotation. A major announcement in my opinion is signing a starting caliber 2nd baseman that can just be plugged in.

Great Expectations · 11-22-2013, 08:31 AM

How long would Ventura have to stay in AAA to gain a year of service?

I think we start the year with:
Shields
Vargas
Guthrie
Duffy
Davis/Smith

Then in July it looks like:
Shields
Ventura
Vargas
Guthrie
Duffy

**alnorth** · 11-22-2013, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Great Expectations

How long would Ventura have to stay in AAA to gain a year of service?

Roughly 3 and a half weeks.

ClearmontChief · 11-22-2013, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

"It'a a major award!"

Ahhhh, PJ Walters? Is he the "Big Announcement"

http://puckettspond.com/2013/11/21/p...s-city-royals/

ClearmontChief · 11-22-2013, 09:23 AM

Oh Boy, PJ Walters has signed!

http://puckettspond.com/2013/11/21/p...s-city-royals/

**alnorth** · 11-22-2013, 09:36 AM

The Angels had offered Vargas 3/24, so we had to either offer a higher AAV or a 4th year to get him.

**alnorth** · 11-22-2013, 09:53 AM

Fox Sports has a really funny article up about the "major baseball-related announcement".

Although Vargas is a perfectly reasonable signing, I agree that it was a bad PR move. My own thought process went like this:

"Major baseball-related announcement?" Major? Oh God, what did we do? Its got to be big... Beltran? Maybe we got him?"

*imagines other "major" signings or deals*

*pause*

"Wait, no we're not doing that. Beltran's going to be too expensive. We're not going to do anything else major either unless we're trading out the whole farm. It'll probably be something 2nd-tier, maybe we signed Hughes or something."

"OK, if we signed Hughes, why are they calling it a major announcement? I've conclusively decided we didn't do anything major, so something doesn't add up"

*remembers this is the Royals*

"oh. Heh, yeah that'd be a very Royals thing to do." "Vargas? Who is that? He is mediocre. Oh Jesus, DM I hope you didn't over pay him..."

**Dartgod** · 11-22-2013, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alnorth

The Angels had offered Vargas 3/24, so we had to either offer a higher AAV or a 4th year to get him.

Dayton confirmed on Keitzman's show last night that we had to go an additional year.

CaliforniaChief · 11-22-2013, 09:57 AM

Either GMDM isn't pushing hard enough, Glass ain't moving, or they're setting us up for the "well we're at our spending limit now and WHOA ok check this out we're signing someone else and setting spending records" PR.

Not improving the offense significantly would be a MAJOR strike against this team and, I would think most fans would be disappointed.

08-15-2013, 08:13 AM
duncan_idaho M-I-Z-Z-O-U Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $270308	(New) 2013 Kansas City Royals Repository New thread, this time with more burst. Proposed 2013 Slogan: Tigers: They're what's for dinner Actual 2013 Slogan: Come to Play A better, more accurate, or alternative slogan: All in, no panic, we promise. Dayton Moore has pushed all his chips in and is riding on King/Jack suited, hoping it comes together, he gets some good luck, and he hits the nuts by the river card. There's potential, oh yes, there's potential. There's also risk. At the midway point, Dayton is left counting on the river card. The flop and turn didn't help him, and he's looking at the Tigers holding a pair of Queens and the Indians holding a pair of 9s. His 2013 plan hasn't failed - yet - but the odds are not in his favor. Burning questions updates below. Burning Questions for 2013: 1) Will the improve rotation be improved enough? Does James Shields pitch like a fringe No. 1 away from Tampa Bay? Does Ervin Santana pitch to his highest upside in his walk year? Can Jeremy Guthrie build on his strong performance as a Royal in 2012? Can Wade Davis bring his new mentality- and velocity - back to the rotation? Midseason check-in: Yes, the rotation is certainly improved enough. Shields has pitched like a fringe No. 1 and Santana is having his best season. Guthrie has horrible peripherals but has continued to perform well at his home park and eat innings on the road. Davis brought neither his kick-ass mentality or improved velocity back to the rotation and is in Luke Hochevar/Hiram Davies territory. 2) When will Luke Hochevar be shown the door? Midseason check-in: It appears, never, at this point. Hochevar has been solid in non-leverage situations, though pretty much every time he has been used with men on base in an inning, it has been a disaster. 3) Does Hosmer bounce back? Midseason check-in: It took some time, but Hosmer's performance from June 1 on is probably the most encouraging thing about the 2013 season so far. 4) Can Moustakas hit for a whole season like he did in the first half of 2012? Midseason check-in: Nope. Moustakas was god-awful, then great for about 3 weeks, then god-awful again. He has been better since he started working with Brett and Grafol but still has a long way to go. 5) Who regresses? Midseason check-in: Welp, Alicides Escobar is not a surprising name here (though Yost's stubborn insistence on hitting him second is ridiculous). Billy Butler is a surprise. He isn't having a terrible year - still contributing a lot to the offense - but he's not hitting for the average or power he has displayed over the past several years. 6) Who plays 2B? Midseason check-in: A whole bunch of people, and not that great. Gio is at least getting a shot, though he once again is not doing much with it. 7) Can Jeff Francoeur be at least replacement level, rather than epic horrible level? Midseason check-in: Hahahahahahahahahahaha 8) Will Dayton Moore survive to see 2014? Midseason check-in: Outlook uncertain. Probably still around, unless the team completely tanks in the second half and he does something foolish. My guess - he sacrifices Ned Yost this offseason and gets one more shot with a new manager in 2014. 9) Will Danny Duffy come back healthy? And if he does, is he the same, better or worse? Midseason check-in: Yes. Velocity looks the same, and it looks likely he is the same guy as before. 10) And the big one: Has KC added enough to run down the big-money Detroit Tigers? Midseason check-in: Doesn't look like it, does it?
Posts: 21,435

