Sending Alex Gordon to Omaha for No Apparent Reason
I was having trouble filling this list, but the Royals sure did help me out...
Yes there was no APPARENT reason to send him down. Sure he had been struggling at the plate, he had just come off major surgery, etc, etc. But the real reason this happened is WAL-MART. The Royals trying to skim a few dollars off the top, by sending Alex Gordon down to Omaha to save a few bucks. Currently, Alex Gordon is 13 games away from being arbitration eligible. With this move, the Royals now control Alex Gordon through 2013. Funny part is, that if he wasn't called up for the start of the 2007 season (which he SHOULDN'T have been), the Royals wouldn't have this problem.
FAIL.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Shutting It Down (kind of) for 2009
Hey guys,
Just a heads up, I'll be writing less here on Royals Kingdom. The fall semester is upon me and I don't think I'll be able to keep this up while trying to finish up my senior year of college. But don't panic! I'll still be back around about once or twice a month to post some updates on here. If anyone would like to write guest columns on here, just leave a comment and I'll get in touch with you.
Anyways, thanks for reading! I'll be back to writing full-time around the Winter Meetings and I'll be sure to keep the blog updated on any big Royals news.
Just a heads up, I'll be writing less here on Royals Kingdom. The fall semester is upon me and I don't think I'll be able to keep this up while trying to finish up my senior year of college. But don't panic! I'll still be back around about once or twice a month to post some updates on here. If anyone would like to write guest columns on here, just leave a comment and I'll get in touch with you.
Anyways, thanks for reading! I'll be back to writing full-time around the Winter Meetings and I'll be sure to keep the blog updated on any big Royals news.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Reasons to stay a Royals Fan: Looking Ahead to 2010
2009 is over and the Royals very well could lose 100 games. This team cannot win a division with the current "talent" on the field. This team is surrounded with question marks headed into the offseason. With just a couple of months left in the season, it is now time to evaluate players and coaches/manager and decide which ones just don't fit in here. That shouldn't be too difficult.
But fear not, this team CAN contend in 2010. It is quite simple. The skeleton of a division contender is presently wearing Royal Blue. Dayton Moore must find the pieces to fill in around the foundation of this team and put them in a position to win a very winnable AL Central in 2010.
Here are the pieces that are for sure going to be the "meat and potatoes" of the Royals next year:
Zack Greinke- Ace is a position that most teams do not have, but most division winners have them.
Gil Meche- Grizzled vets are a dime a dozen, but hopefully a healthy Gil Meche can finally receive some much needed run support in 2010 and significantly have more wins than losses next year. Gil is a very solid No. 2 WHEN HEALTHY.
Brian Bannister- If Banny has finally figured it out, then the Royals have absolutely the scariest 1-2-3 top of the rotation in the AL Central.
Luke Hochevar- If Luke becomes the second coming of Derek Lowe, then the Royals have the scariest rotation in all of baseball.
Billy Butler- Billy is going to hit 30 home runs next year. Looking for a hitting equivalent of Zack Greinke? All of the signs are pointing to a break out year for Billy next year. Oh yeah, I would a little bit of money on Billy hitting close to .350 next year, but I would put money on it...
Yuniesky Betancourt- I wasn't impressed with the trade, but Dayton Moore may have fooled us all with this one. In a small sample size with the team, Yuni has proven to be an above average shortstop. Not to mention he's hitting .313/.353/.563 in August. 1 error in 23 games makes us all take another look at this trade too.
Keep the faith. You don't have to watch this crap, but I'm telling you, things could be different in 2010. Or Trey Hillman could still be the manager and we're right back here again in a year.
But fear not, this team CAN contend in 2010. It is quite simple. The skeleton of a division contender is presently wearing Royal Blue. Dayton Moore must find the pieces to fill in around the foundation of this team and put them in a position to win a very winnable AL Central in 2010.
Here are the pieces that are for sure going to be the "meat and potatoes" of the Royals next year:
Zack Greinke- Ace is a position that most teams do not have, but most division winners have them.
Gil Meche- Grizzled vets are a dime a dozen, but hopefully a healthy Gil Meche can finally receive some much needed run support in 2010 and significantly have more wins than losses next year. Gil is a very solid No. 2 WHEN HEALTHY.
Brian Bannister- If Banny has finally figured it out, then the Royals have absolutely the scariest 1-2-3 top of the rotation in the AL Central.
Luke Hochevar- If Luke becomes the second coming of Derek Lowe, then the Royals have the scariest rotation in all of baseball.
Billy Butler- Billy is going to hit 30 home runs next year. Looking for a hitting equivalent of Zack Greinke? All of the signs are pointing to a break out year for Billy next year. Oh yeah, I would a little bit of money on Billy hitting close to .350 next year, but I would put money on it...
Yuniesky Betancourt- I wasn't impressed with the trade, but Dayton Moore may have fooled us all with this one. In a small sample size with the team, Yuni has proven to be an above average shortstop. Not to mention he's hitting .313/.353/.563 in August. 1 error in 23 games makes us all take another look at this trade too.
Keep the faith. You don't have to watch this crap, but I'm telling you, things could be different in 2010. Or Trey Hillman could still be the manager and we're right back here again in a year.
| . | . | . |
Monday, August 3, 2009
Big 12 Preview: North
The North will most likely be decided by which team is the "least bad". Many experts are picking Nebraska or Kansas to win the division. To which I have to respond: Why? Is program tradition (Huskers) and recent relative success (Jayhawks) enough to crown a team already? I say no.
6. Iowa State- Is there anywhere more difficult to recruit than Iowa State? Record 3-9. No Bowl.
5. Kansas State- Bill Snyder is going to need more than one year to see his reclamation project succeed. This team couldn't win with Josh Freeman, so how in the world could they win with out him? Record 4-8. No Bowl.
4. Colorado- Dan Hawkins trying his best to get this team back to the top of this league. This program is still a year or two away. Record 6-6. No Bowl.
3. Kansas- They have a prolific offense, yes. But their defense is going to be just not very good. Todd Reesing can throw for 400 yards a game, but if the defense is giving up 500 on the other side, how can this team win the division? Plus an incredibly weak non-conference schedule will damage this team later in the season. Record 8-4. Insight Bowl.
2. Nebraska- Bo Pelini is well on his way to making Nebraska a powerhouse again, but they don't have many big playmakers on offense. In college football, you have to score points. I think that will be Nebraska's biggest problem. Record 8-4. Gator Bowl.
1. Missouri- The only programs that have won more games than Missouri over the last three seasons are USC and Ohio State. You can attribute that to the successes of Daniel, Maclin and Coffman, but this team is going to benefit from a run-heavy offense with a big athletic line and a couple of darn good scat-backs in Derrick Washington and De'Vion Moore. The defense has the potential to be very very good. Record 9-3. Cotton Bowl.
Big 12 Championship: Texas beats Missouri, 44-31
Border War
Missouri beats Kansas, 38-31
Sunflower Showdown
Kansas beats K-State, 45-6
Battle for the Bell
Missouri beats Nebraska, 35-17
Kansas/Nebraska
Nebraska beats KU, 47-42
6. Iowa State- Is there anywhere more difficult to recruit than Iowa State? Record 3-9. No Bowl.
5. Kansas State- Bill Snyder is going to need more than one year to see his reclamation project succeed. This team couldn't win with Josh Freeman, so how in the world could they win with out him? Record 4-8. No Bowl.
4. Colorado- Dan Hawkins trying his best to get this team back to the top of this league. This program is still a year or two away. Record 6-6. No Bowl.
3. Kansas- They have a prolific offense, yes. But their defense is going to be just not very good. Todd Reesing can throw for 400 yards a game, but if the defense is giving up 500 on the other side, how can this team win the division? Plus an incredibly weak non-conference schedule will damage this team later in the season. Record 8-4. Insight Bowl.
2. Nebraska- Bo Pelini is well on his way to making Nebraska a powerhouse again, but they don't have many big playmakers on offense. In college football, you have to score points. I think that will be Nebraska's biggest problem. Record 8-4. Gator Bowl.
1. Missouri- The only programs that have won more games than Missouri over the last three seasons are USC and Ohio State. You can attribute that to the successes of Daniel, Maclin and Coffman, but this team is going to benefit from a run-heavy offense with a big athletic line and a couple of darn good scat-backs in Derrick Washington and De'Vion Moore. The defense has the potential to be very very good. Record 9-3. Cotton Bowl.
Big 12 Championship: Texas beats Missouri, 44-31
Border War
Missouri beats Kansas, 38-31
Sunflower Showdown
Kansas beats K-State, 45-6
Battle for the Bell
Missouri beats Nebraska, 35-17
Kansas/Nebraska
Nebraska beats KU, 47-42
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Big 12 Preview: South
The South will rise again....and again, and again. With three possible candidates for a bid to the BCS Championship, the Big XII South division has once again proven that it is possibly the most difficult division to win in college football. Here are my predictions (including rivalry games!) on which team will take down the South this year and possibly be playing in Pasadena come January. For the others, I will predict their records and which bowl they will go to.
6. Texas A&M- Mike Sherman has quite a bit of rebuilding to do. This once proud program has been struggling to find something for the 12th man to cheer about. Record: 4-8, No Bowl.
5. Texas Tech- Mike Leach is a brilliant football coach, but the losses of Harrell and Crabtree cannot be replaced in just one year. They will yet be a good football team, but nowhere near enough to win the South. Record 8-4, Sun Bowl.
4. Baylor- Now before you all write me off, just wait a minute. Robert Griffin is the next big thing in the Big 12. He's a beast, Brad Smith 2.0. Plus with a pretty good O-Line protecting him, I expect big things from this reeling program. Record 8-4, Texas Bowl
3. Oklahoma St.- Mike Gundy is going to lead this team to a BCS bowl bid this year. They are definitely my sleeper pick to take it all down, and no, I don't mean the Big 12, I mean the National Championship. Record 10-2, Holiday Bowl.
2. Oklahoma- A great team, but if they want to return to the National Championship game, they'll have to beat Texas. Record 11-1, Fiesta Bowl
1. Texas- Colt McCoy will be unstoppable this year. Texas is undoubtedly a team of destiny this year. The only team that can stop Texas is Texas. Record 13-0, BCS Championship
Bedlam
Oklahoma beats Okla St., 40-37
Red River Shootout
Texas Beats OU, 45-35
Texas/Texas Tech
Texas beats Tech, 54-35
Texas/Texas A&M
Texas beats A&M, 55-24
6. Texas A&M- Mike Sherman has quite a bit of rebuilding to do. This once proud program has been struggling to find something for the 12th man to cheer about. Record: 4-8, No Bowl.
5. Texas Tech- Mike Leach is a brilliant football coach, but the losses of Harrell and Crabtree cannot be replaced in just one year. They will yet be a good football team, but nowhere near enough to win the South. Record 8-4, Sun Bowl.
4. Baylor- Now before you all write me off, just wait a minute. Robert Griffin is the next big thing in the Big 12. He's a beast, Brad Smith 2.0. Plus with a pretty good O-Line protecting him, I expect big things from this reeling program. Record 8-4, Texas Bowl
3. Oklahoma St.- Mike Gundy is going to lead this team to a BCS bowl bid this year. They are definitely my sleeper pick to take it all down, and no, I don't mean the Big 12, I mean the National Championship. Record 10-2, Holiday Bowl.
2. Oklahoma- A great team, but if they want to return to the National Championship game, they'll have to beat Texas. Record 11-1, Fiesta Bowl
1. Texas- Colt McCoy will be unstoppable this year. Texas is undoubtedly a team of destiny this year. The only team that can stop Texas is Texas. Record 13-0, BCS Championship
Bedlam
Oklahoma beats Okla St., 40-37
Red River Shootout
Texas Beats OU, 45-35
Texas/Texas Tech
Texas beats Tech, 54-35
Texas/Texas A&M
Texas beats A&M, 55-24
Top 10 Moments of FAIL This Year for the Royals: No. 7
Royals give up 2nd round draft pick for reliever Juan Cruz
After Dayton Moore completely destroys a pretty darn good 2008 bullpen, he realizes his mistake and signs Juan Cruz to a 2 year deal worth over $6 million dollars. Cruz was considered a "Type B" free agent, meaning if a team decides to sign him, the forfeit their 2nd round pick to said player's former team.
Cruz was coming off of a year in which he posted his lowest ERA in his career, 2.61. The ERA looked good, but he had a below average WHIP for a reliever at 1.258. Plus, he had been pitching in the soft hitting NL West. Also left out in the Royals research of Cruz was a 7.44 ERA he had posted in the American League in 28 games with Oakland.
Now we are seeing that his stats in the National League do not necessarily transfer to the American League. Cruz was slated as the Royals main setup man out of Spring Training, but has posted a 6.41 ERA since then.
After Dayton Moore completely destroys a pretty darn good 2008 bullpen, he realizes his mistake and signs Juan Cruz to a 2 year deal worth over $6 million dollars. Cruz was considered a "Type B" free agent, meaning if a team decides to sign him, the forfeit their 2nd round pick to said player's former team.
Cruz was coming off of a year in which he posted his lowest ERA in his career, 2.61. The ERA looked good, but he had a below average WHIP for a reliever at 1.258. Plus, he had been pitching in the soft hitting NL West. Also left out in the Royals research of Cruz was a 7.44 ERA he had posted in the American League in 28 games with Oakland.
Now we are seeing that his stats in the National League do not necessarily transfer to the American League. Cruz was slated as the Royals main setup man out of Spring Training, but has posted a 6.41 ERA since then.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
O-Royals, O-Royals, Where For Art Thou, O-Royals?
Lets face facts:
-The season is lost.
-Trey Hillman can't manage.
-Zack Greinke likely won't get 20 wins this year.
Ok. Now we have to ask. What can Dayton Moore do to fix this in the short term? All season, players have not been held accountable. And if they have been held accountable, they have been held accountable about 2 weeks too late. It's time to blow it up. The Royals need a make over, because it has been obvious for too long that this team does not have what it takes to compete. Now this isnt a few years ago, where the only guys we could call up were Justin Huisman and Shane Costa. We actually have guys in AAA Omaha who are having very good seasons and can make an impact RIGHT NOW and replace guys up here who are not getting it done.
The following is my suggestion to Dayton Moore/the 10 people who read this blog, on what the Royals can do IMMEDIATELY to fix this team in the short term, because if something isn't done, this team is on the verge of losing a good chunk of its fanbase.
DFA Mike Jacobs>>>Call up 1B/DH Kila Kaaihue- The OBP machine is hitting a respectable .260/.402/.459. The average at the Major League level will drop obviously, but the walks will likely remain and KK will create more runs and be a more versatile player than Jacobs.
Mitch Maier back to AAA>>>Call up LF Scott Thorman- Hitting .280/.351/.527 with 17 hr and 50 RBI. Maier is an ok defensive CF, but he's just not cutting it up here. This lineup needs an injection of power. Thorman is 27, and has never gotten a real shot at the ML level.
Trade Olivo/Buck>>>Call up UTIL Tug Hulett. Tug has been mashing at AAA this year, .316/.403/.506. Once again, another guy who hasn't gotten a real shot in the show. This team cannot afford to carry 3 catchers, and with Trey Hillman saying B. Pena will be getting more reps at catcher, Buck and Olivo are both dispensable. I love Miggy, but he will likely field the most return in a trade.
DFA John Bale>>>Call up Lenny DiNardo- Hillman's mancrush has folded like a bad tent in the 8th inning this year, yet Trey keeps running him out there, thinking that he is a good option in those situations. Meanwhile, DiNardo is putting together a nice little season on the bluff, the 3.26 ERA doesnt blow my mind, but the 93 K/23 BB ratio and 1.12 WHIP does....
Trade Juan Cruz>>>Call up Chris "Disco" Hayes- Juan Cruz has lost most of his value, but some teams are still supposedly inquiring about him. Chris Hayes has become an internet sensation and gained a cult following due to his popular blog. But what really is impressive about the righty submariner is that he has only allowed TWO walks and one HR in 27 IP.
And last but not least, TRY to trade Yuniesky Betancourt. I know the Royals just traded for him, but this guy does not have any upside whatsoever. This isn't a "must" move for the Royals, as he would be an "ok" stop gap if SS Jeff Bianchi continues his current tear.
There. This team has pieces in the minor leagues that deserve a shot. The guys we have are not, and will not get the job done. It's time for an overhaul at The K. I'm on my last nerve with this franchise. Your mission, Dayton Moore, if you choose to accept it, is to fix this problem.
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