You just got to get to the playoffs. To do that we need to replace our below average players with above average players at at least 4 positions.

 

yep. there is no one model accept the Ozzie Guillen model: don't have too many horseshoot players!

Those stats include guys like Bruce Chen, Francisley Bueno (who?), Michael Mariot, Aaron Crow, & Louis Coleman, who all had ERAs over 4 and most likely rarely appeared in important situations.

 

Their three-headed monster had an ERA of 1.28 over 204.1 IP with 53 holds and 46 saves. The rest of the bullpen had 22 holds and 4 saves.

 

Your entire bullpen isn't that important, just the guys that come in when the game is on the line.

 

Crow was a vital piece of that pen until they lost faith in him this mid-season...about the same time Herrera and Davis started clicking. Collins was the lefty...flopped...downs was tried and they finally got finnegan out of tcu.

 

Those other four names got garbage innings. I think there were two Coleman's.

Edited October 18, 201411 yr by caulfield12

hell if you sub relievers for starters and mediocre sox offense for mediocre kc offense the 05 sox and 14 royals like kinda similiar. Both clubs put good teams on the field and got hot at the right time. Just get in the playoffs.

hell if you sub relievers for starters and mediocre sox offense for mediocre kc offense the 05 sox and 14 royals like kinda similiar. Both clubs put good teams on the field and got hot at the right time. Just get in the playoffs.

 

Ugh, don't get me started again. Sure, an 89 team is very similar to a 99 win team.

hell if you sub relievers for starters and mediocre sox offense for mediocre kc offense the 05 sox and 14 royals like kinda similiar. Both clubs put good teams on the field and got hot at the right time. Just get in the playoffs.

 

One is one of the most dominant teams of the past 15 years.

 

The other got hot.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/...-doing/related/

 

Long but very good article on why the royals system is working...

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/...-doing/related/

 

Long but very good article on why the royals system is working...

 

That article wouldn't have been written had Oakland held a four-run lead in the eighth in the wildcard game. Just saying. ... That's baseball. Lot of hot air out there.

That article wouldn't have been written had Oakland held a four-run lead in the eighth in the wildcard game. Just saying. ... That's baseball. Lot of hot air out there.

 

We could say the same about joe crede's homer off riske to fend off Cleveland.

The '05 Sox would dismantle the '14 Royals

We could say the same about joe crede's homer off riske to fend off Cleveland.

 

Not really, no. Regular season vs win or go home game? Not really that similar.

We could say the same about joe crede's homer off riske to fend off Cleveland.

 

The Sox won the division by 6 games

Personally, I love the KC model because it's essentially about doing all the little things well and limiting mistakes in all aspects of the game, it's smart baseball at its finest.

 

But it's very unrealistic to build the KC model and it's also not sustainable. With the exception of Perez and Gordon, none of their players are top 10 players at their positions. Meaning in an open market, they would often be your 2nd or 3rd choices. Teams with options don't aim to build the KC model. They are for teams who are not popular free agent desintations and are cash strapped. Without having real cornerstones like Sale or Abreu, they will fall back to below .500 if a couple of their positions players or bullpen arms get pay raises.

Personally, I love the KC model because it's essentially about doing all the little things well and limiting mistakes in all aspects of the game, it's smart baseball at its finest.

Well, i guess we're out.

Unless we sign Headley, trade Alexei for Brett Gardner, and unload the farm for Andrelton Simmons, and also strike gold in our bullpen reclamation projects, we won't have the KC model. But that doesn't mean we can't compete.

Well frankly we are due for striking gold on a flyer free agent because Hahn has been terrible on those so far. I hope it's just bad luck.

Personally, I love the KC model because it's essentially about doing all the little things well and limiting mistakes in all aspects of the game, it's smart baseball at its finest.

 

But it's very unrealistic to build the KC model and it's also not sustainable. With the exception of Perez and Gordon, none of their players are top 10 players at their positions. Meaning in an open market, they would often be your 2nd or 3rd choices. Teams with options don't aim to build the KC model. They are for teams who are not popular free agent desintations and are cash strapped. Without having real cornerstones like Sale or Abreu, they will fall back to below .500 if a couple of their positions players or bullpen arms get pay raises.

 

Cain is top ten based on the last 2-3 months. (I'm sure the royals wouldn't trade Cain for eaton.)

 

Hosmer Escobar and moustakas all have the ability. Escobar is close right now...most scouts would have him 7-11.

 

Aoki dyson butler and infante are the glue/complementary players.

Edited October 19, 201411 yr by caulfield12

I'm sure the royals wouldn't trade Cain for eaton.

Probably not since they just made the world series, but when a guy has a career best year at age 28, that is often a decent sign they won't repeat that same season.

Cain is top ten based on the last 2-3 months. (I'm sure the royals wouldn't trade Cain for eaton.)

 

If Eaton can stay healthy, I don't think Sox would make that trade either. Cain is an enigma on offense. His speed and lack of power suggests he would be a leadoff hitter, but his plate discipline screams otherwise. I think KC batting him in the middle of the order isn't going to work in the long run.

I agree and I will say I'd take Eaton moving forward. Interestingly enough, both of these guys were towards the top of the league in BABIP with Cain's coming in at a robust and entirely unsustainable .380. Makes his .301 average look a whole less sexy.

 

That being said, last year I had season tickets in the first row of CF and went to the 2nd and 3rd games of the year and was absolutely mesmerized by Cain. I think he's the only defensive player to ever steal and hold my attention like that.

 

When you have that kind of speed, you can sustain a higher BABIP

Well frankly we are due for striking gold on a flyer free agent because Hahn has been terrible on those so far. I hope it's just bad luck.

 

Zach Putnam is a good one.

Well frankly we are due for striking gold on a flyer free agent because Hahn has been terrible on those so far. I hope it's just bad luck.

Mostly flyers is all Hahn's done, except for Keppinger which was just a bad signing, sort of out of desperation.

You'll lose most flyers.

Putnam and Noesi have worked out.

Cleto still might.

Right now, I don't see anything to the Royals model except you can win less than 90 games after a decade of brutal baseball then get lucky in the playoffs. I'm going to need to see more seasons of success before I see anything worth emulating here

Right now, I don't see anything to the Royals model except you can win less than 90 games after a decade of brutal baseball then get lucky in the playoffs. I'm going to need to see more seasons of success before I see anything worth emulating here

I agree. If you must follow a model, wouldn't the Giants be the one to follow?

I agree. If you must follow a model, wouldn't the Giants be the one to follow?

They play good D and the pen is good, which appear to be recurring themes.

 

I think the main thing they've done is produce talented players on a regular basis from their farm system:

Cain - 2006

Lincecum - 2007

Sandoval - 2008

Posey - 2009

Bumgarner - 2010

Belt - 2011

Crawford - 2011/2012

 

They've made some good signings of mid-tier free agents to eat innings and as bench bats.

 

 

Right now, I don't see anything to the Royals model except you can win less than 90 games after a decade of brutal baseball then get lucky in the playoffs. I'm going to need to see more seasons of success before I see anything worth emulating here

 

True, the Royals' model really isn't successful unless this is just the start of something. I said it before but they should have lost the wild card game. Oakland basically choked. Even with the great bullpen, KC got owned by a mediocre Detroit team this year. Fans called for the demotion of almost all their everyday players at some point this season except for Perez.

 

I'll eat my words if this is just the start of something big for KC. Not taking anything away from them, but if Oakland completes the victory, nobody's talking about KC at all.