Red Hot Royals Take Down the Tribe
We've seen this movie before, with the Royals making a September surge. Next stop, the 10th pick in the 2010 Draft.
Congrats to Kyle Davies on a great start.
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48 comments
Comments
10th pick is kind of ridiculous...
more like 5th or 6th pick
Desperately hoping for Desperate Measures
by averagegatsby on Sep 13, 2009 6:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Is it wrong for me to hate this?
My worries about this month validating The Process are ruining my ability to enjoy the hot streak.
by chiefstatnut on Sep 13, 2009 6:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
My head hates this
But my heart loves it.
by NotAHippie on Sep 13, 2009 6:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Im exactly the same way...
And I have a feeling I will really start to have serious spite and mallice towards everyone involved with this organization if 10 years from now Bryce Harper is a bonafide stud.
Desperately hoping for Desperate Measures
by averagegatsby on Sep 13, 2009 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I hate it too.
I feel like a terrible fan for hating it, but I can’t see Glass, Moore or Hillman opening their eyes after this kind of “validation.” I want to cry.
by BrRoyal on Sep 14, 2009 7:16 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
when Gordon sits, the Royals win
it’s that simple
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by devil_fingers on Sep 13, 2009 7:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Correlations are...
…fun, aren’t they? You could say the same thing about Greinke. – TL
by timlacy on Sep 13, 2009 7:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Despite long term implications
Winning makes me smile.
"red bull is amaZing" -Coco Crisp
by grantfunk on Sep 13, 2009 7:10 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs
it's still baseball season? and the royals are winning?
cool.
where's ross gload to explode the process?
by blue bandwagon on Sep 13, 2009 8:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
No need to hate this...
As much as Dayton Moore deserves criticism for the ML team, the minors system is getting better. If we miss on Harper, we will still have good picks, given the money dedicated to the draft. And honestly, if we drafted Harper, we would not be able to spread money around in later parts of the draft next year.
As far as the process goes, it is hard to know what will happen. Some good things are happening on our team right now:
1) The Royals are looking at several pitching prospects for starters/bullpen. Other than the $$ dedicated to Soria, Cruz and Farnsworth, the rest of the pen is flexible. I expect them to add one arm from outside the organization (hopefully for a low price), but it seems like 4-5 positions are up for grabs. Rosa looks from his couple of appearances like he might stick next year. Marte is less likely, but we will see.
2) I think it is clear that Yabuta and Bale are gone next year. Even if the organization wanted them, the cost would be too high for such a tight salary cap. I know it is easy to beat up on DM, but I cannot believe that this will happen. This means we need 2 lefties for the pen. Hughes and DiNardo are the likely candidates. They will probably pick up a third lefty arm for competition (maybe keep Chen around too), but they have played their way to an audition next year it seems. If the bullpen was Soria, Cruz, Farnsworth, Rosa, DiNardo, Hughes, Tejeda, this would not be bad. It has the makings of an ML average bullpen.
3) Robinson Tejeda will be on our team (or will net something valuable for our team). The only question: will he be in the rotation, or in the bullpen. Either move is fine at this point.
4) It is also becoming clear that, assuming Banny and Meche are OK (which is likely), then our starter depth is pretty good. We got a lot of candidates for the back end of the rotation, which gives the team a little flexibility in going to find a guy that can help on offense. But who do you trade? It seems right now, the choices of value would be Tejeda and Davies. There is always value to be had in trade for a guy who can go 5-6 at the back of the rotation and can, on occasion, put up great numbers. As a side note: can we get something out of Roman Colon?
5) The Butler. Enough said.
6) Mitch Maier is starting to play pretty well and hitting for a bit more power. This is also good, as it gives the team some options for making other roster moves. If they still like Gordon, Teahen is expendable. If not, they can also look at moving DDJ.
Now granted, some things are not looking so good: 1) We still do not seem to have the catching situation close to figured out. 2) Jacobs has decided to hit using the whole field (which may actually encourage the team to keep him). 3) Guillen will still be on this team. 4) Coco Crisp is a looming, yet very delicate, situation.
If DM can invest in a real bullpen arm, a defensive catcher, and cut down to one dead-weight DH type that cannot play a defensive position, then we have the pieces around to field an average team. Not a great team, but an average team. And right now, I will take average, hoping the play of some of our members will generate organizational value that can help us when the big moves need to be made in 2011 or 2012.
by bas on Sep 13, 2009 8:31 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
You're forgetting the biggest single hole on the team
shortstop
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by devil_fingers on Sep 14, 2009 12:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
other positions at which the Royals will not have average players next season barring miracles
second base, right field, center field (MITCH is decent, but there’s about a 10% chance he’s be a league average player over a full season), the non-Butler 1B/DH guy.
That’s a conservative estimate.
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by devil_fingers on Sep 14, 2009 12:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well...
You are right that we will not get much better up the middle. However, we got a bat that can play there (Callaspo), and if Aviles makes it back and can regain hitting form (a big if), then he can play a decent 2nd base.
Honestly, I would like to see us move Callaspo to 3rd, put Aviles at 2nd, keep Yuni at SS (he’s certainly below avg, but we can live with it), and platoon Gordon at DH/1B/3B with Billy and Alberto. That’s an infield that can play average defense, can get on base, and the corners have a little pop to them. They can also keep Willie as the infield utility guy in this configuration.
As for the outfield, we know Mitch can play a league average defensive center. He can also steal some bases. He needs to hit for a little more power and fix his BB/SO percentages, something I think he will do with more playing time. but right now, he is about a .350 OBP player, which is a real plus on this team. Also, if you do what I am suggesting above, then you can look at keeping Coco Crisp, who can take a walk, can hit for a reasonable average, can steal a base, and can play plus CF in our cavernous stadium.
Teahan/Guillen in RF? I would play Teahen and cut Guillen if we kept Coco.
Put B. Pena at catcher platooned with a plus defender, and you have the makings of an average defense with decent OBP. However, the lineup does lack a little pop to it. But, it would be better than what we have right now.
You pair that with a really strong starting pitcher rotation (relatively speaking) and an average bullpen, and that team can compete. This is not a pennant winning team, but it can be a really middle-of-the-division team, even accounting for some of the inevitable injuries.
Also remember: our depth in the upper minors will look better next year, as Parraz will be in AAA, Lough will likely move to AAA, as will Bianchi. Some of those AA relievers will also come up next year to replenish the ranks, which cannot be a bad thing. Some of the other relievers in High A will proably be fast tracked to AAA by mid year.
By 2011, our relief pitching at the majors could be really great, we will have $$ to spend, and will have players that need to come up, freeing us to trade some of the larger contracts (2010 has to be the last year of DDJ and Teahen — I like them, but they is expensive for their production for this team).
by bas on Sep 14, 2009 6:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
short replies from my BlackBerry
MITCH is a stopgap at best. We don’t “know” Much about him
He might be ok defensively, but he can’t hit well enough to start.
No offense, but the idea that average infield defense involves either alberto callaspo or YBJ at any positions and the idea that gordon and bert should platoon are so bad they it makes me wonder if you work for the royals
Finally, can you really “live” with YBJ? I guess I could live with TPJ or Angel Berroa, too. I suppose that beyond survival, I think it’s a mistake to deliberately play one of the worst players in the MLB every day
Sorry for the harsh tone. It’s too early.
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by devil_fingers on Sep 14, 2009 7:25 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
I guess I could "live" with either of those guys too
They all seem like people whom would keep the apartment clean, except YBJ.
I bet he leaves dishes in the sink…oh you mean live with, as in playing a baseball position.
I’ll have to think about that.

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by MarioVanPeebles Republic of China on Sep 14, 2009 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sorry d_f. Biggest single hole: GM.
by Steve Hovley on Sep 14, 2009 6:38 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
stealing my best line
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by devil_fingers on Sep 14, 2009 7:13 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed there are some positives but more questions than answers now.
Will Hillfart be our manager next year? Will we sign Crow or not? Will we sign the 2010 draftee. Will Moore admit that he doesn’t know everything and learn from his many mistakes?
I would like to see more dumping of dead weight and the start of using some of the youngsters in the system. Good comments…
by grudz96 on Sep 14, 2009 12:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Considering that Moore and Hillman do the opposite of what they tell the media
Hillman is gone. Dayton said he would be back. Dayton also said he wanted OBP guys on his team.
by AxDxMx on Sep 14, 2009 10:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I love the idea that minor league teams that can’t hit worth a damn but can win playoff games means that the system is getting substantially better.
Idaho Falls: .345 OBP (5th of 8 in league, .345 lgav)
Northwest Ark: .342 OBP (3rd of 8, .340 lgav)
DSL Royals: .333 OBP (23rd of 33, .340 lgav)
Omaha: .333 OBP (11th of 16, .341 lgav)
AZL Royals: .330 OBP (7 of 11, .339 lgav)
Wilmington: .322 OBP (7 of 8, .329 lgav)
Burlington Bees: .311 OBP (14 of 14, .329 lgav)
B-Royals: .293 OBP (10 of 10, .328 lgav)
Great how the bottom 4 are teams made up almost entirely of DM acquisitions
Graduate with a B.S. from the Dayton Moore School of Stats Analysis
by BHWick on Sep 13, 2009 9:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The hitting prospects
are really uneven in the system. Note that the NWA team is a little above average, and that team has two guys that project as being able to play at the majors level. There is still a lot of cannon fodder in our system, but we HAVE prospects now. Parraz, Lough, and Bianchi will probably all be in AAA and could get the call next year if injuries hit. We don’t have that type of projectable player on the AAA team now.
Both the Burlington teams are really light on the hitting prospects (though the Bees do have an intriguing SS prospect that we drafted in the 11th round this year). Wilmington has a few guys, but they are also not producing. IDF has a couple of really solid hitters, but also a lot of fodder.
Also, everyone knows the strength of our minor league system is pitching. They can win games with bad bats because the pitching, especially in the lower minors, is really great. You may consider it to be a criticism of DM, but this is what they have been doing, and the unevenness is on purpose. Good pitching can fix a lot of problems for a team, and it can be traded for bats when needed.
Of course the front office can do things better, but all in all, the minors acquisitions have been reason for hope.
by bas on Sep 14, 2009 6:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You look at those numbers and see hope?
I see a systemic fault that runs through this organization from the major league team to the Arizona League. Can you see what it is?
by kcbottom9th on Sep 15, 2009 8:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
not enough former Braves?
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by devil_fingers on Sep 15, 2009 10:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think we need to bestow on Kyle Davies
the nickname “Mr. September.”
Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!
by cmkeller on Sep 13, 2009 10:34 PM EDT reply actions 4 recs
I can't wait
to sign Jon Garland and Hank Blalock
by wildthang on Sep 13, 2009 10:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Blalock is a .1 WAR player
hes getting 12 million to push Butler for sure.
by wildthang on Sep 13, 2009 10:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What are the thoughts in the organization on Olivo?
He’s going to be a Type B free agent. Do we offer arbitration and hope he declines it? I offer and tell him that we are going to make John Buck and Brayan Pena our starting and backup. Then we let Buck go after Olivo says no, find a decent/serviceable catcher to split time with Pena, and take the draft pick!
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by 306008 on Sep 13, 2009 11:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
why would he decline it?
It really worked for other players this past offsesaon.
Desperately hoping for Desperate Measures
by averagegatsby on Sep 14, 2009 12:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed
You can only offer him arbitration if you plan to keep him. I like him better than Buck, but I think they should get a really good defensive catcher. I don’t think you can play arbitration as a game. Honestly, I think the organization will offer him arbitration and will release Buck. We could go either way on Olivo (offer him arbitration while not really caring whether he says yes or no). His Ks are bad, but the pitchers like him and he does add power to the lineup. They could do worse. If the organization moves to just one high priced catcher, the offseason will be fine.
What is that guy’s name we got from the Rangers? Pina? Will he be ready?
by bas on Sep 14, 2009 7:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
offering Olivo arb
Is almost as bad an idea as platooning Gordon with Callaspo
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by devil_fingers on Sep 14, 2009 7:12 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
are you all forgetting
his great arm?
"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell
by buddyball on Sep 14, 2009 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sorry
I forgot that any player the organization wants or has is terrible and proves that DM needs to go. Nothing to see here. Go back about your business.
by bas on Sep 14, 2009 2:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No, just Olivo and Betancourt and Guillen
and most of the other position players. The list of objectively average or better position players on this roster is DeJesus, Butler, Callaspo, Gordon (when healthy), and Crisp (ditto), with Teahen, Maier, and the catchers useful in backup roles.
Even Moore’s backers (which at this point means anybody who does not want him let go immediately) generally acknowledge that Moore needs to improve his roster-building decisions dramatically this offseason.
by Gopherballs on Sep 14, 2009 2:42 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Personally, I'm just
waiting for the inevitable 18-11 finish.
This space for rent.
by jonfmorse on Sep 14, 2009 6:22 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
What is the Gordon problem
I have heard on this blog that he has an attitude problem. Is this due to him being sent to the minors or something else with the coaching staff or front office.
by BlueBloodRoyal on Sep 14, 2009 8:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Posnanski didn’t like what we saw in Omaha. That’s all there is to the story so far.
by 2X2L on Sep 14, 2009 9:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
“what he saw”
I think I need to shut down my fingers for the season.
by 2X2L on Sep 14, 2009 9:26 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
most people who bring it up here are being sarcastic
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by devil_fingers on Sep 14, 2009 9:41 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
Gordon did not turn out to be Evan Longoria
Some cannot get past that when evaluating him.
by Gopherballs on Sep 14, 2009 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ok thanks
I guess next year is now is breakout year. I wonder if he has hit a brick wall in the majors and does not know how to handle it because he has never failed at any level before he started his major league career. It seems it all went downhill since his 1st at bat on opening day agains the Red Sox with the bases loaded and he struck out.
by BlueBloodRoyal on Sep 14, 2009 9:53 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
But, but
Baird served up Gordon on a platter for DM, the cupboard wasn't Baird...
Kansas City Royals - rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic since 1994.
by Home Run Tony Cogan on Sep 14, 2009 2:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
ouch...
"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell
by buddyball on Sep 14, 2009 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
please try the veal
(tap tap) is this thing on?
Kansas City Royals - rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic since 1994.
by Home Run Tony Cogan on Sep 14, 2009 6:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think the real Gordon
plays for the Chicago White Sox
by BlueBloodRoyal on Sep 14, 2009 6:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

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