How many runs does Davies give up tomorrow? We need to send him down and call up somebody from Omaha.
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How many runs does Davies give up tomorrow? We need to send him down and call up somebody from Omaha.
+1. He'll give up 8 in the first three innings if Yost leaves him in. If he doesn't deliver tonight, enjoy Omaha!
Duffy and Montgomery have been dominating, Mazzaro will probably be the first one called up though.
Enjoyed watching the game last night. Hosmer has done more at first base in six games that Kila did the entire first month. Let's keep it up in Detroit, although Verlander is the last guy I wanna face right now.
Here are three reasons to believe in the Royals' hot start
So the Eric Hosmer experience is a week old ? and this is what it looks like when a top prospect shakes off all the hype and hyperbole and just starts hitting.
Hosmer hit his second home run in two days on Thursday ? a laser beam that lined into the fifth row at Yankee Stadium.
Hosmer added two more hits, the Royals won their first series in New York since 1999, and they’re now off to their best start through 37 games since 2003.
And what better time to figure out if this team is real, if this start is sustainable, if the Royals will be playing meaningful baseball into the summer months.
Here are three reasons the Royals can sustain their early-season success. And, yes, we’ll be back this afternoon with three reasons why all the good vibes are doomed to fade away by the first day of summer.
1. The Royals offense is good ? and it might be even better than you think. Offense is down in major-league baseball. Way down. Batting averages are down. On-base percentages are down. Slugging percentages are down.
The league averages through Thursday: .250/.320/.388.
Remember: In 2000, the league averages looked like this: .270/.345/.437.
You may also remember that in 2000, the Royals scored a team-record 879 runs. Jermaine Dye hit 33 homers. Mike Sweeney added 29 homers and drove in a team-high 144 runs. And Johnny Damon scored a career-high 136 runs. And the Royals’ team adjusted OPS+* was still just 93, a notch or two below the league average, and their 879 runs were just the ninth-most in baseball.
*Reminder: OPS+ is on-base percentage plus slugging adjusted for league averages and ballpark factors.
Want one more example on how the game has changed: The Yankees led all of baseball with 859 runs in 2010.
And somehow, the 2011 Royals have ignored all the trends. They lead the AL in runs (186) and extra-base hits (127) and are second in on-base percentage (.337). They are on pace to score 814 runs ? and their adjusted OPS+ is a healthy 113. And, oh yea, we didn’t even mention this Hosmer kid. He might be able to help out a little in the next couple months.
2. Youth in the bullpen. The corps of young relievers has consistently kept the Royals in games. The bullpen ERA (3.10) is fourth in the American League, an impressive number that becomes even more amazing when you consider this: Joakim Soria has the worst ERA in the bullpen at 4.30.
For now, just look at the rookie relievers:
Aaron Crow, 0.93 ERA, 19.1 IP
Nathan Adcock, 1.80 ERA, 15 IP
Louis Coleman, 2.35 ERA, 7.2 IP
Jeremy Jeffress, 2.70 ERA, 13.1 IP
Tim Collins, 3.43 ERA, 21 IP
The workloads are a concern: Crow and Collins are on pace to throw more than 80 innings. But if the Royals want to protect some of their young arms, they will be able to shuttle some of their pitchers back and forth from Omaha; maybe bring up right-hander Greg Holland or left-hander Everett Teaford. And, of course, Robinson Tejeda will be back soon in some capacity.
3. Take a look at the AL Central standings. Are the Indians this good? Are the Twins this bad? Are the Tigers beginning to surge? And what’s going on in Chicago? The Royals have plenty of flaws and question marks. But so does everybody else.
The Royals begin a three-game series with the Tigers tonight before returning home for a two-game set against the Indians. After that, they’ll begin a stretch of 43 games in which only four games will be against AL Central opponents.
So take out a calendar. And look at the month of June. If the Royals are still within striking distance on June 21, the first official day of summer, maybe they’ll have something. Maybe the roster will continue to get more infusions of youth, and maybe you’ll see Danny Duffy and Mike Montgomery in the rotation, and maybe they’ll be able to make a run earlier than nearly anybody in baseball expected.
Submitted by Rustin Dodd on May 13, 2011 - 12:29pm.
So the Eric Hosmer experience is a week old ? and this is what it looks like when a top prospect shakes off all the hype and hyperbole and just starts hitting.
Hosmer hit his second home run in two days on Thursday ? a laser beam that lined into the fifth row at Yankee Stadium.
Hosmer added two more hits, the Royals won their first series in New York since 1999, and they’re now off to their best start through 37 games since 2003.
And what better time to figure out if this team is real, if this start is sustainable, if the Royals will be playing meaningful baseball into the summer months.
Here are three reasons the Royals can sustain their early-season success. And, yes, we’ll be back this afternoon with three reasons why all the good vibes are doomed to fade away by the first day of summer.
1. The Royals offense is good ? and it might be even better than you think. Offense is down in major-league baseball. Way down. Batting averages are down. On-base percentages are down. Slugging percentages are down.
The league averages through Thursday: .250/.320/.388.
