Royals 2013 Kansas City Royals Repository Thread - Page 458

duncan_idaho · 10:01 AM

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?

**gblowfish** · 07-11-2013, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

I notice that a lot of Missouri fans have dispensed their two cents about Bob Davis.

With that said, I can not exactly refute any of the criticisms.

Bob is especially calm and collected doing KU Basketball games.

Deberg_1990 · 07-11-2013, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiTown

Don't the Royals own the longest current playoff drought in the MLB?

Damn, it feels good to be a fan of two the shittiest Franchises in Professional Sports.......

Yes, I believe its the longest in all of Pro Sports right now?

Anyways, this is why I gave up my MLBtv subscription. The Royals are ok I guess, a little better overall than last year...but ultimately, still not good enough. I'll stand by my prediction of
79 or 80 wins. I just don't have it im me anymore to follow this loser franchise every single game. its too bad....the people of KC deserve better.
Posted via Mobile Device

Tytanium · 07-11-2013, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dartgod

I believe he hit 2 last year. I was like

EDIT: Just checked the stats. It was only one last year. He has 4 in his MLB career.

Billy is a one tool player. He needs to be at 200-210lbs with more muscle to be able to really turn his one tool(average) into maybe two and a half (hitting 30HRs and not being a liability on the basepaths).

ChiefsCountry · 07-11-2013, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiTown

Don't the Royals own the longest current playoff drought in the MLB?

Yeah it sucks but we had a few years under current baseball rules where we would have made the playoffs, 1989 for one. I believe we had the 2nd or 3rd best record in baseball, yet didn't make the playoffs since the A's were in our division. 1994 we would have made the playoffs and done some damage with the pitching staff we had, damn strike.

stonedstooge · 07-11-2013, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tytanium

Billy is a one tool player. He needs to be at 200-210lbs with more muscle to be able to really turn his one tool(average) into maybe two and a half (hitting 30HRs and not being a liability on the basepaths).

He's going to lose his abilities a lot quicker then normal dudes given his body type. I wonder if he's ever hired one of those dudes that work with athletes physically during their offseason. He needs to.

Tytanium · 07-11-2013, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stonedstooge

He's going to lose his abilities a lot quicker then normal dudes given his body type. I wonder if he's ever hired one of those dudes that work with athletes physically during their offseason. He needs to.

If Pablo Sandoval can do it, Billy can do it. He needs to stop binge eating and chugging bbq sauce and hit the ****ing squat rack next offseason.

chiefqueen · 07-11-2013, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

I think the bigger issue was in relying on Maloof and David to help the young hitters that are crucial to KC's success.

Hosmer again looks like the superstar in waiting we all saw in 2011. It's hard to argue with the way he's been hitting the ball, especially the past 4 weeks. He has a .900+ OPS in the past 6 weeks (since June 1)

Moustakas also has taken a big step forward. He's a .750+ OPS guy in the past 4 weeks. He's needs to expand that out over a larger sample size, but that's significant and encouraging improvement. The last time he got hot, it lasted about 3 weeks

The Royals need one of those two guys to be a star and the other to be at least an average hitter at his position. Things are moving in that direction.

Escobar and Butler have regressed. I'm confident Butler will rebound and end up with an OPS in his usual range.

Escobar is a better hitter than he's shown - he got pull happy early - but he shouldn't be hitting 2nd. He should be hitting 8th or 9th. With his D - even with the errors - they don't need him to be a star bat if they hit him in an appropriate lineup spot.

IMO it is not the Butler has regressed as a hitter but if you defend him correctly you make him nothing more than a .260 singles hitter which is happening this year. Play your outfielders 5-10 ft in front of the warning track so that you can keep him to a single on any ball falling in front of you. Plus you are now close enough to track that a higher percentage of ball hit to the wall or warning track become outs instead of doubles. Also put an infielder behind 2nd base as most of his ground ball that make it out of infield go thru there. The only thing I would change in defending Butler is to back up my infielders another 5-10 feet when possible.

chiefqueen · 07-11-2013, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stonedstooge

He's going to lose his abilities a lot quicker then normal dudes given his body type. I wonder if he's ever hired one of those dudes that work with athletes physically during their offseason. He needs to.

I kinda want to Royals to move him before he hits 30 (in 2016) b/c I think a lot of one-hop line drives hit to center and right will become outfield force outs as he ages.

**ChiTown** · 07-11-2013, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Yeah it sucks but we had a few years under current baseball rules where we would have made the playoffs, 1989 for one. I believe we had the 2nd or 3rd best record in baseball, yet didn't make the playoffs since the A's were in our division. 1994 we would have made the playoffs and done some damage with the pitching staff we had, damn strike.

