*** Official 2016 Royals Repository, Version 1 ***

[duncan_idaho]

And so it begins: The Royals' second straight attempt to repeat as AL Champions, and first attempt to repeat as World Series champions.

In this thread, we'll track all non-gameday action. Roster moves, prospect news, etc.

I'll start the thread as usual, with division rivals thoughts. I still like KC to repeat as AL Central champs. Here's how I see the rest of it shaking out:

2) Indians - they have the pitching (and seem to have at least semi-Kluber-ed Cody Anderson, who added 3 mph to his fastball in the offseason). Will the offense hold up? I think this is a team that ends up looking a lot like the 2014 Royals. Francisco Lindor will solidify their IF defense over the full season, and is a help with the bat. I think this club is still a year away from really breaking through - the offense still has a lot of question marks - but I like them to nab a wildcard spot.

Key Player(s): Michael Brantley. When Brantley returns - and how he hits when he does - will be critical to the Indians' ability to be good enough on offense.

Jason Kipnis. Kipnis has been an enigmatic offensive performer for the past several years. If he finally has a good offensive campaign from start to finish, Cleveland could make real noise.

Something of interest to me: For all the acclaim the Twins' farm system gets, I look at the Indians young players, and would much rather have them. Brad Zimmer is going to be a very good all-around CF. Clint Frazier has huge power potential and should arrive soon (2017). Lindor is a young stud.

3) Tigers - Old and dependent on a few stars. If Verlander and Sanchez are healthy and effective, they will be playoff contenders. I'm sure JD Martinez will continue to hit roid-aided bombs. I'm also pretty sure Victor Martinez's days as a huge power threat are gone.

Key player: Justin Verlander. Detroit people would have you believe he figured out how to succeed without his big fastball in September of last year. If that's true, and he returns to dominant form, Detroit will likely contend again.

Something of interest to me: Will Jose Iglesias stay healthy and not try to kill teammates in the dugout? His defense makes the whole group much better.

4) Twins - They won't lead the division or be in playoff contention for as long this year, but Minnesota will avoid the cellar.

Key Player: Miguel Sano. Huge power, huge K rate. Can he continue to drive the ball and be a plus offensive player? Probably needs to cut that 35 percent K percentage to do so.

Something of interest to me: Will teams challenge Sano inside with hard stuff? Working away, away, just lets his power play up. Also - will Mike Berardino continue to be the biggest beat writer homer in MLB?

5) White Sox - still managed by a shitty manager who can't control his clubhouse (The blame for the LaRoche thing really should fall on him, not the GM). Still have a shitty overall defense and a lot of douchebags on the team. They will once again look better on paper than they actually perform.

Key player: Carlos Rodon. The White Sox need Rodon to take a big step forward to make an actual move this season. He's got the talent...

And, as always, here are the prospects.

Duncan’s Top 20 for 2016:

Spoiler!

1. Raul Adalberto Mondesi, SS, BOTH: Tools, tools, tools. RA has tools galore. At his best, he’s an All-Star SS who plays elite D, hits 15-20 HR, swipes 40 bags, and is an ideal 1, 2 or 3 hitter. At his worst, I think he looks a lot like Alcides Escobar. Plate discipline is his biggest challenge at this point, but evaluators are confident that will come with time. Clear No. 1
2. Kyle Zimmer, RHP: He’s pitching again and staying healthy, which is nice. He’s pitcing out of the bullpen to build back his arm strength, which is less nice. But still has that high upside, just a lower floor now. Ideally, the team will use him as a bullpen weapon in September (because he has earned it) and then give him a chance to transition back to starting for 2016.
3. Bubba Starling, CF, RH: Starling has been up and down this year but put himself back on the map by greatly improving his K rate while also improving across the slash line as a hitter. His defense and baserunning are MLB ready; if Starling can work himself into a league average hitter, he can be a solid MLB regular who plays great D in CF while hitting 15 HR and swiping 20 bags.
4. Miguel Almonte, RHP: Still love the body, FB/CH combo. Results aren’t eye popping, but he’s still low enough and early enough in the development to prize those things over performance. Still a solid No. 3 starter upside, and just a year and some change away from potentially being ready to contribute at the MLB level.
5. Jorge Bonifacio, RF, RH: Emilio’s little brother got off to a horrible start in 2015 but has heated up as the season went on. He also is translating BP power to game power for the first time, with 15 HR just past the mid-way point of his season. Despite his disappointing 2014, he has a chance to build his way back into legit prospect status – and still is only 22. Next challenge for him should be Omaha, but that may wait for the start of the 2014 season.
6. Scott Blewett, RHP: Blewett has a nice two –pitch mix already and is off to a strong start. With his size (6-6) and a good fastball/curveball combo, Blewett could eventually turn into a good No. 3 starter, with a MLB-average changeup.
7. Nolan Watson, RHP: The Royals’ 2015 sandwich pick is a polished prep arm who is adding velocity and explosiveness to a good, polished base. Likely to move quickly.
8. Ashe Russell, RHP: The 2015 top pick probably needs more work than Watson, but the upside is really nice. Again, advanced two-pitch mix that will depend on him adding a changeup. Could be a very good NO. 2 if it all adds up.
9. Balbino Fuenmayor, 1B/DH, RH: The Balbino came out of basically nowhere in 2015 to earn a Futures Game spot. Big power and an improved two-strike approach have turned the late bloomer into a legit prospect. He’s blocked at the MLB level currently by Eric Hosmer and Kendrys Morales, but Fuenmayor’s combination of power hitting and good average/strike zone control makes him intriguing.
10. Cheslor Cuthbert, 3B, RH: Cheslor probably is not going to be the star KC was hoping for when signing him out of Nicaragua, but he does look like he can be a solid reserve for an MLB club. Good defense at 3B paired with a solid plate approach and some gap power plays fine off the bench. He becomes a lot more interesting if they think he can stick as a 2B, which they have experimented with.

