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.

[stonedstooge]

Raining in Detriot

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

they should have done this last year.....

I swear, every year it's some other excuse for this franchise.....

I'm not making an excuse.

We were pretty vocal - especially Deez and I, if I recall correctly - about pursuing at least one more pitcher in the offseason (though from hearing Petro today, our favorite Edwin Jackson was apparently never a consideration because he wanted to pitch in the NL).

I'm not excusing the behavior. I'm saying "They should have done things differently."

The Royals really need to correct the oversight this year and get aggressive about adding more starting pitching. Whether that's through trade or free agency, I don't care. To not pursue a starter would require a lot of things breaking right:

1) Hochevar pitching the whole year at his second-half 2011 level.
2) Danny Duffy's elbow being fine, and Danny finishing in the 3.75 ERA/1.30 WHIP/9.0 K/9 range
3) Mike Montgomery building on recent success in Omaha and kicking ass the second half of the year, forcing a July/August call-up in which he shines.
4) Bruce Chen and or Felipe Paulino or Adcock or Teaford showing to be solid 4-5 guys.

Otherwise, they'd better be beating the bushes to find some starters in the offseason.

They're going to be positioned well to trade for a starter, too. Plenty of depth in the low minors for them to pull something off. (I'd think Cuthbert or Bonifacio + Adam or Ventura would be the start to building a nice package for a Gio Gonzalez type guy).

All that said... the starting pitching really has not been the issue this season, outside of the Cleveland series.

[stonedstooge]

What's the deal with Oswalt not signing with a team yet? Anybody know?

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by stonedstooge

What's the deal with Oswalt not signing with a team yet? Anybody know?

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/0...oy-oswalt.html

Sounds like a bunch of sabre rattling and not much else.

[stonedstooge]

Originally Posted by Bowser

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/0...oy-oswalt.html

Sounds like a bunch of sabre rattling and not much else.

That article has a date in January on it. Not sure if that is current or not. Thanks for the link

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by stonedstooge

That article has a date in January on it. Not sure if that is current or not. Thanks for the link

I tried, and failed miserably. It's certainly a Monday.

[stonedstooge]

Originally Posted by Bowser

I tried, and failed miserably. It's certainly a Monday.

Well at least the information is still correct. He hasn't signed with anyone yet.

[Bambi]

God Damn these rain outs. Oh well, Rangers-Caps goin good

[duncan_idaho]

King Felix's line last night:

8.0 IP, 9K, 1.12 WHIP, 1 ER.

But he didn't get the win, so he sucks.

[alnorth]

Dan Haren so far:

(1-1), 3.34 ERA, 1.237 WHIP, 5BB, 30K, 3.16 FIP

Man, he's gotten off to a really mediocre start this season. 5 starts and only 1 win so far? Thats pretty awful. Maybe they'll dump him off on the Royals.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Dan Haren so far:

(1-1), 3.34 ERA, 1.237 WHIP, 5BB, 30K, 3.16 FIP

Man, he's gotten off to a really mediocre start this season. 5 starts and only 1 win so far? Thats pretty awful. Maybe they'll dump him off on the Royals.

Jordan Zimmerman:
(1-1), 1.33 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, 8:1 K:BB

Not a winner! Don't want him.

Clay Bucholz:
(3-1) 8.69 ERA, 1.90 WHIP.

Now there's the winning type of pitcher the Royals need. ACE! He's on pace to go 18-6!

[BigCatDaddy]

Good stuff guys

[gblowfish]

This morning driving in 610 was playing one of the Royals commercials trying to get everybody jazzed up about the All Star Game. They had Sweeney doing the commercial. He said his time in KC was "A Magical Time" and that he was thrilled to be an all star, yap yap yap.

A Magical Time.

Yeah Mike. I'm sure it was magic for you.

I know a lot of Royals fans just love Mike Sweeney. Yeah, he's a super nice guy. Great person, big smile, friendly, yep yep yep. He's also the biggest white elephant investment the Royals ever made. I was also there during those times. Not so magical.

In Sweeney's 12 years with the Royals they had a winning record once, in 2003. The Royals paid Sweeney over $71 million in his Royals career, they chose him out of that group of young players to be the main man, and had to let Damon, Dye and Beltran go (for lack of funds), in good part to Sweeney's bloated $11 mill per year five year salary, which they paid out from 2003 to 2007. In 2006, Sweeney was on the DL so much, they ended up paying him over $183,000 per game. He was the offensive power they were counting on for serious offensive production during four 100 (or more) loss seasons. In return for $71 million, Sweeney was "a five time all star," mostly because MLB rules say every team has to be represented by one player. Some years he was deserving, especially early before he got the big bucks. Most of the time, he was simply a hood ornament.

Sucks to be the Royals, I suppose. But there's 71 million great reasons to be Mike Sweeney.

I guess the least he can do for the team is cut a radio spot for them. That's a pretty expensive voice talent for $71 million.

Today, Beltran has been in the heart of the Cards lineup, and of course Damon just got picked up by Cleveland. Sweeney is doing commentary on the MLB cable network. Why do the Royals always give the big money to the wrong guy?

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

Because **** you that's why



***obligatory***

[Nightfyre]

Where is literature with the game thread?