royalsandcelebs

Sorry I haven’t written in a little over a week.  Once again, I’ve been a little preoccupied as of late.  I’m trying to organize some voiceover recording for my indie movie (Ron is an Island) and there are a few schedule bumps I’m trying to iron out.  I’m also still searching for work, because, well, as exciting as it is producing a very, very, VERY independent film, it’s not paying that much right now, and apparently my fiancee doesn’t want to live without water and electricity, so… searching for a job.  I didn’t think the market would be this rough.

Anyways, with all that going on, it’s tough to find the time to blog about the Royals.  I think I’ve probably said that before, too.  It’s nearly the middle of August, and the boys in blue are a couple games better than they were last year, and, because it’s only a couple, they’re a non-factor.  It can be kind of difficult to come up with material to write about (thank God for Jose Guillen and brawls).  That said, I’ve been toying with the idea of exploring “The Dayton Moore Era,” and I’m certain I’m not the first person to do this here at the two-year mark.  What I really want to examine is not specific player developments, or wins and losses, but the basic components of successful baseball.  I want to look at offense, defense, pitching, and relief pitching.  At its core, that’s what a winning team fields, and we do want a winning team.  From the majors to the minors, we’ve got to look at how we’re doing.  I apologize if the scope seems limited.  I’ve heard less is more, which is a good thing in this instance, because I’d like the time to apply for one more job today before Lauren (my lovely bride-to-be) gets home from work.  Also, I’d like to watch another episode from season 5 of “The Wire.”  It’s getting down to the… well, you know.  On we go!

I’ll start with relief pitching, because that’ll be an automatic positive.  From Dayton to the scouting department to pitching coach Bob McClure, this entire organization has done an outstanding job identifying players with “stuff” (my favorite word, for those of you who regularly read) and teaching them how to pitch.  For too long, we would see a guy with raw ability or athleticism or whatever, and throw him in the pen (and, often, in the rotation for a few months).  There would be moments of greatness, and then–poof–everything would catch up with them.  All stuff, no pitch.  That’s usually what happens when you sign some “project player” and then fire the pitching coach, who is serving as a “project manager.”  That makes the player sort of like an Olympic swimmer who’s placed in the middle of the ocean in a boat with no oars.  Does he have “stuff?”  Yes, he does, but he’s not in a pool–he’s in the middle of an uneasy current, with no coast in sight.  He never had a chance.

That’s not the case anymore, and it’s far enough along to say that success isn’t a coincidence.  We’re plugging different guys in and out the last couple of seasons, with varying levels of success.  We determine whether they have a chance to help us out late in the game, and usually, we give them the tools to strive.  If they fail, we move them out quickly, and find someone else to plug the hole.  That’s why I don’t lay blame for Yabuta or Gobble–not everything works, and if you own up to a mistake early enough and replace that person with a guy who can succeed, you’ve done your job.  Trial and error.  We know what we’re doing there.  No worries.

Starting pitching has improved, but it’s certainly not dominant.  I wouldn’t even call it “good.”  It’s passable, and I only say passable when comparing their rotation to the “Ghosts of Rotations Past.”  No Bobby Keppels or Dennys Reyess will slip into the start of a game.  Did you know we’ve only used seven starting pitchers this year?  Seven!  That’s, like,… well, that’s like a number a legitimate major league baseball team would have!  We hadn’t approached that since, what, the 1990s?  Early 1990s?

Durability?  Sure.  Quality?  Mixed.  Zack Greinke and Gil Meche could start for any other baseball team, which is really good (again, that’s only “good” when compared to past teams–it’s passable).  Are they top of the rotation guys?  No.  They shouldn’t be.  Right now, they’re solid two and three guys, with Greinke still eligible to reach his potential and anchor a staff.  As for the rest, I’m not as down on Hochaver as everyone else.  He’s a heady guy who incurs groundballs.  I think it’s too early to call him a dud just because some other guys in that draft have already put up great numbers.  He may not be Linchecom or Longoria, but it’s way too early.  Sure, he has a 6-10 record and a 5.54 ERA, but he’s a ROOKIE.  Not everyone develops at the same speed (I feel like I’m teaching a health class in middle school).  Davies, on the other hand, hasn’t grown.  He’s had a few years, and in that time, he still walks people too much and strikes guys out too little.  He gives up a lot of hits.  Guys get on base frequently.  I’m not sold.  As for Brian Bannister,… I’m sorry, he’s cooked.  Everyone’s afraid to say it because he’s really smart, and he thinks and talks along the same lines as news reporters and columnists, but… he’s a spot starter.  He can’t think his way out of this funk.  He thinks like a pitcher, but he needs the basic skill set of a pitcher in order to last.  He’s not Greg Maddux–only Greg Maddux is Greg Maddux.  He’s a spot starter at best.

