Royals DH Candidates

i think i speak for all (or most) of us when i say that the only reason Jose is a good DH

is if that’s what it takes to keep him out of RF.

After that, I think they all have their pluses and minuses, with Callaspo being the most intriguing to me.

Blank

by benfunke on Dec 16, 2009 3:01 AM EST reply actions

I like the fact that Billy Butler is not on this list

I would like it even more if JoGui weren’t on this list because he wasn’t on the team.

by AxDxMx on Dec 16, 2009 3:47 AM EST reply actions

I think they would be reluctant to use Pena at DH

if we only carry 2 catchers. But with Iron Man Kendall behind the plate, maybe we’ll only carry one on the roster.

by Steve Hovley on Dec 16, 2009 7:32 AM EST reply actions

It seems like a good season to see what Kila can do...

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by 306008 on Dec 16, 2009 9:00 AM EST reply actions

Same thing we said last season?

I used to work with an old man that told me- Son, every workplace has a dumbass. If you don't have one where you work, then I'm afraid you're it.

by Warden11 on Dec 16, 2009 11:15 AM EST up reply actions

I'm pretty sure ALL of us are DH candidates

Exhibit A:

.209/.281/.374 24 HR 84 RBI

Royals DHs in 2009

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by RoyalsRetro on Dec 16, 2009 9:43 AM EST reply actions

Lefty/Righty Split

Guillen, Fields, and Callaspo are all better against Lefties so that kills any notion of platooning those guys.

One scenario we should be aware of:

I think we might see Fields in the outfield. Dayton said the White Sox had him in left field, because that’s where the White Sox were going to put him before they acquired Carlos Quentin. That would presumably put DeJesus in RF according to the comments Trey made. Maier, Bloomquist, or a new player would become the CF.

That presumably gets Guillen off the field and in the DH role, maybe platooned with Kila? Actually though, I think we’ll see Kila get started in Omaha again this year in hopes that Guillen can garner some trade interest around the deadline.

by WURoyal on Dec 16, 2009 12:31 PM EST reply actions

I don’t know why I typed that first sentence really…

by WURoyal on Dec 16, 2009 12:33 PM EST up reply actions

(Rough) Projected WAR (by CHONE) for the DH Candidates

Guillen -0.7
Fields 0.2
Ka’aihue 1.0
Pena 0.3
Callaspo 0.6

Playing anyone but Ka’aihue at DH makes little sense, although Fields still has enough raw talent that giving him 300 ABs to see if he can break out is not a horrible idea. Even with the bad defense, Callaspo still projects as a ~2.0 WAR at 2B, so moving him to DH is a lousy allocation of resources. (Why not try Getz in CF? — he’s fast and has an option left.) Guillen should be told to report to spring training at his condo in Miami.

Cheap Free Agents DH Candidates
Cust 2.4
Branyan 1.6
S. Duncan 1.6
Glaus 1.1
Thome 1.1
Garko 1.0
Hinske 0.7
Gomes 0.5
Huff 0.4
Thames 0.3

Cust and maybe Duncan and Branyan are really the only ones that make sense as a fulltime DH. Duncan has some added value too as he can play a little outfield or 1B. Branyan projects around 2.0 WAR as a 1B. Hinske, unlike the others, can play an adequate corner outfield, so he projects as around 1.7 WAR as an OF.

Branyan should be able to get more than the Royals would want to offer him, but the others should be in Royals’ price range. Cust is llimited to DH and could be had for $2-3 million or so (he made $2.8 m last year). Hinske made $1.5 million last year. Duncan is a minor league free agent, so the mere offer of a major league contract may be enough to sign him.

by Gopherballs on Dec 16, 2009 12:38 PM EST reply actions

I've been thinking about Cust lately

But Duncan or Glaus would be good choices too.

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by royaldaddy on Dec 16, 2009 1:06 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Callaspo at DH may be a lousy allocation of resources,

but what if the alternative is to keep Guillen in RF and use the DH as a rotating “rest” position?

Wouldn’t surprise me one bit if they did this, and that would leave Callaspo as a bench player, which might be even more of a waste of his abilities.

What I would do: Assuming they are hell-bent on giving 2B to Getz (and it sure seems like that is their intent), then I would go out and acquire a CF and either a LF or RF (with DDJ taking the other spot), and sign Cust to platoon with Guillen at DH. Not ideal financially, but possibly affordable. If not affordable, simply platoon Kila with Guillen at DH instead. (Of course, we all already suggested this for LAST season, so come over here, dead horse, and get another whipping)

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by loyal2sdad on Dec 16, 2009 1:30 PM EST up reply actions

It's dumb and dumber

Playing Callaspo at DH is dumb, while playing Guillen anywhere is dumber. The team should just accept the sunk cost and move on. But of course this is the franchise that played Ross Gload regularly at 1B.

