OT: Royals

[villagewarrior]

Hey, I know this is a football board, but are there any baseball fans here too? Personally, I lvoe baseball, it's a close 2nd behind football. I would love to have gone to Opening Day today but I had practice.

They won though! Gil Meche looked real good from what I hear.

[BPhilb]

Hey, I know this is a football board, but are there any baseball fans here too? Personally, I lvoe baseball, it's a close 2nd behind football. I would love to have gone to Opening Day today but I had practice.

They won though! Gil Meche looked real good from what I hear.

Love baseball too, actually played in college. I'm really liking what Drayton Moore is doing right now in building so many young arms. I'm anxious to see how Alex Gordon performs this season and for Billy Butler to make his was to the big leagues. Still aways away, but for the first time in quite a few years there appears to be hope and I'm hoping to make my way to Kaufmann a few times this season to watch them play.

[T-RICH49]

Meche looked great.he struggvled in the 1st inning but settled down and was outstanding

[villagewarrior]

I guess Gordon's first AB came with the bases loaded. Yikes, what a way to start your big league career.

[T-RICH49]

Bases Loaded, vs Curt Schilling he battled him though.Tony Pena Jr was outstanding

[King Carls 5 Year Plan]

i know its the off season for football and there is a labor dispute that doesn't allow for any new football/Chiefs news. i'm a Kansas City guy thru and thru. i enjoy all sports that call KC home. I thought it was time to revive this Royals thread.

Hosmer looks like an absolute man. the dude is playing great defense at 1st and is swinging the bat very well. i know it has only been a couple of weeks since his call up, but i'm happy to see the pressure on him (being the 1st Dayton Moore, "Bright Future", #1 farm system in baseball, call-up) hasn't been to much for him to handle. i had already bought tix to his 1st game long before he was called up and it was awesome to see the support from the fan base for him. he received standing ovations for every AB. that's also why the pressure to succeed is so great. we've been a struggling franchise for far to long. as fans, we have lost hope and were waiting for these kids to come up and save our team. it's really nice to see the 1st call-up to come up here and embrace the situation. class act for such a young player.

also, it's very positive to see the Royals playing this well this far into the season. playing .500 ball at the end of may. we have our ups and downs, but every time it looks like we are going into the tank (2 6 game losing streaks), we manage to pick ourselves up and beat teams and get back into the divisional/wildcard race. yes, i'm talking playoffs in may. it's been since 2003 that as a Royals fan i even got to mention playoffs. so, let me enjoy this while i can.

[nepg]

They're not going to win the division with that rotation. Yost finally fixed the line-up, but it won't be enough.

I like Aviles a ton as a 7 hitter, but you can't put a swinger at the lead-off spot. His pitchers per plate appearance is a dreadful 3.67. Only Escobar is worse. The only regular player over 4 is Treanor, who sucks.

Here's my ideal line-up at this juncture...
1. Gordon
This one has been a no-brainer since the first couple weeks of the season. They should have moved Gordon to this spot earlier to encourage his new hitting habits. He probably moves to #2 when Cain takes Melky's job.
2. Betemit
The most consistent hitter on the team, which is what you want at the #2 spot. I know he's kind of lost in the fold when the other guys get called up, but right now, Betemit should be getting more play than he gets. Putting him at #2 increases your ability to put runs on the board and increases his trade value exponentially.
3. Butler
Protecting Billy with Hosmer and Frenchie should get Butler will mean that pitchers have to pitch to Billy in situations where he can knock in some runs.
4. Hosmer
Hosmer has been extremely productive in RBI situations and is protected by Franceour in this spot. Maybe he's the #3 hitter in the future, but right now, he's the best clean-up option.
5. Franceour
Frenchie is the one guy who really doesn't need protection, and if he's going to stick with the Royals, this is going to be his spot anyway.
6. Cabrera
This is a good spot for Melky. He's a swinger with OK power and speed. He can knock in some runs and improve the bottom of the line-up
7. Aviles
This is just where you put a swinger like Aviles.
8. Escobar
You have to have him in the line-up. He needs to be more patient (3.6 P/PA), and I'd rather have a better batter hitting ahead of Gordon.
9. Treanor
Treanor has a good OBP and P/PA which is a much better way to lead back into the top of the line-up.

The main problem I am identifying is that the Royals have trouble putting a R/L/R/L/etc. pattern in their line-up with their current roster.

[King Carls 5 Year Plan]

you're right, our rotation is complete crap right now. Chen is the only consistent SP (as long as the wind isn't blowing out where ever he's pitching). O'Sullivan and Hochevar are hot and cold. both could throw a great 8 IP with 2 or less ER and then the next game throw up a 3 IP 6 ER. none of our starters have been good at eating up innings. our bullpen has a ton of young talent, but they are getting over worked. thank god they added another lefty to the bullpen. Little Tim Collins was gunna throw his arm off being the only lefty. i think next year our rotation will look completely different. Duffy, Crow and Montgomery will all be in the rotation.

i like your lineup. i agree 100% that Gordon is our best lead off hitter, until Cain is ready to be the everyday CF. Gordon would be the perfect #2 hitter. i'm not a fan of Billy @ #3. not because of of hitting or anything. only because of his speed. he maybe the slowest guy in the majors today. i know i could beat him in a foot race. i do like the protection behind him in your scenario. Hosmer is Hosmer. i've already gushed about him once today. Frenchy has become one of my fav players on this team (before calling up Hosmer, he was my fav). mostly because of the little things. in the games i have attended, i've seen him turn singles into doubles and take runs off the board with his defense/arm. at Hosmers 1st game DeJesus hit a ball to RF with CoCo Crisp on 3rd w/ 1 out. CoCo should have easily been able to score, but the 3rd base coach held him cause Frenchy made a good catch and fired a laser one hopper to the catcher. CoCo still might have made it, but it didn't matter cause he didn't want to test Franoeur's arm. that's a run off the board that doesn't show up in any stat sheet or box score.

what does this lineup look like in 2 or 3 years? given our farm system and ownerships promise to pay FAs to fill holes where the youngsters don't fit

[nepg]

I think too much is made of Butler's speed. If his speed is such an issue, you want to push your best hitter out of the most important part of the line-up, you need to deal him. He'd be very attractive to the Yankees, Rangers, and Rays. I mean, when they call Mustakis up in June they're going to have to trade someone...

I think 3 is the right spot for him if you're going to keep him around.

[King Carls 5 Year Plan]

I think too much is made of Butler's speed. If his speed is such an issue, you want to push your best hitter out of the most important part of the line-up, you need to deal him. He'd be very attractive to the Yankees, Rangers, and Rays. I mean, when they call Mustakis up in June they're going to have to trade someone...

I think 3 is the right spot for him if you're going to keep him around.

i think we're saying the same thing in different ways. sure, as this roster is currently constructed, having Billy bat 3rd is probably best for everyone. however, as you mentioned, with Moustakas coming up sooner rather than later and the other potential bats in this lineup, 3rd isn't going to be ideal for Billy in the near future. i guess the way i look at it, is hopefully in a couple years, Billy isn't our best hitter and then he can slide down into the 5,6 or 7 hole.

he wouldn't be a #3 hitter for the Yanks, Rangers or Rays. he'd be attractive for them because he would upgrade the lower half of their lineups. i just want to get to the point where Billy is doing the same for us. he has never been a big RBI guy. he GIDP to often and he hasn't yet found the power to leave the yard 20+ times a season. he gets alot of doubles and can move runners. i just think the 5 or 6 hole would be ideal for his abilities and the Royals needs.

BTW, this is nice having a baseball conversation with someone that seems to know baseball. i have 1 friend locally that is a baseball guy and i don't get the chance to talk about the game with him often.

[nepg]

I don't think they should move Billy. I just think he's the 3 hitter right now and if they are making such a big deal out of his speed (which Yost cited as the main reason they moved him from 4), they don't need to keep him around. He has good value, and they should trade him now while his value is relatively high (and there's demand for his services) if they think his speed is holding them back.

I do agree that he's probably the 5 hitter next year for them. It's just not the right place for him now.

The thing is...when Cain and Moustakas are up...

R
L
L
L
R
R
R
R
R

Kind of makes the opposing manager's bullpen management really easy.

[King Carls 5 Year Plan]

yeah, that sucks when you look at it like that. you do need to have more movement between righties and lefties in your lineup. maybe once Will Myers is ready for the Bigs, he can break up the 3 lefties. Cain, Gordo, Hosmer, Myers, Mous. lol, talk about putting pressure on a kid even before he's at AAA. yeah, something creative would have to be done, but if that's how it was, 3 lefties in a row, as long as they are as good as promised, it may not be to big of an issue. not ideal, but not the end of the world. lineup are dominated by righties, now and it isn't to big a deal.

can you imagine the outcry if the Royals traded Butler right now, when they are "in contention"? he is the longest tenured player for them along with Gordo. i guess if we could get a top starter that is close to MLB ready, then i'd be ok with the deal. with Hosmer holding down 1st, it's alot easier to deal a DH.

[nepg]

People might not like dealing Butler, but he's been trash in RBI situations, and that's what they need him for.

[King Carls 5 Year Plan]

2 quick things. 1st, we lost a good KC man today. RIP Paul Splittorff. he was really good at his job before he got cancer. he finally lost his battle early this morning in his home with his family.

2nd, something is wrong with Jack. his location has been an ongoing problem all year. early in the year, they said it was the cold effecting him. i think he's hurt. i can't say exactly what it is, but it's effecting his delivery and his landing point on the mound. it's clearly effected his location. i just hope to get it fixed, soon. we can't afford to keep giving games away that we are winning because we keep sending out our closer that can't get it done.

[nepg]

**** Soria(ss).