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Royals Rumblings - News for October 9, 2014

Oh come on, STILL no baseball? You're killing me, Smalls.

By Max Rieper
Jamie Squire

Royals Rumblings - News for October 9, 2014

WE HAVE GAME TIMES!

Craig Brown at Royals Authority talks about setting the ALCS rotation.

Game Three – Jeremy Guthrie

We haven’t seen Guthrie this postseason, but it’s time to give him the ball in Game Three. Guthrie is certainly home run prone, but the hope here is a cool fall night at the K and a stellar defense neutralizes any advantage the Orioles may have in facing a fly ball, back of the rotation starter. Guthrie faced the Orioles twice in the regular season, throwing a total of 15 innings, allowing 14 hits, two walks and a home run. I’m not looking at a small sample size and giving him the ball based on that. It’s just info you’ll hear. The O’s will get base runners against Guthrie, but the hope is, he can minimize the damage as he did in his best starts of the season.

The added benefit of throwing Guthrie in Game Three is the bullpen will have a day of rest, so all the arms should be fresh, should they be pressed into service early.

I like his other suggestion better:

Ted Keith of Sports Illustrated says its the farm system that produced this unlikely ALCS berth for the Royals.

"There’s a lot of resemblance between this team and the 1985 team," said Art Stewart. "You say why? Well, we had a lot of good young pitching then just like now. We had great defense then. We had great speed then. Then there’s the defense on this team. And this is an athletic team … All of this has come together because of the depth of the farm system. We get a [James] Shields in a trade for a prospect, we get a Wade Davis and a Lorenzo Cain."

ESPN profiles the meteoric rise of Royals pitcher Brandon Finnegan, who was pitching against Southern Illinois back in February.

Finnegan bought a 2015 Escalade recently, and his TCU buddies say it cost $90,000. Finnegan is quite enamored by the SUV and has sent pictures of it to his friends back home. Outfielder Cody Jones calls the ride "sick," which is youth slang for very cool.

Is that what the kids say these days? Is it still "dope" or "radical"?

The eight most insane managerial moves of the post-season would not be complete without an appearance from Ned Yost.

It’s highly unusual to ask such an inexperienced starting pitcher to try his hand at relief work with the go-ahead runs on base in your team’s most important game in 29 years. Ventura gave up a three-run homer to Brandon Moss. Credit to the Royals for battling back to win, credit to Ventura for bouncing back to throw seven excellent innings in Game 2 of the division series against the Angels. Credit to Yost for a lot of things this year, but he’s lucky his team is still playing after that doozy.

Terrance Gore is fast y'all. (h/t HarryL)

Gore's speed is, literally, off the charts. Jarrod Dyson, the Royals' center fielder, runs to first base in 3.6 seconds from the left-handed batter's box. Gore gets there even quicker from the right-handed batter's box, clocked at times at 3.5. The top rating on the scale used by scouts is 80, but Gore is faster than the standard required for an 80.

What do the stat nerds say about our chances?

But does it project GRIT?

Bovada has the Royals as the longest shot to win the championship out of the remaining teams at 13/4. Fangraphs thinks the Royals have the best chance.

Is Eric Hosmer a time-traveling cyborg sent back in time to lift the Royals to a championship?

Yes. Yes, he is.

Bryan Grosnick uses oaRA and oaFIP to compare starting pitchers, including Royals pitcher James Shields.

Darin Watson at Pine Tar Press argues the Royals are re-inventing themselves.

It occurred to me Sunday night that I do not recognize this Royals team any more. Just like a music fan in 1965, what was before me was something completely new and different, even as it contained hints of familiarity.I’m not sure when it hit me, but it did.

Perhaps it was after the Royals immediately answered Mike Trout’s first-inning home run Sunday night with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. The "old" Royals, once things went bad early, were likely to pack it in.

Cardinals fans aren't the only ones who make awful fan-made videos, some Orioles fans have gotten in on the act with this parody of Lorde's "Royal."

That is just the worst.

Baseball America has its Top 20 Carolina League prospects list out. Raul Mondesi ranks #4, with Sean Manaea and Hunter Dozier right behind him, and Christian Binford and Miguel Almonte in the Top 20.

Kings of Kauffman recaps the Royals first day of Arizona Fall League action.

ICYMI, Josh Duggan was a guest on EUREKA podcast (co-hosted by averagegatsby) last week, where they talked Royals playoffs--recorded the day after the Wild Card Game--and other subjects that may or may not have been appropriate for all ages.

Grant Brisbee writes the ALCS is for heroes, while the NLCS is for villains.

The NHL's Phoenix Coyotes nearly moved to Seattle, never even considering Kansas City!

Grantland asks if Weezer is overrated, underrated, or properly rated?

No one likes Chevy Chase.

Why are you tired all the time? Probably because the Royals can't complete a game in nine innings.

One of the few times I'll get political, but its a good day in Johnson County.

Your song of the day is The Temptations with "Get Ready."

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