The Royals

[jtksu]

Seems like the rotation should be greatly improved, Chen didn't even earn a spot and will open the season in the pen. Didn't he start opening day last year?

[SabiNation]

Seems like the rotation should be greatly improved, Chen didn't even earn a spot and will open the season in the pen. Didn't he start opening day last year?

He did.  And yes, the rotation is going to be vastly improved even if it underperforms

[The Tonya Harding of Twitter Users Creep]

Seems like the rotation should be greatly improved, Chen didn't even earn a spot and will open the season in the pen. Didn't he start opening day last year?

He did.  And yes, the rotation is going to be vastly improved even if it underperforms

Well he started opening day so Hoch could start opening day at the K so take that fwiw. Hoch gave up like 368945 runs in the first 3 innings.

[EMAWmeister]

rough ridin' Hochevar.

['taterblast]

rough ridin' Hochevar.

wow

[bones129]

Luke comes out of the pen (his new home) tonight.

His line? Pitches 2/3 of an inning and gives up five runs, all of them earned. No K's. When will KC admit this guy was a mistake?

[Dub]

Luke comes out of the pen (his new home) tonight.

His line? Pitches 2/3 of an inning and gives up five runs, all of them earned. No K's. When will KC admit this guy was a mistake?

He will be cut before the season starts.

[Dub]

Meanwhile....         Getzy 

Maybe changing that swing and approach has helped.  I hope the guy can keep it up through a season.

[Kat Kid]

Meanwhile....         Getzy 

Maybe changing that swing and approach has helped.  I hope the guy can keep it up through a season.

Somebody has been drinking a double of Hud and will be regretting it very soon.

[Dr Rick Daris]

Meanwhile....         Getzy 

Maybe changing that swing and approach has helped.  I hope the guy can keep it up through a season.

Somebody has been drinking a double of Hud and will be regretting it very soon.

you're not very nice during baseball season.

[Rage Against the McKee]

Meanwhile....         Getzy 

Maybe changing that swing and approach has helped.  I hope the guy can keep it up through a season.

He will probably end up batting somewhere between .250 and .275. He's a below average player, but he's not so horrible that he hurts the team.

[Cartierfor3]

Luke comes out of the pen (his new home) tonight.

His line? Pitches 2/3 of an inning and gives up five runs, all of them earned. No K's. When will KC admit this guy was a mistake?

If they cut him I will buy someone a pony

[Kat Kid]

Meanwhile....         Getzy 

Maybe changing that swing and approach has helped.  I hope the guy can keep it up through a season.

He will probably end up batting somewhere between .250 and .275. He's a below average player, but he's not so horrible that he hurts the team.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/positional-power-rankings-second-base-2/

You can scroll all the way down to #27 in the positional power rankings at fangraphs to find the Royal's 2b situation.  Chris Getz last hit a HR in 2009.  He is projected to provide the Royals with anywhere from .2 to .7 Wins Above Replacement depending upon the projection system you look at.  He is garbage.  So is Johnn Giovotella, so is Miguel Tejada.

That said, so is the division after the Tigers, so the Royals have an excellent shot at a 2nd place and miss the playoffs moral victory to validate their offseason which saw them spend wildly on two below average starting pitchers (Jeremy Guthrie and Ervin Santana) and trade a top 3 prospect in all of baseball (and a starting pitcher close to the majors) for James Shields and Wade Davis.

I like Moose, Gordo and Salvador Perez.  I am skeptical of Hosmer, and cautiously optimistic about Cain.  They will not be awful to watch, but if you think this looks like a playoff team, you are crazy.

[scottwildcat]

That said, so is the division after the Tigers, so the Royals have an excellent shot at a 2nd place and miss the playoffs moral victory to validate their offseason which saw them spend wildly on two below average starting pitchers (Jeremy Guthrie and Ervin Santana) and trade a top 3 prospect in all of baseball (and a starting pitcher close to the majors) for James Shields and Wade Davis.

I like Moose, Gordo and Salvador Perez.  I am skeptical of Hosmer, and cautiously optimistic about Cain.  They will not be awful to watch, but if you think this looks like a playoff team, you are crazy.

this, also the fact is, if we don't make the playoffs this year or next (we won't) the trades and moves we made were absolutely not worth it.

[slobber]

Luke comes out of the pen (his new home) tonight.

His line? Pitches 2/3 of an inning and gives up five runs, all of them earned. No K's. When will KC admit this guy was a mistake?

If they cut him I will buy someone a pony

You could also buy his "farm" (hunting ground) in Nemaha county to store that pony.

[The Tonya Harding of Twitter Users Creep]

KK is going to be a real treat this season

[Rage Against the McKee]

Meanwhile....         Getzy 

Maybe changing that swing and approach has helped.  I hope the guy can keep it up through a season.

