Tag Archives: Kansas City Royals

May 25, 2013

Angels Hit Their Stride

The Angels extended their winning streak to seven games with a 7-0 victory over the Royals. The offense finally gelled as the team scored 54 runs during the streak, nearly eight a game. They were extremely efficient today, scoring their seven runs on eight hits, a walk and two hit by pitches. A Royals error helped as well.

The team is 26/61 in this stretch with runners in scoring position, a .426 BA. They were hitting just .220 in that situation before the streak started. It seems there was just too much talent on this offense for them to stay down long.

Despite the seven wins, the Angels are still five games under .500 and 9 1/2 games out of first place pending the outcome of the Texas game tonight. They are going to need to play at a torrid pace for a while to get back in the division race, although they are only 5 1/2 games out of a wild card position.

May 24, 2013

KC Lifesaver

A nurse working the Royals game helped save the life of a young woman:

Sam Sapenaro, 26, was working her second job as a member of Kauffman Stadium’s K-Crew on Thursday night when a nearby fan yelled for help. Sapenaro said she rushed over and found the girl unresponsive and with no pulse.

Sapenaro said she began performing CPR with help from a man who was with the girl. The man also turned out to be a nurse. The girl was resuscitated, but stadium medical personnel had to revive her a second time after her pulse faded again.

“We were on her in the first 15-20 seconds of her going down,” she said. “Timing is everything when something like this happens.”

My thoughts go out to the young woman for a speedy recovery.

May 20, 2013

Nonsense?

Joe Posnanski writes a long post about the nonsense talk surrounding Jeff Francoeur. One example of this disturbs me:

They will talk about how much he helps the Royals young players.

Joe goes on to point out how poorly some of those young players perform. So that statement may be worse than nonsense. What if Francoeur is really trying to help those talented young players, and instead is turning them into Jeff Francoeurs? It would be like sending your children to Alvey Singer’s school:

Maybe Francoeur is the whole reason the Royals fail to develop talent. He takes these hitters under his wing and turns them into nobodies.

I can’t wait until someone hires him as a hitting coach.

May 15, 2013

Enwrong

Barry Enright has now pitched 12 innings over two seasons for the Angels. In that time he walked eight and struck out six, allowed three home runs, 19 hits, and 19 runs, all earned. That includes the four runs he gave up to Kansas City Wednesday night. That’s good for a 14.25 ERA. Players put the ball in play in the minors as well, as he allowed more hits than innings pitched and a 4.41 in his career there. I know 12 innings is a small sample size, but this is kind of ridiculous.

When the Angels were winning year after year, they were built around strong pitching, great defense, and an offense that put the ball in play. I was on board with remaking the offense into a more selective unit, but not at the cost of letting the pitching staff wither.

The Royals lead the Angels 8-2 in the top of the fifth.

May 9, 2013

Hosmer Joins the Club

Eric Hosmer went deep tonight, one of three Royals home runs in their 6-2 win over Baltimore. Hosmer was the only first baseman this year with at least 70 PA at the position who had not hit a home run. At least he’s doing a decent job of getting on base.

May 7, 2013

The Yost Decision

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Joe Posnanski takes issue with Ned Yost‘s explanation for pulling James Shields on Monday with a 1-0 lead.

I should say … I’m not second-guessing Yost’s DECISION here. That’s not fair, especially with it failing. It could have worked. I’m second-guessing his EXPLANATION for the decision. If he had said: “I thought Shields was showing signs of fading in the eighth inning,” hey, OK, that’s the manager’s job to notice that stuff. If he had said, “James had already thrown 102 pitches, and I really didn’t want him throwing 115 to 120 this early in the season in somewhat cold weather,” once more, hey, that’s the manager’s job to look out for his players over a long season.

But this explanation seems utterly baffling. And with the Royals off to a really good start, the choices Ned Yost makes (at least for now) will be watched a lot more closely. He will definitely need to come up with better explanations that this cockamamie thing.

His explanation came down to that it was the closer’s job to finish that game. I always dislike removing a pitcher that’s having a good day unless he shows signs of tiring. Any time a new pitcher comes in, especially in a tight game, there is a chance he doesn’t have his stuff.

Of course, managers err in the other direction, too.

The Dusty Baker

Your starter pitches a great game, and is going deep, but you fail to have anyone warmed up in case he gets into trouble. See the Bartman game for a perfect example, but it was not the first time Dusty pulled that stunt.

The Grady Little

Your veteran starter threw a great game, but he is out of gas. The pen is ready, but you leave him in anyway because he says he feels okay.

The Joe Torre

I don’t need no stinkin’ strategy, I have Mariano Rivera!

May 6, 2013

Danks a Lot!

Jordan Danks homers in the 11th inning to propel the White Sox to a 2-1 victory over the Royals. Danks pinch ran in the ninth inning for Adam Dunn, then stayed in as the designated hitter. It’s just the second home run of his career in 80 at bats.

The Royals made a big mistake removing a dominant James Shields. Ned Yost should have at least allowed him to start the ninth inning to see what happened.

May 6, 2013

Wrong Move

James Shields is a veteran pitcher who threw 11 complete games two years ago and twenty for his career. He held the White Sox to two hits and no runs through eight innings, throwing 102 pitches. So of course, Ned Yost sends out Greg Holland for the ninth. Holland gives up three hits and the tying run, avoiding a worse situation by inducing a no-outs, bases loaded double play. Shields walked a batter in the eighth, so I guess he was getting tired.

The Royals bat in the bottom of the ninth with the game tied at one.

May 6, 2013

Impotent II, Electric Bugaloo

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In regards to the previous post, James Shields is holding the White Sox hitless through four innings. The Royal collected five hits off Chris Sale, but just one run as they lead by the thinnest of margins.

Update: The Royals commit an error in the fifth, but a double play erases the runner. Shields keeps the no-hitter intact. He walked one batter, hit a batter, and struck out five so far.

Update: Dewayne Wise singled in the sixth to break up the no-no.

May 4, 2013

Worth the Wait

In his tenth season in the majors, Jeremy Guthrie finally throws a shutout as the Royals beat the White Sox 2-0. The goose eggs come in his 189th start. Since 1957, only two players made at least 189 starts without a shutout, Adam Eaton and Jason Bere.

Guthrie allowed just four hits and one walk. He did it letting the White Sox put the ball in play, as they only struck out three times. Jeremy retired the leadoff batter in each inning. He’s now 4-0 with a 2.40 ERA as the Royals rotation is looking pretty good.

May 2, 2013

Got Away Day

Rays Index offers a picture of the sparse crowd in Kansas City:

We mentioned earlier that today’s game in Kansas City would have all the conditions that usually lead to bad attendance (day game, bad weather, expected to be postponed). Well, the size of the crowd is even worse than I imagined.

At least people are watching on TV.

May 2, 2013

Relentless Royals

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The Royals overcame a poor start by Luis Mendoza to come back from a 6-1 deficit to beat the Rays 9-8. The Royals bullpen continue it’s dominance with five strong innings, holding the Rays to two runs as they walked one and struck out six. As a group, the pen walked 24 and struck out 79 in 67 1/3 innings, providing plenty of cover for Royals starters.

The Royals won three games this season in which they trailed by at least four runs. That’s the most in the majors. Only ten teams have wins in games in which they trailed by four runs or more.

April 29, 2013

Watching the Royals

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Fans seem to be coming back to baseball in Kansas City:

As many fans pointed out — that’s probably a good thing in that it shows growing interest in a ballclub that, as the week opens, occupies first place in the American League Central Division despite numerous misfiring parts.

Fox Sports Kansas City reported Monday that ratings for Sunday’s first game — which was televised — were the highest in its 11-plus seasons of carrying the Royals.

Good for the Royals. Now it needs to translate to games, as attendance is down about 1800 fans per game compared to ~~2013~~ 2012. Maybe it’s been the poor weather.

April 29, 2013

Surprise Monday

At the end of the first four weeks of the season, there are some surprise teams atop the divisions. The Red Sox start us off as they try to pull off a worst to first. Going into the season, the offense looked good, and they stand third in the AL in runs per game. The pitching, however, matched the offense so far, helping them to the best record in the majors. The pre-season favorite Blue Jays wallow in last place, only the Astros keeping them from the worst record in the AL.

