I've touched on this on twitter, but not here, I actually have no problem with the Royals making this move. Well that's not quite true, I do have an issue with who the 6th starter will be but overall I think it's an acceptable compromise since its goal is to keep Danny Duffy on the roster.
A 6 man rotation, for however long it lasts (I doubt it lasts remainder of the year), will do much in reducing Duffy's innings. He threw only 62.1 innings last year and I would hope they wouldn't want him making 30+ starts this year. He has 15 right now between Omaha and Kansas City.
The compromise unfortunately also involved Kyle Davies. I'm not really sure what else they need to see out of him, he's 27 years old and sporting a career low 52 ERA+. 2008 is becoming more and more of a distant memory, it's time to move on. Seeing him pitch every sixth day instead of every fifth is the only bright side to his return.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Odd decision by Yost
Down 1 in the 9th inning Ned Yost had to pinch hit for Greg Holland, with his choice of three players he inexplicably picked Jarrod Dyson (.185/.313/.185) over Mitch Maier (.317/.440/.439) and Wilson Betemit (.286/.343/.407). It was the wrong move whether it would've worked or not but, surprisingly, it didn't.
Dyson only exists in the Royals realm because of his speed not because of an ability to get on base. Ned might have been thinking that if Dyson could get on and steal second, then he could score on a single by Cabrera (who in fact did single) and he would still have Maier and Betemit on the bench should the game go into extra innings. I hope he wasn't thinking that because that's just crazy, I mean, prolonging the game should always be the first priority. But we've seen him do things before that suggests he worries more about potential moves should they tie a game rather than actually, you know, tying the game.
Dyson is a fun little weapon, when used correctly of course - unfortunately that's a qualifier Yost completely forgot last night.
As for the rest of the game, I found Josh Duggan's analysis at Royals Review to be pretty much spot on.
Dyson only exists in the Royals realm because of his speed not because of an ability to get on base. Ned might have been thinking that if Dyson could get on and steal second, then he could score on a single by Cabrera (who in fact did single) and he would still have Maier and Betemit on the bench should the game go into extra innings. I hope he wasn't thinking that because that's just crazy, I mean, prolonging the game should always be the first priority. But we've seen him do things before that suggests he worries more about potential moves should they tie a game rather than actually, you know, tying the game.
Dyson is a fun little weapon, when used correctly of course - unfortunately that's a qualifier Yost completely forgot last night.
As for the rest of the game, I found Josh Duggan's analysis at Royals Review to be pretty much spot on.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Getz comps
As Johnny Giavotella continues to rake and Chris Getz continues to, um, not, I thought I'd take a look at Getz's baseball-reference similar batters to see how many career plate appearances they received. Getz is at 922 and counting. I believe at bats are incorporated into similarity scores, so if he keeps playing he'll eventually get some new company but here's who he's rooming with right now.
- Les Burke - 581
- Alberto Gonzalez - 762 (active)
- Dee Phillips - 626
- Barney McLaughlin - 766
- Jack Lewis - 761
- Doc Gautreau - 935
- Jay Partridge - 702
- Hank Schenz - 575
- Wilson Delgado - 601
- Johnny O'Brien - 906
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Yost on Davies
“But when you’ve got guys like Kyle Davies and Bruce Chen, two guys who are pretty important to your
starting rotation, you can’t just move them out." Ned Yost
Chen I'll give him, but Davies, I'm not sure how to respond to so idiotic a statement. Of course you can move Davies out, simply because he's one of the worst pitchers in baseball history. And he's not shown that he's getting better either. I really wish somebody would point Yost to baseball-reference.com so that he can see that a lot of what he says is purely insane. I mean there's no way that he can believe this garbage, is there?
And that's what it is, garbage. Since 1901 there have been 1,461 pitchers throw at least 700 innings, among those:
Only four have a lower ERA+.
And that's what it is, garbage. Since 1901 there have been 1,461 pitchers throw at least 700 innings, among those:
Only four have a lower ERA+.
| Player | ERA+ | IP |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Kekich | 73 | 860.2 |
| Kevin Jarvis | 74 | 780.2 |
| Jay Hook | 75 | 752.2 |
| Phil Ortega | 75 | 951.2 |
| Kyle Davies | 77 | 747.2 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Only sixteen have a worse WAR.
Only sixteen have a worse WAR.
| Player | WAR | IP |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Bailey | -6.3 | 1084.1 |
| Gus Dorner | -5.8 | 910.1 |
| Mike Kekich | -5.8 | 860.2 |
| Kevin Jarvis | -5.6 | 780.2 |
| Elmer Myers | -4.8 | 1102.0 |
| Fred Mitchell | -4.4 | 718.1 |
| Randy Lerch | -4.2 | 1099.1 |
| Jimmy Jones | -3.7 | 755.0 |
| Wade Blasingame | -3.6 | 863.2 |
| Les Sweetland | -3.4 | 740.2 |
| Happy Townsend | -3.4 | 1137.2 |
| Don Black | -3.1 | 797.0 |
| Hal Gregg | -2.9 | 827.0 |
| John D'Acquisto | -2.8 | 779.2 |
| Kaiser Wilhelm | -2.7 | 1432.1 |
| Mal Eason | -2.7 | 942.1 |
| Kyle Davies | -2.4 | 747.2 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Only twelve have a higher WHIP.
Only twelve have a higher WHIP.
| Player | WHIP | IP |
|---|---|---|
| Les Sweetland | 1.823 | 740.2 |
| Claude Willoughby | 1.803 | 841.1 |
| Roxie Lawson | 1.732 | 851.2 |
| Sugar Cain | 1.710 | 987.1 |
| Russ Van Atta | 1.693 | 712.1 |
| Lou Kretlow | 1.659 | 785.1 |
| Chief Hogsett | 1.646 | 1222.0 |
| Jimmy Haynes | 1.632 | 1200.2 |
| Hub Pruett | 1.627 | 745.0 |
| Kevin Ritz | 1.626 | 753.1 |
| Jack Wilson | 1.621 | 1131.2 |
| Ken Chase | 1.615 | 1165.0 |
| Kyle Davies | 1.614 | 747.2 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
I've said before, and still believe, that the rotation can get by with Davies or Hochevar but not both, and since Hochevar isn't going anywhere in the foreseeable future it would be madness to send Davies out there every fifth day again.
So that's probably exactly what will happen.
I've said before, and still believe, that the rotation can get by with Davies or Hochevar but not both, and since Hochevar isn't going anywhere in the foreseeable future it would be madness to send Davies out there every fifth day again.
So that's probably exactly what will happen.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Freddie's big day
Freddie Patek had a lot of great games with the Kansas City Royals, but the best game of his life came as a member of the California Angels, and it happened thirty-one years ago today. On June 20, 1980 Patek hit 3 home runs and drove in 7 in leading the Angels to a 20-2 spanking of the Red Sox. He also had 4 hits and scored 4 runs. That game came smack dab in the middle of 20 game stretch that saw Patek hit .355/.375/.566 with 19 RBI's. It looked like a career renaissance for the little guy but he hit just .185 the rest of the season and was essentially done as a player. His 92 OPS+ in 1980 was the second best mark of his career and probably can be owed entirely to his career day on June 20th.
*********
Alcides Escobar continues to impress at the plate. I seem to be writing a lot about him lately, which is plenty fine with me. In his last 12 games, he has at least 2 hits in 9 of them, and is batting .512/.543/.744 in that period with 7 extra base hits and 6 stolen bases. He really is doing a little bit of everything.
**********
The surging Twins have taken over 4th place, which means the Royals now occupy the basement in the AL Central.
| Rk | Tm | W | L | GB | R | RA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CLE | 39 | 31 | .557 | --- | 4.4 | 4.2 |
| 2 | DET | 39 | 33 | .542 | 1.0 | 4.6 | 4.3 |
| 3 | CHW | 35 | 38 | .479 | 5.5 | 4.2 | 4.2 |
| 4 | MIN | 31 | 39 | .443 | 8.0 | 3.8 | 4.6 |
| 5 | KCR | 31 | 41 | .431 | 9.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
I think it's okay to assume they are going to be sellers at the trade deadline.
I think it's okay to assume they are going to be sellers at the trade deadline.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
It's Escobar's world
Alcides Escobar had 3 more hits last night giving him his fifth consecutive multi-hit game. He also has an eight game hitting streak. Here is some of what he's done lately:
Only two shortstops in team history have had a longer multi-hit streak than Escobar's 5. Freddie Patek had 8 straight multi-hit games in 1971 (the year he finished 6th in MVP voting) and Angel Berroa had a 6 game streak in 2005.
Here are the longest streaks by shortstops this year (Tulowitzki is good, really good).
- Last 5 Games - .632/.650/.895
- Last 8 Games - .552/.567/.724
- In June - .353/.365/.451
Only two shortstops in team history have had a longer multi-hit streak than Escobar's 5. Freddie Patek had 8 straight multi-hit games in 1971 (the year he finished 6th in MVP voting) and Angel Berroa had a 6 game streak in 2005.
Here are the longest streaks by shortstops this year (Tulowitzki is good, really good).
| Rk | Strk Start | End | Games | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SO | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | Tm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jose Reyes | 2011-05-24 | 2011-05-29 | 6 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .519 | .536 | .778 | NYM |
| 2 | Alcides Escobar | 2011-06-10 | 2011-06-15 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | .632 | .650 | .895 | KCR |
| 3 | Emilio Bonifacio | 2011-06-09 | 2011-06-13 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | .524 | .565 | .810 | FLA |
| 4 | Troy Tulowitzki | 2011-06-08 | 2011-06-12 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 3 | 0 | .500 | .542 | .864 | COL |
| 5 | Brendan Ryan | 2011-05-22 | 2011-05-25 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .563 | .563 | .750 | SEA |
| 6 | Ryan Theriot | 2011-05-15 | 2011-05-18 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .500 | .556 | .563 | STL |
| 7 | Jhonny Peralta | 2011-05-06 | 2011-05-09 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | .471 | .500 | .706 | DET |
| 8 | Troy Tulowitzki | 2011-04-11 | 2011-04-14 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | .625 | .700 | 1.438 | COL |
| 9 | Jose Reyes | 2011-04-03 | 2011-04-07 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .400 | .400 | .500 | NYM |
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Top prospects lead the way
Last night Royals fans saw something they hope to see a lot of as four of the players that are considered to be instrumental to the franchise's revival led them to a victory over the A's.
Mike Moustakas - who is having his way with big league pitching- had 2 hits, a walk, and 2 runs. Not only is he the first player in team history to have a walk and a hit in each of his first 4 career games, since 1919, he is one of only seven players to begin a career with that long of a streak.
| Rk | Strk Start | End | Games | H | BB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | Tm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Shuba | 1948-07-02 | 1948-07-06 | 6 | 10 | 7 | .455 | .586 | .636 | 1.223 | BRO |
| 2 | Glenn Gulliver | 1982-07-17 | 1982-07-21 | 5 | 5 | 7 | .385 | .600 | .462 | 1.062 | BAL |
| 3 | Mike Moustakas | 2011-06-10 | 2011-06-14 | 4 | 5 | 4 | .385 | .529 | .615 | 1.145 | KCR |
| 4 | Tony Taylor | 1958-04-15 | 1958-04-19 | 4 | 4 | 4 | .267 | .421 | .333 | .754 | CHC |
| 5 | Don Blasingame | 1955-09-20 | 1955-09-24 | 4 | 5 | 6 | .417 | .611 | .500 | 1.111 | STL |
| 6 | Ted Beard | 1948-09-05 | 1948-09-06 | 4 | 4 | 4 | .333 | .529 | .667 | 1.196 | PIT |
| 7 | Wayne Ambler | 1937-06-04 | 1937-06-06 | 4 | 6 | 4 | .500 | .625 | .667 | 1.292 | PHA |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Eric Hosmer had 2 hits and a walk, he also scored and drove in a run.
Alcides Escobar continued his hot hitting with 3 hits, a run, 2 RBI's, and a stolen base. He now has four straight multi-hit games, that ties Butler and Gordon for the longest streak by a Royal this season.
Danny Duffy gave up 2 runs in 6 innings and was rewarded with his first career win. He walked 4 and struck out only 2, so there was some bad with the good. I hope he can get his command issues resolved after his expected demotion because a 6.2 BB/9 won't cut it at the big league level, or any level for that matter.
Eric Hosmer had 2 hits and a walk, he also scored and drove in a run.
Alcides Escobar continued his hot hitting with 3 hits, a run, 2 RBI's, and a stolen base. He now has four straight multi-hit games, that ties Butler and Gordon for the longest streak by a Royal this season.
Danny Duffy gave up 2 runs in 6 innings and was rewarded with his first career win. He walked 4 and struck out only 2, so there was some bad with the good. I hope he can get his command issues resolved after his expected demotion because a 6.2 BB/9 won't cut it at the big league level, or any level for that matter.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Talent Infusion
There were plenty of ways in which the selection of Derek "Bubba" Starling would have been the wrong one last Monday. But the way the deck fell, the Royals made the only choice that made sense, and that was to take the best position player left on the board. The fact that he grew up 30 minutes from Kaufman Stadium is just a bonus.
Bubba Starling is everything you want in a prospect. He has power, speed, and a strong throwing arm. He's performed well in high school showcases around the country. He's more than just a raw athlete trying to play baseball. This isn't to say he's without risk -- by definition every prospect is. But all things considered, it's hard to disagree with this pick. He won't sign until late in the day on August 15, which sucks, but that is the nature of almost all top picks these days.
With their next five picks, the Royals took five more players 19 or younger. This is what the Royals prefer to do -- raise prospects themselves to avoid the bad habits and injury risk of going to college.
In the second round, the Royals selected catcher Cam Gallagher from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Gallagher comes from a baseball background, his father played pro ball and his brother plays in the Dodgers system. He was considered a defense first catcher coming into the year, before his bat took a big step forward this year, which in turn took his draft stock way up with it. It's not at all surprising that the Royals grabbed a catcher this early in the draft with how thin the position is not just in the Royals system, but across baseball as a whole. Despite being a high school player, Gallagher should be a quick sign.
In the next two rounds, KC grabbed two high school pitchers that don't fit the prototype they have established the past few years. Both pitches stand around six feet tall, but that doesn't mean they don't have live arms. Bryan Brickhouse, from Texas, throws hard and has an excellent breaking ball, but will need to time to wiggle out issues with control and become a "pitcher." Smith is more polished, but doesn't have quite the same velocity, though he's touched 94 so the arm strength is there. What is common between these two is they both have strong commitments to high profile programs, North Carolina and Florida respectively, so they won't be quick signs.
In the fifth round, the Royals grabbed an infielder from Texas, Pat Leonard. His high school coach was a pretty good player, some guy named Craig Biggio. Leonard has big power from the right side but will need to move off shortstop as a pro, likely third base or left field.
Unlike last year with guys like Christian Colon and Kevin Chapman, this is not a class that will provide immediate dividends. But it certainly has a lot of upside, something that will be worth the wait.
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