Remember: In 2000, the league averages looked like this: .270/.345/.437.
You may also remember that in 2000, the Royals scored a team-record 879 runs. Jermaine Dye hit 33 homers. Mike Sweeney added 29 homers and drove in a team-high 144 runs. And Johnny Damon scored a career-high 136 runs. And the Royals’ team adjusted OPS+* was still just 93, a notch or two below the league average, and their 879 runs were just the ninth-most in baseball.
*Reminder: OPS+ is on-base percentage plus slugging adjusted for league averages and ballpark factors.
Want one more example on how the game has changed: The Yankees led all of baseball with 859 runs in 2010.
And somehow, the 2011 Royals have ignored all the trends. They lead the AL in runs (186) and extra-base hits (127) and are second in on-base percentage (.337). They are on pace to score 814 runs ? and their adjusted OPS+ is a healthy 113. And, oh yea, we didn’t even mention this Hosmer kid. He might be able to help out a little in the next couple months.
2. Youth in the bullpen. The corps of young relievers has consistently kept the Royals in games. The bullpen ERA (3.10) is fourth in the American League, an impressive number that becomes even more amazing when you consider this: Joakim Soria has the worst ERA in the bullpen at 4.30.
For now, just look at the rookie relievers:
Aaron Crow, 0.93 ERA, 19.1 IP
Nathan Adcock, 1.80 ERA, 15 IP
Louis Coleman, 2.35 ERA, 7.2 IP
Jeremy Jeffress, 2.70 ERA, 13.1 IP
Tim Collins, 3.43 ERA, 21 IP
The workloads are a concern: Crow and Collins are on pace to throw more than 80 innings. But if the Royals want to protect some of their young arms, they will be able to shuttle some of their pitchers back and forth from Omaha; maybe bring up right-hander Greg Holland or left-hander Everett Teaford. And, of course, Robinson Tejeda will be back soon in some capacity.
3. Take a look at the AL Central standings. Are the Indians this good? Are the Twins this bad? Are the Tigers beginning to surge? And what’s going on in Chicago? The Royals have plenty of flaws and question marks. But so does everybody else.
The Royals begin a three-game series with the Tigers tonight before returning home for a two-game set against the Indians. After that, they’ll begin a stretch of 43 games in which only four games will be against AL Central opponents.
So take out a calendar. And look at the month of June. If the Royals are still within striking distance on June 21, the first official day of summer, maybe they’ll have something. Maybe the roster will continue to get more infusions of youth, and maybe you’ll see Danny Duffy and Mike Montgomery in the rotation, and maybe they’ll be able to make a run earlier than nearly anybody in baseball expected.
Submitted by Rustin Dodd on May 13, 2011 - 12:29pm.
Tough times for Paul Splittorff
Royals broadcaster Splittorff admitted to hospital
Former big league pitcher battling oral cancer and melanoma
By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
KANSAS CITY -- Former pitcher Paul Splittorff, a member of the Royals Hall of Fame and a club broadcaster, has been admitted to a Kansas City area hospital for treatment of both oral cancer and melanoma, his family confirmed on Monday.
Splittorff, 64, spent his entire 15-year career with the Royals, from 1970-84. A big left-hander, he holds the Royals' career record for victories (166), starts (392) and innings pitched (2,554 2/3). In 1973, he became the club's first 20-game winner.
He has worked in broadcasting since retiring as a player and was in his 24th season as a television analyst for FOX Sports Kansas City.
Splittorff also worked as a basketball announcer and missed some assignments during the 2008-09 season because of medical problems.
Royals fans became aware of Splittorff's difficulties during the Opening Day telecast from Chicago on April 8, 2009. He teamed with Ryan Lefebvre to do the game but had problems with his voice and returned home.
"From the very beginning, he didn't want anybody to feel sorry for him because he was determined he was going to fight this and he's going to continue to fight this," Lefebvre said.
Splittorff worked determinedly to recover and has worked intermittently on Royals and Big 12 basketball telecasts ever since. He appeared in pre- and postgame broadcasts this year, and also worked in the booth during a series in Texas. He was scheduled to work last week's series in New York but that was canceled.
"He worked at it, he did speech therapy, and I really thought there was a point when he was sounding more like himself," Lefebvre said. "We really didn't know the extent of it and we respected the fact that he didn't want to talk about it, not to mention that if somebody asked him about it he'd say, 'I'm doing fine.' "
Former second baseman Frank White, a teammate of Splittorff, took over the TV analysis in 2009 and has continued in that capacity ever since.
Club officials withheld comment, citing the Splittorff family's request for privacy, and stated that there would be no further comment on his condition.
The news of the popular Splittorff's hospitalization hit his associates hard.
His former TV partner and current radio voice Bob Davis became close friends with Splittorff and respected how well he performed in the broadcast booth.
"He really worked at it," Davis said. "He took it real seriously. And he did basketball, too, because he had the background as a college basketball player. A fun guy, but very private."
Splittorff was a two-sport star in baseball and basketball at Morningside College in Iowa. But veteran Royals scout Art Stewart remembered watching Splittorff pitch even before that, in both high school and with the Arlington Heights (Ill.) American Legion team that reached the 1965 Legion World Series in Aberdeen, S.D.
"He didn't throw that hard, but he was one of the smartest young pitchers I ever saw. [He had] moxie, and even as a young pitcher he retained what he knew on a hitter," Stewart said. "None of us were smart enough to draft him because he didn't throw hard. So he went to college and we drafted him. Then I saw him after we signed him and he was throwing harder, his fastball was a little better. He always had the good breaking ball, the good changeup."
Splittorff carried that over in the Major Leagues, surfacing with the Royals in 1970. As a rookie in '71, he showed his promise with a 2.68 ERA and an 8-9 record. In '73, he went 20-11, and he came close to that level in '78, when he went 19-13.
"I remember how competitive he was," said Denny Matthews, the Royals' long-time radio broadcaster. "[His] focus was excellent, concentration was good, very competitive. He got the most out of his physical gifts and he worked hard -- I think he just out-worked a lot of guys to have the career that he did."
In 15 seasons, Splittorff had a 166-143 record and 3.81 ERA in 429 regular season games. He was in four postseasons with the Royals, 1976-78 and '80, reaching the World Series in the latter year. His postseason mark was 2-0 with a 2.79 ERA.
The Royals family was united in wishing Splittorff a complete recovery.
"If mental toughness and competitiveness get you through, then he'd be a prime candidate to get through it," Matthews said.
Lefebrve had this to say to a TV reporter: "We've all been asked quite a bit about him today, and all of us, I'm sure, are very careful in what we say, because if he's watching this somewhere he's thinking, 'Why are you spending all this time talking about me? You've got a game to do.'"
Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This post was edited on 5/17 8:46 AM by TUMU
Royals broadcaster Splittorff admitted to hospital
Former big league pitcher battling oral cancer and melanoma
By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
KANSAS CITY -- Former pitcher Paul Splittorff, a member of the Royals Hall of Fame and a club broadcaster, has been admitted to a Kansas City area hospital for treatment of both oral cancer and melanoma, his family confirmed on Monday.
Splittorff, 64, spent his entire 15-year career with the Royals, from 1970-84. A big left-hander, he holds the Royals' career record for victories (166), starts (392) and innings pitched (2,554 2/3). In 1973, he became the club's first 20-game winner.
He has worked in broadcasting since retiring as a player and was in his 24th season as a television analyst for FOX Sports Kansas City.
Splittorff also worked as a basketball announcer and missed some assignments during the 2008-09 season because of medical problems.
Royals fans became aware of Splittorff's difficulties during the Opening Day telecast from Chicago on April 8, 2009. He teamed with Ryan Lefebvre to do the game but had problems with his voice and returned home.
"From the very beginning, he didn't want anybody to feel sorry for him because he was determined he was going to fight this and he's going to continue to fight this," Lefebvre said.
Splittorff worked determinedly to recover and has worked intermittently on Royals and Big 12 basketball telecasts ever since. He appeared in pre- and postgame broadcasts this year, and also worked in the booth during a series in Texas. He was scheduled to work last week's series in New York but that was canceled.
"He worked at it, he did speech therapy, and I really thought there was a point when he was sounding more like himself," Lefebvre said. "We really didn't know the extent of it and we respected the fact that he didn't want to talk about it, not to mention that if somebody asked him about it he'd say, 'I'm doing fine.' "
Former second baseman Frank White, a teammate of Splittorff, took over the TV analysis in 2009 and has continued in that capacity ever since.
Club officials withheld comment, citing the Splittorff family's request for privacy, and stated that there would be no further comment on his condition.
The news of the popular Splittorff's hospitalization hit his associates hard.
His former TV partner and current radio voice Bob Davis became close friends with Splittorff and respected how well he performed in the broadcast booth.
"He really worked at it," Davis said. "He took it real seriously. And he did basketball, too, because he had the background as a college basketball player. A fun guy, but very private."
Splittorff was a two-sport star in baseball and basketball at Morningside College in Iowa. But veteran Royals scout Art Stewart remembered watching Splittorff pitch even before that, in both high school and with the Arlington Heights (Ill.) American Legion team that reached the 1965 Legion World Series in Aberdeen, S.D.
"He didn't throw that hard, but he was one of the smartest young pitchers I ever saw. [He had] moxie, and even as a young pitcher he retained what he knew on a hitter," Stewart said. "None of us were smart enough to draft him because he didn't throw hard. So he went to college and we drafted him. Then I saw him after we signed him and he was throwing harder, his fastball was a little better. He always had the good breaking ball, the good changeup."
Splittorff carried that over in the Major Leagues, surfacing with the Royals in 1970. As a rookie in '71, he showed his promise with a 2.68 ERA and an 8-9 record. In '73, he went 20-11, and he came close to that level in '78, when he went 19-13.
"I remember how competitive he was," said Denny Matthews, the Royals' long-time radio broadcaster. "[His] focus was excellent, concentration was good, very competitive. He got the most out of his physical gifts and he worked hard -- I think he just out-worked a lot of guys to have the career that he did."
In 15 seasons, Splittorff had a 166-143 record and 3.81 ERA in 429 regular season games. He was in four postseasons with the Royals, 1976-78 and '80, reaching the World Series in the latter year. His postseason mark was 2-0 with a 2.79 ERA.
The Royals family was united in wishing Splittorff a complete recovery.
"If mental toughness and competitiveness get you through, then he'd be a prime candidate to get through it," Matthews said.
Lefebrve had this to say to a TV reporter: "We've all been asked quite a bit about him today, and all of us, I'm sure, are very careful in what we say, because if he's watching this somewhere he's thinking, 'Why are you spending all this time talking about me? You've got a game to do.'"
Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This post was edited on 5/17 8:46 AM by TUMU
Pretty impressive career ERA when you consider he was never dominant. As good as the Royals offense was for the majority of his career, he could've has the same career W-L with an ERA of 5.00. Hope he gets well soon.
Yeah, not sure I agree with Yost allowing him to get cornholed like that. But for chrissake, get some outs. And it's time to cut Davies loose. Send him to Double A for all I care.
RIP Paul Splittorf.
On another note, Soria has been awful. He's literally the reason we're three games under .500 instead of 2 games over.
On another note, Soria has been awful. He's literally the reason we're three games under .500 instead of 2 games over.
Hosmer has been great so far, hard to believe he is only 21 years old when I watch him play. Cain and Moose are starting to hit in Omaha, their OPS's are 813 and 835 respectively after slow starts. Wil Myers also has his average up to over .300 after hitting .261 in April and learning a new position.
Ordizzi (acquired in Grienke trade) has been absolutely dominating at Wilmington and will likely be called up to Arkansas soon. He has struck out 74 in 52 innings with an era around 2. Arguelles defected from Cuba 2 years ago and the Royals won a bidding war to sign him to a large minor league deal (several million) only to see him tear up his arm in his first year. He has rebounded well and posted a 2.74 as another 21 year old pitcher in Wilmington. His arm isn't even back to full strength yet.
Ordizzi (acquired in Grienke trade) has been absolutely dominating at Wilmington and will likely be called up to Arkansas soon. He has struck out 74 in 52 innings with an era around 2. Arguelles defected from Cuba 2 years ago and the Royals won a bidding war to sign him to a large minor league deal (several million) only to see him tear up his arm in his first year. He has rebounded well and posted a 2.74 as another 21 year old pitcher in Wilmington. His arm isn't even back to full strength yet.
Let's hope he doesn't end up playing football and baseball at Nebraska.
Posted on Mon, Jun. 06, 2011
Bubba could start something big with the Royals
By SAM MELLINGER
The Kansas City Star
Bubba Starling can change baseball in Kansas City forever, and if that sounds like an unfair burden to put on an 18-year-old kid, that’s too bad, because it’s also reality.
The movie script can happen in real life now, and it can alter the course of an entire major-league baseball franchise. A boy named Bubba can grow up in a small town hitting 500-foot home runs and throwing 95-mph fastballs and even catching the biggest fish you ever saw, and then get millions to star for his hometown baseball team.
This is the dream, and those are his words.
This is just as big for the Royals, too, because they may have just drafted the franchise’s most important player since George Brett.
If you need to read this sentence again, please do, because it’s not thoughtless hype but the staggering possibility being talked about in baseball circles of a kid from Gardner Edgerton High someday becoming an All-Star center fielder as the Royals finally begin winning again.
It’s the kind of thing that can reshape how a region follows a sport and how an entire franchise operates.
Actually, it’s happened before.
???
Almost from the moment he arrived in Kansas City as general manager five years ago, Dayton Moore has said over and over that the Royals would “scout this region like it’s the most productive place in the world.”
That’s more than a gimmick, more than a marketing ploy. It’s also a sound baseball strategy that Moore saw work in his days with Atlanta’s front office.
The Braves in 1990 were a sorry-sack franchise that finished in last place for a third consecutive year, but that summer used the first overall draft pick on a kid from northern Florida named Chipper Jones.
The Braves went worst-to-first in 1991, winning the first of what would become 14 consecutive division titles, and in Jones’ rookie year won the World Series.
By then, Braves scouts saw an obvious upgrade in high school talent in the Southeast, something that became known as the “Chipper Effect” to some, a generation of kids growing up wanting to be the next local superstar for the Braves.
The franchise drafting locally became something like the Braves’ mantra, and it worked beautifully. Brian McCann and Jeff Francoeur and Kevin Millwood and others eventually helped win division championships, the whole thing feeding on itself and helping to drive a perennial loser to one of the greatest runs of sustained success in professional sports history.
Jones is by now an almost certain Hall of Famer who has helped lead 12 playoff teams and a region’s baseball resurgence.
There are few things in sports as unpredictable as the success of major-league draft picks, but scouting is better than it’s ever been, the careers of the highest selections more bankable than ever.
So with that in mind, it’s not a giant stretch to imagine this year’s consensus best athlete becoming a star and helping a long-struggling franchise find better footing both in the standings and at the gate.
