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Royals Rumblings - News for August 19, 2014

Alex Gordon may or may not be the best player who ever played the game.

By Max Rieper
Hannah Foslien

Royals Rumblings - News for August 19, 2014

Well of course this eight year process was David Glass's plan all along. What you call "apathetic indifference", Richard Justice calls "patience, vision, and resolve."

Let's be clear about one thing right up front: Everything that has happened to the Royals begins with the patience, vision and resolve shown by team owner David Glass. He believed in his general manager, Dayton Moore, when that wasn't a popular position in Kansas City.

Sometimes, the toughest thing for competitive people to do is nothing. Sometimes, it's also the correct thing. Glass didn't simply accept losing, either. He asked questions. He listened. He trusted instincts during almost six decades in the business world.

If there's October baseball in Kansas City, it'll be because Glass showed an unwavering belief in the people he hired, beginning with Moore. He gave him the resources and freedom -- and most important, the time -- to do the job he hired him to do.

Buster Olney is impressed with the Royals bullpen and thinks it may decide the Central Division.

The Kansas City bullpen is probably the difference between the Royals between in or out of first place in the AL Central. While Tigers manager Brad Ausmus has had to wade through uncertainty all summer with a struggling bullpen that ranks 27th in ERA, the back end of the Kansas City relief has been nearly pristine of late. Since June 25, Holland, Davis and Herrera have a collective ERA of 0.47, with 34 hits, no homers, 18 walks allowed in 57 2/3 innings -- and 73 strikeouts.

WAR! What is it good for?

Rob Neyer casts some doubt as to whether Alex Gordon is really more valuable than Mike Trout, as Fangraph's WAR calculations might suggest.

None of this means that the people at FanGraphs believe Alex Gordon is one of the two best players in the majors, or is as valuable as Mike Trout. Every method has limitations, and we're simply looking for the method with the fewest limitations. Wins Above Replacement is really good. But this version, anyway, seems to overrate really good corner outfielders like Alex Gordon and Jason Heyward. I think Gordon's a great player. I'm just not sure he's this great.

Andy McCullough looks at who the Royals could jettison on the 40 man roster to call up prospects like Brandon Finnegan, Christian Binford and speedster Terrance Gore in September.

Jeff Passan breaks down schedules for contenders and concludes the Royals have the easiest path in the American League.

Rany Jazayerli goes on Jonah Keri's podcast to talk about Dayton Moore's legacy.

More podcasts! Keith Law talks to Royals Assistant General Manager J.J. Picollo.

While we've been battling the Mariners for Grass Creek, the Tigers have snuck in and seized it for their own!

If only we had a more active owner who passionately cared about the fortunes of the team.

The strongest man in Westeros is now the strongest man in Europe.

Here is the complete episode schedule for FXX's Simpsons marathon. Let me warm up my Kwik-E-Mart burrito, put on my Comic Buy sweatpants and plan on not doing anything for the next two weeks.

Off to Colorado. Your song of the day is "Rocky Mountain High" by John Denver.

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