Mini-Sweep of the Twins Leaves Royals Closer to Dream Fourth Place Finish
by Freneau on Sep 14, 2011 8:51 PM EDT
in Royals Game Recaps
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PrintThanks to a two-game sweep of the Twins (part of a four game winning streak overall) the Royals now have a four game lead in the fourth place race. It isn't what anyone really wants or cares about (I think) but I know many of us have no love for the Twins, so seeing them humbled a bit is no bad thing.
And draft position? Who cares about draft position. Dayton doesn't even need a 2012 draft. Or a 2013 draft. The system is that good.
Observations related to today:
- The Royals are now 36-39 at home.
- Six hits combined for the Francoeur-Moose portion of the order, including a Moose double and a Francoeur steal. I suspect they'll be hitting close to one another next season as well, and they're going to give us some boom or bust innings.
- Also of note were two hit games from Hosmer and Gordon. I'm not sure it is fully deserved but I think we're getting to the point where Hosmer will get some Rookie of the Year votes.
- I don't really file away Luke Hochevar's start as good or bad. The Twins can't score even when they want to, and they fielded a B-list lineup today. Not hatin', as they say, just, umm... sayin'.
- Tim Collins walked two batters. I hearby predict that Collins will see time in the minor leagues next season.
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Of course, the real highlight for today:
Royals Review indirectly getting a mention on the telecast.
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the war room!
by KeepItCopacetic on Sep 14, 2011 8:56 PM EDT reply actions
Last night, Ryan said that it was "debatable" whether Gordon was dominating..
so in the game thread, I asked everybody to email the booth and ask “would Alex Gordon be in the MVP discussion if he played in the AL East?”, figuring it was the best way to broach the subject.
Then today, Joel said that he got emailed the same question at the same time from five guys in five different cities so he knew something was going on.
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the war room!
by KeepItCopacetic on Sep 14, 2011 9:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Cubans via Hosmer
how come homage to Pat Tillman wasn’t all over the NFL on Sunday?
by Nighthawk at the Diner on Sep 14, 2011 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions
You know why....he served his purpose of getting people 'patriotic'
But when you get shot by your own troops, have multiple Federal and Military leaders lie about how you died valiantly from enemy fire, the the truth comes out…it makes him and his story radioactive.
That and like anything else, you are the flavor / toast of the moment, but after you’ve outlived your usefulness to accomplish someone eles’ goals, you are cast aside…. Welcome to the USA.
The Royal Pork T....between inning snack of prized Royal Designated Hitters
by kd_in_kc on Sep 15, 2011 9:33 AM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
It shows how awful Ryan and Frank are when Joel is shocked that 5 people would want their opinion on anything.
by Loose Seal on Sep 14, 2011 10:31 PM EDT via iPhone app up reply actions
Whos the front runner for rookie of the year by the way?
by Kansas City Keith on Sep 14, 2011 9:07 PM EDT reply actions
Hellickson's kind of faded away. I think Hosmer's at least back in the discussion.
In the NL, Freeman or Kimbrel I’d guess
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the war room!
by KeepItCopacetic on Sep 14, 2011 9:24 PM EDT up reply actions
great to beat the Twinkies
I didn’t get to hear much of the game. Collins walked two? Did Holland have to bail him out?
"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell
Yep, and they didn't say it during the broadcast (that I heard, anyway),
but they were keeping Soria out as a precautionary measure due to a minor hamstring issue.
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the war room!
by KeepItCopacetic on Sep 14, 2011 9:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Still not mathematically eliminated
From second place!!!
"We don’t have guys with a long history of being effective in the seventh and eighth innings."
~Trey Hillman, master of understatements.
So we’re just one Jim Leyland gambling scandal from being back in contention
by Loose Seal on Sep 14, 2011 10:26 PM EDT via iPhone app up reply actions
Classic Verlander
No Way LA....MJD/AP are the leagues best RB's...Chris Johnson is soft......Luke Mccown will lead us to the promised land
by tiquanunderwear on Sep 14, 2011 9:49 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Indeed....poorly shopped.
Makes me want to redo it just for the sake of quality.
The Royal Pork T....between inning snack of prized Royal Designated Hitters
Finding a reliable LH reliever will be an offseason need if
KC is looking to move Teaford in the rotation. Collins has been one of the biggest disappointments of second half for me.
Enjoying seeing Moustakas develop some consistency and find his confidence. Does he project to play 130-140 games next year?
Teaford to the rotation?
Do you mean the Omaha rotation?
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Sep 15, 2011 12:30 AM EDT up reply actions
Teaford deserves a shot in the Royals rotation.
If they don’t go out and get a real #1, then I’d say he has a pretty good shot of being #5. Would you rather have Chen for 5 mil or Teaford for league min? The umpires once again sucked yesterday. Collins couldn’t buy that outside corner. Yet, whoever the Twins walked out there got the calls 2-3 inches off the plate. I hate umpires this year. SO MUCH!!
by royal_in_cincinnati on Sep 15, 2011 8:41 AM EDT up reply actions
I dont know. I think Teaford is a mediocre lefty reliever or SP depth at most. I don’t see much talent there.