The Royals’ baseball future is the best it’s been in years with a loaded farm system, but there is still just one winning season since 1994, and if this works out the way so many are envisioning, maybe this is a moment we’ll remember as a turning point.
All that needs to happen now is for a kid acting on the advice of the toughest negotiator in sports to sign a contract.
This is the part that is more complicated or simpler than you might think, depending on your perspective.
???
Bubba Starling put on a terrific performance in his teleconference with Kansas City media on Monday night.
He said he was excited, but also mentioned his “options,” even saying he liked football and baseball equally while committing to nothing other than talking with his family and super agent Scott Boras, who is serving as Starling’s advisor.
The most common narrative is that the leverage is Starling’s, but that’s only true to a point. Yes, he can play quarterback and center field at Nebraska and, barring major injury, be in line for another big bonus from baseball in three years or explore a pro football career.
But it’s also true that he can have an enormous payday right now, most likely the biggest bonus in Royals history ? $6 million to $8 million sounds realistic.
Boras has predicted that baseball’s television revenue will soon jump, meaning more money for players, but if Starling doesn’t sign, it means hoping the next collective-bargaining agreement will be as favorable for draft picks.
The other part of this is that if there is pressure on the Royals to sign the hometown kid, there is also pressure on Starling to sign with the hometown Royals for life-changing money.
Before it became reality, Starling called this exact scenario his “dream,” being drafted by the team he grew up rooting for, and if that’s still true, then he’ll be as motivated as the Royals to get a deal done.
Business is business, and both sides will spend the next few months posturing.
But this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for both team and player. They each have too much at stake to pass this up.
To reach Sam Mellinger, call 816-234-4365, send e-mail to smellinger@kcstar.com or follow twitter.com/mellinger. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com.
Posted on Mon, Jun. 06, 2011
Bubba could start something big with the Royals
By SAM MELLINGER
The Kansas City Star
Bubba Starling can change baseball in Kansas City forever, and if that sounds like an unfair burden to put on an 18-year-old kid, that’s too bad, because it’s also reality.
The movie script can happen in real life now, and it can alter the course of an entire major-league baseball franchise. A boy named Bubba can grow up in a small town hitting 500-foot home runs and throwing 95-mph fastballs and even catching the biggest fish you ever saw, and then get millions to star for his hometown baseball team.
This is the dream, and those are his words.
This is just as big for the Royals, too, because they may have just drafted the franchise’s most important player since George Brett.
If you need to read this sentence again, please do, because it’s not thoughtless hype but the staggering possibility being talked about in baseball circles of a kid from Gardner Edgerton High someday becoming an All-Star center fielder as the Royals finally begin winning again.
It’s the kind of thing that can reshape how a region follows a sport and how an entire franchise operates.
Actually, it’s happened before.
???
Almost from the moment he arrived in Kansas City as general manager five years ago, Dayton Moore has said over and over that the Royals would “scout this region like it’s the most productive place in the world.”
That’s more than a gimmick, more than a marketing ploy. It’s also a sound baseball strategy that Moore saw work in his days with Atlanta’s front office.
The Braves in 1990 were a sorry-sack franchise that finished in last place for a third consecutive year, but that summer used the first overall draft pick on a kid from northern Florida named Chipper Jones.
The Braves went worst-to-first in 1991, winning the first of what would become 14 consecutive division titles, and in Jones’ rookie year won the World Series.
By then, Braves scouts saw an obvious upgrade in high school talent in the Southeast, something that became known as the “Chipper Effect” to some, a generation of kids growing up wanting to be the next local superstar for the Braves.
The franchise drafting locally became something like the Braves’ mantra, and it worked beautifully. Brian McCann and Jeff Francoeur and Kevin Millwood and others eventually helped win division championships, the whole thing feeding on itself and helping to drive a perennial loser to one of the greatest runs of sustained success in professional sports history.
Jones is by now an almost certain Hall of Famer who has helped lead 12 playoff teams and a region’s baseball resurgence.
There are few things in sports as unpredictable as the success of major-league draft picks, but scouting is better than it’s ever been, the careers of the highest selections more bankable than ever.
So with that in mind, it’s not a giant stretch to imagine this year’s consensus best athlete becoming a star and helping a long-struggling franchise find better footing both in the standings and at the gate.
The Royals’ baseball future is the best it’s been in years with a loaded farm system, but there is still just one winning season since 1994, and if this works out the way so many are envisioning, maybe this is a moment we’ll remember as a turning point.
All that needs to happen now is for a kid acting on the advice of the toughest negotiator in sports to sign a contract.
This is the part that is more complicated or simpler than you might think, depending on your perspective.
???
Bubba Starling put on a terrific performance in his teleconference with Kansas City media on Monday night.
He said he was excited, but also mentioned his “options,” even saying he liked football and baseball equally while committing to nothing other than talking with his family and super agent Scott Boras, who is serving as Starling’s advisor.
The most common narrative is that the leverage is Starling’s, but that’s only true to a point. Yes, he can play quarterback and center field at Nebraska and, barring major injury, be in line for another big bonus from baseball in three years or explore a pro football career.
But it’s also true that he can have an enormous payday right now, most likely the biggest bonus in Royals history ? $6 million to $8 million sounds realistic.
Boras has predicted that baseball’s television revenue will soon jump, meaning more money for players, but if Starling doesn’t sign, it means hoping the next collective-bargaining agreement will be as favorable for draft picks.
The other part of this is that if there is pressure on the Royals to sign the hometown kid, there is also pressure on Starling to sign with the hometown Royals for life-changing money.
Before it became reality, Starling called this exact scenario his “dream,” being drafted by the team he grew up rooting for, and if that’s still true, then he’ll be as motivated as the Royals to get a deal done.
Business is business, and both sides will spend the next few months posturing.
But this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for both team and player. They each have too much at stake to pass this up.
To reach Sam Mellinger, call 816-234-4365, send e-mail to smellinger@kcstar.com or follow twitter.com/mellinger. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com.
LOL, Mazzaro throws seven shutout innings and still couldn't get his ERA under 10. Keep posting those donuts, Vinnie!
If the Angels beat Cleveland tonight by more than two runs, the entire AL Central will have a run differential for the season in the negatives. I don't think I've ever seen an entire division in the red.
Do you guys' actually like and follow the Royals?
If you do, I have a few collectibles that I might just practically give to you -shipping. Game only stuff.
But, I want to know that you are a TRUE BLUE Royals fan.
If you do, I have a few collectibles that I might just practically give to you -shipping. Game only stuff.
But, I want to know that you are a TRUE BLUE Royals fan.
I have been to approximately 300 Royals games. I have been to at least one home game every year since the Royals became a team.
Been 8 to 10 playoff games and a world series game.
I even worked one summer at Royals stadium (1980) as a second job, while in college. Told my boss, I was going on break when Brett came up to bat with his chance to reach 400 batting average in late August. He hit a double and stood on second base, took his hat off and waved at the crowd.
Trying to plan a three to four day trip next spring with my Dad to Surprise, AZ during Spring training.
I would be interested in knowing what collectables you have.
Been 8 to 10 playoff games and a world series game.
I even worked one summer at Royals stadium (1980) as a second job, while in college. Told my boss, I was going on break when Brett came up to bat with his chance to reach 400 batting average in late August. He hit a double and stood on second base, took his hat off and waved at the crowd.
Trying to plan a three to four day trip next spring with my Dad to Surprise, AZ during Spring training.
I would be interested in knowing what collectables you have.
I've been to approx 120 games b/c my dad lived in KC during the majority of Brett's career. While I wasn't at the .400 game that MU was privileged to be at in 1980, I did go to Cooperstown in 1999 for his induction. I think it was at that point, that Mr. Brett got his restraining order against me. Not sure why.
So whaddya got ...
So whaddya got ...
I went to my first Royals game when I started playing tee ball in the early 80's (I'm guessing '82). And have gone to upwards of 300 games since then. I live in Joplin and my attendance has greatly decreased each year since the strike season. Now I usually attend 3-4 home games and watch 75% of the TV games. Frank White is my favorite player, so I call dibs on any of his memorabilia that might be given away/sold for pennys on the dollar.
I found some bobble-heads, still in the perfect box. They are stadium one-time issue only - not for anywhere else. I have too much crap I need to look through!
This post was edited on 7/26 6:25 PM by AztecIndian
This post was edited on 7/26 6:31 PM by AztecIndian
This post was edited on 7/26 6:25 PM by AztecIndian
This post was edited on 7/26 6:31 PM by AztecIndian
Cookie was the consummate pro, I also liked U L Washington and thought I should be able to play with a toothpick in my mouth.
AO was one of my favorites. Hal McRae was another good one. Frank White one of the most underrated second baseman in the 70's and 80's. I could go on and on with names.
I really think the best Royals team ever was the 1978 team, although the did not get past the Yankees in the playoffs.
I really think the best Royals team ever was the 1978 team, although the did not get past the Yankees in the playoffs.
It looks like the offense has arrived better than expected. Now we need the pitching to step up, there are a ton of rumors that the Royals are going to trade some prospects for a starting pitcher or two.
Posted on Thu, Sep. 22, 2011
The new-look Royals are on familiar ground
By RUSTIN DODD
The Kansas City Star
On the final day of the home schedule at Kauffman Stadium, Jerry Ashley walked through the lower-level concourse, his young son Will by his side.
Ashley, a native of Kansas City, wore jeans and a powder-blue T-shirt, the name MOUSTAKAS arching across the back. Will looked like a carbon-copy: the jeans, the shirt, everything matching except the name on the back: HOSMER.
“These are his two favorite players,” Jerry Ashley said. “So he picks out the shirts.”
That was Wednesday, an event the Ashleys had been planning for weeks. The fact that the Royals had won eight of nine certainly validated the decision to spend one more day at the ballpark ? but it didn’t necessary spark it.
Ashley says he’s seen this before: Victories in September, offseason hope, then the whole thing crumbles the next spring.
“You worry about that,” Ashley said.
As the Royals wind down a season of transition and prepare to enter the offseason, those are the shadows of doubt that follow the franchise.
The Royals are 30-30 since July 19, a steady infusion of youth providing a lift in the season’s second half. But the club has also clinched its 16th losing season in 17 years.
Ratings for Royals telecasts on Fox Sports Kansas City are up 31 percent over last season, including a 65 percent bump in August, according to Nielsen Media Research. But the franchise is still on pace for 90 losses, the 10th time it would reach that mark since 1999.
Attendance at Kauffman Stadium improved over the last two months ? the Royals drew 23,980 per game in August and September while averaging 21,289 for the year ? even as Kansas City fans were finishing up their 26th straight season without playoff baseball, the longest active drought for a single city in the majors.
“They’ve been waiting a long time,” manager Ned Yost conceded.
Now, the Royals enter their final road trip of the season with a 12-7 record in September, and the numbers suggest that they may have tapped into a fresh source of energy ? on and off the field.
Rookies Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez are hitting. Alex Gordon and Jeff Francoeur are finishing up breakout seasons. And some of Billy Butler’s doubles are finally flying out of the ballpark.
There are still questions. The starting rotation is at the top of the list. But as Yost reflected on his team’s progress in the season’s final week, the message remained the same:
“I’ve been through this before,” Yost said. “I kind of know what to expect. It’s funny. It’s going the same way it went in Atlanta, and it’s going the same way it went in Milwaukee. Maybe a little faster than it went in Milwaukee here, but, you know, having that experience helps.”
There are certainly concerns, Yost says, but carrying this month’s momentum into next season isn’t necessarily one of them.
“This group here has played fantastically the month of September without any motivation from me,” Yost said. “I haven’t had to motivate them for one second.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Butler sat in the Royals’ clubhouse for the final time this season. In his fifth year, Butler admits he’s seen this before.
In 2008, the Royals finished 18-8 in September. Zack Greinke pitched like an ace. Gil Mache was still healthy. Kyle Davies and Brian Bannister looked like answers in the rotation. The team lost 97 games the next year.
“In years past, we didn’t know who was gonna be back,” Butler said.
This September has felt different, Butler says. There’s more talent in the clubhouse. The offense has slowly transformed into one of the American League’s best. And Butler thinks there’s still room to grow.
“We have talent,” Butler said. “This year was about getting the experience up to the talent level.”
There likely will be continuity, too, ? the kind a team gets when it overhauls its entire infield over the course of one season. The average age is just a shade over 22 years old.
“That’s the goal,” Moustakas said. “To carry the team momentum into next year, (and) not just the personal goals or personal momentum. We need to get this thing rolling. We’ve been playing great baseball to this point, and we’re just going to look forward to carrying it over to next year.”
Under an overcast sky on Wednesday evening, Jerry and Will Ashley moved quickly toward their seats.
The announced attendance of 28,776 was Kansas City’s highest for a home finale at Kauffman Stadium since 1993. The Royals would still lose 6-3 to Detroit.
“We know what we gotta do to compete next year,” Butler said, “and I don’t think it matters how September goes. I think we just know what we gotta do each day.”
The new-look Royals are on familiar ground
By RUSTIN DODD
The Kansas City Star
On the final day of the home schedule at Kauffman Stadium, Jerry Ashley walked through the lower-level concourse, his young son Will by his side.
Ashley, a native of Kansas City, wore jeans and a powder-blue T-shirt, the name MOUSTAKAS arching across the back. Will looked like a carbon-copy: the jeans, the shirt, everything matching except the name on the back: HOSMER.
“These are his two favorite players,” Jerry Ashley said. “So he picks out the shirts.”
That was Wednesday, an event the Ashleys had been planning for weeks. The fact that the Royals had won eight of nine certainly validated the decision to spend one more day at the ballpark ? but it didn’t necessary spark it.
Ashley says he’s seen this before: Victories in September, offseason hope, then the whole thing crumbles the next spring.
“You worry about that,” Ashley said.
As the Royals wind down a season of transition and prepare to enter the offseason, those are the shadows of doubt that follow the franchise.
The Royals are 30-30 since July 19, a steady infusion of youth providing a lift in the season’s second half. But the club has also clinched its 16th losing season in 17 years.
Ratings for Royals telecasts on Fox Sports Kansas City are up 31 percent over last season, including a 65 percent bump in August, according to Nielsen Media Research. But the franchise is still on pace for 90 losses, the 10th time it would reach that mark since 1999.
Attendance at Kauffman Stadium improved over the last two months ? the Royals drew 23,980 per game in August and September while averaging 21,289 for the year ? even as Kansas City fans were finishing up their 26th straight season without playoff baseball, the longest active drought for a single city in the majors.
“They’ve been waiting a long time,” manager Ned Yost conceded.
Now, the Royals enter their final road trip of the season with a 12-7 record in September, and the numbers suggest that they may have tapped into a fresh source of energy ? on and off the field.
Rookies Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez are hitting. Alex Gordon and Jeff Francoeur are finishing up breakout seasons. And some of Billy Butler’s doubles are finally flying out of the ballpark.
There are still questions. The starting rotation is at the top of the list. But as Yost reflected on his team’s progress in the season’s final week, the message remained the same:
“I’ve been through this before,” Yost said. “I kind of know what to expect. It’s funny. It’s going the same way it went in Atlanta, and it’s going the same way it went in Milwaukee. Maybe a little faster than it went in Milwaukee here, but, you know, having that experience helps.”
There are certainly concerns, Yost says, but carrying this month’s momentum into next season isn’t necessarily one of them.
“This group here has played fantastically the month of September without any motivation from me,” Yost said. “I haven’t had to motivate them for one second.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Butler sat in the Royals’ clubhouse for the final time this season. In his fifth year, Butler admits he’s seen this before.
In 2008, the Royals finished 18-8 in September. Zack Greinke pitched like an ace. Gil Mache was still healthy. Kyle Davies and Brian Bannister looked like answers in the rotation. The team lost 97 games the next year.
“In years past, we didn’t know who was gonna be back,” Butler said.
This September has felt different, Butler says. There’s more talent in the clubhouse. The offense has slowly transformed into one of the American League’s best. And Butler thinks there’s still room to grow.
“We have talent,” Butler said. “This year was about getting the experience up to the talent level.”
There likely will be continuity, too, ? the kind a team gets when it overhauls its entire infield over the course of one season. The average age is just a shade over 22 years old.
“That’s the goal,” Moustakas said. “To carry the team momentum into next year, (and) not just the personal goals or personal momentum. We need to get this thing rolling. We’ve been playing great baseball to this point, and we’re just going to look forward to carrying it over to next year.”
Under an overcast sky on Wednesday evening, Jerry and Will Ashley moved quickly toward their seats.
The announced attendance of 28,776 was Kansas City’s highest for a home finale at Kauffman Stadium since 1993. The Royals would still lose 6-3 to Detroit.
“We know what we gotta do to compete next year,” Butler said, “and I don’t think it matters how September goes. I think we just know what we gotta do each day.”
Can't disagree with Pat Grathoff.
We need to obtain a quality starter or two this offseason through trades or free agency.
Posted on Wed, Sep. 28, 2011
Talking Points | Why the Royals don't even need Albert Pujols
We all know that Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is going to be the big fish in the offseason free agency pond.
But imagine if Pujols had said back in March that he loves Kansas City and he would consider one day joining the Royals. Back then, we would have been pretty excited about that possibility.
But now? I don’t think there’s any room for him in the Royals lineup.
Seriously.
In a nod to how well the kids are doing, the Royals wouldn’t really have a spot for Pujols. Through his career, he’s played left field (Alex Gordon is having a breakout year), third base (Mike Moustakas is quietly putting together a strong finish) and first base (Eric Hosmer is the real deal).
It’s possible you could slide Pujols in as designated hitter, but Billy Butler is finally showing some pop in his bat. And I can’t imagine that Pujols would want to be a DH.
Pujols, who attended Fort Osage High School and Maple Woods Community College, is arguably the best player ever. He’s a three-time MVP, has never hit fewer than 32 homers in a season and has a career OPS of 1.038. He’s a stud.
However, he’s also 31 years old, and the Royals have a load of young talent. We all know that money would be better spent on pitching.
Isn't it ironic, don’t you think? The best player in the game is from Kansas City and the Royals don’t really need him. That tells you why there is hope for next season.
| Pete Grathoff, pgrathoff@kcstar.com
We need to obtain a quality starter or two this offseason through trades or free agency.
Posted on Wed, Sep. 28, 2011
Talking Points | Why the Royals don't even need Albert Pujols
We all know that Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is going to be the big fish in the offseason free agency pond.
But imagine if Pujols had said back in March that he loves Kansas City and he would consider one day joining the Royals. Back then, we would have been pretty excited about that possibility.
But now? I don’t think there’s any room for him in the Royals lineup.
Seriously.
In a nod to how well the kids are doing, the Royals wouldn’t really have a spot for Pujols. Through his career, he’s played left field (Alex Gordon is having a breakout year), third base (Mike Moustakas is quietly putting together a strong finish) and first base (Eric Hosmer is the real deal).
It’s possible you could slide Pujols in as designated hitter, but Billy Butler is finally showing some pop in his bat. And I can’t imagine that Pujols would want to be a DH.
Pujols, who attended Fort Osage High School and Maple Woods Community College, is arguably the best player ever. He’s a three-time MVP, has never hit fewer than 32 homers in a season and has a career OPS of 1.038. He’s a stud.
However, he’s also 31 years old, and the Royals have a load of young talent. We all know that money would be better spent on pitching.
Isn't it ironic, don’t you think? The best player in the game is from Kansas City and the Royals don’t really need him. That tells you why there is hope for next season.
| Pete Grathoff, pgrathoff@kcstar.com
Yup, next year. The funny thing is, since Pujols will be a free agent, we wouldn't make a run at him even if we had the money. Hosmer is the real deal at first base and he's only 21. If he'd played the full season, he'd be a lock for rookie of the year. If we can get another legit starter or two and Soria bounces back, I like our chances. I think we were fifth in the AL in runs scored. So even though we finished 20 games out, our run differential for the season was only -30ish I think.
