*** Official 2018 Royals Offseason Repository ***

[duncan_idaho]

It's the end of the world as we know it... and we feel... fine?

2018 is a season of transition for the Royals, or at least it is at this point. Dayton Moore is back. Will he swing full into THE PROCESS 2.0? Or will he try to load up again and make some reload magic happen?

Pending Free Agents:
1B | Eric Hosmer | San Diego Padres, 8 years, $144 million ($5 million signing bonus; $20 million/year in Yrs 1-5; $13 million/year in Yrs 6-8 wth player opt out)

Spoiler!

(DI's Guess: Texas Rangers, 6, $118 million)

3B | Mike Moustaskas | Kansas City Royas, 1, $6.5 million

Spoiler!

(DI's Guess: Los Angeles Angels, 5, $98 million)

CF | Lorenzo Cain | Milwaukee Brewers, 5 years, $80 million

Spoiler!

(DI's Guess: San Francisco Giants, 4, $68 million)

RP | Mike Minor | Texas Rangers, 3, $28 million

Spoiler!

(DI's Guess: Los Angeles Angels, 3, $35 million+ $12 million team option

SP | Jason Vargas | New York Mets, 2, $16 million

Spoiler!

(DI's Guess: Baltimore Orioles, 2, $29 million)

SS | Alcides Escobar | Kansas City Royals, 1, $2.5 million

Spoiler!

(DI's Guess: San Diego Padres, 1, $6.5 million)

2018 MLB Draft Picks
#18
#33 - Compensation (Eric Hosmer)
#34 - Compensation (Lorenzo Cain)
#40 (Competitive Balance Round A)

Comp picks explanation:

Spoiler!

In case I, picks would be #32, 33, and 34, if Alex Cobb of Rays signs for $50 million guaranteed.

Kansas City will likely have 5 of the top 40-45 picks in the draft, and the bonus pool money should rival that of the teams drafting 1-3 in the 2017 draft. This should give KC tremendous flexibility in acquiring talent that otherwise might slip or not be "signable."

2018 Draft Names to Watch

RHP Kumar Rocker, N Oconnee HS, Georgia.

Spoiler!

Possibly goes top 10 but is a big, physical SP with ace potential. Moore and co. will be all over him if he slips a bit and could offer top 10 money at No. 16

OF Jarred Kelenic, Waukasha West HS, WI

Spoiler!

Kelenic is the top prep bat, toolsy OF. Royals would be ecstatic to have shot at him.

1B Triston Casas, American Heritage HS (FL).

Spoiler!

Tremendous raw power, best in HS bats. Royals typically like HS arms or HS bats with "special" tools. He qualifies.

RHP Carter Stewart, Eau de Gallie HS (Ga).

Spoiler!

Another big, physical specimen with huge upside. More likely to be available mid-first than Rocker.

ANY Any, Any (Any). Any current top projected pick who slides for injury concerns. Includes current top prospect prospect SP Brady Singer, U of Florida.

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

You would rank Cain above Willie Wilson and Frank White? Not sure i agree....

Cain was a great Royal though, no disagreement there.

You didn't really read the narrative of the argument.

SINCE George Brett.

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Kevin Seitzer?

Seitzer had one great year as a Royal, where his OPS was over .800.

One. (his rookie year)

He would be on my "Most Overrated Royals Ever" list

[LoneWolf]

Originally Posted by BWillie

And without further adieu, my Top 25 list of Royals. I know you all have been anxiously awaiting

BWilliie's Top 25 Royals Positional Player list
1. George Brett
2. Amos Otis
3. Willie Wilson
4. Lorenzo Cain
5. John Mayberry
6. Alex Gordon
7. Salvador Perez (probably going to end up higher)
8. Carlos Beltran
9. Frank White (probably too high honestly, but longevity points)
10. Hal McRae (should be 5 pts higher for the throwing phone incident)
11. Mike Moustakas
12. Eric Hosmer
13. Mike Sweeney
14. Al Cowens (Dude got 2nd in MVP voting one year)
15. Bo Jackson (probably too high honestly, but would have been much higher if not injuries)
16. Johnny Damon
17. Freddie Patek
18. Danny Tartabull
19. Jermaine Dye
20. Steve Balboni (only cuz of HR record)
21. Joe Randa
22. Billy Butler
23. Jarrod Dyson (probably should be higher)
24. David DeJesus
25. Mike McFarlane

Dyson? Give me a break. He couldn’t even crack the starting lineup.

[tk13]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Yeah, I mean Sweeney got 11th in the MVP voting one year. What a stud.

That's likely about as high as Cain, Moose or Hosmer would have done if they'd played with a pitching staff that posted a 5.48 ERA. Good luck with that.

Sweeney has a higher OPS as a Royal than George Brett. Granted Brett's last few years brought that number down and nobody is going to confuse the two by any stretch... but that's the kind of territory Sweeney is in, just a pure hitter that could hit for average and power. Four straight years with an OPS over 900 and seven straight over 850.

[suzzer99]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Royals All Time WAR
1. George Brett - 88.4
2. Amos Otis - 44.6
3. Willie Wilson - 42.2
4. Frank White - 34.7
5. Alex Gordon - 32.7
6. Hal McRae - 27.7
7. Lorenzo Cain - 25.7
8. Carlos Beltran - 24.7
9. Mike Sweeney - 23.2
10. John Mayberry - 21.2

I'd like to see war per year with a minimum of 5 years.

[Mosbonian]

Originally Posted by BWillie

And without further adieu, my Top 25 list of Royals. I know you all have been anxiously awaiting

BWilliie's Top 25 Royals Positional Player list
1. George Brett
2. Amos Otis
3. Willie Wilson
4. Lorenzo Cain
5. John Mayberry
6. Alex Gordon
7. Salvador Perez (probably going to end up higher)
8. Carlos Beltran
9. Frank White (probably too high honestly, but longevity points)
10. Hal McRae (should be 5 pts higher for the throwing phone incident)

Frank White
5× All-Star (1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1986)
World Series champion (1985)
ALCS MVP (1980)
8× Gold Glove Award (1977–1982, 1986, 1987)
Silver Slugger Award (1986)
Kansas City Royals #20 retired
Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame

Lorenzo Cain

World Series champion (2015)
ALCS MVP (2014)
All-Star (2015)

Any sane person would see the above and know that it is crazy to put Lorenzo Cain above Frank White.....

In his day most 2nd basemen wanted to have the skills and range that White had....most emulated him.

And I can't agree with this list because it doesn't include some of the great pitchers that have played for the Royals...most of whom contributed just as much if not more to a World Series win as Cain did.

[Bufkin]

Originally Posted by BWillie

And without further adieu, my Top 25 list of Royals. I know you all have been anxiously awaiting

BWilliie's Top 25 Royals Positional Player list
1. George Brett
2. Amos Otis
3. Willie Wilson
4. Lorenzo Cain
5. John Mayberry
6. Alex Gordon
7. Salvador Perez (probably going to end up higher)
8. Carlos Beltran
9. Frank White (probably too high honestly, but longevity points)
10. Hal McRae (should be 5 pts higher for the throwing phone incident)
11. Mike Moustakas
12. Eric Hosmer
13. Mike Sweeney
14. Al Cowens (Dude got 2nd in MVP voting one year)
15. Bo Jackson (probably too high honestly, but would have been much higher if not injuries)
16. Johnny Damon
17. Freddie Patek
18. Danny Tartabull
19. Jermaine Dye
20. Steve Balboni (only cuz of HR record)
21. Joe Randa
22. Billy Butler
23. Jarrod Dyson (probably should be higher)
24. David DeJesus
25. Mike McFarlane

You got the first one right. After that, it’s all sorts of screwed up.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Kevin Seitzer?

Yeah I think you are right. Probably should be about 18-22.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by Mosbonian

Frank White
5× All-Star (1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1986)
World Series champion (1985)
ALCS MVP (1980)
8× Gold Glove Award (1977–1982, 1986, 1987)
Silver Slugger Award (1986)
Kansas City Royals #20 retired
Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame

Lorenzo Cain

World Series champion (2015)
ALCS MVP (2014)
All-Star (2015)

Any sane person would see the above and know that it is crazy to put Lorenzo Cain above Frank White.....

In his day most 2nd basemen wanted to have the skills and range that White had....most emulated him.

And I can't agree with this list because it doesn't include some of the great pitchers that have played for the Royals...most of whom contributed just as much if not more to a World Series win as Cain did.

I feel like back in the day, once you made an ASG, unless you just fell off the map they just kept giving it to you. Now it's much more analytical. White had a career .676 OPS. I really feel like Frank is a little overrated in Royals folklore because he was around so long and on many good teams. I didn't give much longevity points in that list, though. It was more a how productive you were on average per year type of thing while you were a Royal. Plus, in a larger field like Kaufman, CF is probably the most impactful defensive position. Part of the reason I like Cain and Dyson so much. Next year we are going to find out how much we missed those guys if Bonifacio and Soler are roaming around. I cringe at even the thought of it.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

Dyson? Give me a break. He couldn’t even crack the starting lineup.

Per at bat or games played, I think you would find Dyson to be one of the most valuable players in Royals history in terms of WAR. Very underrated. Royals got great value out of him. Always going to be a favorite of mine. Got almost everything out of his ability.

[Mosbonian]

Originally Posted by BWillie

I feel like back in the day, once you made an ASG, unless you just fell off the map they just kept giving it to you. Now it's much more analytical. White had a career .676 OPS. I really feel like Frank is a little overrated in Royals folklore because he was around so long and on many good teams. I didn't give much longevity points in that list, though. It was more a how productive you were on average per year type of thing while you were a Royal. Plus, in a larger field like Kaufman, CF is probably the most impactful defensive position. Part of the reason I like Cain and Dyson so much. Next year we are going to find out how much we missed those guys if Bonifacio and Soler are roaming around. I cringe at even the thought of it.

I just think we are going to have to agree to disagree....at best Cain is the 4th best CF we have ever had patrol that position. And longevity DOES count...otherwise one/two years wonders would be in the Hall of Fame.

I am betting that if you ask a true baseball expert if they thought Cain was better than White they would laugh and walk away.

White got his Gold Gloves and his All Star appearances because he was the best in that era....he wasn't handed the honors. In fact there was one year he was robbed when they took Harold Reynolds. Read this excerpt from an article "The Times Royals Players were Screwed out of Awards" on SBNation:

https://www.royalsreview.com/2016/11...-out-of-awards

"Frank White - Gold Glove, 1988
The selection of Harold Reynolds over Frank White is still a bit of a head-scratcher, and it darn near caused a riot among Kansas City fans. Frank was an eight-time Gold Glove winner by 1988, having won the award the previous two seasons. He was 37 years old at the time, and perhaps the 27-year old Reynolds was seen as the up-and-comer.

But White had done little to show it was time to pass the torch in 1988. By Defensive WAR, he easily outpaced Reynolds 1.3 to Harold's 0.3. The metrics show Frank hadn't lost a step - he still fared better than Reynolds in Range Factor per-nine-innings. Even by the stats of the day - fielding percentage - Frank White ran circles around Harold Reynolds. Reynolds committed 18 errors that year for a fielding percentage of .977, while Frank White committed a total of four errors - four! - for a fielding percentage of .994. Frank certainly doesn't need a ninth Gold Glove to validate he was a sensational defender, but he really deserved that ninth Gold Glove."

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by suzzer99

I'd like to see war per year with a minimum of 5 years.

1. George Brett - 88.4
2. Amos Otis - 44.6
3. Willie Wilson - 42.2
4. Frank White - 34.7
5. Alex Gordon - 32.7
6. Hal McRae - 27.7
7. Lorenzo Cain - 25.7
8. Carlos Beltran - 24.7
9. Mike Sweeney - 23.2
10. John Mayberry - 21.2

OUT OF THOSE TEN listed above and based on those stated figures you that someone else posted..(left out seasons of less than 50 ABs for obvious reasons)
1. Brett 4.42 WAR per year
2. Cain 4.28 WAR per year
3. Mayberry 3.53
4. Beltran 3.52
5. Wilson 3.24
6. Otis 3.19
7. Gordon 2.97
8. Sweeney 1.93
9. White 1.92
10. McRae 1.84

[suzzer99]

That's a pretty damn good case for Cain as second best Royal. I had no idea Mayberry was that high. Maybe because he flame out so fast and skipped the decline some of the others had.

I'll always have Frank White as second best in my mind though. Unless Hos stays and goes on to win another WS.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by suzzer99

That's a pretty damn good case for Cain as second best Royal. I had no idea Mayberry was that high. Maybe because he flame out so fast and skipped the decline some of the others had.

To be fair, Mayberry and Cain had the advantage of being on the Royals during their prime years. Whereas most of the other guys numbers included their aging less productive years. But, nonetheless. Impressive.

[Demonpenz]

I saw White play a TON. It always seemed like Ozzie Smith was mentioned more just because he did back flips. White batted cleanup for the 1985 world series. You could talk everyday until the end of time how great Frank White was and he would still be under rated.