Whither Teabag Once Again

by philofthenorth on Jul 17, 2009 12:43 AM EDT

With Gordon coming back and Betancourt doubtless becoming the starting SS, the saga of Mark Teahen takes another turn. Depending on Hoagy's legs, A-Gor may DH for a while, but that is not a permanent solution to the Teahen problem. Since Coco is out of the picture, that opens up LF unless TH insists on playing Freel in CF.

Here's what I would do:

C Olivo/Buck

1B Butler

2B Callaspo

SS Betancourt

3B Gordon

LF Pena

CF DDJ

RF Teahen

DH Hoagy most of the time, Jakers against a tough RHP

Batting order:

Callaspo

Butler

Gordon

Guillen/Jacobs

Teahen

Pena

DDJ

Olivo/Buck

Betancourt

This leaves Bloomers, Freel, a catcher and Jakers or Hoagy on the bench. I think this gives us the best chance to win while still developing the players who will matter in the coming years. I have little hope that anything like this will happen. This assumes no more moves are made, and after Betancourt I'm kind of hoping this is the case. I'm not as down on this move as most, but it's not what I'd have done.

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Comments

can brayan play left?

No harm in finding out, I guess.

by stuckinstl12 on Jul 17, 2009 1:34 AM EDT reply actions

I'd guess he is better

than Hoagy in left.

by hunter s. royal on Jul 17, 2009 2:01 AM EDT up reply actions

Sorry.

I meant BPJ can’t be worse defensively than Hoagy is in right.

by hunter s. royal on Jul 17, 2009 2:02 AM EDT up reply actions

I actually think he played the more often than catcher in Omaha, funny.. but i think he is pretty deplorable defensivly in the OF

"I can resist everything but temptation." - oscar wylde

by cfizzle on Jul 17, 2009 7:33 AM EDT up reply actions

oh...this is going to be a fun 2nd half....

to see what dr. trey has in store for us. it’ll be awesome when one of our most productive hitters…and probably an upgrade at like 5 positions defensively is sitting on the bench 3 days a week.

Fire Everyone

by billybeingbilly on Jul 17, 2009 3:03 AM EDT reply actions

I'm looking for five things this second half.

1. Can Zack keep up his pace and pull out a Cy Young while pitching for a below average club?

2. Can Billy Butler keep driving the ball and even fit in a few home runs?

3. Is the rest of the pitching staff going to be able to stay respectable? Already heard mumbling about Meche heading to the DL. Bannister needs to avoid turning into a pumpkin at midnight. Hochevar needs to avoid the awful outings.

4. How will Gordon look coming back from his injury?

5. Will Kila ever get a shot with this club?

If you were thinking, you wouldn't have thought that.

http://sonsofsamhorn.net/index.php?showforum=129

by Warden11 on Jul 17, 2009 7:57 AM EDT reply actions

I'm going to do my best impression of Carnac the Magnificent here

1. He’ll come back to Earth a little bit but will still probably deserve the Cy Young. A pitcher with more wins and inferior peripherals will get it and there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

2. Butler is finally turning into the hitter everyone thought he was going to be. As he gets older he’s only going to find more power, but I’m personally fine with him being a doubles machine with a high OBP.

3. I think Meche has been fighting injury more or less all year but has been too stubborn to admit it. DL time would likely do him good. Zack is Zack. There are many encouraging things about Banny’s season so far. His K/9 is a little better than last year but his HR/9 so far is half of what it was in 2008, and his BABIP is more than 30 points lower. He’s also getting more groundball outs and giving up fewer line drives. That tells me he’s keeping the ball down in the zone, fooling batters a little better than before, and his stuff has improved. His first half stats compare very favorably to his 2007 stats when he was useful. Based on this admittedly small sample size, I’d say last year was the aberration and that Banny really is about this good. Hoch’s problem remains giving up the big inning, and that usually means HRs. Sure enough, his HR/9 is abnormally high. I was also surprised to see a 26/20 K/BB ratio. I don’t think either of those stats keep up in the second half, so I wouldn’t worry about Hoch too much. I imagine Davies will be back up before too long to replace Meche or Chen. I also think we’re in for another helping of Sir Sidney. He actually impressed me a little at times earlier this year, and I think he’s been better than most teams’ #5 starter.

4. I don’t anticipate too much for the Commissioner. Probably a cold start while heating up in September to post a similar line to his last two seasons, somewhere around .260/.350/.440 with some doubles and a few homers. Essentially he replaces Mitch Maier in the lineup, so even this modest prediction is a gigantic upgrade, and he is superior to Teahen defensively at 3rd.

5. Hahahah, no.

by Soria's Unibrow on Jul 17, 2009 9:28 AM EDT up reply actions

Great comment until this.

5. Hahahah, no.

That’s what I’m afraid of.

If you were thinking, you wouldn't have thought that.

http://sonsofsamhorn.net/index.php?showforum=129

by Warden11 on Jul 17, 2009 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions

I think Meche has been fighting injury more or less all year but has been too stubborn to admit it.

I think it’s the other way around. Pitch through it Gil. We need you. -Nick Swartz.

Coffee. The NEW Performance Enhancing drug for Sport's Writers. Just ask Ken Rosenthal.

by 306008 on Jul 17, 2009 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Freel is the CF

Everything I’ve seen from the front office suggests he was acquired to fill that hole. So your regular outfield should be DDJ/Freelin’ Groovy/Teabag, but I fear it will be DDJ/I Don’t Freel So Good/JoGui (unless they finally put him on the DL for the groin).

Yeah, it was a stupid screen name.

by CentralChamps2009 on Jul 17, 2009 9:02 AM EDT reply actions

Don't worry

The braintrust of Nick Swartz and Dr. Steve Joyce will take care of this “logjam” for us.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Jul 17, 2009 9:31 AM EDT reply actions

which makes the statement that Gordon will come back

but not be 100% especially worrisome to me. Why rush him? If he reinjures himself, everyone should be fired.

"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell

by buddyball on Jul 17, 2009 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Hillman has already said

he sees Teahen’s role as playing 3B when Gordon gets the day off (which will apparently be every 3rd or 4th game), playing some 1B, allowing Butler to DH (assume this would be against LHs?), and playing only ONE of the OF spots (left field). I assume this means Guillen will still get the majority of the playing time in RF; thus, our defense is not likely to improve just because Gordon returns.

Of course, just because Hillman says something doesn’t necessarily mean he follows thru with it…..

Mr Glass, this is a pro sports team, not a retail store - run it like one!

by loyal2sdad on Jul 17, 2009 11:00 AM EDT reply actions

but Guillen has a great arm.....

"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell

by buddyball on Jul 17, 2009 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions

I'll state the obvious

A great arm is of so much use when the wheels are so square they can’t get the body to the ball.

Christ, you don't need a quadrophonic Blaupunkt! What you need is a curveball! In the show, everyone can hit heat.

by BillyMojo on Jul 17, 2009 5:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Maybe Willie is going to get quite a bit of time in right?

Or Freel with DDJ in CF?

Or DDJ in right even?

If you were thinking, you wouldn't have thought that.

http://sonsofsamhorn.net/index.php?showforum=129

by Warden11 on Jul 17, 2009 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions

Freel

From what I’ve read, I don’t think Freel is ticketed for everyday duty at all. I think he will be used, along with Bloomquist, as a super utility kind of guy.

Mr Glass, this is a pro sports team, not a retail store - run it like one!

by loyal2sdad on Jul 17, 2009 11:01 AM EDT reply actions

Who is in CF then?

Because its clear they don’t think DJ is up to it.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Jul 17, 2009 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions

Also not up to it

Dayton Moore

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.

by Matt Klaassen on Jul 17, 2009 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions

so, can i clarify something

what are your thoughts on DM as a general manager? you really haven’t beaten it into the ground, so I don’ think we get it yet. can you please be a little more clear?

Kansas City Royals - rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic since 1994.

by Home Run Tony Cogan on Jul 17, 2009 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions

maybe if I completely shifted without explanation in a bipolar manner every 4-6 weeks it would be more acceptable?

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.

by Matt Klaassen on Jul 17, 2009 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions

I think you should use more upper case letters

"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell

by buddyball on Jul 17, 2009 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions

AND CAPS

Fuck This Team. Period.

The General Theory of Royaltivity

by kabrink on Jul 17, 2009 4:49 PM EDT up reply actions

don't worry,

my next shift is coming in a few weeks once we get on a roll. FIRE DM NOW!!! :-)

I don’t think I’ve really shifted my thought process. I felt that we should make some moves to acquire prospects, but I don’t believe I ever said that DM was a total turd. I think I’ve been fairly consistent that he is about an average GM and that’s probably not good enough to get us to where we need to go. But, I feel that he at least would deserve as much time as new RR hero Allard Baird got to run this franchise into the freaking ground (with ample help from the Glasses, admittedly).

All I am saying is that I believe you have made your point quite emphatically that you don’t like DM at all. Restating it over and over is really counterproductive at this point, wouldn’t you say? I mean, every post I read ends up being populated by some snarky putdown by you of DM and the royals and what buffoons they are.