As for building the rotation down on the farms, I think Dayton’s done a good job securing a lot of different guys.  Carlos Rosa was here, and people are high on him, although I’m not one of them.  I see him, and I think Billy Buckner and JP Howell and all the other guys that had some talk of an upside, and then Dayton saw past the bull and sent them packing.  It’ll happen with Rosa, too, but hopefully, we’ll trick a team into more than Alberto Callaspo II, Electric Bugaloo.  Daniel Cortes and Blake Wood (hope I’m thinking of the right guy) look pretty decent.  Those A ball guys we got the last few years look more solid than the older rookies.  Still, it’s good to pick up a lot.  You can’t just pick up five young arms and assume they’ll be good due to scouting reports.  Here, quantity is quality.

I want to say the defense has improved, but it hasn’t.  We still drop flyballs.  We still run into people.  I have been to countless games the last 5 years where two guys will run towards a fly ball, stop, and look around as a ball drops right in front of them.  I went to the game where Esteban German took a FLY BALL TO THE FACE–A FLY BALL!!!  I was at the Indians game where we broke the 12-game losing streak and, still, Esteban German or Joey Gathright or somebody ran with their backs towards the ball, Willie Mays style, and whiffed on the fly ball.  And, of course, there was the first game in the Boston series, where Alex Gordon and Tony Pena Jr. ran into each other on a groundball to short.  The fact that this keeps happening is preposterous.  It shouldn’t happen.  It needs to be fixed.  We shouldn’t own all the highlights on a blooper reel.

And finally, that leaves me with the much-maligned offense, which, really, isn’t all that bad.  It’s missing a couple bats.  As soon as you give Teahan a position (I’m sure he’d like one of those, too), he’ll be a pretty good number two in the line-up.  He has strong baserunning instincts, and can knock runs in when he doesn’t have to be the guy.  He’s not that type of player–he’s a good role player, and not the stud we desperately want him to be.  He’s a starting… something, but he deserves to hit.  John Buck is a starting catcher.  He handles pitchers well, and hits decent enough for a catcher.  For those who think Buck is abysmal offensively, let me remind you folks of an old adage Yogi Berra once said: CATCHERS AREN’T SUPPOSED TO HIT.  Actually, I don’t think Yogi Berra said that, because it makes sense and didn’t have a folksy spin.  Buck hits for some power, a .250 average, and takes it up a notch when guys are on base.  That’s ok for a catcher.  Deal with it.  Jose Guillen can hit.  DeJesus should keep up his great year.  Mike Aviles, if he goes down to, what, .280 or so, is a good option in the line-up–the guy is clutch.  He may not be a shortstop, but he’s clutch.

The supplemental ingredients are there for the offense.  They just need catalysts.  That’s where we get to Billy Butler and Alex Gordon.  If those guys reach their potential, this team looks a lot better.  Will they?  Gordan has been labeled cocky and arrogant, and reports are he doesn’t listen.  If that’s true, maybe he should look at his average against lefties.  If he climbs there, we’re good.  Billy Butler seemed to have awoken from his sophomore sleep a few weeks ago, but can he sustain that for a season?  Is the power back?  Can he adjust to big-league pitching?  It’s early to say for all of that. 

We fans want production now, but we forget all about the early struggles from our “Core 4″ of Carlos Beltran, Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye, and Mike Sweeney.  Beltran was electric his rookie year, and then sucked for the next year and a half–flat-out sucked.  Johnny Damon was labeled “the next George Brett” and went on to play garbage baseball for about two years until we made him our fourth outfielder.  He lit it up after realizing he couldn’t crack the Royals starting line-up.  Jermaine Dye was a two-year bust, either injured or playing injured.  And, as for Mike Sweeney,… well, he was a catcher, and was not putting up even John Buck-sized numbers for his first THREE years he floated in between the minors and the big-league club.  Hell, I remember wanting SAL FASANO to start games–SAL FASANO!!!

So, we don’t know if the big bats will come, and the farms aren’t encouraging.  Moustakas is tearing it up in Burlington right now, but here’s the deal with that–if the guy is smashing the ball in a town, and you’re not certain what statethat town is in, you’re gonna be waiting for a while.  Ryan Shealy and that Hawaiian guy (Kh’ia, I think) are hitting a ton at first base in Omaha, but, as usual, there’s a logjam at first base.  Free agency can help, but you don’t really want your huge bat in the middle of the line-up to come with a fat contract gained from time on another team.  He’s older, and, to me, it always felt like a rental, and someone we’d just trade in a year and a half.  I want a slugger we build.  I don’t want to buy used.

All in all, I think the team is in better shape, but I’m not sure if we have what it takes to be “good” any time soon.  All I can say now is that if I were asked for five teams worse than the Royals, I could name them in under a minute.  Couldn’t say that before.  As for being close to contention, or in a great position in the farms?  Better isn’t great.  Here, better isn’t even good.  We are trying, however, and I haven’t been able to say that before.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS