tk13
07-02-2004, 01:32 AM
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/baseball/mlb/kansas_city_royals/9060431.htm
Getting to know BLUE
Fans need a new scorecard to figure out who's who for the Royals
By JEFF PASSAN
The Kansas City Star
One glance around the clubhouse, and rookie John Buck — he of seven days with the Royals — sounds like the wily veteran lamenting a sudden youth movement.
“There are guys showing up since I've been here,” Buck said. “And I've only been here for a few days.”
The overhaul of the Royals' roster since the beginning of the season has been stunning in volume. Familiar names (Carlos Beltran, Jason Grimsley) were traded. Others (Juan Gonzalez, Runelvys Hernandez, Aaron Guiel, Kevin Appier, Joe Randa) got hurt.
So the Royals, then, are left with whom exactly?
Jose Bautista and Mike Wood and David DeJesus and Byron Gettis and Alberto Castillo. Or is it David Bautista and Mike Gettis and Jose Castillo and Byron Wood and Alberto DeJesus?
Tough to tell anymore. Forty-six names have graced the Royals' 25-man roster this season, tying a major-league record for number of players used before the All-Star break. And that includes eight rookies currently on the roster.
“I see big parts of our future here,” Royals general manager Allard Baird said. “There are track records with some of these guys that give us reason to believe they're going to be good major-leaguers.”
That's all well and good. The Royals could use an influx of youth — anything to shake the start that leaves them in the American League Central cellar.
Only there's one question everyone from the box-seat denizens to the chat-room charlatans seem to be asking. Who are these guys?
David DeJesus, CF
DeJesus is hungry.
Like, five-meals-a-day hungry.
Breakfast is the typical, get-acquainted-with-the-day meal. DeJesus grabs lunch before he comes to the ballpark, and, unlike his trips to Kauffman Stadium two months ago, butterflies don't accompany him.
When he gets there, DeJesus wolfs down a turkey sandwich that precedes his on-field drills. Then he inhales a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a fruit cup. Finally, mercifully, after the game comes meal No. 5, a protein shake and whatever the Royals slap out for a post-game spread.
“I need to gain some weight,” said DeJesus, the 24-year-old charged with the unenviable task of replacing Beltran in center field. “I'm at 184 right now. I think my ideal weight is 188.”
The number most associated with DeJesus earlier this year was .043, as in his batting average during his 17-day promotion spanning April and May.
DeJesus got one hit in 23 at-bats and returned to Class AAA Omaha with his confidence somewhere between lost and nonexistent.
Food became the last thing on DeJesus' mind. He spent the next month rehabilitating his psyche. And his swing.
DeJesus' average plummeted nearly 100 points in his return to Omaha. He continued to tell himself he was a .300 hitter. And it eventually became a self-fulfilling prophecy, as he hit nearly .350 in the two-plus weeks leading up to Beltran's trade to Houston.
“I'm more confident,” DeJesus said. “I'm with a lot of guys I played with before, and I know I'm here to stay. I want to show I belong this time.”
Looks as if he's hungry in more ways than one.
John Buck, C
Buck is looking forward to seeing Alaska.
His dad, Gary, is there. Just got there a month ago, in fact. He is a physician's assistant with a hunkering for adventure, and working on a man-made island people inhabit solely to pump oil is nothing if not adventurous.
“He doesn't surprise me,” Buck said. “He's moved to a small town in southeastern Utah. He worked on an Indian reservation. And he'd talked about going to Alaska or Russia.”
Buck reflected for a second. Still,” he said, “I have a cooler job.”
Buck, 23, is the Royals' new catcher, obtained from Houston last week in the Beltran deal. Personally recommended by manager Tony Peña, Buck has stepped in with injuries to catchers Benito Santiago and Kelly Stinnett and taken over the job full time.
For five seasons he projected to be the Astros' catcher of the future. Poor power numbers in 2003 soured Houston on Buck, even though he was hitting .300 with 12 home runs this season at Class AAA New Orleans.