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Sep 15, 2011 9:26 AM EDT up reply actions
Why do you think?
He has been a little old for each stop over his minor league career. But his numbers are pretty good, aren’t they? And since he added the cutter last year, his strikeouts have gone up. I’m not saying he can be an ace, but he is probably a top 5 pitcher for the Royals going into next year if they don’t add anybody.
by royal_in_cincinnati on Sep 15, 2011 9:35 AM EDT up reply actions
His minor league numbers were ok, but other than his 2010 season in AA, not great. And the tools have never been described as particularly good (that’s why he’s never been a top 100 prospect). His stuff is so-so and his control has been pretty good but not great. In the majors, he’s not getting many strikeouts and with his stuff, I don’t think there’s much of a reason to expect he ever will. As a MLB starter, I think he’s on about the same talent level as SOS and Mazzaro. And I think that’s about the level of a 7th or 8th starter. If the Royals don’t retain Francis or Chen and don’t acquire any other SP’s then yes he may very well be one of the Royals top 5 SP’s, but that doesn’t say much about his talent.
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Sep 15, 2011 10:00 AM EDT up reply actions
While I agree with all of that,
there is one weird thing about Teaford’s development: he had a great AA season, with a 10+ K rate over 12 starts and 15 relief appearances, but instead of pushing him as a starter, they forced him to relief. This scout/blogger thinks a couple of bad starts soured the org on his starting potential.
http://scoutingtheroyals.wordpress.com/2010/08/25/why-everett-teaford-needs-to-be-promoted/
Why isn’t he still starting? Why wasn’t he in AAA all season working on his changeup? Because of some small sample they made a rash decision that affected a prospect’s development? A lefty starter who throws 90+, has good curve and a decent changeup is a valuable commodity, let’s hope his potential is at least explored during the end of this season and the beginning of next.
Kila's slash for Apr 20 to May 4, 2011, right before he was sent down: .276 / .344 / .448
by SagehenMacGyver47 on Sep 15, 2011 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions
I really doubt that the organization soured on him because of a couple bad starts
I don’t think this organization evaluates prospects based on stats in a few games or a whole season or multiple seasons. I think they evaluate prospects (and major leaguers) based almost entirely on their tools. And prospect evaluators (and now I’m talking about those outside of the Royals organization) have never thought particularly highly of Teaford. His stuff really isn’t that good.
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Sep 15, 2011 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions
You have to hope the top 100 guys hit
You also have to hope for a lot of help from prospects outside the top 100 to build a winner. There is no reason he can’t be in the rotation. Like SagehenMacGyver47 mentioned, a lefty that throws in the 90s with a good curve and decent change are hard to come by.
by royal_in_cincinnati on Sep 15, 2011 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, I guess he can be in the rotation in the sense that they could put any player in the rotation. What I’m saying is that there’s really no reason to think that he’ll succeed in the rotation. His fastball, curve and change are all pretty meh. That’s why he’s not getting many strikeouts. But if no additions are made, he might make sense for the rotation by default.
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Sep 15, 2011 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions
role reversal ;)
I really doubt that the organization soured on him because of a couple bad starts
(You expressing more faith in Moore’s team than me, I mean)
I’m totally projecting this on Moore’s team based on a gut feeling, so pardon me for that, but I see it like this: They didn’t like his tools from the get go, and essentially penciled him in as “not ML starter material”. When they saw a few bad starts strung together, it cemented in their minds that he should move to the pen. He did well there, which they interpreted as more evidence that he should relieve rather than start. There could be plenty of other reasons (injury history?), but it leaves a big question mark in my mind.
(So that is my rant-y conspiracy theory, based on less than ten minutes of internet research and zero times actually seeing Teaford pitch. But it sort of fits the profile of DM’s handling of Gordon and maybe Aviles.)
Kila's slash for Apr 20 to May 4, 2011, right before he was sent down: .276 / .344 / .448
by SagehenMacGyver47 on Sep 15, 2011 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions
OT
The Storm Chasers never lose
No Way LA....MJD/AP are the leagues best RB's...Chris Johnson is soft......Luke Mccown will lead us to the promised land
by tiquanunderwear on Sep 14, 2011 10:31 PM EDT reply actions
The Royals of April
No Way LA....MJD/AP are the leagues best RB's...Chris Johnson is soft......Luke Mccown will lead us to the promised land
by tiquanunderwear on Sep 14, 2011 10:46 PM EDT up reply actions
OT: is it free food and drinks in the diamond club seats.
Got me some tics for next Tuesday.
Stuck following the Royals since 1976.
nope, gotta pay with the rest of the proletariat
Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts."
--Albert Einstein
by Home Run Tony Cogan on Sep 14, 2011 11:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Depends, Diamond Club Box Seats are loaded with $20 bucks you can use throught the stadium
The Royal Pork T....between inning snack of prized Royal Designated Hitters
Not free
But they have waitresses and you can order from your seats, and they bring it to you and run your card on one of those mobile CC readers, which is all sorta bourgeoisie.
by Sweep_the_Leg on Sep 15, 2011 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions
We all knew what we were signing up for.
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the war room!
by KeepItCopacetic on Sep 14, 2011 11:55 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't know if Royals fans are quite happy
But they are willing to wait for the results to come next season. But I think if the Royals win fewer than 77 games next season, the fanbase is going to absolutely lose its sh*t. Not exactly sure where the pissed off, fire-the-bastards tipping point will be next season, but I think it’s right around there.
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Sep 15, 2011 12:33 AM EDT up reply actions
That's pretty fair.
It’s a ton of improvement in the standings, but it’s not ridiculous to think the Royals will get bumps in some positions.
I’m dying for the Royals to go after a legit ace starter, even if I still think 2013 is the real go-for-it year.
Nick Swisher is handsome.
But will they win 77 games?
There are just so many question marks…Will Frenchy perform close to this year? Will Gordon continue at this pace? Will Duffy develop or continue to suck? What about Hochevar/Paulino? Will Moose improve enough to matter? Will Escobar ever hit? Will Salvador be competitive or fall off dramatically due to the lack of high minors?
I’m of the opinion that the Royals will still be under .500 next year. To be any level over would require luck that left this franchise a long time ago.
To be honest
77 wins seems reasonable, we have reasonable good chances to hit 70 this year. Hey at least were not winning games with a bunch of old dudes, were not winning games with a bunch of relatively young guys with more on the way. I’ll take that over the latter.
"I refuse to write on the chalkboard because I refuse to rock chalk, at all times." -The Forum
The user formerly known as EMAWrising
Our pythag has us on pace for close to 77 wins, right?
If we improve our rotation, and the offense stays roughly the same, we should win 77 times.
Offense staying roughly the same is far from a given.
Glad I came, just wish I hadn't stayed so long.
Rock Chalk Talk
I understand regression in the OF, the question is how much.
But we should expect to see improvement at 1B, 2B, and 3B. For “the process” to work, there has to be improvement at those positions (in house or otherwise). I am operating under the assumption that the improvements and regressions will cancel each other out. Far from a given, you’re right, but if it doesn’t happen somebody should lose their job.
Somebody should lose their job
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Sep 15, 2011 12:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Looking at something more telling that Pythag
By second and third order wins, this has been about a 75-win team.
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Sep 15, 2011 9:31 AM EDT up reply actions
Those are better questions than,
Is Guillen REALLY going to play RF? Does Kyle Farnsworth have to pitch next season? Will Gil Meche’s arm fall off this year? Is Betancourt REALLY an MLB SS? Will Jason Kendal hit zero or one HR? I like our chances better than in years past.
by royal_in_cincinnati on Sep 15, 2011 8:43 AM EDT up reply actions
Will Gload explode?
Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!
On facebook
In the comments to the Royals win post, somebody said Perez is better Mayer lol Mayb a little early to say that lol
by Gordon4MVP on Sep 15, 2011 1:15 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
he might have more value left in his career
as of today. Mauer is collapsing pretty fast
2011 Royals Review NCAA Bracket Challenge Winner, by process of attrition
I don't know about purely a better player
but going forward, I’d MUCH rather have Perez’s arbitration years than Mauer’s contract.
by Sweep_the_Leg on Sep 15, 2011 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions
We could still finish with winning records against the twins and sox and 8-10 on the season
Take out the NL royally fucking us up and the sox owning in interleague and 3rd place wouldn’t be ridiculous. That’d be impressive for a team that let Kyle Davies start the season.
by Official Arrowhead Pride Parade on Sep 15, 2011 1:46 AM EDT reply actions
I honestly didn't recognize a good portion of the players the Twins brought out yesterday.
But what else can you expect in a September when the Twins aren’t contending.
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the war room!
by KeepItCopacetic on Sep 15, 2011 11:02 AM EDT reply actions
But hey, at least you recognize Joe Mauer
His image is burned into our retinas by now, I imagine.
Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!
You know who else played third base and killed the ball in September?
Of course you do, it’s Mark Teahan. But at least Moose’s relatively hot finish will give us something to hope on for next season. Is it that he’s making the adjustment (right on schedule, really, since we knew he had a history of needing some adjustment time), or is it that he’s just playing against quad-A talent? We’re on the edge of our seats.
Kila's slash for Apr 20 to May 4, 2011, right before he was sent down: .276 / .344 / .448
by SagehenMacGyver47 on Sep 15, 2011 1:22 PM EDT reply actions
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