That's swell and all, but we have been asleep for the better part of 2 decades worth of baseball. I'm sick of this shit.

Three7s · 07-12-2013, 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Yes, I believe its the longest in all of Pro Sports right now?

Anyways, this is why I gave up my MLBtv subscription. The Royals are ok I guess, a little better overall than last year...but ultimately, still not good enough. I'll stand by my prediction of
79 or 80 wins. I just don't have it im me anymore to follow this loser franchise every single game. its too bad....the people of KC deserve better.
Posted via Mobile Device

This is right on the money.

This team isn't good enough as it is now. Wake me up at the trade deadline and I'll tell you where we'll finish.

AussieChiefsFan · 07-12-2013, 07:59 AM

After disappointingly splitting the series with the Yanks, we've gotta make something happen with this series vs Cleveland. Really would be get to finish at or above .500 by the break.

duncan_idaho · 07-12-2013, 08:20 AM

The hatred on this board for Billy Butler continues to astound me.

He's struggling right now MOSTLY because he has expanded his strike zone quite a bit. Probably out of frustration in not seeing many pitches to hit. (And even in his "struggles", is still putting up a decent OPS and being a consistent run producer)

Expand your strike zone, you swing at worse pitches. Swing at worse pitches, and you make weaker contact.

The behind 2B shift is a good move but secondary to what's going on above, IMO.

The Royals control Butler for two more seasons at extremely reasonable prices. They would owe him $20.5 million over the next two years, or $10.25 million/year. That's a well-below market value deal for a hitter of his pedigree.

You're talking about one of the 2-3 best DHs in the game (trailing David Ortiz but right there with Victor Martinez, whose numbers are practically identical to Billy's).

Prison Bitch · 07-12-2013, 08:58 AM

He's 114th out of 145 qualifiers in slugging. As a freaking DH. Quit making excuses for the fatboy, he's sucked royally this year.

siberian khatru · 07-12-2013, 01:23 PM

Escobar out of 2-hole, hitting 7th tonite.

Gordon 7, Hosmer 3, Butler DH, Perez 2, Moustakas 5, Lough 9, Escobar 6, Johnson 4, Dyson 8.

CaliforniaChief · 07-12-2013, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

Escobar out of 2-hole, hitting 7th tonite.

Gordon 7, Hosmer 3, Butler DH, Perez 2, Moustakas 5, Lough 9, Escobar 6, Johnson 4, Dyson 8.

Sub in Giavotella for Johnson, and that's pretty much how I'd draw it up.

12-11-2012, 09:59 AM
duncan_idaho M-I-Z-Z-O-U Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $1840308	2013 Kansas City Royals Repository Thread 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? Last edited by duncan_idaho; 07-15-2013 at 10:01 AM..
Posts: 21,051

07-12-2013, 07:59 AM	#6866
AussieChiefsFan MVP Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney, Australia Casino cash: $6598501	After disappointingly splitting the series with the Yanks, we've gotta make something happen with this series vs Cleveland. Really would be get to finish at or above .500 by the break.
Posts: 13,731

07-12-2013, 08:20 AM	#6867
duncan_idaho M-I-Z-Z-O-U Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $1840308	The hatred on this board for Billy Butler continues to astound me. He's struggling right now MOSTLY because he has expanded his strike zone quite a bit. Probably out of frustration in not seeing many pitches to hit. (And even in his "struggles", is still putting up a decent OPS and being a consistent run producer) Expand your strike zone, you swing at worse pitches. Swing at worse pitches, and you make weaker contact. The behind 2B shift is a good move but secondary to what's going on above, IMO. The Royals control Butler for two more seasons at extremely reasonable prices. They would owe him $20.5 million over the next two years, or $10.25 million/year. That's a well-below market value deal for a hitter of his pedigree. You're talking about one of the 2-3 best DHs in the game (trailing David Ortiz but right there with Victor Martinez, whose numbers are practically identical to Billy's). __________________ "You gotta love livin', cause dying is a pain in the ass." ---- Sinatra
Posts: 21,051

07-12-2013, 08:58 AM	#6868
Prison Bitch Rabbi Goldmann Join Date: Nov 2012 Casino cash: $5450159	He's 114th out of 145 qualifiers in slugging. As a freaking DH. Quit making excuses for the fatboy, he's sucked royally this year.
Posts: 87,025

07-12-2013, 01:23 PM	#6869
siberian khatru 21st Century Schizoid Fan Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: The Gates of Delirium Casino cash: $2634950	Escobar out of 2-hole, hitting 7th tonite. Gordon 7, Hosmer 3, Butler DH, Perez 2, Moustakas 5, Lough 9, Escobar 6, Johnson 4, Dyson 8.
Posts: 69,115