Royals Vs Indians 9/2

[SPchief]

Chen looking for his 6th straight

[stonedstooge]

Hope for some home field advantage for a change

[tk13]

Always appropriate.

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[stonedstooge]

Chen gives up his normal first inning run

[stonedstooge]

Whoops. 2 runs

[SPchief]

Heh, Perez, Thome isn't running unless that ball ends up in the dugout

[stonedstooge]

Chen gives up a two run dinger. 4 zip

[stonedstooge]

Chen gives up another dinger 5 zip

[stonedstooge]

Escobar with an RBI 5-1

[CaliforniaChief]

Be nice to see them catch fire and win this one.

[stonedstooge]

Be nice to see them catch fire and win this one.

They just don't seem to play well when at home

[stonedstooge]

Hosmer SF makes it 5-2 to the 7th

[stonedstooge]

Yost throws in the towel bringing in Teaford in the 7th

[stonedstooge]

Escobar gets hurt stepping on the damn Indians first basement who had his foot on top of the middle of the bag

[KevB]

That's what happens when you put some dumbass on first base with not a gd clue what he's doing.

[KevB]

Escobar gets hurt stepping on the damn Indians first basement who had his foot on top of the middle of the bag

Santana deserved to be spiked on that one

[Jenson71]

Sweet Jesus!

[KevB]

DOMINATING

[stonedstooge]

Gordon with a llllooooooonnnnnnnngggggg two run shot 5-4 now

[CaliforniaChief]

Sweet Lord Jesus give that man a new contract.

[KevB]

That was a frickin' bomb

And that's off a guy who never gives up HR's

[CaliforniaChief]

And just like that, we're right back in the game. So important to shut 'em down here.

[stonedstooge]

Teaford 6 up 6 down. WTF

[SPchief]

Lets do this

[CaliforniaChief]

Lets do this

Rally time. This would be a huge win.

[SPchief]

Come on Moose, extend that streak

[CaliforniaChief]

3-1, couldn't cash it. Dang.

[CaliforniaChief]

Too bad. Nice rally but dug a hole too deep.

[stonedstooge]

Royals end up a day late and a dollar short. 5 to 4

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

Gordon has become the best player on the team it seems. It's awesome to see his turn around, especially after he said he was going to do it.

[gblowfish]

Gordon has become the best player on the team it seems. It's awesome to see his turn around, especially after he said he was going to do it.

Gordon said "Dominate." Last time I looked, he still plays for a last place team.

Guess we have different ideas of what "Dominate" means....

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

Gordon said "Dominate." Last time I looked, he still plays for a last place team.

Guess we have different ideas of what "Dominate" means....

:rolleyes:

[gblowfish]

No, seriously.
Royals are 25 games under .500, 27 GB of Detroit. Who exactly is Alex supposed to be "Dominating?"

If anything, and this is going to sound really strange, if I was DM I'd consider sitting him down a lot in September, bring up Cain or let Meier play more, so we can showcase them for trades. Also, if they keep Alex's stats down during garbage time - and September for the Royals is nothing but Garbage Time - he'll have less ammo to hold the Royals ransom for his next contract.

You guys want Glass to spend more $ in Latin America, right? So why let Alex pad his stats to drive up his price?

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

No, seriously.
Royals are 25 games under .500, 27 GB of Detroit. Who exactly is Alex supposed to be "Dominating?"

If anything, and this is going to sound really strange, if I was DM I'd consider sitting him down a lot in September, bring up Cain or let Meier play more, so we can showcase them for trades. Also, if they keep Alex's stats down during garbage time - and September for the Royals is nothing but Garbage Time - he'll have less ammo to hold the Royals ransom for his next contract.

You guys want Glass to spend more $ in Latin America, right? So why let Alex pad his stats to drive up his price?

OK blowfish. Isn't there football for you now?

[gblowfish]

It's a legitimate question. Why wouldn't we want to sign Gordon for less? If he hits six or seven more homers in September, what difference does it make? You DO want DM to spend resources in Latin America, don't you??

[BWillie]

Gordon said "Dominate." Last time I looked, he still plays for a last place team.

