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.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by Shogun

nvm, false rumor, the guy was proving a point that the media will report anything without checking sources

Thank ****ing god or my Billy B. tattoo would look awfully silly!

[CHENZ A!]

Can someone make me a sig with Butler and some bacon, and eggs, and B&g, and sausage links, and hot sauce. Please and thank you.

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by CHENZ A!

Can someone make me a sig with Butler and some bacon, and eggs, and B&g, and sausage links, and hot sauce. Please and thank you.

Is that a fat jokeee

[CHENZ A!]

Originally Posted by Simplicity

Is that a fat jokeee

Dude... His nickname is "Country Breakfast"... Also, I'd really like it for my sig, but don't have the photoshop ability.

[stonedstooge]

I'd still like an Escobar in the air fielding if you can come up with one

[tk13]

Originally Posted by Reaper16

Well it better be for Yu ****ing Darvish.

Hank Blalock.

[Simplicity]

Tomorrow, everyone, tomorrow :P

[Valiant]

Too bad.. If we could swing him for a future 1 or a solid 2 pitcher that would be awesome..

[Three7s]

Originally Posted by Simplicity

Nooooo , I meant, Caleb. Do you want a Hosmer sig or a Gordon sig?

I'll take a Gordon sig. If you don't have a pic for one, I can look.

[58kcfan89]

Originally Posted by Valiant

Too bad.. If we could swing him for a future 1 or a solid 2 pitcher that would be awesome..

Who would you put at DH?

I'm usually on the fence with Butler, but I don't get the fascination with trading him. He's young, a good hitter, seems to WANT to be in KC and I doubt his trade value is all that high TBH....

Not saying I wouldn't trade him for the right haul (and FTR, a #1 or 2 SP would fit that category), but I don't think anyone's willing to give us anything of importance for him at this time.

[Great Expectations]

You could try Clint Robinson at DH. I'm a Billy fan, but if you could get a #2 starter you would have to pull the trigger.

[duncan_idaho]

I think if you trade Butler, it has to be for a young and somewhat controllable starting pitcher. You don't take a chance on a pitching prospect at this point.

Someone like Ervin Santana of Angels probably would have been a good match before their 1B/DH/corner OF picture got so clogged.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

Not about the Royals but I found it interesting

Most frustrating players in the majors

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/po...yers-in-majors


As a Mariners fan in the 1980s, one player absolutely wrecked me above all others: Jim Presley. He was a third baseman with good power, a quick bat and a strong arm. In 1985, his first full season, he hit .275/.324/.484 with 28 home runs and 33 doubles. He looked like he'd be a star.

But while he made the All-Star team in 1986, his strikeouts increased from 100to 172. The problem was obvious: The dude couldn't lay off the slider low and away. Time after time, he would flail helplessly at the pitch. It got comical; pitchers learned they didn't even have to throw the pitch close to the plate and Presley would chase. With two strikes, you knew it was coming; Presley knew it was coming. Swing and a miss. By 1991, not yet 30 years old, he was out of the majors.

All fans have their most frustrating players. Here are five current major leaguers who pop into my mind. Discuss your frustrations below!

Austin Jackson, Tigers: Just because you're on the list doesn't mean you're a bad player. Jackson is an excellent defensive center fielder -- according to the Defensive Runs Saved metric from Baseball Info Solution, he tied with Brett Gardner and Pablo Sandoval with 22 runs saved in 2011, the best total in the majors. What makes Jackson frustrating, of course, is the high total of strikeouts: 170 as a rookie in 2010 and 181 in 2011. He managed to overcome the strikeouts his rookie season when he hit .293 thanks to a high average on balls in play. Analysts predicted a big decline in 2011 unless he cut down his strikeouts, and they were right: Jackson hit .249 with a .317 on-base percentage, numbers exacerbated by Jim Leyland's stubborn insistence on hitting Jackson leadoff. Despite a great lineup -- the Tigers finished fourth in the majors in runs scored -- Detroit finished just 10th in runs scored by its leadoff hitters.

James Loney, Dodgers: In 2007, Loney hit .331 with 15 home runs in 344 at-bats as a 23-year-old rookie. He looked like a future stud, a first baseman who would hit for a good average and 25 to 30 home runs per season. But he's never matched the power potential, settling in with numbing consistency, hitting between 10 and 13 home runs each season. Since he's not a .300 hitter nor does he draw many walks, Loney's numbers remain subpar for a first baseman. The improvement just hasn't happened, yet Dodgers management continues to stick with him. He's now making $6.375 million; that's a lot to pay for a first baseman who's hit .281/.341/.411 over the past four seasons.

Mark Reynolds, Orioles: Reynolds has big-time power, of course: Since 2008, he's fifth in the majors with 141 home runs, trailing only Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder and Mark Teixeira. But all those home runs come at the expense of record-breaking strikeout totals that drag down Reynolds' average. He's led the majors in K's each of those four seasons, and has racked up 834 -- more than 200 (!) per season. He shows no inclination to cut down on his swing. As a result, even though he draws walks, his .210 average and .322 on-base percentage cut into his overall offensive value. And then there's the defense. Reynolds had an .897 fielding percentage at third base in 2011, prompting the Orioles to start playing him at first. For now, they plan to move him back to third in 2012, and Reynolds has said he's lost weight this offseason to help improve his quickness and range at the hot corner. Now if only he would adjust a little at the plate.

A.J. Burnett, Yankees: He has a 5.20 ERA over the past two seasons, and while the Yankees may want to trade him, I see that as unlikely even if they pick up a large chunk of the remaining $33 million on his contract. His average fastball velocity, which peaked as high as 95.6 mph with the Marlins in 2005, was down to 92.7 in 2011. That's still plenty of velocity, but mixed with his lack of command and gopherball-itis, it's not enough to remain consistently effective. But enough to remain consistently frustrating.

Ricky Nolasco, Marlins: Nolasco went 15-8 with a 3.52 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 2008. He was prone to the home run, but his strikeout-to-walk ratio ranked second in the NL. His future seemed like it could include becoming one of the top pitchers in the league. While he's gone 37-30 over the past three seasons, his ERA has been 4.76 and his WHIP has increased each year. He still has an excellent strikeout-to-walk ratio (although it declined a bit in 2011), so he should be putting up better numbers. But he hasn't, and opposing batters hit .295 off him in 2011. The stuff and control are there. But we're still waiting for him to get his ERA back under 4.00.

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by Great Expectations

You could try Clint Robinson at DH.

Shoots self in head.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

Shoots self in head.

In that scenario, we'd quickly end up with Kouzmanoff starting at 3B and Moose DHing a lot of the time, I think.