11-21-2013, 06:50 PM	#2461
SPchief In Search of a Life Join Date: Feb 2004 Casino cash: $462905	Unsurprisingly, Kottaras was designated for assignment to make room for Vargas. __________________ http://give.somo.org/site/TR/Plunge/...nal&fr_id=1244 ^^^^^^^^^^ Click here to help with a special cause. Please help me out
Posts: 36,036

11-21-2013, 07:17 PM	#2462
eazyb81 The Illuminati Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: the road less traveled Casino cash: $10004900	I'm surprised that Dave Cameron is fine with the Vargas deal. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/royal...-jason-vargas/
Posts: 12,033

11-22-2013, 08:18 AM	#2467
tyton75 Veteran Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: KC North Casino cash: $5128386	Its not a bad signing at all. I just hope this isn't the ONLY signing. It was dumb to call it a "Major Announcement" but its still a solid move for the rotation. A major announcement in my opinion is signing a starting caliber 2nd baseman that can just be plugged in. __________________
Posts: 3,290

11-22-2013, 08:31 AM	#2468
Great Expectations MVP Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Joplin, MO Casino cash: $12562338	How long would Ventura have to stay in AAA to gain a year of service? I think we start the year with: Shields Vargas Guthrie Duffy Davis/Smith Then in July it looks like: Shields Ventura Vargas Guthrie Duffy __________________
Posts: 7,265

11-22-2013, 09:23 AM	#2471
ClearmontChief Starter Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Glenwood, Iowa Casino cash: $9934930	Oh Boy, PJ Walters has signed! http://puckettspond.com/2013/11/21/p...s-city-royals/
Posts: 288

11-22-2013, 09:36 AM	#2472
alnorth . Join Date: Dec 2002 Casino cash: $57156239	The Angels had offered Vargas 3/24, so we had to either offer a higher AAV or a 4th year to get him. __________________ how many emo kids does it take to change a lightbulb? HOW MANY?! none they just sit in the dark and cry
Posts: 36,130

11-22-2013, 09:53 AM	#2473
alnorth . Join Date: Dec 2002 Casino cash: $57156239	Fox Sports has a really funny article up about the "major baseball-related announcement". Although Vargas is a perfectly reasonable signing, I agree that it was a bad PR move. My own thought process went like this: "Major baseball-related announcement?" Major? Oh God, what did we do? Its got to be big... Beltran? Maybe we got him?" imagines other "major" signings or deals pause "Wait, no we're not doing that. Beltran's going to be too expensive. We're not going to do anything else major either unless we're trading out the whole farm. It'll probably be something 2nd-tier, maybe we signed Hughes or something." "OK, if we signed Hughes, why are they calling it a major announcement? I've conclusively decided we didn't do anything major, so something doesn't add up" remembers this is the Royals "oh. Heh, yeah that'd be a very Royals thing to do." "Vargas? Who is that? He is mediocre. Oh Jesus, DM I hope you didn't over pay him..." __________________ how many emo kids does it take to change a lightbulb? HOW MANY?! none they just sit in the dark and cry
Posts: 36,130

11-22-2013, 09:57 AM	#2475
CaliforniaChief #RIPAce Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: So Cal Casino cash: $11892899	Either GMDM isn't pushing hard enough, Glass ain't moving, or they're setting us up for the "well we're at our spending limit now and WHOA ok check this out we're signing someone else and setting spending records" PR. Not improving the offense significantly would be a MAJOR strike against this team and, I would think most fans would be disappointed.
Posts: 17,345