Kansas City, on the other hand, wanted a young catcher in its deal for Beltran, and Peña had plenty of experience with Buck.
When Peña managed in the Houston organization, he worked with Buck during spring training. They spent hours teaching Buck how to block pitches in the dirt.
“He molded me,” Buck said.
Peña has plenty of time to work with Buck, more than half the season this year. After it ends, though, Buck plans on disappearing for a while.
He's got a trip to take.
“I'll go right after the season's over,” Buck said, “see what it's all about. I've gotten to travel a lot because of baseball. Alaska hasn't been one of the places.”
Mike Wood, P
Wood is smart.
At the University of North Florida, he majored in civil engineering. If he didn't have a sinker that bore in on hitters like a power drill, he probably would be building bridges and mapping out city plans.
Wood's intelligence also manifested during his sophomore season at North Florida, when he concluded that there wasn't a burgeoning baseball career for a non-recruited, backup college shortstop.
So early in the season, Wood tried out as a pitcher for the Ospreys. Ross Jones, the new pitching coach, saw the movement on Wood's fastball — a lot of which Wood attributes to the three-quarters throw he used from shortstop.
“You're pitching,” Jones said.
“OK,” Wood said.
He was more than OK. In 2000, Wood helped North Florida to the Division II World Series. The next season he saved 16 games.
After Oakland selected him in the 10th round of the 2001 draft, Wood tore through Oakland's farm system. Called up last season at 23, Wood got drilled over seven appearances and couldn't crack the A's dominant rotation.
With a secure spot on the Royals, Wood's plan is to stick in the majors this time. If his baseball career were to end, Wood isn't sure what he would do.”
“Seeing the fact that I didn't get that degree,” Wood said, “I'm not sure they want me building anything right now.”
Smart guy.
Byron Gettis, OF
Gettis is big pimpin'.
He owns a blue suit. Bright blue. Put-on-your-Oakleys-to-deflect-the-glare blue.
And Gettis, wallflower he is, decided to debut this suit, accompanied with blue and white shoes, at the banquet honoring him as last year's Royals minor-league player of the year.
“I thought it would be a good idea,” Gettis said. “Why not make my first impression like that? Everyone was like, ‘Whoa.' People were all casual in their shirts and ties and blazers. They didn't have suits.
“I was like Michael Tucker, Jose Lima — pimp.”
Whoa.
“Now,” Gettis said, “everyone knows me as the Blue Suit Guy.”
Before, Gettis was better known as the Football Guy. He signed with the Royals after going undrafted because teams thought Gettis would accept a scholarship to play quarterback at Minnesota.
Professional football aspirations never excited Gettis. Pro baseball did.
And at 24, Gettis is getting the chance. He has struggled at the plate and hopes a two-for-two showing Monday breaks him out of the one-for-27 funk he endured.
“Once you get to the big leagues, all the success you had in the minor leagues is gone,” Gettis said. “You need to get the job done.”
Getting it done, of course, goes beyond numbers. Gettis wants to see his name among the Royals' young nucleus that includes DeJesus, Zack Greinke, Ken Harvey, Jeremy Affeldt and Jimmy Gobble. He wants to hit in the middle of the lineup, play solid outfield defense, lead the team like a quarterback.
And maybe, just maybe, get invited to another banquet.
Because you know what would show up again.
“I'll wear it one day,” Gettis said. “Just so the guys can get a good laugh.”
Jose Bautista, 3B
Bautista is the wanderer.
Which is why the man knows a good piece of luggage when he sees it. In Bautista's case, his prized tote is a black satchel in which he carries his laptop computer, MP3 player and other electronic goodies.
“You need all that,” Bautista said, “when you travel a lot.”
Bautista, 23, knows travel better than Fodor's, Frommer's and Carmen Sandiego.
Over the last seven months, he has hauled through airports and lived in hotels, all in search of a permanent home he hopes to have found with the Royals.
Bautista, a third baseman, started this season in the Pirates organization. They lost him to Baltimore in the Rule 5 draft before the Orioles placed Bautista on waivers and Tampa Bay snatched him up.