He will probably end up batting somewhere between .250 and .275. He's a below average player, but he's not so horrible that he hurts the team.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/positional-power-rankings-second-base-2/

You can scroll all the way down to #27 in the positional power rankings at fangraphs to find the Royal's 2b situation.  Chris Getz last hit a HR in 2009.  He is projected to provide the Royals with anywhere from .2 to .7 Wins Above Replacement depending upon the projection system you look at.  He is garbage.  So is Johnn Giovotella, so is Miguel Tejada.

That said, so is the division after the Tigers, so the Royals have an excellent shot at a 2nd place and miss the playoffs moral victory to validate their offseason which saw them spend wildly on two below average starting pitchers (Jeremy Guthrie and Ervin Santana) and trade a top 3 prospect in all of baseball (and a starting pitcher close to the majors) for James Shields and Wade Davis.

I like Moose, Gordo and Salvador Perez.  I am skeptical of Hosmer, and cautiously optimistic about Cain.  They will not be awful to watch, but if you think this looks like a playoff team, you are crazy.

I also think the trade for Shields was garbage. I don't mind the Royals spending wildly for Guthry and Santana because, while below average, they should be a huge improvement over last season, and the Royals are going to have to spend wildly if they want to compete. I would rather see them waste money than lose top prospects.

[mocat]

Meanwhile....         Getzy 

Maybe changing that swing and approach has helped.  I hope the guy can keep it up through a season.

Somebody has been drinking a double of Hud and will be regretting it very soon.

Hud makes having a tv and fsn worth it for like 8 months. Its like if somebody unscrewed Stanbot's rear control panel and messed with the wires a little bit

[bones129]

I like Hud. I also liked Frank White. Would love to see them as a broadcast team.

[AppleJack]

Just got my Sal Perez jersey 

[jtksu]

Just got my Sal Perez jersey 

Great choice. I wanted a Giavotella one but he kinda sucks, then I wanted a Myers one but he's gone. I'm thinking Cain or Escobar now.

[Cartierfor3]

Just got my Sal Perez jersey 

home or away?

[Kat Kid]

Just got my Sal Perez jersey 

home or away?

If it isn't a white then well....I don't know.

[Dub]

Meanwhile....         Getzy 

Maybe changing that swing and approach has helped.  I hope the guy can keep it up through a season.

Somebody has been drinking a double of Hud and will be regretting it very soon.

Hud makes having a tv and fsn worth it for like 8 months. Its like if somebody unscrewed Stanbot's rear control panel and messed with the wires a little bit

Your correct, I even spent an extra $20 so I can have Hud out of market.  He's the crazy homeless guy on the corner you can't stop listening to.

I understand what Getz has been and probably is as a player... but it's not completely uncommon to see a player take a little longer to "get" the game and change his approach to hitting or change his swing.  Alex Gordon only bat over .247 once in four seasons until he turned the corner two years ago.  He's one of the best players on the team now.  I'm not saying Getz is going to be jacking up HR's and RBIs, but if he serves his purpose of having a good OBP, getting some steals, and playing situationally then he's done his job.

I don't mind being an eternal optimist about sports teams before the season.  I'd rather have some enjoyment about the season even though it may be speculative.  But some people prefer to just crap in their hand and rub it in their hair before anything happens.

[Kat Kid]

Meanwhile....         Getzy 

Maybe changing that swing and approach has helped.  I hope the guy can keep it up through a season.

Somebody has been drinking a double of Hud and will be regretting it very soon.

Hud makes having a tv and fsn worth it for like 8 months. Its like if somebody unscrewed Stanbot's rear control panel and messed with the wires a little bit

Your correct, I even spent an extra $20 so I can have Hud out of market.  He's the crazy homeless guy on the corner you can't stop listening to.

I understand what Getz has been and probably is as a player... but it's not completely uncommon to see a player take a little longer to "get" the game and change his approach to hitting or change his swing.  Alex Gordon only bat over .247 once in four seasons until he turned the corner two years ago.  He's one of the best players on the team now.  I'm not saying Getz is going to be jacking up HR's and RBIs, but if he serves his purpose of having a good OBP, getting some steals, and playing situationally then he's done his job.

I don't mind being an eternal optimist about sports teams before the season.  I'd rather have some enjoyment about the season even though it may be speculative.  But some people prefer to just crap in their hand and rub it in their hair before anything happens.

Alex Gordon
1st round 2nd pick overall
Minor League Career:
Ranked #13 overall prospect by Baseball America (2006), Ranked #3 overall prospect by Baseball America (2007)
.321 avg/1.016 ops moved from 3b to OF where he is currently a Gold Glove LF

Chris Getz
4th round pick by the White Sox
Minor League Career:
Never ranked as a top 100 prospect
.286 avg/.742 ops (fewer SB in more AB than Alex Gordon)

Chris Getz is a utility infielder at best, but I don't even like his glove much.  In other words, he pretty much sucks.  It almost never happens when a player outperforms their minor league numbers in the majors and his minor league numbers would only get him near Jason Kipnis/Dustin Ackley level minus the speed.  Which again, would be slightly above league average with little upside and a so-so glove.