Guess we have different ideas of what "Dominate" means....

What's he supposed to do? It's baseball, one positional player cannot make a big difference in the win and loss total. If you trade Alex Gordon, and put Ryan Braun on the Royals, they still suck this year. Your point is ridiculously stupid.

[Deberg_1990]

The Royals usually DOMINATE in September when they are 20 games back. Why cant they DOMINATE June, July and August?

[alnorth]

huh, lost by one run again? Oh well, I'm going to the game tomorrow.

Tonight on a random whim I made the 15 minute drive to downtown DSM to watch Omaha play in their last series this year, in Iowa. SOS started, and sucked. Omaha had a 9 run 7th, and pounded Iowa so badly that they had to give up their DH and bring in their RF to pitch because they ran out of pitchers. Then fireworks. Lot of depressed and pissed Iowa fans had to stick around booing their team for the entire beating so they could see the fireworks. Fun stuff.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

huh, lost by one run again? Oh well, I'm going to the game tomorrow.

Tonight on a random whim I made the 15 minute drive to downtown DSM to watch Omaha play in their last series this year, in Iowa. SOS started, and sucked. Omaha had a 9 run 7th, and pounded Iowa so badly that they had to give up their DH and bring in their RF to pitch because they ran out of pitchers. Then fireworks. Lot of depressed and pissed Iowa fans had to stick around booing their team for the entire beating so they could see the fireworks. Fun stuff.

SOS will be starting for the McDonalds team in a year.

[SAUTO]

No, seriously.
Royals are 25 games under .500, 27 GB of Detroit. Who exactly is Alex supposed to be "Dominating?"

If anything, and this is going to sound really strange, if I was DM I'd consider sitting him down a lot in September, bring up Cain or let Meier play more, so we can showcase them for trades. Also, if they keep Alex's stats down during garbage time - and September for the Royals is nothing but Garbage Time - he'll have less ammo to hold the Royals ransom for his next contract.

You guys want Glass to spend more $ in Latin America, right? So why let Alex pad his stats to drive up his price?

stupid post.

[cabletech94]

stupid post.

i wouldn't call it "stupid".
misdirected, maybe. Alex Gordan IS dominating both at the plate, and in the field. if it wasn't for his game, we'd be 35-40 games back (maybe).

where the problem lies, is in starting pitching and relief. how many 1-run games have we lost this year?

gonna have to make some hard trades to fix the rotation, back end. i've been a big critic of Soria this year, but ya build the pen around him.

[gblowfish]

What's he supposed to do? It's baseball, one positional player cannot make a big difference in the win and loss total. If you trade Alex Gordon, and put Ryan Braun on the Royals, they still suck this year. Your point is ridiculously stupid.

One position player can make a tremendous difference. Look at A-Rod or Pujols best years. If Gordon hit 40 homers instead of 20, how many one run games would be have turned over from losses to wins?

I'm not saying Alex hasn't had a good year. He has. I'm glad. Considering where he was picked, its about time he started paying off. In five years he is a .260 hitter. That's a fact. Will his stats get better? They should, now that he has settled into a position, and IF (and its a big IF) he can stay healthy. This is the first season he's played the whole year without more than minor injuries. He's missed a game or two after being hit by pitches this year.

There's a whole generation of Royals fans that have set the bar so low, that you believe "only losing 90 games" is a good year. You should expect more. There's no reason we should finish LAST in the division every single year.

September means nothing. DM has been hesitant to bring in September call ups because Omaha and NW Arkansas are in "pennant races." So what if we win the Pacific Coast League or the Texas League? Get those young guys up here, play them, see what they've got.

[KCSupersized]

If I'm GMDM I sign Gordon to a deal ASAP. If every player did their job as well as Gordon the Royals wouldn't be 25 games under .500.

[gblowfish]

If I'm GMDM I sign Gordon to a deal ASAP. If every player did their job as well as Gordon the Royals wouldn't be 25 games under .500.

I agree. But I wouldn't say he's "Dominated" anyone. Every other team in the AL Central can hear that boast, point and say "scoreboard."

We still have a chance to get by the Twins for next to last, but I wouldn't bet the farm on that...

[Brianfo]

I agree. But I wouldn't say he's "Dominated" anyone. Every other team in the AL Central can hear that boast, point and say "scoreboard."

We still have a chance to get by the Twins for next to last, but I wouldn't bet the farm on that...

Your and idiot. Gordon is raking this year in a year where the offense is way down in MLB. He has a legit chance to win a gold glove and looks like a safe bet to hit .300, score 100 runs and drive in 100 runs. Get a clue.

[KCSupersized]

I agree. But I wouldn't say he's "Dominated" anyone. Every other team in the AL Central can hear that boast, point and say "scoreboard."

We still have a chance to get by the Twins for next to last, but I wouldn't bet the farm on that...

I guess we get back to what dominate means to you. IMO he's been pretty dominate this year, with both the bat, and the glove.

[gblowfish]

Your and idiot. Gordon is raking this year in a year where the offense is way down in MLB. He has a legit chance to win a gold glove and looks like a safe bet to hit .300, score 100 runs and drive in 100 runs. Get a clue.

And all that gets you another 90 loss season.
Do you understand what the term "Dominate" means?

dom·i·nate (dm-nt)
v. dom·i·nat·ed, dom·i·nat·ing, dom·i·nates
v.tr.
1. To control, govern, or rule by superior authority or power.
2. To exert a supreme, guiding influence on or over.
3. To enjoy a commanding, controlling position in.
4. To overlook from a height.
v.intr.
1. To have or exert strong authority or mastery.
2. To be situated in or occupy a position that is more elevated or decidedly superior to others.

Again, the question is, exactly WHO is Alex Gordon dominating?
Nobody.

I don't care about Gold Gloves. I care about game winning hits.

Guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this.

Besides, isn't Scott Boras his agent? Alex might ask Damon or Beltran for some "career advice" so he can continue "dominating."

[Al Bundy]

Gordon is dominating this year. The starting pitching has been the polar opposite of "dominating". THAT is why the team is going to lose 90 games... it all falls on the starting pitching.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

For someone who seems to follow baseball so much it's staggering how little blowfish seems to understand.

[SAUTO]

And all that gets you another 90 loss season.
Do you understand what the term "Dominate" means?

dom·i·nate (dm-nt)
v. dom·i·nat·ed, dom·i·nat·ing, dom·i·nates
v.tr.
1. To control, govern, or rule by superior authority or power.
2. To exert a supreme, guiding influence on or over.
3. To enjoy a commanding, controlling position in.
4. To overlook from a height.
v.intr.
1. To have or exert strong authority or mastery.
2. To be situated in or occupy a position that is more elevated or decidedly superior to others.

Again, the question is, exactly WHO is Alex Gordon dominating?
Nobody.

I don't care about Gold Gloves. I care about game winning hits.

Guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this.

Besides, isn't Scott Boras his agent? Alex might ask Damon or Beltran for some "career advice" so he can continue "dominating."

lol

pitchers?

[DeezNutz]

And all that gets you another 90 loss season.


This is what it all comes back to for some fans right now, and I can understand; we're sick and tired of losing and excusing the losses.

Right now, I'm willing to wait a bit more (one more year) before demanding on-field success. If someone doesn't believe that it's prudent to continue waiting, how can we blame him?

This organization has sucked complete shit for over 20 years. The fact that fans remain is pretty amazing, really.

[stonedstooge]

This may be the first year that the future really does look like it might entail a winning team. The core is there. The Royals as young as they are have been like an engine that just can't seem to catch after it turns over. Next year I think all fans expect that engine to start running, something it hasn't done for such a long time

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

This may be the first year that the future really does look like it might entail a winning team. The core is there. The Royals as young as they are have been like an engine that just can't seem to catch after it turns over. Next year I think all fans expect that engine to start running, something it hasn't done for such a long time

This. And people who say "same old Royals" this year clearly aren't paying attention. Realize the ENTIRE infield from catcher around to third is made of of rookies, other than Escobar who is essentially a rookie too. Losing is going to happen simply from lack of experience.

