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?

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

Hello Pittsburgh, need a closer?

Getting excited about the possibility of acquiring prospects from the ****ing Pittsburgh Pirates.

What a disaster.

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by Bambi

Getting excited about the possibility of acquiring prospects from the ****ing Pittsburgh Pirates.

What a disaster.

They have some good talent in the minors.

[Chiefspants]

The problem is that Dayton isn't committing to being a buyer or a seller.

If you're a buyer, add a freaking bat that will give this team at least some hope of contention.

If you're a seller, sell Santana to the highest bidder and reload for the future.

But, so far Dayton has shown he's committed to doing it halfway while simply hoping for the best. "Remember, kids, this is the team that went 17-10!"

[Chiefspants]

Rofl, Wade Davis is currently trending on twitter.

[Chiefspants]

Turpolk Bawbi ‏@ceej_money_ 13m
"Miguel Cabrera career on-base % is 398. Opponents against Wade Davis: 393. Davis turns opponents lineups into 9 Miguel Cabreras

[Demonpenz]

Originally Posted by theelusiveeightrop

Esky's time has to be nearing an end. Sadly, right now, he is the best option.

I mean...you can't believe this...not in KC...it takes Larry Johnson spitting Don John all over some slore in martini corner...it takes Francour hitting .200 but finally lashing out over how slow billy butler is.....it takes Angel Berrora refusing to learn english.... Esky has 2 more years.

[teedubya]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

Turpolk Bawbi ‏@ceej_money_ 13m
"Miguel Cabrera career on-base % is 398. Opponents against Wade Davis: 393. Davis turns opponents lineups into 9 Miguel Cabreras

[BlackHelicopters]

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

I mean...you can't believe this...not in KC...it takes Larry Johnson spitting Don John all over some slore in martini corner...it takes Francour hitting .200 but finally lashing out over how slow billy butler is.....it takes Angel Berrora refusing to learn english.... Esky has 2 more years.

This , SADLY, is probably true.

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

The problem is that Dayton isn't committing to being a buyer or a seller.

If you're a buyer, add a freaking bat that will give this team at least some hope of contention.

If you're a seller, sell Santana to the highest bidder and reload for the future.

But, so far Dayton has shown he's committed to doing it halfway while simply hoping for the best. "Remember, kids, this is the team that went 17-10!"

As with senior leadership in any industry, once all hope is lost, and you're not the owner, you manage both angry and with reckless abandon for the chance that you'll catch lightening in a bottle. This is usually where ownership takes the keys from the driver as to not let them mangle the car any more than it already is, but in the case of the Royals the higher up you go in the leadership ranks the less good they are at managing their part of the pie. As bad as our players are, and except for a few players, Royals players are bad compared to equivalent positions on other teams (!!!), our non-player "leadership" is FAR FAR FAR worse...

[Prison Bitch]

Is Escobar one of the biggest turds in recent Royals history? He just goes up hacking, no gameplan at the plate. In the field he's quit, his concentration has completely left him as he makes poor plays now.


We'll get 20 WAR out of Cain & Escobar? So what. We'd have gotten 20 WAR playing Jarrod Dyson & Mike Aviles. If you trade for guys who give you only what you can get on your own, that's a bad trade.

[Prison Bitch]

Is Escobar one of the biggest turds in recent Royals history? He just goes up hacking, no gameplan at the plate. In the field he's quit, his concentration has completely left him as he makes poor plays now.


We'll get 20 WAR out of Cain & Escobar? So what. We'd have gotten 20 WAR playing Jarrod Dyson & Mike Aviles. If you trade for guys who give you only what you can get on your own, that's a bad trade.

[HemiEd]

Is it time to put Hochevar back in the starting line up and sit Davis?

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

Is it time to put Hochevar back in the starting line up and sit Davis?

Deck chairs on the Titanic

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

Is it time to put Hochevar back in the starting line up and sit Davis?

No. Will Smith should get the next shot IMO. They need to try to figure something out for next year and Hoch won't be a Royal next year.

[P-90Rex]

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

No. Will Smith should get the next shot IMO. They need to try to figure something out for next year and Hoch won't be a Royal next year.

If he's ready it's gotta be Duffy, right? I'm not against Smith, but he'd be my second choice. Hoch third option. Davis...not an option at all. Neither is Mendoza.