I was nosing around the Fangraphs stats, per recommendation, and found some stuff that confirmed my impression that this year's team is not a bunch of clowns, except for certain members of the starting rotation. My understanding is that defensive stats are to be taken with a grain of salt, and are vulnerable to the dreaded small sample size. I have read that UZR/150, for example, is not very reliable with less than two years of data. But still... In UZR/150 in 2011, the Röyals are second in MLB with 6.7, behind the Rays at 7.5 and above the Yanks at 6.2. As individuals, at their primary positions, Esky's at 14.2, Alex at 11.4, Frenchy at 8.0, and Getz at 4.5. Melky's about average and the corner infielders are pretty poor. Let's hope Moose and Hos get on the ball about that. The Röyals dominate MLB in ARM, at a ridiculous 15.9, way ahead of the number two Jays at 6.9. The catchers are pretty good as well: they're fifth in MLB in runners caught stealing, with 27 (#1--A's, 29), and fourteenth in stolen bases allowed, with 53. They've let only five pitches go by them, four passed balls (tied for third) and one wild pitch (tied for second). Alex has a pretty good All-Star case, what with his all-around good-to-excellent play.