clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Chris Getz Is Not The Issue Here, Dude

By Freneau

The Chinaman Chris Getz is not the issue here, Dude. I'm talking about drawing a line in the sand, Dude. Across this line, you DO NOT...

The Royal roster is broken. Dead weight in the outfield and at designated hitter has forced the team's hand (though they likely don't see it that way) and predictably they made a pretty bad decision.

I'm not a huge Chris Getz guy. However, Getz is in his age 26 season and needs to play. The team doesn't think Callaspo can handle second base regularly, and they are probably right. Getz is a cheap player (an "0 to 3 guy" or whatever weird phrase Dayton uses) heading towards his prime and he should play at least somewhat regularly.

Honestly, it shouldn't be this difficult to find Alex Gordon playing time.

  • Jose Guillen has started every game. He's started at DH 22 times, and has randomly played RF once. Now, Jose has hit well, and we should all be happy that he's given the Royals a good month and has maybe earned an NRI next Spring. So yea! Guillen playing every day also means no one else can DH, starts that could go to Callaspo or Gordon. That also means Butler can't DH, and Callaspo or Gordon can't play first. If this was last year, the Royals might be justified in trying to get Jose going again. It's pointless now. At the very least we should have a rotation going at DH.
  • Thanks to a lucky and not surprising Ankiel injury, MITCH has actually gotten some playing time in the OF. However, the OF is still a mess. The Royals have had some bizarre groupings out there this season, and the DeJesus trade we all anticipated never happened. Since peaking with a .457 average, Scotty Pods has hit .206, and like Guillen, he doesn't deserve 100% playing time just because. If the Royals really must play Callaspo, it's not insane to give him an occasional start in the OF, and have Gordon play third that day. I don't even mind an occasional day off for DeJesus with this setup.
  • Or, the Royals could occasionally shift Getz to SS, give Yuniesky Betancourt a day off, place Callaspo at second, and have Gordon at third. Maybe Getz is horrible at SS, but somehow I doubt it, and honestly, it doesn't matter.

    • I'm baffled that the Royals could have a "we've got to play this guy" attitude towards Callaspo and Getz, two nice players without much upside at this point, while simultaneously being ready to punt on Gordon. This franchise can't win by getting max value from B- guys like Getz. It can't. The Royals have to gamble on Gordon (which isn't even the right attitude, as there's every indication that he's a decent, serviceable thirdbaseman) and hope that he blossoms into something more.

    This is a self-generated problem that isn't necessary. With just a pinch of creativity and a willingness to not play their own sacred cows 100% of the time, the Royals could easily get Gordon 3-4 starts a week, while still playing Getz and Callaspo. This doesn't have to be hard.

    More From Royals Review