High Mileage

I've been a Royals fan all my life. I'm 26 years old, I was born in 1985 when the Royals won the World Series. It's been a rough ride, but no matter how s***ty they are or have been, they are still my team. This year we were pretty much told we should be competitive in a weak AL Central, but probably wouldn't be able to keep up with the Tigers. We were told the rotation was legit with Hochevar, Bruce Chen, Danny Duffy, and Jonathan Sanchez with Everett Teaford, Nate Adcock, Felipe Paulino, Vin Mazzaro, and Luis Mendoza competing for the 5th spot. The front office didn't do anything like go after Oswalt, Lose, Edwin Jackson, Paul Maholm, Gio Gonzalez, or any other halfway decent starter. Jonathan Broxton was brought in to be a set-up man. Jose Mijares was brought in as a quality lefty reliever. We were told that should be plenty. We needed a utility fielder, so they brought back Yuniesky Betancourt. I don't understand that one. We dumped Mike Aviles to the Red Sox for Yamaico Navarro, the flipped Navaro after 6 games to the Pirates for two mid level, marginal prospects. Lorenzo Cain was suppose to step in and be a big defensive upgrade over Melky Cabrera, while still bringing a decent bat. Then he got hurt. Salvador Perez shoe flashes of greatness last year behind the plate and with the bat, but he got hurt before the season and just returned last week. Joakim Soria got hurt and got TJ surgery for the second time. Then Lorenzo Cain got hurt, he's on his rehab assignment still. Meanwhile Melky is an All-Star starter for the Giants and a serious MVP Candidate. He's shown that his huge year last season with the Royals was no fluke. Jarrod Dyson has been our primary centerfielder. Reliever Blake Wood got hurt, TJ surgery for him. The FO went out and traded two different mid level, marginal prospects to the Astros for catcher Humberto Quintero and former White Sox great, outfielder Jason Bourgeois(sp?). Brayan Pena and Quintero have been pretty s***ty with the bat, Perez, has been hitting since he's been back. Quintero has been released. Danny Duffy went down, TJ for him too. Felipe Paulino. Injured. TJ surgery as well. Eric Hosmer still isn't hitting much. Mike Moustakas has been a huge surprise offensively and defensively. He has expressed his desire to sign long-term. Billy Butler is a well deserving All-Star. He's finally show ability to hit homers on a regular basis. Alcides Escobar has been spectacular defensively and offensively. They said when we got him that he wouldn't hit much. He's arguably the best hitting shortstop in the AL and was All-Star worthy. Alex Gordon started off really slow but has cone around and he's been pretty good offensively and he's made some huge plays in left this year, do.t be surprised if he wins his 2nd consecutive Gold Glove. Jeff Francoeur has regressed. He's pretty much blocking top prospect Wil Myers. Our GM Dayton Moore has had a hard on for Jeff Francoeur since he scouted him in high school while Moore was with the Braves. They are close friends. Moore won't be pulling the plug on Frenchy anytime soon no matter how bad it gets. Frenchy is under contract for another season after this one for $6.75M. Chris Getz has been good when he's been on the field, but he's been on the DL three times already. He's on rehab in Omaha, and hitting well. Johnny Giavotella can't hit or field, his window may be closed. Betancourt has seen a lot of playing time at 2nd, he's awful. They need to go out and get somebody. The bullpen has been rock solid all season. They been the best in the league, and have pitched more than any bullpen in the league due to our starters being so s***ty. TIM Collins had All-Star numbers. Broxton has been shaky each outing but also was a worthy All-Star. Aaron acrow and Greg Holland have been solid as well. Mijares too. Ned Upstate has done some really, really stupid things this season. Like sitting our best hitter (Billy Butler) for three consecutive games against an NL opponent at their park, so we could have better defense at 1st (Hosmer). Francoeur has been our primary clean up hitter. I don't think this team can be taken seriously until something is done with the rotation. Jonathan Sanchez needs to go, dude is worthless. I am going t be upset this off-season when the Royals don't even attempt to sign Greinke or Kansas City native Shawn Marcum. Top prospect Jake Odorizzi was the key piece in the Greinke to Milwaukee trade, and he appears to be ready. He along with Wil Myers will be playing in the Futures Game. This years' 5th overall pick, starting pitcher Kyle Zimmer is suppose to be quick to the big leagues. This team also seems incapable of winning more than four in a row. I've got to say they are out of it as of now despite having 15 games left with the White Sox. If they make a run and make a real move or two that could change, but I'm not holding my breath. Bottomline is that money needs to be spent in the free agency to fill in the gaps. Our farm system has produced well and there are more guts coming, but it hasn't produced much starting pitching. The FO has been relying too heavily on the farm and scrap heap finds. Our $61M payroll says it all. It's 4th lowest in baseball. Attendance is up over 5,000 fans per game. They got the All-Star Game this year, money needs to be spent.

I could see the Royals releasing Sanchez and replacing him with Moyer. Did Moyer ever play for the Braves?

I could see the Royals releasing Sanchez and replacing him with Moyer. Did Moyer ever play for the Braves?

I was disappointed when Melky was traded. He was very good for us last year. I've also never been sold on Lorenzo Cain.

Royals made two roster moves last night. First they sent Vin Mazzaro back to Omaha, then they also DFA'd Mitch Maier. Pitchers Louis Coleman and Mate Adcock were recalled from Omaha. The Royals only have 38 players on their 40-man roster. Perfect opening for Wil Myers and Jake Odorizzi to join us after the All-Star Break...

Lots of disappointed Royals' fans after the Home Run Derby picks were announced...

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 30, 2012 -> 09:47 AM) 4 straight wins, and nothing gained on first place True, but you gotta get to third and second before you can worry about first. We have 15 games left against the Sox, plenty of time to gain on them. As usual, Sanchez pitched like s***. I'm sure we'll just keep running him out there. Royals lost the first game of the doubleheader against the Twins, currently down 2-1 in the top of the 2nd of game 2.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jun 29, 2012 -> 10:22 PM) Royals/Twins doubleheader tomorrow. KC may be in 3rd place tomorrow night. 12:10 game will be Jonathan Sanchez v. Thomas Diamond. I'll be going into work on a day we're closed, I've seen enough of Sanchez, they need to drop him yesterday. 6:10 game will be Luke Hochevar v. Cole DeVries. Hochevar has pitched very well his last 3/4 starts. I'm pretty sure that's the longest streak of quality starts in his career. Royals winners of 4 straight, beat Minnesota last night after sweeping Tampa, after being swept by St. Louis.

Royals got swept at home over the weekend by the Cardinals. Luke Hochevar with a complete game shutout against Tampa Bay. Royals win 8-0. 9.0 innings, 7 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts W (5-7) -- 5.07 (v. Tampa Bay) 7.2 innings, 5 hits, 0 runs, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts W (4-7) -- 5.65 (@ Houston) 7.1 innings, 6 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts -- -- 6.27 (@ Pittsburgh) (Royals won)

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 18, 2012 -> 12:14 AM) But not as bad as Zach Stewart. And they do have two good starters in Dumpster and Mr. Notre Dame Prince Valiant. Garza...? QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 18, 2012 -> 01:11 AM) Greg, haven't we been hearing this same prediction for about 3 or 4 years now? Seriously, who is the rotation for the Royals right now? I bet most Royals fans couldn't name more than a couple of guys. When you guarantee the Royals are going to finish ahead of the White Sox, that's what makes everyone believe you're really more of a fan of other teams. If you really believe we're going to be THAT bad, why even bother to follow the White Sox? I would say it's possible we finish behind them, but I wouldn't bet any money on it happening, either. If you're going to guarantee something like that, you should have to lose something if you're wrong...like you have to admit that Tony Pena or Buddy Bell or Trey Hillman could managed the 2005 White Sox to the World Series title. Luke Hochevar Bruce Chen Jonathan Sanchez Vin Mazzaro Luis Mendoza/Felipe Paulino

Royals took the Cardinals to 15 innings today, but won the game and the series. They've won 5 of 6 by 6 runs, total. The bullpen has been great but man they are completely overworked. Myers and Odorizzi should be up soon. Paulino and Perez will be back within a week. If they are still within 5 games or less of 1st, they will be buyers at the deadline. Hopefully they bring in a starter or two. We begin a 3-game series in Houston tomorrow night. The Astros are 27-39, but 18-14 at home. And man, the Cubs are f***ing awful.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 14, 2012 -> 10:03 PM) KC quietly only 6 games out of first place after some big time heroics against Axford the last two nights Only 5 games out now. Winners of 4 straight, by 4 runs combined, the last 3 coming down to the last play of the game. I can't figure this team out. Get swept by Pittsburgh, then sweep Milwaukee. The 12-game losing streak is still kicking us in the nuts in the standings. Patiently waiting for Wil Myers, Jake Odorizzi, Salvador Perez, and Lorenzo Cain...

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 3, 2012 -> 11:40 PM) And someone at I-70 or whatever the Royals fan/blogsite is wants to trade him before he loses his value. Because they have Butler, Hosmer, Moustakas, Gordon signed long term, Cain for CF (when healthy) and then Francouer in RF, and Dayton loves Frenchie! I've never heard of that site until now. I'll have to check it out. Ridiculous they say they would send Hosmer down. He's batting .303 on a 9-game hitting streak. Things should get interesting this weekend against the Pirates. Hochevar starts tomorrow. Butler at 1st. Hosmer in right. Francoeur in center. Also, Royals prospect Wil Myers hit a grand slam off Roy Oswalt tonight. Myers' season totals: .335/.398/.718/1.125 with 21 homers and 55 RBI. Top pitching prospect Jake Odorizzi also out-dueled Oswalt, 6.2 innings 2 hits 1 run 0 walks 10 strikeouts.

Royals uber-prospect Wil Myers is dominating Triple-A with the Omaha Storm Chasers. In 18 games, just 67 at-bats, Wil is hitting .343/.389/.716 with 6 homers and 18 RBI. He's playing a fine centerfield as well.

Royals tied 3-3 with Baltimore. Butler with his 10th homer and then Hosmer scores after getting the rare infield double.

Here is a great read on Hosmer's struggles from the KC Star... http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/18/36175...-his-crazy.html Eric Hosmer by the numbers Average 2011 - .293 2012 - .174 On-base percentage 2011 - .334 2012 - .237 Slugging percentage 2011 - .465 2012 - .319 Walks percentage 2011 - 6.0 2012 - 7.7 Strikeout percentage 2011 - 14.6 2012 - 11.5 Line-drive percentage 2011 - 18.7 2012 - 16.0 Ground-ball percentage 2011 - 49.7 2012 - 52.8 Fly-ball percentage 2011 - 31.7 2012 - 31.2 BABIP* 2011 - .314 2012 - .165 * -- batting average on balls in play Hosmer’s walk rate is up, his strikeout rate is down and he is hitting, roughly, the same percentage of line drives, ground balls and fly balls. (Point of reference: statistics show more hits occur on line drives than ground balls, and more on ground balls than fly balls.) The outlier is his batting average on balls in play, or BABIP to the statistically inclined. His BABIP was .314 last year as a rookie, which is a little on the high side of baseball’s historical averages (which generally vary each year from .290 to .310). Hosmer’s current BABIP is an unimaginably low .165 and translates, loosely, to simple bad luck that, well, just can’t continue. Hosmer’s BABIP is, by far, the lowest in either league. The next lowest is Blue Jays outfielder José Bautista at .178.

The Royals have already lost 8, 1-run or extra inning games. Broxton was 8 of 9 and had saved 7 in a row before last night. Pretty excited about Myers and Odorizzi getting promoted, they will be in KC by seasons' end.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 15, 2012 -> 10:53 PM) Except they just signed Francouer to that contract extension through 2013 last summer. Doubt they'll start pondering the eating of that contract until next June/July. Plus, Cain being out for the next couple of months gives them a chance to look at Dyson. The problem is that they really won't know what they have in Cain if he only ends up playing half a season, and it's done while recovering from a serious injury for an outfielder. Frenchy makes $2.5M this year and there is a $4M mutual option for him next year. Rudiments has been a pleasant surprise but I still think I would rather see Mitch Maier. Dyson is and always has been a non-prospect. He's 27 already, 4 days younger than Melky.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 15, 2012 -> 06:57 AM) Ramos torn ACL aside, that's one of the worst trades ever. Matt Capps was always one of the worst closers in baseball, why you would want to add him to your bullpen for a top prospect is mind-blowing. Capps was an All-Star that year and Mauer was having a career year.

This is also a team that starts Chris Getz/Yuniesky Betancourt, Brayan Pena/Humberto Quintero every day. Melky Cabrera was huge for us last year, and he's still hitting in San Francisco. I was sad to see him go, especially for one year of Sanchez, who has been s***ty and is now on the DL. I've never been sold on Cain. Time will tell. Alex Gordon also got off to a terrible start. Francoeur looks like pre-'11 Failcoeur so far. His time with the Royals is running out, Wil Myers be in the big leauges this year. He's been playing all three outfield positions, as well as 1st and 3rd. The Royals drafted him as a catcher. The 21 year old is crushing Double-A with a .346/.419/1.165 line, 11 doubles and 13 homers in 34 games. I'm pretty happy to be 15-20 overall and 12-5 since the losing streak.

Oh some s***ty Twins trades. Who can forget Johan Santana to the Mets for Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey, Carlos Gomez, and Delois Guerra? http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/10994...-since-the-deal

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 14, 2012 -> 04:50 PM) Danny Duffy diagnosed with a torn UCL. He is seeking a second opinion, but Tommy John surgery appears to be in his future. That whole "This is finally the Royals year to break out" thing may have been delayed once again. Losing Duffy is a huge blow, but only because the rest of the rotation is so s***ty. Hopefully this means we'll finally see Aaron Crow start, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them give Luis Mendoza a few starts. We've got a trio of lefties showing promise in Triple-A; Mike Montgomery, Ryan Verdugo, and Will Smith. Royals top Texas tonight, 3-1.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 14, 2012 -> 01:03 AM) Let's face it. The Sox have a crummy team ... again. Welcome to my world.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ May 14, 2012 -> 12:36 AM) I don't need a program to find out why? What.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ May 13, 2012 -> 04:08 PM) Royals hammered by every AL team, but the Sox! And the Angels. And the A's. And the Yankees. And the Red Sox. Royals now 10-5 since ending their 12-game losing streak.