Spoiler!

11. Chase Vallot, C/DH/1B: I really like Vallot’s power and plate discipline combo. His bat will probably force him from behind the plate, but he’s held his own despite being extremely young for every level he has faced.
12. Alfredo Escalera-Maldonado, OF, RH: Escalera-Maldonado earned a promotion to Wilmington at age 20, which is pretty advanced movement for that age. He’s an athletic outfielder who has shown some plate discipline at an early age, which is encouraging. Doesn’t sound like he can stick in CF long term for KC, but his bat has become one to watch.
13. Pedro Fernandez, RHP: I haven’t seen much of him, but like the reports I’ve heard on his fastball and general makeup. Could become the next Almonte/Mondesi, though he’s more likely to land in the pen than either of them.
14. Elier Hernandez, OF, RH: Elier Hernanez teamed with Escalera-Maldonado in breaking out at Low-A and earning a promotion to Wilmington. It’s still early for this guy – he is just 20 years old – but he doesn’t take walks and hasn’t developed the prodigious power many thought he had the potential for. Still worth watching.
15. Hunter Dozier, 3B, RH: Dozier is reworking his swing mid-season, which generally will cause production to do what his has done: Nose dive. The changes he made entering the season (seemingly geared towards increasing his power production) were a disaster, and now he’s trying to get back to what he used to be. Still looks great and checks most of the scouting boxes, but the performance hasn’t matched, and it almost knocked him out of the list.
16. Christian Binford, RHP: After a breakthrough 2014, Binford struggled mightily at AAA and suffered a demotion. His upside remains similar – a back-end starter who can eat innings – but Binford’s lack of velocity and reliance on command have caught up to him so far.
17. Marten Gasparini, OF, SH: Gasparini is intriguing because of his speed and athleticism. He’s a LOOOOONG ways from the majors and young for his level, but reports on his bat speed, swing, and speed remain positive enough to keep him on the bubble.
18. Eric Skoglund, LHP: Skoglund had a nice year at Wilmington. I'm skeptical because his K rate is lower than I like to see for a guy at A+ - just 7/9, and usually guys lose a strikeout or two/9 as they move up the chain from there - but he has excellent control, walking 1.17 batters/9. 6-7 lefties with great control who get lots of ground balls - like Skoglund - have a chance to overcome bad K rates.
19. Ryan O'Hearn, 1B/LF: A lefty stick with power, O'Hearn was a savings signing as an 8th round pick, but a change in his approach increased his power - while increasing his K rate. After Vallot, probably the best pure power prospect in the Royals system.
20. Josh Staumont, RHP: I was terrified of this guy's control problems, and he walked nearly a batter an inning in his pro debut (32 BB in 40 1/3 IP). Staumont's nasty, nasty stuff (plus-plus fastball, plus slider) could make him a very good late-inning reliever who strikes out more than a batter an inning, if he can develop average or slightly below-average control. If he really masters the control, you're talking about a potential Greg Holland type, but that's a TALL task.

[Prison Bitch]

In our history, this team:

1. Strikes out more batters than any
2. Gives up more HR than any
3. Walks fewer times
4. Strikes out more times
5. Has the highest BABIP


So basically it's a feast-or-famine team headed for a .500 record

[Ceej]

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

Must have missed that whole all-star game thing.

Hard to think of a more butt hurt fan base in the world right now.

La Canfora is the worst one of the bunch.

