Royals Destroy White Sox, Continue Storybook September
by Freneau on Sep 18, 2009 11:06 PM EDT
in Kansas City Royals News
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A day after an unlikely offensive explosion, the Royals did it again. Kansas City banged out thirteen hits and drew six walks, en route a 11-0 whitewashing of a lifeless White Sox team in Chicago. At 72-76, the White Sox might now finally be out of it, even in the wimpy AL Central.
- Luke Hochevar picked a good night for a comeback start. Hochevar threw a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits and a walk. Perhaps the pitch tipping issue has been resolved. If anyone thinks they have Hochevar figured out, let us know.
- Miguel Olivo, perhaps enraged that he was traded by Chicago five years ago blasted two homers, drew a walk, and added a sacrifice fly. Revenge game!
- Billy Butler, David DeJesus, John Buck, and Alex Gordon also had big nights. Hmm... what do all these dudes have in common?
- And, of course, we got our usual ration of late-game defensive switcheration and pinch-runners. Josh Anderson is pretty much the greatest late-game defensive sub of all time, although it hurts to see him come in for St. Willie. We need those guys on the field together!
- The Royals are now 10-6 in September.
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buck, dejesus, gordon, butler
all part of losing for several years? other than that I got nothin…
Kansas City Royals - rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic since 1994.
by Home Run Tony Cogan on Sep 18, 2009 11:16 PM EDT reply actions
if baird only would have had some real talent to work with
say guys like damon, beltran, dye, sweeney, randa. man, i bet he coulda done sumtin real good-like with them dudez. but, it was probably the shitty pitching of guys like durbin, rosado, suppan, and ascensio and greinke that did him in. all those injuries, what bad luck!
Kansas City Royals - rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic since 1994.
by Home Run Tony Cogan on Sep 18, 2009 11:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Is anyone else PISSED?
I am. I am really fucking pissed. I’s much rather have seen this team limp toward the finish line, at the same win rate the had from May-August, as opposed to reverting back to ’27 Yankees form to lend some sort of validation to this seasons un-mitigated fucking disaster.
What havoc is this last month going to play on the ’10 roster?
Does Olivo now warrant a 2 year $10 M deal to fill the gap until Wil Myers (may, if everything goes swimmingly well) arrives in KC?
Do we remove one of our better relievers from the Pen & insert him into the starting rotation next year?
I can’t even face the reality of all the ways this hot streak could be fucking up next year, much the same way last years hot September UNDOUBTEDLY led to some of the shitty decisions that were made last Winter.
BOOM! ROASTED!
im with ya....
i was hoping for a 6-20 september or something like that
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Sep 18, 2009 11:29 PM EDT up reply actions
some plans just take longer to come together
because, see we don’t have any injuries now….oh, wait…never mind
"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell
I am very pissed
because I wish that they’d played better from May-August. I do agree with you, though that this shouldn’t change in any way the fact that significant changes have to be made to The Process™ going forward. I hope that DM isn’t fooled into thinking everything’s OK because it’s not…hopefully he notes that Hosey has been gone for most of this hot stretch and acts accordingly.
Kansas City Royals - rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic since 1994.
by Home Run Tony Cogan on Sep 18, 2009 11:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Accordingly*
“Jeez, if Jose was healthy we might have gone unbeaten in September!”
GMDM
BOOM! ROASTED!
Exactly
I’m fearful they will look at September and argue that once the team was back together after all the injuries they played great. They will go out and sign Livan Hernandez to a 2 year deal, Austin Kearns as a corner outfielder. Put DeJesus back in center and let Maier languish in Omaha. Hopefully they will pay attention to May-August and just ignore September.
Because this will ruin 2010
Put DeJesus back in center
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.
Kearns should be a cheap option at least with his BA issues
He’s batting .195, but has an OBA of .336! This is a player like Russell Branyan that could have a breakout year, seemingly out of nowhere.
Now I have no idea how good he is in the field, but Fangraphs says he’s been ok out there the last few years, especially RF. A $1M Jose replacement? I wouldn’t be against it, but it would seem to be a win now move, as Kearns will be in his age 30 season (Oh god, I just realized I’m older than Kearns by 6 months, I’ll also be in my age 30 season).
is your birthday before or after July 1?
Last I checked, kearns is a very good defender in RF.
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 Sep 19, 2009 12:14 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
It's December 12th of this year.
So my age 30 season approacheth.
We can’t all be as cool as Justin Huber and be born on July 1st.
