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?

[Coach]

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

I'm glad we have him too, just sorry he probably won't ever have a supporting cast that'll do anything but waste his talent.

This I could buy considering that Getz and Moose have been black holes on the offensive side. The big question is though, is Moose fixed? It's only two games, I know, but his production have been fairly decent. I'm not holding my breath that he has turned the corner, but it's a encouraging sign that he took two walks yesterday and had a productive day today.

[Demonpenz]

Moose has light tower power. That ball was low and away and he parked it.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

I think not... Perhaps I'll say something after his next start when the announce him as "The Royals winning 8 of his last 9 starts" instead and not mentioning the 4-6 stat. Oh, that's tomorrow (unless it rains here), and they might mention what you see below. So far, short of the live broadcast that has yet to air, he's being introduced as being 4-6 and going up against Fister who's 7-5. Interestingly they do show the ERA, but alas, nothing about how many wins they've had in their last nine starts, nothing about any family member who won a pie contest, nothing about having won yard of the month any number of months over the last nine months, and nothing about what their eye colors are. Nope, it's 7-5 Fister against 4-6 Shields and their ERAs (which Shields' is better!)...

I'm happy we've won those games, and that's the common ground we stand on. And that's a good thing...

You probably thought it was great when the Royals signed 19-game winner Storm Davis, am I right?

TV broadcasts also reverently reference bullshit things like giving up outs early in games to advance runners or hitting with RISP like it is truly a scientific process and a variety of other things that speak to old-school fans or Lowest Common Denominator fans. Doesn't make those things any LESS bullshit.

[Al Bundy]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

You probably thought it was great when the Royals signed 19-game winner Storm Davis, am I right?

TV broadcasts also reverently reference bullshit things like giving up outs early in games to advance runners or hitting with RISP like it is truly a scientific process and a variety of other things that speak to old-school fans or Lowest Common Denominator fans. Doesn't make those things any LESS bullshit.

I remember not hating that signing, but shit... talk about an omen of things to come.

[TLO]

I'm just happy we are talking meaningful baseball in July. Last time that happened I was 10 years old.

[texaschiefsfan]

Do you really think this team has a shot?

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by texaschiefsfan

Do you really think this team has a shot?

I think glory dayz should take less of them
Posted via Mobile Device

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

I think glory dayz should take less of them
Posted via Mobile Device

LOL, it was straight water, tea and Gatorade yesterday, but that might change today...

[Tytanium]

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

I think not... Perhaps I'll say something after his next start when the announce him as "The Royals winning 8 of his last 9 starts" instead and not mentioning the 4-6 stat. Oh, that's tomorrow (unless it rains here), and they might mention what you see below. So far, short of the live broadcast that has yet to air, he's being introduced as being 4-6 and going up against Fister who's 7-5. Interestingly they do show the ERA, but alas, nothing about how many wins they've had in their last nine starts, nothing about any family member who won a pie contest, nothing about having won yard of the month any number of months over the last nine months, and nothing about what their eye colors are. Nope, it's 7-5 Fister against 4-6 Shields and their ERAs (which Shields' is better!)...

I'm happy we've won those games, and that's the common ground we stand on. And that's a good thing...

You literally know nothing about how modern baseball works. Yes, Jeremy Guthrie is clearly a superior pitcher because he's 9-7 rather than 4-6. Pitcher W/L is entirely dependent on receiving run support, of which the Royals are absolutely terrible at providing. Add to this the fact that this year, the Royals are a "come from behind" team and can only hit when they get into the opponent's bullpen, in which the games he's gone 6+ IP mean nothing to the stat when he's only giving up 1 run over 6-7 innings.

[Nightfyre]

Glory Dayz is > < this close to the ignore list.

[Demonpenz]

Glory Dayz calls a "Fastball" a "speedball"

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by Tytanium

You literally know nothing about how modern baseball works. Yes, Jeremy Guthrie is clearly a superior pitcher because he's 9-7 rather than 4-6. Pitcher W/L is entirely dependent on receiving run support, of which the Royals are absolutely terrible at providing. Add to this the fact that this year, the Royals are a "come from behind" team and can only hit when they get into the opponent's bullpen, in which the games he's gone 6+ IP mean nothing to the stat when he's only giving up 1 run over 6-7 innings.

Again, I get it, I'm just not in the mood these days to listen or read about any thin silver linings in Royals baseball. Let his agent bring-up that shit. I want to focus on the the only stat that really matters, team wins and losses.

I think silver linings are what consistently allow this organization, and the Chiefs too, to dupe good people in cities like KC to be happy with losing teams. That's why I no longer care about nice guys, players showing up at shelters, if the team goes to church, if players are juicing and staying one step ahead of the technology to catch them. I don't care who's on the roster and if the kiss babies at public events at the mall.

I want a winner, a contender, and teams that other teams fear when they come to town. We're not far from it, but then again, we're always not far from it.

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by Nightfyre

Glory Dayz is > < this close to the ignore list.

You're killing me Smalls!

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

Glory Dayz calls a "Fastball" a "speedball"

Well, not 8 out of the 9 last times....

Why you....you.....you.....you......

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

Glory Dayz calls a "Fastball" a "speedball"

Magnificent.