[TomBarndtsTwin]

Baltimore fans and La Canfora are getting a little testy right now because they've basically led the AL East most of the year, and just recently Toronto passed them and pretty soon Boston will as well.

They're looking at a 3rd place finish in the AL East and they are not happy about it.


And you know what . . . . . . . f**k em.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

Yeah, about that whole fifth starter issue ...

Has been the case all season.

In hindsight, striking early in the year for just a solid guy for that fifth spot (Hellickson, Straily, Jorge de la Rosa) could have drastically altered the season.

They did have kind of a worst-case scenario occur, though. They had good depth entering the year, but back sliding (Young, Miguel Almonte), injury (Medlen, Minor, Zimmer), and ineffectiveness (Gee, Flynn) chewed through that in a hurry.

Duffy's emergence obviously is a mark in the other direction, but he was part of that depth entering the year.


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[Ceej]

Originally Posted by TomBarndtsTwin

Baltimore fans and La Canfora are getting a little testy right now because they've basically led the AL East most of the year, and just recently Toronto passed them and pretty soon Boston will as well.

They're looking at a 3rd place finish in the AL East and they are not happy about it.


And you know what . . . . . . . f**k em.

At what point do they finally get over it?

Christ. Bunch of ****ing babies.

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by Ceej

At what point do they finally get over it?

Christ. Bunch of ****ing babies.

When they win a WS................could be a while

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

When they win a WS................could be a while

Yeah, if they don't do it before Machado is a FA, it's hard to see it happening.

Their window is similar to KC's. Closing... Will come down to SP for them.


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[ChiefsCountry]

Oriole douches since there last World Series title and appearance, we have 2 championships and another WS appearance. That's with taking a 29 year break.

[Why Not?]

Originally Posted by Ceej

At what point do they finally get over it?

Christ. Bunch of ****ing babies.

Not until when(if?)they win a WS. They really thought they had a golden opportunity in '14 and we kicked their dicks in. Now, they know(but won't admit), that was probably their best shot. No way they win it this year, and everybody gets a year older next year. All they're left to do is try to make fun of the big dog. It's typical loser, broke guy, guy who never gets the girl mentality.

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

Must have missed that whole all-star game thing.

Account is probably run by Jason LaConfora

[Chiefshrink]

Originally Posted by Lex Luthor

I've been a hardcore Royals fan since Opening Night of 1969. I vividly remember when Cedric Tallis traded Joe Foy for Amos Otis and Bob Johnson prior to the 1970 season. I watched Amos Otis's entire career with the Royals. I think I'm qualified to comment on your observations regarding Amos Otis.

as did I and likewise....

I have no personal axe to grind against Otis. Your glasses were much rosier than mine. Stats can be very deceiving. The 20 pts higher when men were on base what I saw in his career came when the game was lost or the season was lost . No pressure and much easier to hit and he did but when it was a lost cause the majority of the time(the ol padding the stats). This was OTIS most of his career !!! He just never lived up to the 5 Tool Hype in clutch play most of his career UNTIL the 80 WS where he really came through when needed the most.

His defense, base stealing and speed were never a question in my mind. And why when Brett began to really evolve in his game was such a breath of fresh air because he was totally a clutch player the majority of the time. Brett was not near the natural athlete Otis was and Brett will tell you that. Brett will tell you he was not a natural fielder nor hitter and had to work his arse off. Of the five tools Brett would tell you he was not a natural of any one of the 5 where Otis was just based on athletic ability alone. The only tool that came natural to Brett and that is essential for any player to live up to his potential and speaking philosophically here was his love for the game. Now I am not going to question Otis's love for the game but rather I think he put to much pressure on himself.

At the time he came up with the Mets he was touted as the next Willie Mays much like Mercer being touted as the next Mickey Mantle in that same time period. Who would want that put on them ??? I felt sorry for both guys. But Otis like Mercer lived with that curse and when Cedric brought Otis to KC, Otis also brought that psychological curse with him IMHO. But when the 80 WS came around Otis produced big time and I give him credit for that series.

Originally Posted by Lex Luthor

I do remember that some of the less-knowledgeable fans used to criticize Otis. It's a shame you have such a warped view of him.

Come on Lex enough with the backhanded pretentious condescension here, you are above that. We have enough of that in the bloviating narcissistic bitter "Dunkin Donut Potato Boy" from Idaho

[Chiefshrink]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

I don't believe that "clutchness" really exists - the ability to raise one's game and perform even better than your best in crunch time. At least not in baseball.

Yeah tell this to Brett batting against Goose 'in the playoffs' or Gordon batting against Familia in the 9th "in the WS"

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

But I do believe "anti-clutchness" exists ... The propensity for performing WORSE in key spots. Some guys just can't do it under the bright lights.

