Royals Rumblings - News for November 9, 2017

Joe Posnanski posits the question can Eric Hosmer field?

And so, while watching him I find that I WANT him to be a great defensive player. There is something about I like to call “Defensive Magical Thinking.” This is when we simply choose to see something in a player’s defense because it totally fits what we want to believe. To be honest, there’s probably less magical thinking in baseball than other sports because, for the most part, the stats are too good. You can’t magically think that Billy Hamilton can hit no matter how much you wish it to be true because Billy Hamilton’s batting average and on-base percentage make it entirely clear that he can’t hit.

But because defensive statistics are not widely accepted, magical thinking is possible. You probably know that Dave Winfield — and I LOVE Dave Winfield — won seven Gold Gloves. That seemed so right at the time; Winfield had that great arm, he was such a magnificent athlete. But Defensive WAR calculates that he was actually a brutal outfielder, costing his team 23 wins with his defense over the years. And Bill James, using entirely different calculations for his Win Shares formula, graded Winfield as a D+ outfielder.

Jeffrey Flanagan reported on Mike Moustakas having been awarded the Players Choice Comeback Player of the Year:

"This means a lot," Moustakas said on the show. "It means a lot, especially with all the great comeback stories there were. It shows how much hard work the training staff put in to get me ready."

Moustakas, 29, played only 27 games in 2016 after sustaining an ACL tear in May. He bounced back this season to hit .272 with a career-high and franchise-record 38 home runs. He also had 85 RBIs.

"You're always hoping for a great year," Moustakas said. "But it's crazy to have a year like that."

Old friend Craig Brown tries to make sense of the mess in the front office:

We’re left with so many additional troubling questions. Are they going to buckle up and face the reality of the rebuild with Moore still in charge? Or are they going to let him go and try to find someone with a new philosophy on building a team? Someone who won’t tell ownership how to spend their money?

This is the worst position imaginable for the Royals. With free agency open for business, the offseason is officially under way. The team needs a plan, and it needs to be longterm. It’s not about next season, rather it’s about the next several. But with Moore uncertain about his future, David Glass unclear about his and Dan Glass lurking in the shadows it’s a troubling time at One Royal Way.

Eno Sarris wonders how bad was Amed Rosario’s debut?

With his tragic death this week, BP’s Dave Brown assesses the Hall of Fame chances of the departed Roy Halladay.

Uhhh, zombie stars?

There’s a grasshopper trapped in this Van Gogh painting.

Sturgill Simpson busked outside the CMAs last night.

It seems like the Dark Universe may be dead after one massive flop.

The song of the day is “If You’re Here” by Cornelius: