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?

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

When Dyson is ready to come back, the move they make to get him back on the roster will be telling. Lough back to AAA or Francoeur released.

It's clear what it SHOULD be. But I'm certain what it WILL be.

Dayton's son Jeff isn't going anywhere until Dayton does.

[gblowfish]

The KC Royals Chat Board on the Royals site is a total joke. 90% of it is the Blue Kool Aid drinkers re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. One poor soul is trying to start "a petition" to "Make it Stop!"

OK, I'm down with that. I signed. I just told them I'm into spanking.

You can sign too, just go here:

https://www.change.org/petitions/roy...als-management

[siberian khatru]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

The KC Royals Chat Board on the Royals site is a total joke. 90% of it is the Blue Kool Aid drinkers re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. One poor soul is trying to start "a petition" to "Make it Stop!"

OK, I'm down with that. I signed. I just told them I'm into spanking.

You can sign too, just go here:

https://www.change.org/petitions/roy...als-management

Lee Judge and Jim Fetterolf are their patron saints.

[siberian khatru]

These are the questions David Glass should be asking Dayton Moore:

http://www.royalsreview.com/2013/5/2...er-development

Alas, I fear Moore would dazzle him with some bullshit doubletalk that Glass wouldn't understand, and Grampa would send him back out there confident that in just five more years it will all come together.

[duncan_idaho]

Baseball Pro article today breaking down Hosmer's struggles. Depressing.

Good read if you have a sub.

Basically: His swing is jacked up, making him unable to handle even average fastballs.

LOad is heavier. Balance is worse.

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

It's clear what it SHOULD be. But I'm certain what it WILL be.

Dayton's son Jeff isn't going anywhere until Dayton does.

Dyson has been cleared to start jogging, so I would think he should be ready to go in about 7-10 days. We shouldn't have to wait too long.

[duncan_idaho]

Some positive news:

John Lamb's velocity was up in his start last night. Was hitting 90-91 for the first time this season. I had given up on it returning. We'll see if it holds up.

If they fire Moore after this season, the next GM will have some nice tools to build with.

[Predarat]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

Poor Ned.

That is a fireable offense. Please. I hope.

[Demonpenz]

How many times is there cock high fastballs down the plate and a royal fouls them off only to get broken off a nasty slider next.

[gblowfish]

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

Bob Dutton ‏@Royals_Report 1h
Yost on holding players accountable: "What are you asking me to do? Take my belt off and spank them? Yell at them? Scream at them?…
Retweeted by Kansas City Star
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Meanwhile, in the St. Louis visitors clubhouse...

[ShowtimeSBMVP]

Out of the 2 Zack Greinke trades which side did better?



Trade 1 - Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain, Jake Odorizzi , Jeremy Jeffress For Zack Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt



Trade 2- Jean Segura , John Hellweg , Ariel Pena For 3 months of Zack Greinke



IMO Trade 2 by far what say you.

[Mama Hip Rockets]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Meanwhile, in the St. Louis visitors clubhouse...

[Kidd Lex]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Baseball Pro article today breaking down Hosmer's struggles. Depressing.

Good read if you have a sub.

Basically: His swing is jacked up, making him unable to handle even average fastballs.

LOad is heavier. Balance is worse.

Link?

Id like to read before throwing myself off the BB.

[ShowtimeSBMVP]

Ken Rosenthal
Share This Story
Updated May 29, 2013 11:41 AM ET



The teams that drive me crazy are the ones that are in denial, performing poorly yet operating in their own little universe, acting as if only they know what is best.

The Orioles were like that for a long time. So were the Pirates. The Astros are like that now, but get the benefit of the doubt because they just started to rebuild.

The Royals have lost the benefit of the doubt.

And now that their season of promise is rapidly turning to ruin, I wonder just how long they're going to keep telling us that everything is all right.

Here is a team that is in free fall, loser of 18 of its last 21 games and 10 straight at home. Yet general manager Dayton Moore sounded almost defiant when he told the Kansas City Star last Thursday, “We’re not going to panic.”

One day later, Moore spoke glowingly of manager Ned Yost to FOXSports.com’s Jon Paul Morosi, saying that Yost was “the least of our problems.”

Really?

I seriously doubt that many people in Kansas City would be upset Wednesday if the Royals announced they were firing Yost.

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It goes without saying that Yost is not completely to blame for his team’s collapse; no manager ever is. But if the Royals were so wedded to Yost, they would have extended his contract last offseason. And now, as the losses mount, Yost’s frustration appears to be growing.

According to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star, Yost sounded exasperated Tuesday night when asked how players were being held accountable.

“What are you asking me to do?” Yost asked. “Take my belt off and spank them? Yell at them? Scream at them? What do you want? These kids, every day, we go through the process. We’re constantly talking about approach.

“Do we need to make changes? This can’t continue. Somewhere down the road, yeah, we’re going to have make some changes.”

Somewhere down the road? Sorry, the Royals can't wait that long.

They could release outfielder Jeff Francoeur, demote third baseman Mike Moustakas, fire one or both of their hitting coaches, make any number of smaller moves. But it sure appears that they also need to do something bigger, in part to mollify a fan base that last celebrated a playoff team in 1985.

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This was supposed to be the season, remember? Moore went all-in, trading for right-hander Ervin Santana, re-signing righty Jeremy Guthrie, giving up top outfield prospect Wil Myers to acquire righties James Shields and Wade Davis.

I applauded Moore for acting boldly. Some in the industry thought that he acted too soon. Whatever, Moore now needs to realize that his career, too, is at stake. The Royals have yet to produce a winning season since he took over on June 8, 2006. No active GM has a losing streak that long.

Is it still possible for the Royals to salvage their season and for Yost to save his job? Sure it is. I thought the Dodgers’ Don Mattingly was doomed a little more than a week ago, but he seemed to find his voice and now his team is playing better.

The Dodgers’ players, though, are more proven than the Royals’. And while Yost is in his 10th season as a manager, only once did he finish with a winning record. It would have been twice, but the Brewers fired him with 12 games left in the 2008 season, fearing that Yost was about to cost them a spot in the playoffs.

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The Brewers rallied to reach the postseason, but firing the manager often is too easy an answer, failing to produce the desired results. If Moore wants to keep Yost — if he truly believes that Yost is the solution — then that is his GM’s prerogative. But at some point, Moore needs to figure out why some of the Royals’ young players are regressing, why the offense is one of the worst in the AL, why the team overall can’t seem to get out of its own way.

I don’t buy the easy narrative that the Royals’ problems date to Yost pulling Shields with a 1-0 lead after eight innings on May 6, resulting in a 2-1 loss to the White Sox. The Mariners’ Eric Wedge did virtually the same thing with Felix Hernandez only two days later, but his closer earned the save and hardly anyone said a word.

Then again, we can play this game forever. This isn’t the manager’s fault. That isn’t the manager’s fault. We’re all in this together. Everyone is to blame.

In the end, it’s all just another form of denial. And the Royals have been in denial for too long.


http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/h...guthrie-052813

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Some positive news:

John Lamb's velocity was up in his start last night. Was hitting 90-91 for the first time this season. I had given up on it returning. We'll see if it holds up.

If they fire Moore after this season, the next GM will have some nice tools to build with.

No he won't.