When Randa suffered a knee injury, the Royals bought Bautista from the Devil Rays with the assumption he would fare better in Kansas City than he had the three other places.
Born in the Dominican Republic, Bautista played junior-college baseball at Chipola College in Florida before the Pirates chose him in the 2000 draft. He spent three seasons with the Pirates, peaking at Class A Lynchburg last season before his summons to the majors.
And so began his magical mystery tour.
“Hopefully, everything ends here and I can stay with this ballclub,” Bautista said. “You get tired of packing up and leaving.”
As he should. Too much wear is never good on the luggage.
Alberto Castillo, C
Castillo is Papi.
While he fixes his eyes on his television watching baseball, his daughter April sits on his left knee. Resting on Castillo's right knee is a portable DVD player, spinning “Dora the Explorer” and “Clifford the Big Red Dog” movies.
April grabs Castillo's face and tugs. “Papi, are you going to watch cartoons?” she says.
“Sure,” Castillo says, and he watches for a few minutes before baseball grabs his attention again.
A few minutes pass.
“Papi, are you going to watch cartoons?” April says.
The exercise continues ad nauseam, Castillo drawn to baseball, April drawn to Papi.
These moments enliven Castillo, a gregarious 34-year-old catcher and the elder statesman among the Royals newcomers.
If Bautista is a wanderer, Castillo is his nomadic complement. From the Mets to the Cardinals to the Blue Jays to the Yankees to the Giants and now the Royals, Castillo has trampolined from team to team and coast to coast over his 10-year career.
Signed at 17 out of the Dominican Republic, Castillo came to the United States knowing no English. He ate McDonald's every day, pointing to the menu to order until he grew comfortable enough to speak.
Now, Castillo talks. And talks. And when he's done talking, he talks some more. Before the season started, in fact, he talked with Peña, who persuaded Castillo to join Kansas City's organization.
Three months later, he finds himself with the Royals and backing up Buck.
“I'm enthusiastic,” Castillo said. “That's what I'm here for. To play. To have fun. To win some ballgames.”
To be Papi.
Getting to know BLUE
Fans need a new scorecard to figure out who's who for the Royals
By JEFF PASSAN
The Kansas City Star
One glance around the clubhouse, and rookie John Buck — he of seven days with the Royals — sounds like the wily veteran lamenting a sudden youth movement.
“There are guys showing up since I've been here,” Buck said. “And I've only been here for a few days.”
The overhaul of the Royals' roster since the beginning of the season has been stunning in volume. Familiar names (Carlos Beltran, Jason Grimsley) were traded. Others (Juan Gonzalez, Runelvys Hernandez, Aaron Guiel, Kevin Appier, Joe Randa) got hurt.
So the Royals, then, are left with whom exactly?
Jose Bautista and Mike Wood and David DeJesus and Byron Gettis and Alberto Castillo. Or is it David Bautista and Mike Gettis and Jose Castillo and Byron Wood and Alberto DeJesus?
Tough to tell anymore. Forty-six names have graced the Royals' 25-man roster this season, tying a major-league record for number of players used before the All-Star break. And that includes eight rookies currently on the roster.
“I see big parts of our future here,” Royals general manager Allard Baird said. “There are track records with some of these guys that give us reason to believe they're going to be good major-leaguers.”
That's all well and good. The Royals could use an influx of youth — anything to shake the start that leaves them in the American League Central cellar.
Only there's one question everyone from the box-seat denizens to the chat-room charlatans seem to be asking. Who are these guys?
David DeJesus, CF
DeJesus is hungry.
Like, five-meals-a-day hungry.
Breakfast is the typical, get-acquainted-with-the-day meal. DeJesus grabs lunch before he comes to the ballpark, and, unlike his trips to Kauffman Stadium two months ago, butterflies don't accompany him.
When he gets there, DeJesus wolfs down a turkey sandwich that precedes his on-field drills. Then he inhales a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a fruit cup. Finally, mercifully, after the game comes meal No. 5, a protein shake and whatever the Royals slap out for a post-game spread.
“I need to gain some weight,” said DeJesus, the 24-year-old charged with the unenviable task of replacing Beltran in center field. “I'm at 184 right now. I think my ideal weight is 188.”
The number most associated with DeJesus earlier this year was .043, as in his batting average during his 17-day promotion spanning April and May.
DeJesus got one hit in 23 at-bats and returned to Class AAA Omaha with his confidence somewhere between lost and nonexistent.
Food became the last thing on DeJesus' mind. He spent the next month rehabilitating his psyche. And his swing.
DeJesus' average plummeted nearly 100 points in his return to Omaha. He continued to tell himself he was a .300 hitter. And it eventually became a self-fulfilling prophecy, as he hit nearly .350 in the two-plus weeks leading up to Beltran's trade to Houston.
“I'm more confident,” DeJesus said. “I'm with a lot of guys I played with before, and I know I'm here to stay. I want to show I belong this time.”
Looks as if he's hungry in more ways than one.
John Buck, C
Buck is looking forward to seeing Alaska.
His dad, Gary, is there. Just got there a month ago, in fact. He is a physician's assistant with a hunkering for adventure, and working on a man-made island people inhabit solely to pump oil is nothing if not adventurous.
“He doesn't surprise me,” Buck said. “He's moved to a small town in southeastern Utah. He worked on an Indian reservation. And he'd talked about going to Alaska or Russia.”
Buck reflected for a second. Still,” he said, “I have a cooler job.”
Buck, 23, is the Royals' new catcher, obtained from Houston last week in the Beltran deal. Personally recommended by manager Tony Peña, Buck has stepped in with injuries to catchers Benito Santiago and Kelly Stinnett and taken over the job full time.
For five seasons he projected to be the Astros' catcher of the future. Poor power numbers in 2003 soured Houston on Buck, even though he was hitting .300 with 12 home runs this season at Class AAA New Orleans.
Kansas City, on the other hand, wanted a young catcher in its deal for Beltran, and Peña had plenty of experience with Buck.
When Peña managed in the Houston organization, he worked with Buck during spring training. They spent hours teaching Buck how to block pitches in the dirt.
“He molded me,” Buck said.
Peña has plenty of time to work with Buck, more than half the season this year. After it ends, though, Buck plans on disappearing for a while.
He's got a trip to take.
“I'll go right after the season's over,” Buck said, “see what it's all about. I've gotten to travel a lot because of baseball. Alaska hasn't been one of the places.”
Mike Wood, P
Wood is smart.
At the University of North Florida, he majored in civil engineering. If he didn't have a sinker that bore in on hitters like a power drill, he probably would be building bridges and mapping out city plans.
Wood's intelligence also manifested during his sophomore season at North Florida, when he concluded that there wasn't a burgeoning baseball career for a non-recruited, backup college shortstop.
So early in the season, Wood tried out as a pitcher for the Ospreys. Ross Jones, the new pitching coach, saw the movement on Wood's fastball — a lot of which Wood attributes to the three-quarters throw he used from shortstop.
“You're pitching,” Jones said.
“OK,” Wood said.
He was more than OK. In 2000, Wood helped North Florida to the Division II World Series. The next season he saved 16 games.
After Oakland selected him in the 10th round of the 2001 draft, Wood tore through Oakland's farm system. Called up last season at 23, Wood got drilled over seven appearances and couldn't crack the A's dominant rotation.
With a secure spot on the Royals, Wood's plan is to stick in the majors this time. If his baseball career were to end, Wood isn't sure what he would do.”
“Seeing the fact that I didn't get that degree,” Wood said, “I'm not sure they want me building anything right now.”
Smart guy.
Byron Gettis, OF
Gettis is big pimpin'.
He owns a blue suit. Bright blue. Put-on-your-Oakleys-to-deflect-the-glare blue.
And Gettis, wallflower he is, decided to debut this suit, accompanied with blue and white shoes, at the banquet honoring him as last year's Royals minor-league player of the year.