You will probably be right, he will probably end up getting fired without making this team a consistent contender, the law of averages dictates that as much as anything. But, I think everyone knows where you stand, perhaps (respectfully) it’s time to move forward?

Kansas City Royals - rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic since 1994.

by Home Run Tony Cogan on Jul 17, 2009 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions

fair enough

POint taken — I shouldn’t have responded quite that way anyway, since “you started it” isn’t a very mature response in any case. I also know that I tend to grab onto things and repeat them ad nauseum — well, the nausea of others. What is helpful venting for me is probably just annoying to other people. Sorry ’bout that. Sometimes I need a gentle reminder… I should have taken in that way instead of just posting the first thing that came to mind.

More substantively (and I know I’ve said this before, but bear with me), I worry that Moore getting fired/not renewed/leaving won’t improve the situation for two reasons: 1) The Glasses did pretty well to hire Moore at the time, it’s not clear to me that they are smart enough to do better (or, even better, to delegate to someone who can); and 2) they might decide “screw this” and go back to the crappy payrolls/development budgets of the pre-Moore years. And, of course, both of those things could happen.

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.

by Matt Klaassen on Jul 17, 2009 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions

3) Move the team in the middle of the night

and leave Moore in his office.

Fuck This Team. Period.

The General Theory of Royaltivity

by kabrink on Jul 17, 2009 4:52 PM EDT up reply actions

I could see DM getting fired in a couple years

and then the prospects that he drafted turning into legitmate major league players.

I haven’t given up all hope on DM but I do enjoy someone that states all the things that DM has done wrong, unlike the media in KC.

by The #1 Bockel on Jul 17, 2009 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Absolutely

that’s my biggest fear, that the Glasses revert back to being cheap bastards. That’s why I hope, HOPE that DM works out.

I do think that if you’ve been able to identify the guy that (at the time) was the “hottest” GM candidate out there, you’ve got to give him enough time to let his plan work.

I am worried, to be absolutely honest, that his moves seem to be getting worse, not better. I really hope that Betancourt works out, although chances are he’ll be a disaster.

Kansas City Royals - rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic since 1994.

by Home Run Tony Cogan on Jul 17, 2009 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Hillman.

Was “supposedly” a hot candidate too. The Yankees were going to hurry up and make him their new manager so DM had to REALLY hurry up and outbid them (seem familiar now?). I suspect that the Yankees never gave a hoot about this guy.

Fuck This Team. Period.

The General Theory of Royaltivity

by kabrink on Jul 17, 2009 11:48 PM EDT up reply actions

d-f I like your consistency. just me, but don't change it, keep it up.

Christ, you don't need a quadrophonic Blaupunkt! What you need is a curveball! In the show, everyone can hit heat.

by BillyMojo on Jul 17, 2009 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions

I actually think they are going to put DDJ in CF on most days

Mr Glass, this is a pro sports team, not a retail store - run it like one!

by loyal2sdad on Jul 17, 2009 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Let's hope, that would actually be logical

soon to change name to, "The Not So Curious Case of Benjamin Bratt"

by MarioVanPeebles Republic of China on Jul 17, 2009 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Wrong on night 1

Bloomy over DDJ in CF. The incompetence is mind boggling.

by AxDxMx on Jul 17, 2009 11:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Where to begin with this lineup?

I still think we will see Bloomquist in the OF more than B. Pena. Don’t know if he can play LF but neither can Freel or Pena on a major league average level so what is the difference?

I’ll be interested to see who hits in the two slot. Callaspo seems to be a perfect fit but hasn’t done well there. Where does Gordon hit?

C- Buck/Olivo
1B – Butler
2B – Callaspo
SS – Betancourt (here’s hoping he gets off to a hot start)
3B – Gordon – see above
LF – Guillen
CF – DDJ
RF – Teahen
DH – Jacobs vs. RH; Buck/Olivo/Pena vs. LH.

1, DDJ
2. Gordon
3. Butler
4. Guillen
5. Teahen
6. Olivo/Buck
7. Callaspo
8. DH
9. Betancourt

by daveyork on Jul 17, 2009 7:09 PM EDT reply actions

I'm sorry.

I just don’t get this hitting Callaspo in 7 idea. I know Trey loves it but that only proves how stupid it is. Callaspo actually HITS the fucking ball. Unlike most of the other suck asses on this team. I am so incredibly frustrated it’s unbelievable.

Fuck This Team. Period.

The General Theory of Royaltivity

by kabrink on Jul 17, 2009 11:51 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs