Royals 2013 Kansas City Royals Repository Thread - Page 193

duncan_idaho · 10:01 AM

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?

RedDread · 04-12-2013, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

I will try some. I love me some Billy!

Edit - link didn't want to work. Where can I get it?

His twitter feed says Hyvee, Pricechopper, Apple Market and Sunfresh as well.

Pitt Gorilla · 04-12-2013, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

Luckily, we have a new man who won't let that **** fly.

That may be the best picture ever.

RedDread · 04-12-2013, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

Luckily, we have a new man who won't let that **** fly.

Thread starter for the Red Sox series'

fo' sho!

mr. tegu · 04-12-2013, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedDread

His twitter feed says Hyvee, Pricechopper, Apple Market and Sunfresh as well.

Cool thanks.

sedated · 04-12-2013, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaliforniaChief

Of course we all want Stanton but know it's a pipedream.

How many years is Stanton under control?

Seems he will get a huge contract when he hits free agency. If its in the next year or two, no reason for the Royals to trade the farm for a guy they have no chance of re-signing.

Cephalic Trauma · 04-12-2013, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sedated

How many years is Stanton under control?

Seems he will get a huge contract when he hits free agency. If its in the next year or two, no reason for the Royals to trade the farm for a guy they have no chance of re-signing.

2016 IIRC

**alnorth** · 04-12-2013, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sedated

How many years is Stanton under control?

Seems he will get a huge contract when he hits free agency. If its in the next year or two, no reason for the Royals to trade the farm for a guy they have no chance of re-signing.

If we're close at the trading deadline, I'd be in favor of pushing in all our chips. Its not the fact that we traded Wil Myers that was awful, its that the trade did not seem balanced.

Prospects are nice, but flags fly forever.

duncan_idaho · 04-12-2013, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sedated

How many years is Stanton under control?

Seems he will get a huge contract when he hits free agency. If its in the next year or two, no reason for the Royals to trade the farm for a guy they have no chance of re-signing.

Stanton is not a free agent until 2017, but if the Marlins DO make him available, the Rangers are in much better shape to land him than pretty much anyone.

They can offer Profar, Olt and a solid No. 2/3 starter type (Scheppers, Perez, Grimm). Three guys that could be paired with Jose Fernandez in typical Marlins fashion (keep them together for 4-5 years, then sell them off).

The Royals have things to offer, but those things are farther from the bigs than what other teams can offer.

duncan_idaho · 04-12-2013, 12:53 PM

Fun side note: A guy I work with is a big Orioles fan (basically my twin). He sent me a thread link from their Scout.com board talking about trading for Stanton.

Suggested offer:
Bundy, Jonathan Schoop, Jake Arrieta and Brian Matusz for Stanton. And there are Orioles fans who think that is too much.

I am still laughing to myself.

Those guys really think Arrieta and Matusz (think Hochevar and Crow) ADD to trades.

DJ's left nut · 04-12-2013, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alnorth

If we're close at the trading deadline, I'd be in favor of pushing in all our chips. Its not the fact that we traded Wil Myers that was awful, its that the trade did not seem balanced.

Prospects are nice, but flags fly forever.

Without Wil Myers, I don't think you'll have the chips to push in.

The Royals prospects appear to have been intelligently staggered, but that means there aren't a lot of them that are presently major league ready. That's the kind of prospects the Marlins are going to be looking for.

Let's say Dylan Bundy had fallen to KC and they took him instead of Starling - that's a potential centerpiece guy. Or lets say they'd have taken Baez or Fernandez; while Baez is still a ways away, he's such a darling in the scouting community that he could be a centerpiece guy. Lindor is probably close enough that he could be the guy a trade is built around, but you'd need quite a bit more as well.

The Marlins are going to be looking for either young roster players, top 25 guys that are a year or so away or top 10 guys that are a little further off. They're not going to be looking for prospects in the 40-50 range that are still 3-5 years away from the bigs, not as the primary returns in a trade.

Starling would probably need to be the 3rd or 4th piece to any offer the Marlins would accept for Mike Stanton. At this point, the Royals don't have 2 or 3 guys that are clearly better trade chips to offer. Will Myers, Ventura, Zimmer and Starling probably does it, but without Myers, I don't think you get there.

Again, I think the only shot the Royals would have is if the Rangers absolutely refused to deal Profar, Starling broke out in a big way this year and forced himself into a late-season callup to AA and nobody else was willing to offer young roster players.

In 2 years the calculus could change entirely with Ventura, Calixte, Mondesi and a slew of other low-minors prospects the Royals have potentially emerging, but I suspect Stanton will have long since been traded by then.

DJ's left nut · 04-12-2013, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Fun side note: A guy I work with is a big Orioles fan (basically my twin). He sent me a thread link from their Scout.com board talking about trading for Stanton.

Suggested offer:
Bundy, Jonathan Schoop, Jake Arrieta and Brian Matusz for Stanton. And there are Orioles fans who think that is too much.

I am still laughing to myself.

Those guys really think Arrieta and Matusz (think Hochevar and Crow) ADD to trades.

I don't remember which thread it was, maybe it was the Cardinals thread or the other Royals thread, but we've had a few chuckles in here about the trade offers from Orioles fans.

Their answer to everything is to just throw the bottom 6 guys on their 25-man into a trade offer, along with a couple prospects from the 8-15 range in their system and some pitcher that's 25 who was once a former prospect but still can't develop a 3rd offering and has now lost 4 mph off his fastball.

They're uncanny in their insanity.

Pitt Gorilla · 04-12-2013, 12:57 PM

When do Paulino and Duffy project to be back in KC? They would give us two more outstanding options in the rotation, if healthy.

duncan_idaho · 04-12-2013, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

When do Paulino and Duffy project to be back in KC? They would give us two more outstanding options in the rotation, if healthy.

July/August.

I could see Duffy being used out of the pen this season, as long as Davis/Mendoza hold up in the rotation. With him sliding back into the rotaton (probably right into the spot of Ervin Santana) next year.

Paulino would need to be in the rotation, as he sucks out of the bullpen, historically.

That's why I was actually amenable to DJ's questions regarding trading Herrera and Collins for Allen Craig. Coleman, Ventura, Joseph and eventually Duffy would all be good options for the Royals out of the pen to make up for the loss of those two.

Great Expectations · 04-12-2013, 01:05 PM

If Paulino gets an uptick in velocity he would be our 2nd best starter for sure, maybe even pushing Shields some.

duncan_idaho · 04-12-2013, 01:07 PM

OH, also... Bubba Starling-related...

GREAT scouting report on him from Jason Parks over at Baseball Prospectus today.

Cliffs:

Identifies pitches late and starts his swing late a lot of the time. Swing/trigger is out of snyc. Has trouble adjusting his swing plane for breaking pitches.

Still has superstar (Matt Kemp) potential, but could stall out at AA if his hit tool doesn't improve as he continues to focus solely on baseball.

12-11-2012, 09:59 AM
duncan_idaho M-I-Z-Z-O-U Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $1740308	2013 Kansas City Royals Repository Thread 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? Last edited by duncan_idaho; 07-15-2013 at 10:01 AM..
Posts: 21,088

04-12-2013, 12:53 PM	#2889
duncan_idaho M-I-Z-Z-O-U Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $1740308	Fun side note: A guy I work with is a big Orioles fan (basically my twin). He sent me a thread link from their Scout.com board talking about trading for Stanton. Suggested offer: Bundy, Jonathan Schoop, Jake Arrieta and Brian Matusz for Stanton. And there are Orioles fans who think that is too much. I am still laughing to myself. Those guys really think Arrieta and Matusz (think Hochevar and Crow) ADD to trades. __________________ "You gotta love livin', cause dying is a pain in the ass." ---- Sinatra
Posts: 21,088

04-12-2013, 12:57 PM	#2892
Pitt Gorilla Banned! Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: NOT Columbia, MO 65201 Casino cash: $2940194	When do Paulino and Duffy project to be back in KC? They would give us two more outstanding options in the rotation, if healthy. __________________ Your son is a bench warmer because of your weak genetics not because of the coach Norlin Mommsen is disgusting.
Posts: 46,032

04-12-2013, 01:05 PM	#2894
Great Expectations MVP Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Joplin, MO Casino cash: $13672338	If Paulino gets an uptick in velocity he would be our 2nd best starter for sure, maybe even pushing Shields some. __________________
Posts: 7,220

04-12-2013, 01:07 PM	#2895
duncan_idaho M-I-Z-Z-O-U Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $1740308	OH, also... Bubba Starling-related... GREAT scouting report on him from Jason Parks over at Baseball Prospectus today. Cliffs: Identifies pitches late and starts his swing late a lot of the time. Swing/trigger is out of snyc. Has trouble adjusting his swing plane for breaking pitches. Still has superstar (Matt Kemp) potential, but could stall out at AA if his hit tool doesn't improve as he continues to focus solely on baseball. __________________ "You gotta love livin', cause dying is a pain in the ass." ---- Sinatra
Posts: 21,088