Callaspo makes the most sense at 2B. Moving Gordon to 1B or off the team is a terrible idea, so 3B should not be an option. Callaspo likely could play an adequate corner outfield — he would lose some value, but nowhere the loss in value moving to DH. Getz might have the speed to move to CF.

by Gopherballs on Dec 16, 2009 2:03 PM EST up reply actions

I'd be really surprised if Trey started Getz at 2nd over Callaspo

I know he doesn’t make great decisions, but the offense has to outweigh the defense right?

by AxDxMx on Dec 16, 2009 3:05 PM EST up reply actions

Really? Even with all the "Improve the defense talk?"

Listening to the interviews and reading what Trey and Dayton have said, I’d be a little surprised if Callaspo is playing 2B only because I don’t know where Getz would end up and he seemed like the focal point of the Teahen trade.

Ideally, I think they’d like to market Callaspo as a 3B playing out of position and trade him for a young Centerfielder, pitching, or a prospect(s).

by WURoyal on Dec 16, 2009 3:13 PM EST up reply actions

I remember seeing a quote from Trey after the trade went down

And he said something to the tune of you can’t really bench Callaspo’s bat, and he played better after Yuni got there. So I took that as a hint that AC would probably be at 2nd most days.

by AxDxMx on Dec 16, 2009 6:26 PM EST up reply actions

1. Guillen will defnitely play. It depends on what your idea of value is. IPlaying Guillen doesn’t help our expected run value, but the risk reward is right to give him a shot. Guillen only has this year left (a year where we have no shot to contend) so I would play him in hopes that he could rebound and have some value at the deadline, even it it was straight cash.

2. Does Getz have the arm to play CF though?

I think Getz will get the majority of starts at 2B. I think Callaspo probably gets traded but we might see him in a DH/Utility role. Callaspo at 2B wouldn’t really hurt my feelings at all, but I think Getz was traded here to get a shot to be the everyday 2B. Callaspo could get a shot at RF or LF, whichever they think he’s better suited toward.

3. I agree than Gordon and Butler are going anywhere.

4. I also think they will look at Fields in the corner outfield spots in spring training.

by WURoyal on Dec 16, 2009 3:05 PM EST up reply actions

Guillen should not play

Oh, I don’t doubt that Guillen will play, but there is no real circumstance in which he should play. I know fans hate sunk costs and like to trot out the “maybe he will rebound so we can trade him” rationale, but realistically, he has little to no chance of rebounding to a level where another team will give anything of value for him. He cannot play the field anymore, and outside his career years, he never hit well enough to be useful as a DH. His trade market at the deadline would be the half dozen or so AL teams in contention, and none of those teams will be in contention if they have a DH worse than Guillen (and most should have a random slugger stashed at AAA in case of injuries). And outside of star players, the return on deadline deals is usually lousy. The team is better off giving his at-bats and spot on the 40-man roster to someone else — better players will be pass through waivers at the end of spring training than would be available in any trade for Guillen.

Getz does not have a great arm (Tango’s scouting report project rated it around MLB average), but a good arm is not nearly as important in CF as range — see Coco Crisp. For a team that tried Teahen at 2B, giving Getz a look in CF is worth a try. Getz also has an option left, so the team can give Getz regular playing time even if Callaspo starts at 2B.

Outside of a Gordon injury, I would bet Fields sees most of his time in the outfield corners.

by Gopherballs on Dec 16, 2009 4:01 PM EST up reply actions

Getz had 15 games at LF

in AAA in 2008. That’s as close as he’s come. I’m not sure that he’d have the range. Definitely not like Crisp. Or maybe even Maier. You’d probably be better off sticking with Callaspo at 2B, putting Maier in CF, and using Getz as a backup middle IF. Or optioned, if Willie’s feelings would get hurt having to share the bench with him. I’d rather see Getz make an attempt at a position change in Omaha than at the major league level.

"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it." -Hal McRae

"I was doing this when BJ was in his father's nutsack." -Renzo Gracie

by Sweep_the_Leg on Dec 16, 2009 4:51 PM EST up reply actions

"he’s fast and has an option left"

Getz is pretty fast — not Crisp fast, but he can move. His arm is better than Crisp. I agree that any position switch should occur in the minors, thus, the mention of the option. He might not be much better than Mitch — but a Mitch that can also play the infield has some extra value. The other point is that Getz on the roster does not mean Callaspo has to move off 2B — or off the team.