Don't worry
If anyone knows how to avoid being sucked in by wiles of the Culture of Instant Gratification, it’s Dayton More
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 Sep 18, 2009 11:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I want to overtake Cleveland more than anything
Escaping the basement would at least slightly reduce the Cardinal fans’ gloating.
well said, and I am with you
Sponor of the Will Ebner Physical Therapy Center for Players Who've Been Hit By Will Ebner and Want to Try to Stop the Ringing. Or WEPTCPWBHBWEWTSR for short.
by MarioVanPeebles Republic of China on Sep 19, 2009 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions
felix has given up 2 runs tonite in 5 1/3 with only 2 ks
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Sep 18, 2009 11:33 PM EDT reply actions
they decided to score one of those runs unearned
dude has 13 unearned runs
by swing and a miss on Sep 18, 2009 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions
seriously
how is that possible with their defense? they must hate him like the royals hate zack…
Kansas City Royals - rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic since 1994.
by Home Run Tony Cogan on Sep 18, 2009 11:48 PM EDT up reply actions
or maybe his scorers actually like him...
unlike zack’s like the other night when davey’s clusterfuck out there cost zack a run and it was still earned
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Sep 18, 2009 11:50 PM EDT up reply actions
they field a lot more balls due to range
so they make more errors (but still not as many as the Royals) due to the additional chances.
by swing and a miss on Sep 18, 2009 11:51 PM EDT up reply actions
they definitely don't hate him
their horrible offense has somehow managed to save him from seven losses after he left the game this year and turned two of those potential losses into wins. Zack has lost all the games he left down in the score.
by swing and a miss on Sep 18, 2009 11:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Only going by wins and losses,
even Trey tells us that is not how you should judge a team.
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.
Things are looking up!
Of course, there isn’t a whole lot of down from this vantage point. But still…
and the mariners probably just won felix hernandez the cy young
ichiro walk off 2 run homer with 2 outs off marino rivera
unbelievable, sorry zack, your luck sucks
-
that might actually be a blessing...
i think rivera might be a bigger threat than felix for some reason
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Sep 19, 2009 12:47 AM EDT up reply actions
Hernandez is the hybrid of high wins and low ERA
Sabathia has a lot of wins but too high of an ERA.
Greinke doesn’t have the wins, but a ridiculously low ERA.
Hernandez has a fair amount of wins, and a relatively low ERA.
I blame Mike Sweeney
for getting the hit before Ichiro with two outs. Sweeney also hit a home run in the 9th against the Angels to save Felix from a loss.
by swing and a miss on Sep 19, 2009 12:51 AM EDT up reply actions
I know nobody cares
But before tonight’s’ games
Here are the WAR values I calculated for the top five pitchers in the AL. Yeah, I know it’s nerdy… I just use a “dynamic” version of FIP and a different way of figuring replacement level. Note that the park adjustment for the New Yankee Stadium will probably up CC’s numbers after the season.
1. Greinke 8.8
2. Halladay 6.9
3. Verlander 6.8
4. Felix 6.3
5. CC 6.0
Now, even if Felix jumps by a win (Zack sometimes did after his best starts, I think), he’s still almost two wins behind Zack. Not that any Cy Young voter gives a crap about what my stats say,b ut whatever.
That’s just how awesomem Zack has been. Not just Felix, but Verlander, Halladay, and even CC after his sorta bad start, are all having great years. None of them are in Zack’s league. MVP.
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 Sep 19, 2009 1:01 AM EDT up reply actions
yup
I actually talked it about it after he one hit the Mariners at the end of August
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.
Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.
that's a reply to BabyBlues
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 Sep 19, 2009 1:15 AM EDT up reply actions
Miggy
I know all of you sabertards hate Olivio but seriously look at this team. Does anyone else have 20 HR’s on this team? Yea he doesnt get them walks you all blow loads over but walks dont drive in runs. I understand the Royals need guys who get on base but all 9 guys dont need to have .400 OBP. A Catcher who hits 20+ runs, calls a good game, and has a good arm isnt easy to come by. Plus who has caught Greinke all year? You can hate on Olivo all you want but the facts are Miggy has done a fine job this year, and Zack loves him. Miggy needs to be on this team next year without a doubt.
I take your "he hits HRs" and counter it with
23 HR, 64 RBI
13 bases-empty HR
going into tonight
hits .229 with men on
hits .224 with RISP
5 HRs and 29 SO with RISP
You know the great thing about Olivo’s bases-loaded walk?
it was the first time he reached base with the bases loaded this year. He’s now 0 for 14 with a walk with the bases loaded.
If Olivo calls such a good game, how come the mortal parts of the Royals pitching staff absolutely suck?
If Olivo calls such a good game, how come he keeps calling for pitches that he can’t catch?
Graduate with a B.S. from the Dayton Moore School of Stats Analysis
where do we start?