“I thought it would be a good idea,” Gettis said. “Why not make my first impression like that? Everyone was like, ‘Whoa.' People were all casual in their shirts and ties and blazers. They didn't have suits.
“I was like Michael Tucker, Jose Lima — pimp.”
Whoa.
“Now,” Gettis said, “everyone knows me as the Blue Suit Guy.”
Before, Gettis was better known as the Football Guy. He signed with the Royals after going undrafted because teams thought Gettis would accept a scholarship to play quarterback at Minnesota.
Professional football aspirations never excited Gettis. Pro baseball did.
And at 24, Gettis is getting the chance. He has struggled at the plate and hopes a two-for-two showing Monday breaks him out of the one-for-27 funk he endured.
“Once you get to the big leagues, all the success you had in the minor leagues is gone,” Gettis said. “You need to get the job done.”
Getting it done, of course, goes beyond numbers. Gettis wants to see his name among the Royals' young nucleus that includes DeJesus, Zack Greinke, Ken Harvey, Jeremy Affeldt and Jimmy Gobble. He wants to hit in the middle of the lineup, play solid outfield defense, lead the team like a quarterback.
And maybe, just maybe, get invited to another banquet.
Because you know what would show up again.
“I'll wear it one day,” Gettis said. “Just so the guys can get a good laugh.”
Jose Bautista, 3B
Bautista is the wanderer.
Which is why the man knows a good piece of luggage when he sees it. In Bautista's case, his prized tote is a black satchel in which he carries his laptop computer, MP3 player and other electronic goodies.
“You need all that,” Bautista said, “when you travel a lot.”
Bautista, 23, knows travel better than Fodor's, Frommer's and Carmen Sandiego.
Over the last seven months, he has hauled through airports and lived in hotels, all in search of a permanent home he hopes to have found with the Royals.
Bautista, a third baseman, started this season in the Pirates organization. They lost him to Baltimore in the Rule 5 draft before the Orioles placed Bautista on waivers and Tampa Bay snatched him up.
When Randa suffered a knee injury, the Royals bought Bautista from the Devil Rays with the assumption he would fare better in Kansas City than he had the three other places.
Born in the Dominican Republic, Bautista played junior-college baseball at Chipola College in Florida before the Pirates chose him in the 2000 draft. He spent three seasons with the Pirates, peaking at Class A Lynchburg last season before his summons to the majors.
And so began his magical mystery tour.
“Hopefully, everything ends here and I can stay with this ballclub,” Bautista said. “You get tired of packing up and leaving.”
As he should. Too much wear is never good on the luggage.
Alberto Castillo, C
Castillo is Papi.
While he fixes his eyes on his television watching baseball, his daughter April sits on his left knee. Resting on Castillo's right knee is a portable DVD player, spinning “Dora the Explorer” and “Clifford the Big Red Dog” movies.
April grabs Castillo's face and tugs. “Papi, are you going to watch cartoons?” she says.
“Sure,” Castillo says, and he watches for a few minutes before baseball grabs his attention again.
A few minutes pass.
“Papi, are you going to watch cartoons?” April says.
The exercise continues ad nauseam, Castillo drawn to baseball, April drawn to Papi.
These moments enliven Castillo, a gregarious 34-year-old catcher and the elder statesman among the Royals newcomers.
If Bautista is a wanderer, Castillo is his nomadic complement. From the Mets to the Cardinals to the Blue Jays to the Yankees to the Giants and now the Royals, Castillo has trampolined from team to team and coast to coast over his 10-year career.
Signed at 17 out of the Dominican Republic, Castillo came to the United States knowing no English. He ate McDonald's every day, pointing to the menu to order until he grew comfortable enough to speak.
Now, Castillo talks. And talks. And when he's done talking, he talks some more. Before the season started, in fact, he talked with Peña, who persuaded Castillo to join Kansas City's organization.
Three months later, he finds himself with the Royals and backing up Buck.
“I'm enthusiastic,” Castillo said. “That's what I'm here for. To play. To have fun. To win some ballgames.”
To be Papi.