Thursday, June 28, 2007
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The Lost Art of Retaliation |
Monday, June 25, 2007
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Indictment of the System or the Braves Way? |
Last Thursday the Royals placed Scott Elarton on the DL, whether he is actually hurt or just terrible is an argument all in itself, regardless Royals fans no longer have to deal with him and his 9.17ERA.
Let me just say first of all I'm ecstatic that Elarton is no longer in the starting rotation. It at least takes an almost surefire loss out of the balance and maybe even gives the Royals a chance to win.
With Elarton on the DL, it opened up a spot in the starting rotation and GM Dayton Moore was left with a decision. There are several ways that Dayton could have dealt with this situation.
He could have...
1. Moved Zack Grienke back to the starting rotation from the bullpen.
2. Called up one of the many(smell the sarcasm?) Royals pitching prospects.
3. Signed a veteran to just fill a spot.
As most of us know by now, Dayton selected option #3 and signed veteran John Thompson.
John Thompson's Career Numbers:
62-84 4.69ERA 796K 366BB
-not bad, just about major league average. Earlier this year Thompson was released by the Toronto Bluejays. The Jays decided they didn't have room on the roster for Thompson, because of his roster bonus. Toronto's starting rotation was already full of young up-and-comers and they didn't want to pay his bonus for him to sit in the bullpen, so they released him.
Now the question remains of the other 2 options:
-As for Grienke...he's doing quite well in the bullpen, flourishing in his new role and with his mental history the Royals feel safer to let him stay where he is.
-What about bringing up one of our youngsters? Let's take a look at the Royals top 3 pitching prospects.
Billy Buckner's 2007 numbers(AAA):
6-2 4.15ERA 43K 13BB
Tyler Lumsden's 2007 numbers(AAA):
5-5 5.57ERA 50K 30BB
Luke Hochevar's 2007 numbers(AA):
3-6 4.63ERA 83K 19BB
Just looking at the numbers, Billy Buckner is the obvious choice, but remember this is his first year in AAA. His numbers show that he has been good, but not dominating AAA, so what would that conversion be in the majors? Probably not to good. The other two, Lumsden and Hochevar, obviously need more seasoning.
So what led Dayton Moore to his decision to sign Thompson? Was is an indictment of the system or the Braves way or doing things?
I believe it was the latter. The Braves Way. No need to rush a prospect when a decent, average veteran waiting in the wings that can be signed for little money. Let the prospects continue their development and don't rush them. We as Royals fans have seen to many prospects come up to fill a void and just get hammered.
I believe Dayton made a good decision signing Thompson so lets see what he does tonight...
-b
Royals 2007 Record: 30-46
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
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The Sweet Smell of Mediocrity |
Friday, June 15, 2007
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Cardinal Stew |
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
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Did You Miss Me? |
I have returned from sunny Cancun after a week of laying by the beach and chugging Corona...I think my minimum beer intake per day was at least 5...Alas though, I have returned and was treated to a hell of a performance from the Royals on day 1 of the I-70 series, an 8-1 victory over the Cardinals. Later this week we will break down the series, but lets hope the Royals can keep it going and manage another series win.
Over the week I was gone the the Royals went 5-4...not as good as the last time I was gone, but hey it's not 1-8. Small victories folks, small victories.
Also while I was gone the MLB amateur draft was held. Check back later this week for a breakdown of the draft or check out Royals Authority, but for now we will just leave you with what Baseball America said about the Royals 1st Round draft pick Mike Moustakas:
No premium draft pick had a better season than Moustakas, who had one of the great careers in California high school history. The nephew of former Mets hitting coach Tom Robson, Moustakas tightened up his body between his junior and senior seasons, stepping up his conditioning as he healed completely from a hairline ankle fracture sustained during a scrimmage football game as a high school junior. He was the starting quarterback at Chatsworth as a freshman and has a bazooka for an arm--his fastball sat in the low 90s early in the year in relief roles and hit 97 mph in April. His power arm isn't his best tool though, as Moustakas' quiet, quick hands, polished approach and strength at the plate produce light-tower power and a smooth swing he repeats easily. Earlier in the year, scouts wondered about his defensive position--he's Chatsworth's shortstop but will move immediately as a pro. Most believe third base would be the first natural spot and others dreamed of his arm behind the plate, but most agree now that it doesn't matter. His bat will play at any spot, even first base, though it would be a shame to waste that arm there. The only complicating factor was his commitment to Southern California--he and Robert Stock would become an unrivaled pair of two-way players--and representation by Scott Boras. The combination clouds his signability, but not his impressive ability.
-b
Royals 2007 Record: 25-40