Royals (New) 2013 Kansas City Royals Repository - Page 21

duncan_idaho · 08-15-2013, 08:13 AM

New thread, this time with more burst.

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?

Mama Hip Rockets · 08-21-2013, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nzoner

Oakland just lost.

Amazingly enough, even after all this, the Royals will still only be 5.5 GB in the wild card if they win tonight.

penbrook · 08-21-2013, 04:34 PM

Ned Yost, to a reporter who asked why he suddenly wants a left-handed pitcher behind Shields on Friday, "because I do". #whatawinner

penbrook · 08-21-2013, 04:43 PM

The Royals visited the Chiefs practice today and yep Getzy was wearing a Eric Berry jersey.

Archie F. Swin · 08-21-2013, 05:49 PM

This team has been thrown under the bus for not growing a SP on the farm and you guys are prepared to trade all of them for a bat?

BWillie · 08-21-2013, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

"Need" ? I think that's strong.

Sure, I'm OK with exploring upgrading the position (though it would have to be in a trade as the FA market for SS next year is terrible). But "need?"

The guy is having a miserable season at the plate that keeps getting worse. But his defense has been nearly as valuable this year as it was his first season in KC.

Higher priorities in the offseason:
1a) Add RH power to the lineup
1b) Add another quality veteran pitcher behind Shields and in front of Guthrie
1c) Address 2B/UTIL infield

If you improve the offense substantially at either RF or 2B and improve it at least to league-average at the other spot, you can afford to carry Escobar's bat, even if it doesn't rebound.

His defense is a bit overrated. Is he an above average SS? Maybe by a hair. Last three years he's averaged 14th in dWAR out of all Shortstops. But that doesn't mean he should get to bat .230 every day, no power, no OBP, no OPS.

**alnorth** · 08-21-2013, 07:48 PM

All right, I'm calling it. Its now late August, and the Royals no longer have a realistic shot at the playoffs.

Hey, its progress, most years they are out of it in May!

**lewdog** · 08-21-2013, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alnorth

All right, I'm calling it. Its now late August, and the Royals no longer have a realistic shot at the playoffs.

Hey, its progress, most years they are out of it in May!

Today's game solidified it for me too. We're done. This offense is ridiculously bad.

Was a fun season though. They were in it longer than I expected.

Discuss Thrower · 08-21-2013, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alnorth

All right, I'm calling it. Its now late August, and the Royals no longer have a realistic shot at the playoffs.

Hey, its progress, most years they are out of it in May!

Technically this year's Royals were out of it in May...

**alnorth** · 08-21-2013, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Technically this year's Royals were out of it in May...

yeah, actually that is true. If we were merely "below average" in May instead of "OMG this is horrific", we'd still be in this thing.

As the old saying goes, you can't win the division in April (or May), but you can lose it. We managed to make it interesting after the break with an insanely unsustainable surge, but now reality is setting in. It was always going to be tough to beat Detroit, but crapping out in May sunk us.

Great Expectations · 08-21-2013, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lewdog

Today's game solidified it for me too. We're done. This offense is ridiculously bad.

Was a fun season though. They were in it longer than I expected.

I held out hope for a while, but I have up when I saw escobar, dyson, getz, and ej in the same line up.

Prison Bitch · 08-21-2013, 08:32 PM

Jeez butler is such a joke

siberian khatru · 08-23-2013, 09:01 AM

This is an interesting piece on Gordon's struggles: http://pinetarpress.com/morning-coff...g-with-gordon/

Check this out: "From May 30 through August 20, Alex Gordon has hit a paltry .201/.287/.332."

Two or three weeks ago I wondered about Gordon's hip and near-(semi?) concussion and went and checked the before and after stats and saw he'd already been slumping before that, so I dismissed it and never posted about it. But this piece goes into more detail about his struggles post-injury, and makes some interesting points.

Prison Bitch · 08-23-2013, 09:53 AM

Reality is, he's just not the player Dayton (and the Royals fans) think he is. His babip has been insanely high the past couple years and when it came down to earth this year he was back to being the above-avg player he was before moving to LF. His defense is excellent so he's worth a lot there, but he's basically providing David Lough value at an insane sticker price.

I would let him walk after his deal expires if I can't trade him in this offseason. Hopefully a new GM will be hired who won't have the weird fetish Dayton has for his current roster.

C3HIEF3S · 08-24-2013, 02:28 PM

Lineups for tonight:

Nice to see Lough finally in CF

**cabletech94** · 08-24-2013, 03:02 PM

don't care for boner in the 2 hole. but, well, meh......

gooooooooo chiefs!!!!!!!

08-15-2013, 08:13 AM
duncan_idaho M-I-Z-Z-O-U Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $1740308	(New) 2013 Kansas City Royals Repository New thread, this time with more burst. 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?
Posts: 21,088

08-21-2013, 04:34 PM	#302
penbrook LEGEND! Join Date: Feb 2013 Casino cash: $10033840	Ned Yost, to a reporter who asked why he suddenly wants a left-handed pitcher behind Shields on Friday, "because I do". #whatawinner
Posts: 16,409

08-21-2013, 04:43 PM	#303
penbrook LEGEND! Join Date: Feb 2013 Casino cash: $10033840	The Royals visited the Chiefs practice today and yep Getzy was wearing a Eric Berry jersey.
Posts: 16,409

08-21-2013, 05:49 PM	#304
Archie F. Swin This is the way Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Wichita Falls, Texas Casino cash: $9975673	This team has been thrown under the bus for not growing a SP on the farm and you guys are prepared to trade all of them for a bat? __________________ "No Two People Will Do It The Same, You got It Down...When You Appear to Be In Pain!"
Posts: 11,800

08-21-2013, 07:48 PM	#306
alnorth . Join Date: Dec 2002 Casino cash: $57166239	All right, I'm calling it. Its now late August, and the Royals no longer have a realistic shot at the playoffs. Hey, its progress, most years they are out of it in May! __________________ how many emo kids does it take to change a lightbulb? HOW MANY?! none they just sit in the dark and cry
Posts: 36,130

08-21-2013, 08:32 PM	#311
Prison Bitch Rabbi Goldmann Join Date: Nov 2012 Casino cash: $5450159	Jeez butler is such a joke
Posts: 87,025

08-23-2013, 09:01 AM	#312
siberian khatru 21st Century Schizoid Fan Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: The Gates of Delirium Casino cash: $2534950	This is an interesting piece on Gordon's struggles: http://pinetarpress.com/morning-coff...g-with-gordon/ Check this out: "From May 30 through August 20, Alex Gordon has hit a paltry .201/.287/.332." Two or three weeks ago I wondered about Gordon's hip and near-(semi?) concussion and went and checked the before and after stats and saw he'd already been slumping before that, so I dismissed it and never posted about it. But this piece goes into more detail about his struggles post-injury, and makes some interesting points.
Posts: 69,187

08-23-2013, 09:53 AM	#313
Prison Bitch Rabbi Goldmann Join Date: Nov 2012 Casino cash: $5450159	Reality is, he's just not the player Dayton (and the Royals fans) think he is. His babip has been insanely high the past couple years and when it came down to earth this year he was back to being the above-avg player he was before moving to LF. His defense is excellent so he's worth a lot there, but he's basically providing David Lough value at an insane sticker price. I would let him walk after his deal expires if I can't trade him in this offseason. Hopefully a new GM will be hired who won't have the weird fetish Dayton has for his current roster.
Posts: 87,025

08-24-2013, 02:28 PM	#314
C3HIEF3S Let's Get Weird Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Austin Casino cash: $9990098	Lineups for tonight: Nice to see Lough finally in CF
Posts: 15,229

08-24-2013, 03:02 PM	#315
cabletech94 Everything is Awesome!!!!! Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: The Pitt Casino cash: $2076805	don't care for boner in the 2 hole. but, well, meh...... gooooooooo chiefs!!!!!!! __________________ Originally Posted by Big Smoke May as well laugh. Otherwise I will probably break shit.
Posts: 10,889