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?

[Archie F. Swin]

monthly splits to date

Split WP
April .583
May .286
June .593
July .600
Aug .750

If we can just finish the season playing .600 to .630 ball, we'll be in good shape

[Coach]

[ReynardMuldrake]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaChief

Just get ready for this.

If the Royals get into the playoffs this year, or even continue as they are and are right there at the end, a LOT of people who chose to slink away during the bad years are going to run right to the front row of the bandwagon.

I'd rather deal with that than the way its been, though.

I'm definitely guilty of this. I had written off the Royals for years and years and years. This crazy win streak has turned me from a casual observer back into a Royals fan.

In my defense though, I was in kindergarten the last time we made any noise in the playoffs. I'm just not that much of a masochist.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Messier

There's no both teams came out looking good option? I think that's what I take away from it.

I'm really only looking at it from the Royals, "was it worth it?", perspective. I don't see any plausible way for the Rays to "lose" unless Myers gets hurt or has an inexplicably huge decline.

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by Coach

Awesome.

[siberian khatru]

Originally Posted by alnorth

For me it is pretty simple: if we make the playoffs this year or next year, we win the trade even if Myers turns into an annual MVP contender. If we miss the playoffs this year and next, we lose the trade.

Me too.

[cookster50]

Why can't there be some limitation on Prison's posting ability? Make it so he/she/it can only post in DC threads.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by alnorth

For me it is pretty simple: if we make the playoffs this year or next year, we win the trade even if Myers turns into an annual MVP contender. If we miss the playoffs this year and next, we lose the trade.

So if the Royals eke into the WC by 1 game and lose at Baltimore and Shields blows out his arm and doesn't pitch next year while Myers becomes a perennial 30hr guy, we....won?

And conversely if we barely miss it but Shields wins 15 next year while Myers goes on to be mediocre at best, we still lost?

[Cephalic Trauma]

Originally Posted by cookster50

Why can't there be some limitation on Prison's posting ability? Make it so he/she/it can only post in DC threads.

Just don't respond to the guy and maybe he'll get the point.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by cookster50

Why can't there be some limitation on Prison's posting ability? Make it so he/she/it can only post in DC threads.

Click on the name of the person you don't want to see, and you should see an ignore option. Chiefsplanet has a very hands-off relaxed moderation policy, which is what the community wants, but the ignore list still works. I've got 14 names on my ignore list.

[Coach]

Found from Twitter.

[CaliforniaChief]

Originally Posted by ReynardMuldrake

I'm definitely guilty of this. I had written off the Royals for years and years and years. This crazy win streak has turned me from a casual observer back into a Royals fan.

In my defense though, I was in kindergarten the last time we made any noise in the playoffs. I'm just not that much of a masochist.

I was 11 when we won the World Series, and I didn't go anywhere. Maybe that says something about me. LOL

Either way, we do of course welcome you back and hope you enjoy the ride with us.

[CHENZ A!]

I've never wavered in my fandom, but I do admit that I was hoping we'd trade Santana. I'm glad I was wrong.

[mnchiefsguy]

Originally Posted by Archie F. Swin

monthly splits to date

Split WP
April .583
May .286
June .593
July .600
Aug .750

If we can just finish the season playing .600 to .630 ball, we'll be in good shape

Just shows how much of a killer May was...if they had been just .500 in May (which would still have May as their worst month), they would be in first place, or not too far behind.

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by alnorth

For me it is pretty simple: if we make the playoffs this year or next year, we win the trade even if Myers turns into an annual MVP contender. If we miss the playoffs this year and next, we lose the trade.

If the Royals have Myers on the team this year, I think they lose 85-90 games again, which would also be a loss.