Royals 2013 Kansas City Royals Repository Thread - Page 182

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?

**Saul Good** · 04-11-2013, 06:23 AM

Royals lead the division in runs scored and fewest allowed. Our run differentialis 16 ahead of the next best team in the division.

Not bad given the 0-2 start.

Tytanium · 04-11-2013, 07:08 AM

Another tidbit: Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of Kauffman(Royals) Stadium. 4/10/73!

**ChiTown** · 04-11-2013, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tytanium

Another tidbit: Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of Kauffman(Royals) Stadium. 4/10/73!

My Dad took me to the first ever game played at Royals Stadium. We beat the Texas Rangers that day. Great memories...

Deberg_1990 · 04-11-2013, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tytanium

Another tidbit: Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of Kauffman(Royals) Stadium. 4/10/73!

Its still a beautiful stadium...only beef i have is too many ads in the outfield, but thats a problem with alot of parks now.

Archie F. Swin · 04-11-2013, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Its still a beautiful stadium...only beef i have is too many ads in the outfield, but thats a problem with alot of parks now.

if you look at film from the 30s, 40s, 50s....parks are covered in ads

Tytanium · 04-11-2013, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Its still a beautiful stadium...only beef i have is too many ads in the outfield, but thats a problem with alot of parks now.

I love the K, and I try to get to as many games as I can, schedule permitting. My only gripe is there is absolutely nothing to look at outside of the stadium. I'd kill to have a view of the KC skyline beyond center field....

duncan_idaho · 04-11-2013, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

I don't even remember Felix Jose. Who the ****?

Felix Jose is what they received in return for Gregg Jeffries when the Royals went "all-in" for 1993.

Jeffries actually had a pretty good 1992 season, but he had completely awful luck, especially early. .282 BABIP as he hit .280.

Of course, the next year, his luck equalizes. Jeffries hit .342 in 1993, posting an .894 OPS, 5.1 WAR, and 142 OPS+.

And he was almost as good in 1994.

Add Jeffries to those two teams INSTEAD of Felix Jose, and KC is in much better shape.

Meanwhile, Felix Jose was terrible in 1993 and just average in 1994.

Great job, Herk Robinson.

duncan_idaho · 04-11-2013, 08:40 AM

DJ -

I actually like Craig quite a bit and would consider trading even that package for him. The only thing I don't like is that he has had a really hard time staying healthy when playing more physically demanding positions.

Herrera and Collins would be a tough pill to swallow, but if there is one thing Dayton Moore has been EXCELLENT at, it is filling the bullpen reliably.

They would need Holland to stabilize and start pitching a little bit better. And maybe they can convince the Cardinals to take Donnie Joseph instead of Tim Collins (not a deal-breaker, though).

Even if they lost Herrera and Collins out of the pen, the Royals could reinforce the bullpen pretty quickly.

Yordano Ventura might not be ready to start in the major leagues yet, but he certainly could pitch out of the pen right now and be lights out. You don't leave him there long-term, but I don't mind getting his feet wet out of the pen this year.

Donnie Joseph would be a lights-out LOOGY right away.

Duffy could also pitch out of the pen this year and be pretty dynamite. Again, not a long-term thing, but not a bad way to work him back into the major leagues, either.

WhawhaWhat · 04-11-2013, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saul Good

Royals lead the division in runs scored and fewest allowed. Our run differentialis 16 ahead of the next best team in the division.

Not bad given the 0-2 start.

And they only have 4 HRs on the season which is tied for last in the AL. Their BA is 2nd to the Tigers.

Deberg_1990 · 04-11-2013, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tytanium

I love the K, and I try to get to as many games as I can, schedule permitting. My only gripe is there is absolutely nothing to look at outside of the stadium. I'd kill to have a view of the KC skyline beyond center field....

heh, i agree......but its funny how times/people change. I dont remember anyone complaining about the location of the K 20-30 years ago? But it does seem the trend of the past few decades is a downtown stadium with an entertainment district nearby.

duncan_idaho · 04-11-2013, 08:51 AM

Most of us already know this, but the Bubba Starling experiment is not going to end well.

WhawhaWhat · 04-11-2013, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Jeffries actually had a pretty good 1992 season, but he had completely awful luck, especially early. .282 BABIP as he hit .280.

I'm not as good with the advanced numbers. What is a good BABIP and what is bad?

WhawhaWhat · 04-11-2013, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Most of us already know this, but the Bubba Starling experiment is not going to end well.

How long until he is under center for Nebraska?

**gblowfish** · 04-11-2013, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

heh, i agree......but its funny how times/people change. I dont remember anyone complaining about the location of the K 20-30 years ago? But it does seem the trend of the past few decades is a downtown stadium with an entertainment district nearby.

The ballpark is PERFECT where it is. It's a beautiful facility, plenty of parking, only a few minutes from downtown, and its IN MISSOURI where it should be.

seaofred · 04-11-2013, 08:55 AM

To get a veiw of the KC skyline, you would most likely loose the ability to tailgate. Most, if not all downtown stadiums only have parking garages. Would take a lot of the fun out of game day.

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: 21,053

04-11-2013, 06:23 AM	#2716
Saul Good Quit your bullshit Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Bored of winning Casino cash: $10052799	Royals lead the division in runs scored and fewest allowed. Our run differentialis 16 ahead of the next best team in the division. Not bad given the 0-2 start. __________________ Today is not a good day to be a pussy.
Posts: 41,870

04-11-2013, 07:08 AM	#2717
Tytanium Starter Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Lawrence Casino cash: $10007108	Another tidbit: Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of Kauffman(Royals) Stadium. 4/10/73! Last edited by Tytanium; 04-11-2013 at 07:14 AM..
Posts: 324

04-11-2013, 08:40 AM	#2723
duncan_idaho M-I-Z-Z-O-U Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $1840308	DJ - I actually like Craig quite a bit and would consider trading even that package for him. The only thing I don't like is that he has had a really hard time staying healthy when playing more physically demanding positions. Herrera and Collins would be a tough pill to swallow, but if there is one thing Dayton Moore has been EXCELLENT at, it is filling the bullpen reliably. They would need Holland to stabilize and start pitching a little bit better. And maybe they can convince the Cardinals to take Donnie Joseph instead of Tim Collins (not a deal-breaker, though). Even if they lost Herrera and Collins out of the pen, the Royals could reinforce the bullpen pretty quickly. Yordano Ventura might not be ready to start in the major leagues yet, but he certainly could pitch out of the pen right now and be lights out. You don't leave him there long-term, but I don't mind getting his feet wet out of the pen this year. Donnie Joseph would be a lights-out LOOGY right away. Duffy could also pitch out of the pen this year and be pretty dynamite. Again, not a long-term thing, but not a bad way to work him back into the major leagues, either. __________________ "You gotta love livin', cause dying is a pain in the ass." ---- Sinatra
Posts: 21,053

04-11-2013, 08:51 AM	#2726
duncan_idaho M-I-Z-Z-O-U Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $1840308	Most of us already know this, but the Bubba Starling experiment is not going to end well. __________________ "You gotta love livin', cause dying is a pain in the ass." ---- Sinatra
Posts: 21,053

04-11-2013, 08:55 AM	#2730
seaofred Wish I had something clever... Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Trout fishing capital USA Casino cash: $4875333	To get a veiw of the KC skyline, you would most likely loose the ability to tailgate. Most, if not all downtown stadiums only have parking garages. Would take a lot of the fun out of game day. __________________
Posts: 1,656