2013 Kansas City Royals Repository Thread

[duncan_idaho]

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?

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by RedDread

The one issue I have with moving anyone around is how much of a defensive loss it is. It seems like when anyone of our everyday starters sits the replacement is responsible for at least 1 bad play, error and/or run for the games they start. If this team loses any position player for an extended period of time, I would really worry about the defense. Hosmer and Moose may not be able to hit but they are light-years above their replacements defensively. I'd say a .180 Moose is still better than a .250 Tejada.

To be fair, Moose has been incredibly awful, to the point where his defense doesn't matter. I simply believe its a 3-week anomaly, and he couldn't possibly be this bad. Whether he rebounds to being "not awful, but still kinda crappy", or "OK", or "finally, now thats what I'm talkin' about" remains to be seen.

In only 3 weeks, Moose already has -0.6 WAR. That is breathtakingly bad in that short a time, at least Hosmer has been about replacement level.

[alnorth]

I'm planning on starting the game thread tomorrow, just to test my "mojo". If I can follow a double header sweep with beating Scherzer, then I'll take on the tall task of Wednesday. If we lose tomorrow, then I'll leave the heavy burden of Mendoza vs Verlander to some other brave, foolhardy soul.

[farmerchief]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

What's worse: his slug% was a tidy .465 his first year at age 21. But in his last 650 PA has been........351. Yeah: .351 slug % for Hosmer over that long time frame. For an AL corner IF.


He's now simply a slap-hitting, ground ball dribbling, punch & judy hitter.

When Hos came up, the one thing I loved about him is he never got cheated on his swing, and was consistently hitting the ball Hard, maybe for an out, but he was blasting the ball! What happened to that guy? Did pitchers finally figure him out, and he cannot adjust, or is it truly bad coaching?

[CoMoChief]

Originally Posted by farmerchief

When Hos came up, the one thing I loved about him is he never got cheated on his swing, and was consistently hitting the ball Hard, maybe for an out, but he was blasting the ball! What happened to that guy? Did pitchers finally figure him out, and he cannot adjust, or is it truly bad coaching?

all 3

[alnorth]

heads-up to people who might buy tickets, don't just automatically go to stubhub. Yes, most of the time thats what I do and more than likely it'll be cheaper/better for good seats.

I just now bought tickets at a high-demand game. The stubhub prices seemed high so I checked with the Royals and found out that the stubhub sellers were being a little too greedy, at least for that game.

[RedDread]

Originally Posted by alnorth

I'm planning on starting the game thread tomorrow, just to test my "mojo". If I can follow a double header sweep with beating Scherzer, then I'll take on the tall task of Wednesday. If we lose tomorrow, then I'll leave the heavy burden of Mendoza vs Verlander to some other brave, foolhardy soul.

I'll eat it if that happens but I'm predicting W - L - W this series.

[Demonpenz]

if anyone goes to that day game on thursday in may stub hub has great deals.

[Shogun]

I have no problem starting "The true mexicutioner" v Verlander game thread. My guy got this. 7IP 5 hits 2ER Im guaranteeing!

[Raiderhater]

Originally Posted by RedDread

I'll eat it if that happens but I'm predicting W - L - W this series.

That would not be a not so bad way to end an already pretty good road trip.

[Hootie]

Yuniesky Betancourt hit another bomb today.

His slugging % is higher than Moose's and Hosmer's combined.

[AndChiefs]

Originally Posted by Peyton's Princess

Yuniesky Betancourt hit another bomb today.

His slugging % is higher than Moose's and Hosmer's combined.

His defense is SO bad though.

[Hootie]

he's playing 1st now lol

maybe we should have had him there all along!!!

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by alnorth

+160 is the kind of spread that Miami and Houston get. I think we'll settle in around +130, at least for tomorrow.

I can see Wednesday getting an ugly spread.

I just realized that I had my dates wrong. I was referring to the Verlander/Mendoza matchup.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

I just realized that I had my dates wrong. I was referring to the Verlander/Mendoza matchup.

yep, that'll be +150 or +160.

If we win on Wednesday, that'd be crazymaking.

[KChiefs1]

Originally Posted by alnorth

I'm planning on starting the game thread tomorrow, just to test my "mojo". If I can follow a double header sweep with beating Scherzer, then I'll take on the tall task of Wednesday. If we lose tomorrow, then I'll leave the heavy burden of Mendoza vs Verlander to some other brave, foolhardy soul.

Keep the mojo going!