The Royals lead the Tigers by 1/2 game in the AL Central. The Royals offense is okay, but the pitching came around as they own the fourth lowest ERA in the AL. The addition of James Shields and Wade Davis gave the rotation depth. They are showing great control. It also allowed Luke Hochevar to move to the bullpen, where he can be effective over short outings.

It’s not a great surprise that the Rangers lead the AL West, but it is that the Angels started six games under .500. For all the money spent shoring up the offense, they rank 11th in runs scored at 4.04 per game. An injury to Jered Weaver hasn’t helped the pitching staff either.

The Pirates lead the NL Central by 1/2 game over the Cardinals. Yesterday I discussed how the Pirates were winning the situational game with the bases loaded. One of these seasons they’ll keep it up for a full year.

In the NL West, the Diamondbacks and Rockies find themselves tied for first place, ahead of the World Champion Giants and big spending Dodgers. The teams approach winning a bit differently, as the Rockies lead the NL in runs per game, while the Diamondbacks rank third in the NL in runs allowed per game. The Rockies lineup boasts five players with OBPs over .360, and five players slugging better than .500. Four of the five Arizona starters are blowing batters away with high strikeout rates.

I love when things in baseball don’t go according to plan. The Oakland A’s lead the majors in runs per game, with the Orioles right behind them. The Dodgers are near the bottom of the pack. The Rangers and the Royals top the ERA leader board, while Oakland’s staff has been disappointing. Now we get to see how teams adjust, and if the true talent level of teams turns things around.

April 28, 2013

Royals Keep Rolling

Jeremy Guthrie and Luke Hochevar combine for ten strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings with just three walks as the Royals shutout the Indians 9-0. That gives Kansas City five wins in their last six games as they continue to set atop the AL Central. The move to the bullpen benefited Hochevar so far as he has struck out 10 and walked three in 7 1/3 innings, good for a 1.23 ERA and a .200 BA allowed. Royals starters are doing a great job finding the strike zone this season with just 2.5 walks allowed per nine innings.

The teams play a second game later Sunday evening.

April 25, 2013

Thumbs Down

I just heard on the Tigers broadcast that Justin Verlander was removed from the game against the Royals with cracked skin on his thumb. I wouldn’t be surprised if all the cold weather was taking a toll. Justin allowed eight hits and two runs in seven innings of work, walking one and striking out four. The Tigers lead the Royals 3-2, and Bruce Rondon makes his major league debut in relief.

Update: Rondon allows a run, and the team are tied at three.

April 21, 2013

First Place Royals

The Royals sweep a double header from the Red Sox in two close games, winning the afternoon contest 4-2 and the night-cap 5-4 in ten innings. The Royals trailed early in both games but fought back for the wins. The two wins puts them on top of the AL Central by one game over the Twins.

Both the AL East and Central remain close top to bottom. Four and a half games separate top to bottom in the east, and three and a half games separate the first and last place teams in the central. Three weeks in, for these ten teams, it’s anyone’s division.

April 20, 2013

Diamond in the Rough

Neil Diamond shows up to sing Sweet Caroline in the middle of the eighth inning, then Daniel Nava hits a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning to give the Red Sox a 4-2 lead. Boston could not have scripted it any better. Now, Andrew Bailey gets to try to save a game.

Update: Lorenzo Cain leads off the inning with a solo home run, and the Boston lead is down to 4-3. Cain came into the inning with two doubles and a single on the day. Cain is now batting .392 with a .429 OBP.

Update: Bailey made it interesting, putting two more batters on base, but a ground ball to short ends the game with the Red Sox winning 4-3. Clay Buchholz gets the win, going eight strong innings walking one and striking out six. His ERA now stands at 0.90.

April 20, 2013

Temporarily Saving a Run

With Jacoby Ellsbury on third and two out in the bottom of the sixth, James Shields unleashes what should be a wild pitch. Salvador Perez, however, slides to his right and makes an impressive scoop to hold the runner. After stopping a second pitch in the dirt, however, David Ortiz singles and the Royals and Red Sox are tied at one. Perez really impressed me with that scoop, however. Royals pitchers should not be afraid to throw a pitch in the dirt this season.

April 17, 2013

Learning from the Pen

Wade Davis pitched seven shutout innings against the Braves as the Royals end Atlanta’s winning streak with a 1-0 victory. David walked none and struck out seven, throwing 62 of 92 pitches for strikes.

Davis spent his first three seasons in the majors as a starter. In that time he struck out 5.9 batters per nine innings, well below his 8.7 K9 rate in the minors. After 64 starts, his ERA stood at 4.22.

The Rays moved him to the bullpen in 2012, and his K numbers bounced back up, striking out 11.1 per nine in relief. With his seven strikeouts Wednesday afternoon, Wade now has 15 in 16 innings on the season. It almost seems that Davis was holding back as a major league starters, trying not to wear himself out fanning batters. Moving to the bullpen may have let him go all out again, and he got back into the groove to missing bats. If his first three starts are any indication, he seems to have found the sweet spot in which he’s able to fool batters but still work efficiently. He may turn out to be a big prize in the Royals trade of Wil Myers.

April 16, 2013

Booming Braves

The Braves hit three solo home runs in the eighth inning so far to take a 5-2 lead over the Royals. All five runs came on solo home runs tonight, including two by Juan Francisco and Justin Upton‘s 8th. Atlanta came into the day second to Colorado with 20 home runs, but now lead them among NL teams 25-22.

Update: Atlanta wins 6-3 and takes their 10th game in a row.

April 16, 2013

Shielding the Royals

Jeff Passan writes about James Shields efforts to change the Royals into a squad more like the Rays. I really like James’s definition of team chemistry:

“You can’t create good chemistry in-season,” he said. “I think it’s fake. When you start losing, you might think, ‘Oh, it’s because we don’t have good team chemistry.’ Then you try too hard to make it. Chemistry is something that has to happen naturally. We worked really hard in spring training to create that. It’s important to get our arms and bats in shape, but you have to know each other before the season starts or you can’t be on the same page.

“When you have good chemistry, it brings the best out of every individual. Let’s say I have a man on second and I want [second baseman Chris] Getz to move over two steps to the right. I can look at him and give him a head nod, and he knows exactly what I’m talking about. If he doesn’t understand where I’m coming from, next thing you know I give up a hit in the 4-hole. Chemistry is thinking similarly, being one unit, really knowing each other.”

This is a great point. Plenty of team had players who didn’t like each other, and even fought with each other, but on the field they worked as a unit. Shields sees the Royals as the 2008 Rays. That team had talent in 2007 but didn’t win. Now it’s the Royals turn to have their talent mature and coalesce into a competitive team. Right now, with the third best ERA in the AL and decent run scoring, they’re tied for first in their division.

April 7, 2013

Hit to Remember

Saturday night, trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the ninth to Kansas City, the heart of the Phillies order drew three walks off Greg Holland to open the bottom of the ninth. Doing his best Carlos Marmol, Holland came back to strike out the next two batters. That brought pinch hitter Kevin Frandsen to the plate. Frandsen hit a double that cleared the bases and gave the Phillies a 4-3 win.

Frandsen was a promising prospect in the mid aughties. A combination of the Giants impatience with youth and injury relegated Kevin to a backup role. The Phillies brought him to their organization in 2011, and he spent that season working his way back through the minors. He hit well in 2012 in a utility role, posting a .338/.383/.451 slash line in 55 games. At age 31, he’s not going to be a star, but the Phillies figured out how to get the most out of this once promising player, and he may end up with a useful career after all. He now has a hit to remember.

April 1, 2013

Flowers for Sale

The Chicago battery fashions an opening day win as Chris Sale pitches 7 2/3 shutout innings and Tyler Flowers hits a solo home runs as the White Sox squeak by the Royals 1-0. Sale struck out seven with just one walk. James Shields did not walk a batter in his Royals debut, but he made the one mistake to Flowers. The very cold weather may have had something to do with the lack of offense as well.

March 31, 2013

2013 AL Central Preview

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The division preview series continues with the AL Central. The starting point for my analysis is the 2012 WAR of the position players, the starting rotation and the closer. All WAR numbers come from FanGraphs. The Royals play the White Sox and the Tigers play the Twins to start division play at 4 PM EDT Monday.

Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander

Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander combined for nearly 14 WAR in 2012. Photo: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Tigers

Position Player WAR: 31.6
Pitcher WAR: 21.9
Total: 53.5

I added this three times to make sure it was right. Fifty three and a half WAR would give the Tigers 100 wins without contributions from anyone else. This includes a 0.0 for Victor Martinez, who didn’t play in 2012. Is the number reasonable? Omar Infante is coming off a 3.0 WAR, the best of his career. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him drop to a one. Jhonny Peralta turned in a 2.5. He’s getting older, but that’s not an unreasonable number. Torii Hunter‘s 5.1 seems very high for someone in his late 30s. I’d say a two is more likely this season.

The pitchers are all good. Maybe Anibal Sanchez breaks down again, and his 3.6 disappears. Maybe Rick Porcello pitches more like a fifth starter and drops two WAR. So maybe there is an excess of ten wins from career years.

Fine, but you also have to add two or three back for Victor Martinez and Al Alburquerque playing full seasons. The Tigers are probably a mid-40s teams in WAR, and they should end up with the best record in the AL. This is a magnificent squad.

Chicago White Sox

Position Player WAR: 17.1
Pitcher WAR: 14.0
Total: 31.1

Adam Dunn recovered from his poor 2011, while Paul Konerko fells from his good season that year. Both came in under 2.0 WAR at positions that should generate a ton of offense. Age appears to be catching up both these sluggers. Looking at the rest of the order, I don’t see much upside.

The strength of the team is the starting rotation. Sale and Peavy give them an excellent 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. The upside here belongs to Dylan Axelrod, who projects to excellent walk and home run numbers as the fifth starter.

Maybe Gordon Beckham finally figures out how to play. Tyler Flowers gets to catch for a full season, and that might add some wins. If Alexrod, Beckham, and Flowers play well, the team has a chance at a wild card slot.

Kansas City Royals

Position Player WAR: 15.6
Pitcher WAR: 8.6
Total: 24.2

I’m not sure what to make of the Royals. The remain a young team with good players in Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, and Salvador Perez. Eric Hosmer posted a -1.6 WAR in 2012, and it’s tough to believe he’s that bad long term. There’s plenty of room for upside. Unfortunately, they still trot out Jeff Francoeur and Jonathan Sanchez, who just are not very good. There’s upside, but I’d be happier with the team if those two names were gone and two 0.0 WAR players were given jobs. Even if things break right, I don’t think this is the year for the Royals.

Cleveland Indians

Position Player WAR: 22.4
Pitcher WAR: 4.2
Total: 26.6

I like that Cleveland finally gave up on Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner. I appreciate the loyalty, but waiting for those two players to overcome injuries kept Cleveland from making moves that could have improved the team. Now they’ve picked up Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn, which gives them a good core of position players. Lonnie Chisenhall has a chance to give them an improvement at third as well.

The rotation, however, has the most upside potential. Ubaldo Jimenez showed signs of regaining his control this spring. Brett Myers returns to a starting role. Scott Kazmir worked his way back to the majors. If those three can post a 2.0 WAR each, the Indians are competing with Chicago for second place and a possible wild card spot. I like what the front office is trying here. We’ll see if it works.

Minnesota Twins

Position Player WAR: 9.5
Pitcher WAR: 4.3
Total: 13.8

The Twins have upside potential simply due to a number of their players having not played much in 2012. That said, a number of them posted negative WARs in their short time on the field, and a lot more of a negative isn’t a good thing. The Twins should do better in 2013, but at the moment they don’t look like they have the talent to compete.

Keep your eye on Justin Morneau. If he has finally recovered from his concussion, they should score a bit from the combination of Justin and Joe Mauer.

Predictions:

Here’s how I see the probability of each team winning the division:

Tigers 60%
White Sox 20%
Indians 9%
Royals 8%
Twins 3%

I’m probably underestimating the Tigers here, but teams can be devastated by injuries quickly. That may be the only thing that can stop them.

March 24, 2013

Team Offense, Kansas City Royals

The series on team offense continues with the Kansas City Royals. The Royals finished twentieth in the majors and twelfth in the American League in 2012 with 4.17 runs scored per game.

The CBSSports.com projected lineup that Ned Yost may use is plugged into the Lineup Analysis Tool (LAT) using Musings Marcels as the batter projections. That information produces the following results:

Best lineup: 4.85
Probable lineup: 4.80
Worst lineup: 4.55
Regressed lineup: 4.45

The Marcels indicate the Royals should be a better offensive team in 2013. They even have a chance to exceed these predictions, as Lorenzo Cain and Eric Hosmer both own potential beyond these predicted averages. A full year of Salvador Perez should help as well. Note that with the excellent numbers posted by Billy Butler and Alex Gordon, getting three more players just playing somewhat above average should boost the offense enough for the team to be competitive.

There are some low OBPs on the team, and for some reason Yost spread them throughout the lineup. If Cain can show an ability to get on base, he might replace Alcides Escobar in the two hole.

You can follow the data for the series in this Google spreadsheet.

Previous posts in the series:

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March 19, 2013

Moving Outfielders

Lee Judge talks to Rusty Kuntz of the Royals about how the coach positions outfielders. Sometimes you need to be careful, however:

Rusty said he has to be careful not to over-shift Cain or Dyson. Those two guys have such outstanding speed they can cover both gaps. Shift them too far to one side or another and you not only leave a gap open, but the territory they can cover might overlap with the territory a corner outfielder can cover.

When we talk about range, we’re really talking about a combination of the ability to cover ground, and the ability to position players so they don’t need to cover a lot of ground. Good positioning can make a player look good defensively. As we get more information from new visual capture systems, we’ll tease out those separate skills.

December 10, 2012

All In

1 Reply

A Royals fan comes to grips with the James Shields trade:

I still hate the trade but the chips are all in so we as fans might as well go all in too. “Big Game James” you have a great opportunity to bring a winner to a city starving for one, I truly hope you embrace this challenge.

December 10, 2012

Royals-Rays Blockbuster

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The Rays send James Shields and Wade Davis to the Royals for four prospects, including Wil Myers.

“We have to start winning games at the major league level, and the way you develop a winning culture is by winning major league games,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. “It’s time for us to start winning at the major league level.”

While James Shields is a great pitcher to acquire, he’s only under contract for two more seasons, the Royals having a team option for 2014. Myers has yet to reach the majors, so the Rays delay his call up until May of this year and control him for seven years. On top of that, Jake Odorizzi, a pitcher acquired from the Royals, has great three-true outcome numbers, and just has a cup of coffee in the majors. The other two prospect don’t look that good, although Patrick Leonard is still very young. It’s tough to see how the Royals win this deal long term.

That’s not the point, however. The Royals are trying to win now. Their young stars have a bit of seasoning, and with Shields anchoring the rotation, the KC management wants to win.

The Royals suddenly have a glut of starting pitchers with Shields, Santana and Guthrie joined by Bruce Chen and Luis Mendoza, who are expected back from last year. Luke Hochevar is eligible for arbitration, while Danny Duffy and Felipe Paulino will return at some point during the middle of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Davis also could be thrown into the mix.

I would say they have a glut of bodies. Ervin Santana is a real question mark, as is ~~Mark~~ Jeremy Guthrie. Luke Hochevar consistently pitches worse that his FIP. When that goes on year-after-year, you start to wonder if he just can’t take the pressure of pitching in the big leagues. It may take Duffy and Paulino time to return to form. Despite the number or arms, their may not be that much talent behind Shields.

Meanwhile, the Rays could have the four good hitters needed to win with their truly deep pitching staffs. Desmond Jennings, Ben Zobrist, Evan Longoria, and Myers form a nice core, and the Rays are decent at filling in talent around them. I don’t expect a fall off in Tampa, especially if Longoria is healthy.

December 2, 2012

Baseball Jobs

Both the Royals and the Orioles are looking for computer and statistical analysis.