"anti-clutchness" ?????? Yeah, it's called "choking" !!!

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

I do think there are some characteristics that make a hitter better in the clutch spots... Ability to work counts, batting eye, willingness to shorten up and approach the situation appropriately, etc. But that's not really "clutch." That's "smart."

Duh!! Ya think !!!!

It's obvious in your playing days you experienced a lot of "anti-clutness" as you call it while you never achieved any "clutch play" that you deny that exists in baseball. You tell on yourself here in a major league way.

[Chiefshrink]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

You think batting average is the most important offensive statistic, don't you?

Nope !!

Steve Garvey, Jay Johnstone, and yes even our very own original Lou Pinella never really hit for a big average BUT during the playoffs you WANTED these guys at the plate because these guys were NAILS ALL THE TIME during the playoffs defying the so called "clutchness" you say doesn't exist in baseball.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Chiefshrink

as did I and likewise....



I have no personal axe to grind against Otis. Your glasses were much rosier than mine. Stats can be very deceiving. The 20 pts higher when men were on base what I saw in his career came when the game was lost or the season was lost . No pressure and much easier to hit and he did but when it was a lost cause the majority of the time(the ol padding the stats). This was OTIS most of his career !!! He just never lived up to the 5 Tool Hype in clutch play most of his career UNTIL the 80 WS where he really came through when needed the most.



His defense, base stealing and speed were never a question in my mind. And why when Brett began to really evolve in his game was such a breath of fresh air because he was totally a clutch player the majority of the time. Brett was not near the natural athlete Otis was and Brett will tell you that. Brett will tell you he was not a natural fielder nor hitter and had to work his arse off. Of the five tools Brett would tell you he was not a natural of any one of the 5 where Otis was just based on athletic ability alone. The only tool that came natural to Brett and that is essential for any player to live up to his potential and speaking philosophically here was his love for the game. Now I am not going to question Otis's love for the game but rather I think he put to much pressure on himself.



At the time he came up with the Mets he was touted as the next Willie Mays much like Mercer being touted as the next Mickey Mantle in that same time period. Who would want that put on them ??? I felt sorry for both guys. But Otis like Mercer lived with that curse and when Cedric brought Otis to KC, Otis also brought that psychological curse with him IMHO. But when the 80 WS came around Otis produced big time and I give him credit for that series.







Come on Lex enough with the backhanded pretentious condescension here, you are above that. We have enough of that in the bloviating narcissistic bitter "Dunkin Donut Potato Boy" from Idaho

Your perception is faulty. Go look at his baseball reference page. Look at his career splits.

Find a "clutch" stat in which his numbers are not better or right in line with his career stats. Tie games is the only one with any sort of significant variance.

Looking at the clutch stats, one of his best numbers is actually in CLOSE AND LATE situations. Which speaks directly to ABs that matter the most. He's actually remarkably consistent regardless of situation.

If he was making hay when the royals were way behind, it would show up statistically. It doesn't. If he was making hay when the royals were way ahead, it would show up statistically. It doesn't.

Your perception is lazy, "counselor." And incorrect.



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[DanT]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

According to Fangraphs, 1977 was in fact our best team by WAR.

1. 1977
2. 1980
3. 1978
4. 1975
5. 1976



Can anyone tell the glory years of Royals baseball? Although 2013-2014-2015 are 7,9,10. Personally I think 2015 is our best team ever esp with Zo and Cueto.

Thanks for the info, Prison Bitch. It was very fun to grow up a Royals fan, seeing games at the old Municipal Stadium and then watching them become a regular contender soon after moving into their gorgeous new stadium. Even in some of the years where we won the division, we had some bad stretches in the regular season. Similarly, even in years that we ended up losing the division, like 1982 and 1983, there were times earlier in the season where it looked like we could pull it out. As far as I'm concerned, we were a very serious and proud franchise up through 1994.

I agree with you that the 2015 team with Zo and Cueto was our best team ever. The 1977 team was awesome, especially in August. I had hopes we could get past the Yankees, but I wasn't exactly shocked when we didn't, even though that was such a devastating Game 5 in the ALCS. That 2015 team came into the regular season with a mission, and they played like champions the entire season. Their can't-kill-em attitude and performance in the playoffs was extraordinary. As far as I'm concerned, there very much is such a thing as a champion's mentality. The 2015 team had it. I don't think the 2015 team would have been beaten late in a game the way the 1977 Royals got beat in the decisive game of the ALCS. That 2015 season was easily the most enjoyable of my many enjoyable years rooting for the Royals.