Hillman's Fantasy: Small-Ball Royals Bury White Sox
by royalsreview on Sep 20, 2009 7:05 PM EDT
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24 comments
Love is an amazing thing. It makes you patient when you shouldn't be. It makes you faithful and hopeful, when all the evidence says you shouldn't be.
For most of the season, the Royals have done their damnedest to get St. Willie Bloomquist into the lineup as much as possible. And they aren't just playing him, they've been especially fond of having him near the top of the order, despite the fact that he's a batting average only guy, without a good batting average.
Today, in the first inning, they were rewarded, Bloomquist doubled (ok, negative points there for an actual extra-base hit), then stole third, then came home on a wild pitch.
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Royals scored their second run in the third, when beloved former Brave and generally useless player Josh Anderson came around to score after reaching via the bunt single. Thereby sealing today's game as the greatest victory of the season.
- Robinson Tejeda continues to impress and amaze. I guess the joke is on us for not expecting a failed reliever (at least prior to this season) to be a great starter. Tejeda allowed just three hits in six innings, mixing in five strikeouts and just two walks. How is this happening? Has Tejeda been inducing weak contact thanks to helpful wildness? I don't know, but it seems like a reasonable theory given his track record. If anyone wants to dive into the numbers, please do so. Are you ready to move forward with Tejeda as a starter to begin the 2010 season?
- Roman Colon allowed all kinds of baserunners, but was able to escape unharmed. The White Sox are just miserable offensively right now.
- Soria snagged another multi-inning save. Credit, really, non-snarky credit, should be given to Hillman for opening up to this after drawing a dumb line in the sand about it earlier. Good for him for adjusting.
- Does anyone else sorta want Soria to be shutdown pretty soon? I just tend to be really into this sorta thing for pitchers, maybe it makes sense, maybe it doesn't.
- The Royals have 61 wins. A week or so ago that number seemed borderline unreachable as a season total. Crazy hot streak this is.
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No, A 2
Base Olivo would be the perfect start to a pure grit run.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Sep 21, 2009 12:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
two points
1. No one, including Trey, it seems, seems to have noticed that Tejada was pitching very well in relief the last top seasons. If/when he fails as a #4/#5 starter, he can always go into the pen again to form a stud duo w/ Rosa when Soria gets traded/moved to the rotation/hurt again.
2. Didn’t The Smirk once score this season by getting on by bunt and eventually “stealing” home? I suppose his attitude ruined it.
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 devil_fingers on Sep 20, 2009 7:23 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs
RE: #1
More Importantly everyone seems to have forgotten that Tejeda was a pretty good starting pitcher in the past, excluding one bad year in the launching pad in Arlington (where he seemed more than a little snake bit) He put up two good seasons first with the Phillies and then with the Rangers and was in the majors at a fairly young age, making his debut at only 23.
Honestly I’m a little surprised that the idea of Tejeda for starter hasn’t been brought up more often.
Personally, after checking the numbers I wouldn’t be surprised if Tejeda not only succeeds as a #2/#3 starter, but flourishes
I refuse to set up a signature....DAMMIT
by RoyalPug on Sep 20, 2009 8:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The "Tejeda to the rotation" argument is amusing
because it almost perfectly mirrors the “Soria to the rotation” argument.
Unless I'm wrong...
My Twitter feed
by Top Ramen on Sep 21, 2009 10:06 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
How so?
Tejeda has done it at the MLB level, and wasn’t typecast as a reliever by the sheer bad luck of being awesome from the start in that role- like Soria was. Starting would be nothing new for Tejeda- hell he is doing it right now! Why didn’t they give Soria a go and (like Tejeda) limit his innings?
by kcbottom9th on Sep 21, 2009 10:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm with you
what I find funny is that many of those who were adamant against Soria to the rotation (on other sites) are now excited about penciling Tejeda into the rotation next spring. I’ve even heard them use the same argument that they dismissed for Soria (“Well, even if he fails in the rotation, he’ll still be really good in the pen!”)
Unless I'm wrong...
My Twitter feed
by Top Ramen on Sep 21, 2009 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
But THE MAGIC will be gone!!!!!!
100% correct sir. I’m glad my rationalizations don’t conflict with each other. Though, the irrational will respond with, “but Tejeda’s not a dominant closer!” So it’s the closer label that makes the difference I guess.
by AxDxMx on Sep 21, 2009 6:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
watch out indians
this was probably talked about somewhere, but who’d a thunk they’d end up in a race with the Indians for fourth place?
go royals
by daverclear on Sep 20, 2009 8:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
so, can we expect the starting rotation next year to include
Tejeda, Bale, Yabuta, Farnsworth, and Greinke?
I guess the joke is on use (sic) for not expecting a failed reliever (at least prior to this season) to be a great starter.
"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell
by buddyball on Sep 20, 2009 9:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Jamey>Xakq
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Sep 21, 2009 12:43 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
on tejeda...
hasn’t his issue always been the classic of lack control but great stuff?
is his control better? the walk totals are low, but the K numbers have also been ok but not great
by royalsreview on Sep 20, 2009 9:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
22.1IP, 10B, 24SO
in his four starts so far
I’d say over 9k per 9 is a pretty great K rate. He has given up almost no hits so far, which will rise, but if he can keep his SO/BB ratio 2-2.5 you’d have to think he could be successful in the rotation as long as he can keep missing a lot of bats.
-
by slayor on Sep 20, 2009 9:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
.171 BAA last year, .166 this year
Damn impressive, and pretty consistent. Last year his BABIP was .205, this year it has risen to .252 without much difference in the results. (His numbers are pretty similar to last year’s for the Royals, he just didn’t get a lot of credit for his 2008 effort for whatever reason.)
by andrewmiller on Sep 20, 2009 10:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Walks alone were never what killed Tejeda...
What hurt him in the past has been the walks + HR’s
If he can keep his HR total down (Just 1 this year in something like 60 innings of work, a miniscule .15/9) he should be a good/great starter as he strikes out enough to make up for the walks.
Historically the only bad year hes had was when his HR/9 rate spiked all the way up to 1.6 from his career of .93
So I’d say if he can keep the ball in the park he should be fine.
I refuse to set up a signature....DAMMIT
by RoyalPug on Sep 21, 2009 3:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I really wish Tejeda would have been moved into the rotation as early as April 11
That game, he went 2.2 scoreless innings of mop-up work, striking out 6. He clearly already seemed overqualified for his nebulous relief role. Theoretically, moving him into the slot then occupied by HoRam or Ponson would have weakened the bullpen, except Tejeda was seldom used, and when he was called upon it was usually in the type of mid-inning, runners-on situation in which he’d be likely to fail instead of the starting-the-8th role in which he probably could have saved the team at least 5 losses.
by andrewmiller on Sep 20, 2009 10:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
+11!!
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Sep 21, 2009 12:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Shut Soria down?
Uh, no. Actually, I’d prefer they had stretched him out and given him a few starts down the stretch.
As far as I’m concerned, there is AMPLE evidence they do a lousy job of identifying roles for the few talented arms they do have; therefore, it is quite possible Soria would be BETTER as a starter than he has been as a reliever.
Argue with me if you wish – but keep in mind that arguing about this puts you in bed with the “geniuses” running the franchise.
Mr Glass, this is a pro sports team, not a retail store - run it like one!
by loyal2sdad on Sep 21, 2009 1:11 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Soria has looked human at times this year
I don’t know if it’s the best idea to make him a starter. I still think it would be worthwhile to try it, but I’m no longer convinced he would be a #2 starter or better.
by AxDxMx on Sep 21, 2009 2:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
don't you think that his uneven performance this year
stems from his lack of consistent use? It seemed like he would go for a week at a time with no pitching. That could not be good for him. I imagine that relief pitchers need to get into some type of use rhythm.
"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell
by buddyball on Sep 21, 2009 1:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, I agree with that.
But the league could be catching up to him too.
by AxDxMx on Sep 21, 2009 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I did think that
His curve is very predicable now. Which doesn’t help the hitter that much, because it is still filthy, but it helps somewhat.
Then again, his changeup this year has been absolutely sick. I might be misremembering, but I don’t remember him having it before, to the extent he has now.
Factor in the injury, the incredibly erratic usage and natural fluctuation (that effects relievers especially) and I don’t think there is much in it.
by kcbottom9th on Sep 21, 2009 7:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Tejeda must be in the rotation next year
The wisest move would be to solidify the rotation by pronouncing the starting 5 as:
Greinke, Meche, Hochevar, Bannister & Tejeda
Farnsworth, Cruz, Rosa, Davies, Hayes, Dinardo, Hughes & Soria as a bullpen. Maybe Davies can go to AAA or Fransworth can get released
by GobbleforCyoung on Sep 21, 2009 8:50 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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