[Chris Meck]

It's a legitimate question. Why wouldn't we want to sign Gordon for less? If he hits six or seven more homers in September, what difference does it make? You DO want DM to spend resources in Latin America, don't you??

no it's not. It's a stupid f@cking question.

[gblowfish]

For someone who seems to follow baseball so much it's staggering how little blowfish seems to understand.

"Your "best"!? Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and f*ck the prom queen."

Royals are playing .410 baseball. Only TWO TEAMS in all of baseball are worse.

If you're happy with how this year has gone, God Bless You. David Glass loves you long time.

That's all I have to say about that...

[Jenson71]

Nobody is saying they're happy with how this year has gone in total. We're saying we're happy to see Gordon living up to his promise. And we're happy with the bats on this team.

[Deberg_1990]

"Your "best"!? Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and f*ck the prom queen."

Royals are playing .410 baseball. Only TWO TEAMS in all of baseball are worse.

If you're happy with how this year has gone, God Bless You. David Glass loves you long time.

That's all I have to say about that...

Its mindblowing to me just how low expectations have fallen for alot of Royals fans.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

"Your "best"!? Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and f*ck the prom queen."

Royals are playing .410 baseball. Only TWO TEAMS in all of baseball are worse.

If you're happy with how this year has gone, God Bless You. David Glass loves you long time.

That's all I have to say about that...

Once again you don't get anything I actually said.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

Its mindblowing to me just how low expectations have fallen for alot of Royals fans.

Quite the contrary. My expectations are quite high going forward. Like I said anyone who can't see the talent isn't paying attention. If you're not paying attention thats fine but when people lump what we have now... going forward... together with the really bad teams we've had... it just comes off looking silly and frankly stupid.

[Deberg_1990]

Quite the contrary. My expectations are quite high going forward. Like I said anyone who can't see the talent isn't paying attention. If you're not paying attention thats fine but when people lump what we have now... going forward... together with the really bad teams we've had... it just comes off looking silly and frankly stupid.

I can see they have alot of nice young bats. Thats great, but what difference does it make if they are not winning any more than they did , 2, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 years ago????

Its the same old, same old for this franchise.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

I can see they have alot of nice young bats. Thats great, but what difference does it make if they are not winning any more than they did , 2, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 years ago????

Its the same old, same old for this franchise.

The ENTIRE infield is made up of rookies. ROOKIES. Talented ROOKIES. Escobar is kind of the exception but he's essentially a rookie too. You really think a team with that little experience is going to win more than they lose? If you can't see the talent in guys like Hosmer, Perez and Escobar then again... you aren't paying attention. Experience will improve them all.

Other than that we need pitching... and DM said just last week that they will go after it in the off-season, in part by being willing to trade prospects (of which they have tons) for at least 1 if not 2 front line starters.

So.... again I can see plenty to be excited about going forward which is what I and everyone else who's paying attention has said. No one has said the record is what we want this year. That isn't even the point of the conversation.

If you aren't going to pay attention fine, maybe you shouldn't talk a lot about stuff you don't know about then.

[Deberg_1990]

The ENTIRE infield is made up of rookies. ROOKIES. Talented ROOKIES. Escobar is kind of the exception but he's essentially a rookie too. You really think a team with that little experience is going to win more than they lose? If you can't see the talent in guys like Hosmer, Perez and Escobar then again... you aren't paying attention. Experience will improve them all.

Other than that we need pitching... and DM said just last week that they will go after it in the off-season, in part by being willing to trade prospects (of which they have tons) for at least 1 if not 2 front line starters.

So.... again I can see plenty to be excited about going forward which is what I and everyone else who's paying attention has said. No one has said the record is what we want this year. That isn't even the point of the conversation.

If you aren't going to pay attention fine, maybe you shouldn't talk a lot about stuff you don't know about then.

Did i say i didnt see the talent?? I know i said i did. You and I are talking apples and oranges.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

Did i say i didnt see the talent?? I know i said i did. You and I are talking apples and oranges.

You said you see the talent but the record this year is what you're more concerned about than understanding why it might be that way and how it might just get better. It's not same old same old as you said. Same old would be a terrible record with no real talent growing up on the team and no hope for signing any in the off-season.

[Deberg_1990]

You said you see the talent but the record this year is what you're more concerned about than understanding why it might be that way and how it might just get better. It's not same old same old as you said. Same old would be a terrible record with no real talent growing up on the team and no hope for signing any in the off-season.

We shall see in a few years.....i honestly hope your right, but ive seen this song and dance before. Theres something about this franchise that stinks, and my guess would be it starts at the very top.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

We shall see in a few years.....i honestly hope your right, but ive seen this song and dance before. Theres something about this franchise that stinks, and my guess would be it starts at the very top.

Used to be that way for sure. Now Glass is spending. We outspend every other team for Latin American development. We have the top ranked minor league system in mlb. We just gave 7.5 mill to Bubba Starling... etc.. The talent actually on the team is greater than it's been by a long shot in any of the years since 1985. The evidence that things are different is there. Now it takes time to get these guys developed at the major league level. Many of the "future stars" are now on the team though so that process is underway. Experience and starting pitching and we'll be just fine.

[SPchief]

Mea Culpa.


Two years ago, this blog went on hiatus for a time. The Royals were terrible, their beloved Process was opaque, they had become increasingly defensive of anyone who criticized it or them, and rooting for the organization had ceased to be enjoyable. So I took my ball and went home, at least for a while.


Today, as many of you have noticed, I am once again blogging quite infrequently. Some of that has nothing to do with the Royals – I have family, a career, we just completed the month of Ramadan, and along with my weekly podcast I also now write for Grantland. But my lack of production these last few weeks can also be blamed on the team.


Only this time, the reasons are completely different. The Royals’ record may be terrible, but their record is not reflective of the way they are playing*. The Process is no longer opaque – it’s actually pretty clear: patiently build a fantastic farm system, and then wind it up and let it go. I can’t speak to whether the organization is defensive of its critics or not, because it’s increasingly difficult to find critics – certainly there are critics of specific players and specific decisions, but you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who is genuinely critical of the team’s overall direction.


*: The Royals are 57-81, but they’ve been outscored by just 58 runs all season. Only the Astros have lost more games, but seven teams have been outscored by more runs.

And rooting for the Royals is as fun as it’s been since at least 2003. The 2003 season was a different kind of fun – it was the fun that comes from knowing that the law of averages were going to catch up to you, but rooting for them to hold off until the end of the season. This year’s fun comes from watching young players get acclimated to the majors, knowing that whether the Royals win or lose, the important thing is that the best is yet to come.


And precisely because it’s fun to watch the Royals play, day after day…I find I don’t have much to say.


Eleven players have made their major-league debuts for the Royals this season, roughly one every other week. Here, let’s line them up chronologically:


March 31: Aaron Crow
March 31: Nate Adcock
March 31: Tim Collins
April 21: Louis Coleman
May 6: Eric Hosmer
May 17: Everett Teaford
May 18: Danny Duffy
June 10: Mike Moustakas
August 3: Manny Pina
August 5: Johnny Giavotella
August 10: Salvador Perez


It’s not just the quantity of prospects – no other team has had as many players debut this season – but the quality. Pina is a backup catcher, and Teaford is a lefty specialist (although even Teaford has some upside). Adcock is a swingman. Collins, Coleman, and Crow are quality relievers, and Crow at least has some starter possibilities.


But that leaves the Royals with five potential impact players – a starting pitcher in Danny Duffy and four everyday hitters, including a second baseman, a third baseman, and a catcher.


The process of slowly replacing a roster of placeholders with long-term fixtures was happening at a deliberate schedule until four weeks ago, when the Royals decided to accelerate the process. Johnny Giavotella’s callup was not unexpected – he was clearly ready for the major leagues, having hit .338/.390/.481 in Omaha. (Although the common perception that the Royals left him in the minors too long is not entirely fair. Giavotella was hitting just .285 with two homers at the end of May, and then hit .398/.431/.610 in June and .383/.430/.570 in July. He probably could have been called up a month earlier, but that’s a far cry from saying he was ready back in May.)


But the callup of Salvador Perez signaled a change in the Royals’ approach. Perez was the first player the Royals called up this season who you could reasonably argue had been rushed. For one thing, he was barely 21 when he was called up – he’s six months younger than Hosmer and three years younger than Giavotella.


For another, he had played a grand total of 91 games in the high minors. Giavotella had 134 games in Double-A and another 110 in Triple-A before his recall; Moustakas had 173 games between the two levels. Hosmer, amazingly enough, had just 76 games above A-ball when he was recalled – but in those 76 games he had hit .355 with 16 homers, along with his obscene performance in the Texas League playoffs last year. Perez had hit .290/.331/.437 in the minor leagues this year, a respectable performance but certainly not one that forced the Royals’ hand. In 12 games in Triple-A, he had hit .333, but had not drawn a single walk. He wasn’t ready for the majors, but the Royals made the decision that he could continue his development with the big club.


And in calling him and Giavotella up in the same week, the Royals closed the links in the Royals’ lineup chain. On August 10th, the night of Perez’s debut in Tampa Bay, the Royals featured their new lineup. You know the one – it’s pretty much the same one Ned Yost has been using for the last three weeks – but for posterity’s sake, here it is:


LF: Alex Gordon, 27
CF: Melky Cabrera, 26
DH: Billy Butler, 25
1B: Eric Hosmer, 21
RF: Jeff Francoeur, 27
2B: Johnny Giavotella, 24
C: Salvador Perez, 21
3B: Mike Moustakas, 22
SS: Alcides Escobar, 24


Melky Cabrera would turn 27 the next day, but at least for this one day, the average age of the Royals’ lineup was just a tick over 24 years old. Felipe Paulino, a young veteran at just 27 himself, was the starting pitcher – four nights later, that same lineup took the field in defense of 22-year-old Danny Duffy.


A superficial examination of the farm system would lead you to conclude that it’s been a disappointing year for the team. Christian Colon already looks like a mistake selection with the #4 overall pick last year. Wil Myers has been a big disappointment. Aside from Duffy, the other three top left-handed prospects – Mike Montgomery, John Lamb, and Chris Dwyer – have all been either ineffective or hurt. That’s five of Baseball America’s top eight prospects before the season.


If you divorce the farm system from the organization as a whole, it has been a disappointing year – a year after being named the best farm system in a generation, the Royals may not rank in the top five in all of baseball. But the whole point of having prospects is to turn them into major leaguers. And when you account for the major leagues, I think it’s actually been a better year than expected for the organization.


First off, there are the prospects who have graduated from the minor leagues. Remember, six months ago the general expectation was that Hosmer would spend most of the season in the minor leagues – and possibly qualify as a prospect once again. Obviously, he does not. After hitting three homers in the Tigers series and reaching base five times on Thursday, Hosmer’s line for the season is .283/.335/.452. As a rookie, Will Clark hit .287/.343/.444. That comparison just gets spookier and spookier.


Mike Moustakas has followed his prescribed timeline – he debuted, as expected, in early June. Apparently his name is Greek for “Dan Uggla”, because after batting .182/.237/.227 in his first 53 games, and inspiring this column – he’s now working on a 15-game hitting streak, which ties the mark for the longest hitting streak in history by a Royals rookie. He’s still in the deep woods, but at least he can see the way out now.


Giavotella and Perez, on the other hand, have both elevated their prospect standing dramatically in the last five months. Giavotella was the #18 prospect in the system according to Baseball America – while he hit .322 last season, he stands 5’8” and his defensive reputation wasn’t very good, and there were some doubts he could hit that well again. Instead, he hit even better, and while his defense is erratic, he’s complemented every mistake with a web gem. Giavotella’s performance this year has completely negated the impact of Colon’s failure to develop.


Perez was Baseball America’s #17 prospect – a young catcher with elite defensive skills but whose .290/.322/.411 line in Wilmington last year made his bat a question mark. I thought he was underrated, because the difficulty of hitting in Wilmington is always understated – most Royals prospects actually improve their numbers when moving from A-ball to Double-A. Perez’s numbers in the minors this season were eerily similar – he hit exactly .290, but with a smidge more power – and he remained a beast behind the plate, throwing out 46% of basestealers.


If anything, he’s elevated his status even more since being called up to the majors – he’s hitting .279/.315/.426, with a respectable strikeout-to-walk ratio of 10-4, and hit an absolute bomb for his first home run on Monday. If he’s been rushed, he’s hiding it well.


It’s important to remember this when the off-season organizational rankings are released this winter: if the Royals had kept Giavotella and Perez in the minors for just another two or three weeks, both of them would probably have kept their rookie eligibility for next year, which means they would both be counted as part of the Royals’ farm system. Instead, they’ll probably both pass the 130 at-bat limit. This may cause the Royals’ minor league ranking to suffer a little, but it means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things – it’s just a semantic distinction. Whether Giavotella or Perez count as “prospects” or not is a PR issue; it’s not a baseball one.


Then there are the lesser prospects who have established themselves in the bullpen, all of whom have at least lived up to expectations, if not exceeded them. Aaron Crow (#9 on Baseball America’s list) was an All-Star, and we’ll just ignore what he’s done since. Tim Collins (#13) needs to throw more strikes, but doesn’t need to miss a lot more bats. Louis Coleman (#19) has been terrific for most of the season. And Greg Holland, who didn’t even make the Royals’ Top 30 Prospects, has been the best rookie reliever in the American League.


And then there are the young but established hitters in the lineup. Billy Butler is Billy Butler, more or less, and Alcides Escobar is doing roughly what should have been expected of him, hitting an empty .250 but playing excellent defense.


As for Cabrera and Jeff Francoeur, well, you know the story there, and you know that there are still doubts they can keep hitting the way they can. So let’s just focus on Alex Gordon. In 2005, Gordon was the best college player in America. In 2006, he was the best player in the minor leagues. In 2011, he’s hitting .304/.377/.502. If that’s all you knew about Alex Gordon, you’d have to conclude that his career has played out as expected.


And, of course, you’d be completely wrong. Alex Gordon hit .215/.315/.355 last year. The year before, he hit .232/.324/.378. I know this, and you know this – and yet I don’t think you really know this, because I don’t think I really knew it either. Gordon has been such a consistently excellent player from the first (well, second) day of the season, and we all were so confident that he was capable of this kind of performance, that I think we may have forgotten just how close we came to never seeing this performance in a Royals uniform. A huge portion of the fanbase had written him off, and there was legitimate concern that the front office had as well.


Instead, he’s been absolutely fantastic. According to baseball-reference.com, Gordon has been worth 5.3 Wins Above Replacement this year, the best season by any Royals hitter since 2003 (and aside from Zack Greinke’s 2009, the best by any Royals player period.) And there’s still a month left in the season.


So when taking stock of, say, Wil Myers’ disappointing season in Double-A, it’s best to keep some perspective. Would the Royals be better off if Myers were raking like he did last year, but with Gordon limping to the end of another disappointing season? Of course not. While Myers has failed to meet expectations, he’s still just 20 years old. By 2013 he might be ready to join the Royals’ lineup as an above-average rightfielder – only now the Royals project to have an even better player in the other corner.


In calling up Giavotella and Perez, and signing Francoeur to a two-year extension, the Royals have accomplished something extraordinary: the lineup that took the field on August 10th, 2011 is likely to be the same lineup the Royals use for all of 2012. While I may have disagreed with the particulars of the Francoeur deal, I also believe that he is a fundamentally better player than he used to be, and is capable of being at least an average rightfielder for the life of the contract. (And he has hit .305/.328/.475 since re-upping.) I’m not a fan of Cabrera’s defense, but I’m a big fan of a .303/.337/.474 performance out of my centerfielder.


In almost every Royals game of the last 25 years, there has been at least one player in their lineup that didn’t deserve to be there – someone who was washed up, someone who was still productive but was too old to be a part of the next good Royals team, someone who had youth to dream on but not the talent to take advantage of it, or someone who was never that good in the first place. Whether it was David Howard or Jose Lind, Chuck Knoblauch or Neifi Perez, Terrence Long or Doug Mientkiewicz, Mike Jacobs or Jose Guillen – there was always someone in the lineup who it was difficult to root for. There was always someone in the lineup who deep in your subconscious you wanted to fail, because the more they failed, the quicker the Royals would give up on them and move on to someone who might be a part of a brighter future.


Today, for one of the few times in my history as a Royals fan, EVERYONE in the Royals’ lineup is a part of their future. I want to watch EVERYONE who comes to the plate. There are no bathroom breaks in the lineup anymore. I don’t care what the Royals’ record is – that alone makes this season a success of sorts.


For the season, the average age of the Royals’ hitters – weighted for playing time – is 26.1 years old. That is by far the youngest offense the Royals have had in the last 40 years. The 1969 expansion Royals averaged 25.8 years of age. The 1970 Royals were 26.4 years old. Every other Royals offense averaged at least 27.0 years old. And it’s already a good offense. The team ranks 6th in the American League in runs scored.


And…I’m having difficulty coming up with things to say. At least when it comes to the offense, what’s there to argue about? I’ve already said my piece about Francoeur, so going into next season, what other decisions need to be made? The Royals need to decide between Cabrera and Lorenzo Cain in centerfield. They need to decide whether Brayan Pena works as their backup catcher – I think he does, but I respect that my opinion is in the minority. They need to settle on their bench. They absolutely need to get Gordon signed to a long-term deal - and both sides expect that to get done this winter. And that’s it.


That doesn’t preclude them from entertaining bold ideas like trading Billy Butler for pitching or trying to sell high on Moustakas. But those ideas are luxuries; they’re not necessities. When it comes to the offense, standing pat is a completely viable option for the Royals this winter.


And that, in turn, relieves the pressure on the hitters in the farm system. Essentially, every hitter in the minor leagues gets a mulligan for next season, because barring injury, none of them will have their services required any time soon. Last year, all the fun we had as Royals fans was vicarious, as we perused minor league box scores and read scouting reports. Now, the fun is on TV every single day.


That doesn’t absolve the organization of the ongoing problems they have with the pitching staff, which merits its own column. And there is a cautionary tale from the organization’s past that must be dealt with as well. But if you’ll permit me to navel-gaze this one time, I just wanted to explain my reason for not writing about the Royals of late: I’ve been too busy rooting them on. This isn’t a lineup I want to analyze. It’s a lineup I want to experience.



http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/2011/09/mea-culpa.html

[tk13]

That's a great point... I think that's what we've been saying. Yeah there's miles to go and serious question about the starting pitching. But if you compare last year's record to this year and that's it, you're nuts. Last year it was Greinke, Soria and a bunch of junk. Right now this team legitimately has 9 guys and a DH who all are contributing something to the team. Been a long time since that's happened.

[Deberg_1990]

That's a great point... I think that's what we've been saying. Yeah there's miles to go and serious question about the starting pitching. But if you compare last year's record to this year and that's it, you're nuts. Last year it was Greinke, Soria and a bunch of junk. Right now this team legitimately has 9 guys and a DH who all are contributing something to the team. Been a long time since that's happened.

I guess my point is, a loss is a loss. Doesn't matter if it's rookies, vets, or a mix. Glad u guys can remain optimistic.

[cabletech94]

this may have been one of THE most positive and entertaining read on the royals as a whole, since i've been alive.

please let the pitching come too.

[gblowfish]

Hey the Royals won last night. We're on our way baby!!!

[Deberg_1990]

Jeff Francis lost again today. 5-15 baby!!

[Bowser]

Jeff Francis lost again today. 5-15 baby!!

I don't think he has enough starts left to make it to 20.

[Deberg_1990]

I don't think he has enough starts left to make it to 20.

Well that sucks, I would like to have seen history made. I wonder what the Royals record for single season losses it?

[chiefqueen]

Well that sucks, I would like to have seen history made. I wonder what the Royals record for single season losses it?

I think Tony Pena Sr. and Buddy Bell allowed Grienke to lose 17 in 2005 before Royals mgmt shut him down with 2 weeks left in the season so he wouldn't lose 20 and Grienke's meltdown the following spring.

[Reaper16]

What the fuck are you doing, blowfish? Seriously, dude? Seriously?