Does anyone else have 20 HR’s on this team?
No, they do not. Miguel Olivo has more HRs than anyone else on the team.
I understand the Royals need guys who get on base but…
any rationalization probably won’t make much sense from here on out — it’s like you’re going to immediately contradict this statement with the next statement.
…but all 9 guys dont need to have .400 OBP
it’s like my boss saying, “I understand you want to get paid for last week, but you don’t really need to get paid for last week”. It just doesn’t make sense to me. No we don’t need every player to get on base at a .400 clip, but that would be awesome and would create way more runs than Olivo creates now, even with his high SLG%.
You can hate on Olivo all you want but the facts are Miggy has done a fine job this year, and Zack loves him.
You think he’s done fine… ok. I can tolerate that. Fine, to me, means passable but not ideal. How was dinner? Fine. I can maybe agree with this statement of “fact” if you can admit Miggy strikes out a TON, walks very little and allows a lot of passed balls. However, he does hit HRs in bunches and Zack does love him… so he’s got that going for him, which is good. It’s just the days when Zack is not pitching and Miggy isn’t in the midst of hitting 4 HRs in a weeks’ span, Miggy really sucks. Have you watched him swing and miss at sliders away? It kills me when he does that.
So yeah, he’s “fine” but that leaves a whole lot to be desired.
Miggy needs to be on this team next year without a doubt.
What’s your case again? Oh right, he’s fine and Zack loves him… oh, and he doesn’t need to have a .400 OBP. That’s a pretty strong case, my friend. I will counter with: he has 118 SO – tied for the team lead with Teahen, who has about 150 more plate appearances. He Ks in almost 1/3 of his PAs! He’s 2nd on the team in Caught Stealing % to… Brayan Pena. He has 10 passed balls… I could go on.
He hits HRs but that’s hardly the biggest problem the Royals have.
The Royals need to get on base. We don’t need any more guys who make outs over 70% of the time they come up… much less THREE of them starting every day.
The Royals need to play better defense. We need a catcher who is better defensively or who makes up for his shortcomings by being great at getting on base.
The Royals need to stop over-spending for crappy players. We have at least one player, Pena, who could probably do the job of Olivo for much cheaper, and maybe even do his job better.
Those are my thoughts. I think your most of your thought went into developing “sabertards”… better luck next time.
The Alex Gordon era - www.number4thesmirk.com
by CollininCalifornia on Sep 19, 2009 3:30 AM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
one more thing
have you ever noticed that Olivo is terrible at blocking the plate on throws coming in from the OF? He’s just awful… always setting up at least 5 feet in front of the plate and forcing himself to make a head-first dive towards the dish if he hopes to tag out the runner. That could be the Royals coaches, and in fact, probably can be blamed on them… but Olivo isn’t doing the team any favors with his lack of fundamentals.
The Alex Gordon era - www.number4thesmirk.com
by CollininCalifornia on Sep 19, 2009 3:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Deion Sanders is more open to contact than Miguel Olivo
Graduate with a B.S. from the Dayton Moore School of Stats Analysis
The best thing that could happen from Miggy's big ending
I like that Olivo is hitting well (relatively speaking). I think it was posted that he has a 3+ mil mutual option. He is a Type B free agent, so perhaps this will inspire him to leave and get a contract from another team that will overvalue his power, and then we could get a draft pick for a 100K buyout.
I’m not sure how all the contract details work, but it seems like that would be the best case scenario.
if it werent for may, june, july and august...
we would have had a good year… damn mlb process.
where's ross gload to explode the process?
Really don't understand the Miggy bashing.
He is now our third most valuable position player, he just passed Bulter, and is .1 behind Callaspo. He now has a 2.2 WAR (9.8 million). A leauge average catcher for 3 million instead of 10 million is a good thing. This does take in effect his low on base percentage. Olivo is having a career year at the age of 31, right when he becomes a six year free agent. Olivo is starting to ajust, finally, to the fact that if he waits a few pitchers, and gets ahead, then pitchers have to throw him a strike. If we lose him to free agency, or if the option gets picked up, or if he accepts arbitration, I am fine with any of them, Olivo is not the problem with the team, and catcher is not a hole for the Royals, its a strength.
Go Royals!
people don''t care for his plate discipline
personally, i’ve never had much of a problem with olivo. he’s not great, but he’s also not the reason we are losing. if moore was an awesome GM, he’d parlay olivo’s decent season into a prospect or two, and then we’d rely on brayan and buck as C. i
Buck is worthless.
Although he did come up with a big home run in the 9th inning of a blowout, which is when I’m convinced he does all his hitting.
