Kansas City Royals
2008 Record: 75-87 (.463)
2008 Pythagorean Record: 72-90 (.444)
Manager: Trey Hillman
General Manager: Dayton Moore
Home Ballpark (multi-year Park Factors): Kauffman Stadium (97/98)
Who’s Replaced Whom:
- Mike Jacobs replaces Ross Gload
- Coco Crisp replaces Joey Gathright and Mark Grudzielanek
- Willie Bloomquist replaces Esteban German
- Brayan Peña replaces Mitch Maier (minors) and Ryan Shealy (minors)
- Sidney Ponson replaces Brian Bannister (minors)
- Horacio Ramirez replaces Luke Hochevar (minors) and Brandon Duckworth (minors)
- Kyle Davies takes over Brett Tomko’s starts
- Juan Cruz replaces Ramon Ramirez
- Kyle Farnsworth replaces Leo Nuñez
- Doug Waechter replaces Joel Peralta
- Jamey Wright replaces Yasuhiki Yabuta (minors) and Jimmy Gobble
25-man Roster:
1B – Mike Jacobs (L)
2B – Alberto Callaspo (S)
SS – Mike Aviles (R)
3B – Alex Gordon (L)
C – Miguel Olivo (R)
RF – Mark Teahen (L)
CF – Coco Crisp (S)
LF – David DeJesus (L)
DH – Billy Butler (R)
Bench:
R – Willie Bloomquist (UT)
R – John Buck (C)
R – Tony Peña Jr. (SS)
S – Brayan Peña (C)
Rotation:
R – Gil Meche
R – Zack Greinke
R – Kyle Davies
R – Sidney Ponson
L – Horacio Ramirez
Bullpen:
R – Joakim Soria
R – Juan Cruz
R – Kyle Farnsworth
L – Ron Mahay
R – Robinson Tejeda
R – Doug Waechter
R – Jamey Wright
15-day DL: RF – Jose Guillen (groin), LHP – John Bale (thyroid surgery)
Projected Lineup:
S – Coco Crisp (CF)
S – Alberto Callaspo (2B)
L – David DeJesus (LF)
L – Mark Teahen (2B)
L – Mike Jacobs (1B)
R – Billy Butler (DH)
L – Alex Gordon (3B)
R – Miguel Olivo (C)
R – Mike Aviles (SS)
The Royals lost a franchise record 106 games in 2005. The following May, they fired general manager Allard Baird and replaced him with Dayton Moore, who had been former Royals GM John Schuerholz’s assistant GM in Atlanta. Under Moore, the Royals have improved by an average of six wins in each of the last three seasons. If they do that again this year, they’ll post just their second 80-win season since 1993. Unfortunately, it looks as though the Royals rehabilitation is beginning to level out.
It’s hard not to make a 106-loss team better. No team has lost more than 102 games since the Royals dropped 106 in 2005. What more has done, getting a terrible team up to 75 wins, is the easy part. It’s getting that team over the .500 hump and turning it into an actual winner that’s hard to do, and I’m beginning to doubt Moore’s ability to do that.
The Royals’ primary assets include two front-of-the-rotation starters in 25-year-old Zack Greinke and Gil Meche, 30; one of the best closers in baseball in Joakim Soria, who will turn 25 next month; two top hitting prospects who are already in the major league lineup in 25-year-old third baseman Alex Gordon and soon-to-be-23-year-old DH Billy Butler; and two of the game’s top minor league prospects in first baseman Eric Hosmer and third baseman Mike Moustakas, ranked numbers 18 and 21, respectively, by Baseball Prospectus’s Kevin Goldstein.
Four of those seven players were acquired under Moore. Soria was an utter steal in the 2006 Rule 5 draft; Meche was a risky free agent signing that is paying off beautifully; Hosmer and Moustakas were the Royals’ top selections in the last two drafts (taken with the third- and second-overall picks, respectively).
The problem is that Moore won’t continue to have those nice high draft picks if the Royals continue to improve (they draft twelfth this year), and if you take away Hosmer and Moustakas (as well as 2006’s top overall pick Luke Hochevar, who is already 25 and failed to beat out the excorable Horatio Ramirez for the fifth spot in the rotation this spring), Moore hasn’t really done much. Players like Soria don’t show up in the Rule 5 draft very often, and it took Moore $55 million to land Meche. He has yet to pull off a high-impact trade, and he continues to populate his roster with veteran sludge such as Ramirez or tonight’s starter, Sidney Ponson.
Despite the presence of Kyle Farnsworth, who announced his presence by blowing a save on Opening Day, the bullpen is solid, but it’s also old. Other than Soria, just two members of the Royals pen are under 30, and it’s unlikely that even those two (failed Rays starter Doug Waechter and failed Rangers starter Robinson Tejeda) will last to see the team coalesce around the seven players listed above.
More to the point, the bullpen and the top three men in the rotation (including 25-year-old former Braves prospect Kyle Davies, who was aquired by Moore for Octavio Dotel in late 2007 and may yet prove to be a decent mid-rotation starter) will have to dominate in order for the Royals to improve by another six games given what is shaping up to be a pathetic offense.
Gordon and Butler could very well have breakout seasons, but they’re really the only high-ceiling guys on the team. Moore should be complimented for picking up Coco Crisp from the Red Sox for former Yankee prospect Ramon Ramirez, but Crisp is valuable primarily for his speed and defense. David DeJesus is still around to be a smidge better than average. Shortstop Mike Aviles was a pleasant surprise last year as a 27-year-old rookie, but seems unlikely to repeat his success going forward and is hitting ninth in Trey Hillman’s order. Meanwhile, Hillman has filled the heart of his order with out machines. Third-place hitter Mark Teahen, now playing second base after stops at third, left, and right field, posted a .313 OBP last year. Cleanup hitter Jose Guillen posted a .300 OBP last year, and new addition Mike Jacobs posted a .299 OBP for the Marlins a year ago.
Worse yet, all three are defensive liabilities. Guillen has a great arm, but no range. Jacobs may be the worst defensive first baseman in baseball. Teahen had never played a middle infield postion as a professional prior to spring training this year. Meanwhile, Alberto Callaspo, a legitimate second base prospect with Gold Glove potential who is about to turn 26, is riding pine (or was until Guillen hit the DL with a groin tear, allowing Teahen to temporarily move back to right field). So much for Moore’s emphasis team defense (remember Doug Mientkiewicz, Mark Grudzielanek, Tony Peña Jr., and Joey Gathright?).
The Jacobs acquisition was a major blunder. Royals would have been better off putting Teahen at first base, playing Callaspo, and keeping Leo Nuñez, the 25-year-old fireballing reliever they sent to Florida for Jacobs. In that one move, Moore made his team worse at three positions and cost spent $12.5 million (on Jacobs’ arbitration settlement and two years of Kyle Farnsworth, Nuñez’s replacement) for the priviledge. It’s that kind of decision making, also reflected by the fact that Guillen is the highest paid player on the team (he’s in the middle year of a three-year, $36 million contract), that is going to keep the Royals from getting over the hump. There’s talent on this team and more on the way, but it’s being undermined by bad management.
The Royals have scored exactly two runs in each of their first three games this year, and ill send Sidney Ponson to the hill for their home opener this afternoon. The Yankees will only face one of the Royals’ top three starters this weekend (Meche on Sunday), and after getting warmed up by averaging seven runs a game in Baltimore, should have fun taking their hacks against Sir Sidney today. Andy Pettitte makes his first start of the 2009 season today. Andy’s only start in Kansas City last year also came on April 10. He pitched 6 2/3 innings of one-runball and the Yankees won 6-1. I’ll sign up for another of those
Jeter pounds Fudgie the Whale
Swish gets the start! Huzzah!
[2] It's nice to see Girardi recognize Swisher's contribution with a start today. This should be the Yankees lineup against all right handers. Having Swisher in the 8th hole when Arod gets back would be murder. Speaking of Arod, man, I can't wait for him to return. The lineup is pretty good, but adding him in the middle makes it downright scary.
Wow, that's Freddy Patek? He was on the thin side as a player, IIRC.
What's the delay for?
They can't drag Ponson away from the sandwich table?
[6] And my Gameday Audio isn't working. I am not happy...it better be by the time the game starts.
Home opener ceremony. zzzzzzzzzzzzz
I think that new scoreboard/lights contraption in center field looks absurd. Not sure how I feel about the waterfalls, but I guess I like it.
Ah, a Rusty Kuntz sighting!
So Gameday audio is shot for everyone as of 4:32 right? I figured the show would start at 4:00 even with the opening day ceremony. What's the story?
[10] Yes, I just called them and they told me: Gameday Audio is having technical difficulties. Very helpful they were. I encourage you and everyone else to call and express what jackasses they are.
Dude national anthem on the sax? How often does that happen? That's pretty cool.
I think I just got it working, apparently to some weird ass instrument playing the national anthem.
[12] I don't think I've ever heard it on a sax...it was a excellent. That guy had some set of lungs.
[13] I think they refer to it as the "alto saxophone".... the jazzy banterers are going to be cranky with you!
[14] Ya, that was cool!
[15] Well to be fair, my gameday audio started working when he was holding the note, and it was coming in staticy. So it sounded like a high pitched electronic tone with people cheering in the background.
Does anyone recall the Yankees ever playing in four Opening Days?
I sure don't...
Nice sax, man!
Oye, those fountains are too much, don't they block the view of the people standing behind
[16] national anthem on a theremin or something would really be wild
Ditto on the sax solo.
the sax was cool but that note was a little too long and showy for me
[18] No, they are bathing areas for "dirty" Yankee HR balls!
[20] Tough crowd. ;)
I find it amusing that gameday lists Ponson's out pitch as "N/A".
[18]
I happen to know someone in the Scrabble tourney world who brings his theremin to tourneys, and plays it during the after-hours social gatherings.
Its .... different!
[17] Must be a record.
I thought the Big G couldn't stop when he got going.
A hit with 2 outs and RISP. Soooo nice to have Jorge back!
Alright Po!
This is the Ponson we all know so well.
That silly play by the second baseman (throwing out Mats instead of tagging out Tex) hurts now. And Tex snags that ball.
i'm sorry but that has to be an error no matter how hard it's hit
Bonzone! Ah, the mook that keeps a-giving.
On my way home. Hope to watch from the 5th inning on.
Let's Go Bomb Squad!
Nice to see that shoddy defense wasn't ours. Their 1st baseman had to be tremendously athletic to NOT have that ball hit him in the chest.
[25] Very unusual, I guess?
How many today? Seven? Or double digits again? This could get ugly against Sir Pizza! I bet they bat around at least once. They almost did in the first... I hope they can blow up the K.C. bullpen as their Opening Day celebration of their 40TH Anniversary!
I think they still gots the red ass from dropping the first two in B'more in a fugly fashion. They've been there since last night.
Wow Cano jumped out of his pants! And Pettitte with the sharp 1-2-3!
I also think they are getting better at Opening Days as they go along!
:)
Between not being that good and bad luck, Ransom is getting stoned this season.
Bleh! Sir Pizza saved from a two out rally by a generous called third strike...
[35] I'd say Pettitte just got a little help on that one as well...
Noooo Swish, not helping your case here.
oy i thought he was the good fielder
oopsies
2b and rbi??? are you kidding? are there any errors in kc?
What does not seeing the ball in the sun have to do with defensive skill?
Wow! Nice "stats" there Mr. K.C. Scorer!
[41] generally when you don't see the ball it doesn't bounce out of your glove. and it doesn't cause you to throw the ball away either.
Is Gary Sheffield playing in RF for us today?
I just love looking at Ponson not wearing pinstripes.
Matsui's timing still needs recalibrating.
A pitcher's duel in K.C. Who knew? And the shadows are lurking...
I love me some good Robbie, Damn.
Ladies and Gentlemen....
Your 2009 AL Batting Champion.
Swisher redemption. What's up with MLB.TV!??!?!
What I like about Swisher's ABs is that he seems to have a plan.
[51] I just like the results.
Whoa.
Very fortunate. (And looks like a bad call.)
Will Brett bunt?
Set up.
That is bullshit baseball by both Swish and Ransom. C'mon. Well. Lil' G was successful.
Productive out...I guess.
[57] Can't complain. Esp. given that Jeter was behind 0-2.
[57] I'm not, I just have a problem with the concept of productive outs in general.
Nope my bad... more fugly Sir Pizza and Yanks puttin up another crooked number! The second and third times through have been great for these guys!
"Don't ya know" Cano? He's locked in!
[50] i was multitasking but i noticed the dropout there. odd
Tex is so technically sound at the plate.
[59] I'm with you on that.
Ugh on the shadows. Why play games at this time of day?
I don't know if he'd want to deal with the travel and the headaches given his net worth, but Posada would make a very good manager.
[64] Cause it's early April and they don't want to play in the colder evening, especially for Opening Day?
Big strike zone today.
Po wuz robbed!
WHO IS THIS GUY???
Seriously, Cano is 8 for 13 with four walks.
Can walks AGAIN?!
That was a fairly nasty pitch.
Anyone upset with the homeplate umpire, Harry Ponson?
That would have been a great catch, but Gardner isn't Torii Hunter, at least not yet.
Gooooood Andy.
Maybe he can pitch 8 innings?
that hit was a bummer. i was hoping that he'd throw the no-hitter through the rest of the game and they'd revisit the "scoring" of swishers popup. hey, why not!
[74] He sure doesn't seem gassed to me, RIY!
:)
I thought he'd beat that out.
Ponson beats Gardner to first? Isn't that a sign of the Apocalypse?
[78] Were you the one talking about the Signs yesterday? I can't remember who that was.
[78] There were more horns blowing today RBJ!
:O
[79] Nope. At least, I don't think so.
I checked: it was tommyl asking about the Yanks hitting an URP.
I don't mean this as a putdown at all, but Teahen would be a great bench player for the Yankees.
Can we please knock Ponson out now?
WHO'S READY FOR SOME KYLE FARNSWORTH?
Andy has sure taken advantage of K.C.'s anxiousness at the plate!
Andy at 84 pitches, so I guess ya figure one more inning; that ought to help the BP a bit.
This guy throws gas, we should get him
I know, he's struggled in the past, but look at that heat. I bet our coaching staff could bring him around and he'd be unhittable.
Who is this guy!? He's a flamethrower. Let's put a deal together for him. He could be the bridge to Mariano!
Wow, have woken up here to several new Banter posts and Farnsworth striking out Tex..not sure how to react here..
He'd turn the corner. Now that he's older he's learned to pitch. He won't try to throw it thru the backstop. He'd dominate.
This is a bit embarrassing though.
Hats off to Farns!
[84] Not Damon, Teixiera, or Matsui apparently.
Yikes! Farnsworth with the big FU to the Yankees!
Kyle picked the wrong time to quit sucking.
If Cashman doesn't trade Hughes for this Farnsworth guy right now he's an idiot
kyle could always be dominant. but it never lasts. maybe 4 games in a row. then he'd let up 5 runs. same old farnsy
Andy Pettitte! clap-clap-clap-clap-clap (please refrain from any A-Rod jokes) : )
fairly quiet game thread for this one..everyone still at work I guess?
How does the new Kaufmann Stadium look? Will watch the archived game later..
Oh btw, if anyone wants to complain directly to MLB Advanced Media about their crap service, skip the call center and call their HQ direct at 1-212-485-3444. They won't help you but the more people complain the faster they'll fix things (I hope)..
[94] Felix Unger?
fairly quiet game thread for this one..everyone still at work I guess?
How does the new Kaufmann Stadium look? Will watch the archived game later..
Oh btw, if anyone wants to complain directly to MLB Advanced Media about their crap service, skip the call center and call their HQ direct at 1-212-485-3444. They won’t help you but the more people complain the faster they’ll fix things (I hope)..
[99][101]eh? sorry for the double posting there..i sense some Linda Blair goings-on in my Macbook this morning..
7IP and 1 ER for Andy, Yes!
Cano walked again??!?! He's my new hero
[99] what kind of issues you having? i've had no trouble at all.
[103] Man..endless problems! Games not being archived for like 10 hours (they promote it as 45mins from last pitch). This really hurts me because of the time change to the east coast here, if it isn't archived then i'll pretty much miss it.
The Hi-Def also doesn't work, the audio cuts out a lot. I can't toggle between innings..all in all it stinks...
[102] And that run was not truly earned. Swisher dropped a pop fly for a 'double', driving in a walk with two outs.
Andy's at 99 pitches. Send him out for the 8th?
[104] ok. i haven't tried to watch an archived game yet. They always have trouble early in the year. I still don't understand why they don't unveil their upgrades earlier in spring training so that they may work out the kicks.
[106] seems a little early in the year to have him go deeper than 99. today has been a great outing, i'd let him sit the rest out knowing he pitched a hell of a game!
And the answer is no.
Wow, good inning for BB.
I wish Joba pitched the 8th. I am not really looking forward to seeing him start on Sun. Ha.
The constant Gardner!
Oops.
Good move, but I bet Brett feels pretty silly.
Brett was just helping to insure that Mo picks up his first save of the year.
Hey, that's true. Had he stolen second, that Jeter grounder might go through, and Brett scores: no save.
Good work, Brett!
That doesn't seem fair to Aviles. He must be thinking, "Come on, I can't hit that pitch when it's *in* the strike zone."
Sigh.
Oopsie!
Sweet!
That's more like it.
Nice shutout, Andy!
;)
Aside from the high probability that Ponson and Farnsworth impressed the Yankee front office, this went about as well as it could have.
Ok, it's really tiresome not getting to see anything, but I'll just say the following: 1) Andy is a golden god; 2) Cano, two hits and *another* walk! Fucking-A!; 3) Mariano Rivera, ladies and gentlemen.
[123] Weeping, are you blacked out of the games as well?
Mariano in the 9th is a two-finger dram of Glenmorangie Scotch..smooth perfection..
[124] Well, the deal is basically that I'm broke these days, so no longer have YES. I may be able to get it back in June, but until then, I'm flirting with the idea of getting the mlb package, but don't know if it's worth it.
It's like, ten bucks a month or something, which I could swing, but how many games does that get me?