Of course, the preferred route is for the Royals to acquire a viable young CF.

by Gopherballs on Dec 16, 2009 5:19 PM EST up reply actions

I find this Getz to CF in AAA idea intriguing. Do you think it will happen though?

by WURoyal on Dec 16, 2009 5:21 PM EST up reply actions

Don't know

I never thought of trying a relatively big guy like Mark Teahen at 2B, but that happened.

by Gopherballs on Dec 16, 2009 5:24 PM EST up reply actions

It's definitely the type of experiment

that a small market team should take (like the Teahen 2B experiment). The problem is that I think Dayton will do everything he can to acquire a more established CF, which includes overpaying/extending Scotty Pods, before he’d attempt another position-change experiment.

Can we come up with a universally accepted term for Dayton giving FA’s too many years on their deals? Overextending isn’t right because they’re free agents…they’re being signed for the first time, not extended. Overyearing, perhaps? Overlonging? Overlengthening?

"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it." -Hal McRae

"I was doing this when BJ was in his father's nutsack." -Renzo Gracie

by Sweep_the_Leg on Dec 16, 2009 5:35 PM EST up reply actions

The Royale was Meche's deal, right?

I think you are describing the Guillen. As in, Dayton is so totally going to Guillen Pods.

by Gopherballs on Dec 16, 2009 5:43 PM EST up reply actions

How about "The Herpes?"

We sure give out a lot of Herpes. In fact, we just gave Jason Kendall The Herpe.

Or should it be the other way around?

We just contracted the Herpe with Jason Kendall.

Don't Stop Believing!

by KC Chris on Dec 16, 2009 6:03 PM EST up reply actions

"Dumb"

is the universally accepted term for which you are looking.

Don't Stop Believing!

by KC Chris on Dec 16, 2009 5:45 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs

Let's just call it

The Royal Treatment and be done with it.

by AxDxMx on Dec 16, 2009 6:28 PM EST up reply actions

We give players Moore

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by RoyalsRetro on Dec 17, 2009 11:04 AM EST up reply actions

Could you live with Guillen at DH

and a Church/Fields platoon in RF?

by Dadunca on Dec 16, 2009 5:05 PM EST reply actions

Guillen at DH

would be slightly better than having Mitch Maier DH

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by Matt Klaassen on Dec 16, 2009 9:35 PM EST up reply actions

Even last year's Guillen?

I used to work with an old man that told me- Son, every workplace has a dumbass. If you don't have one where you work, then I'm afraid you're it.

by Warden11 on Dec 16, 2009 10:01 PM EST up reply actions

Don't forget

Bloomquist has to DH 1-2 times a week in his quest to play every single position.

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by RoyalsRetro on Dec 17, 2009 11:05 AM EST up reply actions

Tough Call

Looking at the DH spot shows how many holes this team really has. We have way too many Corner infielders and corner outfielders, yet have no real depth or up the middle at Catcher, CF or SS. While we do have two second baseman one cant field, and one cant hit.

Gullien is the obvious cancer. If Gullien isnt here I would say you put Fields in RF, Kila at DH, and have Getz and Callaspo split time at 2nd with Callaspo in more of a roving role filling in at third, RF, and DH when neccesary but I really wanna keep Callaspo’s bat in the line-up. Maybe we should put some catchers gear on him…see what happens…?

by KCG816 on Dec 16, 2009 8:33 PM EST reply actions

I would say that the Royals really only have one corner outfielder (DDJ)

but assuming no other moves, I pretty much agree with everything else.

by Gopherballs on Dec 17, 2009 12:39 PM EST up reply actions

Well I moved some infielders to outfield

In my master plan you move Fields to outfield, let Callaspo get some time out there, plus we have Costa back, and Lubanski, Paraz or Perez and Lough who could all use shots (I think i butchered their names, its late)

Not to mention its looking like Moose will be a Right Fielder.

by KCG816 on Dec 18, 2009 12:42 AM EST up reply actions

The last season of Guillens contract

he’ll probably put up positive offensive numbers. Just in time for some other dumb GM (Minaya, Moore II) to give him too much money next season.

I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.

by kcscoliny on Dec 16, 2009 10:22 PM EST reply actions

That’s another reason why I think he’s a lock to at least DH. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was playing in RF either. He’s in a contract year. If he has a good year this year, he gets another contract somewhere. Motivation.

by WURoyal on Dec 17, 2009 12:07 AM EST up reply actions