I have no problem with bringing back Olivo. The team is already short on power, dumping Olivo for a defensive specialist would make the problem worse. I would much rather have a below-average defensive team that can hit, rather than the other way around.
It's cheaper to a have a below average hitting team that can play defense.
I would much rather have a below-average defensive team that can hit, rather than the other way around.
Not saying defense is better, but the Royals aren’t going to be able to field a team of guys who can hit unless they are from within the system. It’s just too expensive to do that. Defense is still cheap.
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.
I'm not sure about the WAR for catchers,
but I do know there isn’t a defense component. So, catchers are getting a position adjustment (for catchers it is a plus) without taking into account their defense. Most rational people readily admit that Olivo is below average behind the plate. To me, the wins above replacement seems high for him considering that.
Question for the real saber guys on the site, am I missing something when it comes to catchers?
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.
no, they don't have d numbers for catchers yet
It’s complicated to do it well (WOWY); I cam do a simple evaluation that others do w/ basic stats. It tales a while, so I probably won’t run it again until after the season.
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 Sep 19, 2009 12:21 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
and see my sig. re; "saber guy"
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 Sep 19, 2009 12:23 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
You're as close as it gets around here.
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.
What about the man formerly known as Tucson Royal?
There’s others. d_f is just on here constantly though.
The Royals seem to have more than their fair share of these guys.
This team
was 18-8 last September and what did it do for them this year ? As Olivo says " I feel no pressure at home plate" well, yeh, Its September and the teams they are playing are on cruise control. Look at how Dejesus is padding his stats after hitting 240 under pressure. The only good thing about this game is that if Hochevar was tipping his pitches, it may have been resolved.
by BlueBloodRoyal on Sep 19, 2009 11:09 AM EDT reply actions
Yeah,
his .316 in July, .324 in August, and .328 this month is just padding his stats. Not real talent.
Wow, just noticed his numbers the last 2 1/2 months. He’s been pretty freaking hot, huh?
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.
I was nodding with you
Until you threw in the DDJ jibe.
It amazes me, stupefies me infact, that there are still people out there who think DDJ is anything other than a very good outfielder.
by kcbottom9th on Sep 19, 2009 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Seems like everybody
makes a play sometime that someone will never forgive him for. DDJ has now been around for 6 full seasons, so he’s made a bunch.
he's a good outfielder who routinely makes retarded plays....
see the shoo ‘triple’ last week, the 9 bounce throw into 2nd base, the consistent misplays at the wall, etc
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Sep 19, 2009 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions
would a good outfielder "routinely make retarded plays"?
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.
he gets to alot of balls that most OFs wouldnt....but then fucks up alot of balls that average outfielders make...
he’s like the shortstop that can cover the entire IF but will still boot the routine DP play more often than the average guy.
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Sep 19, 2009 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions
he's what TPJ allegedly was....
but not in reality
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Sep 19, 2009 6:57 PM EDT up reply actions
the thing about DDJ is
that he’s past his peak (nearing 30) and eventually he’s gonna have to be dealt
Graduate with a B.S. from the Dayton Moore School of Stats Analysis
Gordon
is going to be a star and maybe the team captain in the coming years. I think he will be better than that Evan guy at Tampa Bay. Yes, Gordon Beckham is the real deal.
The thing about Olivo's HRs
(D_F or Gopherballs, correct me if I’m wrong…)
His HR/Flyball ratio is a ridiculous 20.9%, which is nearly double his career ratio. What this means is that balls that usually fell for doubles in the past 7 years of his career are now making their way over the fence. He’s not hitting more XBH overall though — the doubles are just turning into HRs. This is likely to reverse in the future, and he’ll likely be back to a ~22 2B, ~13 HR type guy. (Still good, but the SLG won’t make up for the lack of OBP as easily)
Of course, the counter argument would be that his number of ABs ending in a K has increased to over 30% — so maybe he’s selling out by swinging for the fences more. That could be, but expecting him to continue to be a 22+ HR threat going forward would be the equivalent of expecting Mike Jacobs to be a perennial 32+ HR hitter. (So I expect a 2/10 deal with 3 player options announced any day now)
Unless I'm wrong...
My Twitter feed
Easy answer:
Juice
/not really, but had to say it
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.
Maybe we could fleece Omar Minaya
the way the Marlins fleeced us with Jacobs? Only we get more in trade because Olivo is a great catcher.
Omar and Dayton should right a book together
On how to be a good GM.
Guaranteed it would top the comedy charts for 756 consecutive weeks.
Moneypit: How To Keep Your Job With An Abysmal ROI
by D. Moore and O. Minaya
by 2X2L on Sep 19, 2009 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
It'd probably be read in GM schools across the nation,
teaching a great lesson on what not to do.
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.
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