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Royals Rumblings - News for October 7, 2014

Pinch me, I'm dreaming.

By Max Rieper
Jamie Squire

Royals Rumblings - News for October 7, 2014

Jeff Sullivan reflects upon Billy Butler's stolen base.

Billy Butler‘s nickname is Country Breakfast. You know that — you’ve known that for years — but at this point, the connection’s automatic, and you probably don’t really think about it. This time, think about it. I don’t actually know why he’s nicknamed Country Breakfast, but it seems to be ever so fitting. If you think about whatever a country breakfast is, and if you think about the people likely to be eating it, you imagine a guy who looks like Billy Butler, a guy who doesn’t have plans to be active the rest of the day. Billy Butler’s all gravy and pig with a .300 average, and that’s an easy sort of player to fall in love with as long as you’ve got pinch-runners at the ready.

Sam Mellinger writes that the Royals players are embracing the fans on this post-season ride.

But talk to the men on the inside, and their answers are almost always the same. They are happy for the fans. Twenty-nine years is too long to wait. Being able to change that history is seen as an honor, and if you get to talking to some of them about what it all means they will tell you they’re getting goose bumps.

"Best atmosphere I’ve ever played in front of," Shields said after Sunday night’s game.

Jonah Keri writes about Terrance Gore and the impact of bench players and bullpens in the Divisional Series.

There was never much reason to believe that Kansas City’s Terrance Gore would make it to the big leagues.

Sure, the 5-foot-7, 165-pounder could run as fast as a politician from a sex scandal, stealing 168 bases with a 91 percent success rate in the minors, but he owned no other notable baseball skills. The 20th-round 2011 draft pick hit just .237 in the minors, with an even more abysmal .271 slugging average. So when the Royals called up Gore after 1,245 mostly futile minor league plate appearances, it was a small miracle.

What has happened since has been even more miraculous: Gore appeared in 11 regular-season games in September, and though he logged just two plate appearances, he stole five bases and scored five runs. He’s been lethal in the playoffs, pinch running late in three of K.C.’s four playoff games and stealing a base each time.

Buster Olney talks Orioles and Royals in his podcast.

Orioles slugger Chris Davis isn't expected to be on the ALCS roster due to having to miss a number of games in the series due to a drug suspension.

The Angels didn't have much of a scouting report on Alex Gordon.

We have start times for the first two games of the ALCS.

Baseball Prospectus' Jeff Moore lists Royals minor league shortstop Raul Mondesi as a prospect to watch in the Arizona Fall League, which begins this week.

In life, I hate being wrong. But as an evaluator, I want to be wrong when I find myself much lower on a top prospect than other scouts. Such is my predicament with Royals shortstop prospect Raul Mondesi and why I need a better look at him this fall.

I've seen him only briefly in person, so I haven't developed a firm stance on the son of the former Dodgers outfielder of the same name, but what I've seen are the tools that evaluators salivate about in a package unprepared to use them.

BP's J.P. Breen looks back at the Royals-Angels Game 3 and marvels at Lorenzo Cain.

Cain quietly compiled a +2.9 WARP this year. Only 10 center fielders were more valuable, and that number would be less if he could’ve had more than 502 plate appearances. He doesn’t offer much power. But a .269 true average with plus defense in center field? Yeah, that’ll do.

Steven Goldman writes the Royals-Orioles matchup makes up for a "no-frills" ALCS.

Is Buck Showalter a manager that actually knows how to handle a bullpen?

Cardinals catchers Yadier Molina pushed an umpire but didn't get suspended because he did it the right way.

So it turns out Vikings running-back Adrian Peterson is a pretty swell guy.

Last weekend was a crazy college football weekend, but just how crazy was it? Here's how crazy - the Royals are now ranked #7.

The Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to three scientists who discovered the "inner GPS in the brain" and will probably be less famous than Kim Kardashian, and thus, less important.

Men's Health magazine explains how to talk football to women because you know, they menstruate and can't understand sports.

Boulevard Brewery makes a quick appearance in the blockbuster thriller "Gone Girl", written by Kansas City native Gillian Flynn.

Your song of the day is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with "The Waiting."

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