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Nzoner's Game Room>*** Official 2017 Royals Repository ***
Chiefspants 10:55 AM 04-05-2017
Chiefsplanet’s (Proposed) 2017 Season Title: One Last Ride

Midish-Season Update (Royals 51-47, 2nd Wild Card, 1.5 GB of ALC):

We're halfway through 2017, and fittingly to the Chiefsplanet's 2017 Season Title, the Royals are all-in on what will likely be one final run with the current core. While many are worried the Royals will take a 2004 style tumble after this year, the farm system is hardly the barren wasteland it was during the Baird years. To see what's in the pipeline and what we have to look forward to, check out this exceptional list and analysis that Duncan put together of our system.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...htmlview#gid=0

While I had the honor of starting this thread this year, Duncan will always have a VIP pass to this OP, and can add more content at any time.

2017's Burning Questions Revisited:

1. What is the threshold between being “buyers” and “sellers” at the deadline?

We're buyers, baby.

In April, I argued that it would be a wise strategy for us to sell if we were 5 GB or worse, but that Dayton would likely add supplemental pieces for us to load up for another run if we were 1-2 GB. On July 24th, the Royals found themselves in sole possession of the 2nd wild card spot and 1.5 games back of the division. In April I said the Royals might pull the trigger on someone like Alex Cobb and resign Luke Hochevar, but since the Rays are also buyers and Luke's shoulder hasn't rebounded, this prediction hasn't come to fruition. Luckily, Dayton Moore again proved much more adept and creative than me by adding Trevor Cahill (good call, Duncan), Brandon Maurer and Ryan Buchter in a single trade. Giving us a solid starter to compete in 2017, and two relievers whom we will control through 2019 and 2021, respectively, keeping Moore's new vision through 2019-2020 intact. Moore has hinted that the Royals will continue to pursue the right deals if they're there, so the fun may not be over just yet. While we may not have the bullets to pull in a "star" like Cueto or Zo, Moore's adeptness may yet again net us what we need for another run in October.

2. Can Gordo and Moose bounce back to 2015 levels?

In April I asked if Gordo could at least set the table at a 265/325/425 clip and if Moose could deliver damage around a 265/335/500 clip for an entire year. This season Mr. Moustakas has been the prospect that was promised, delivering at a 277/307/568 clip as of this update. Gordo, on the other hand, has put up an unbelievably abysmal line thus far. But, if there is a silver lining, it's that Gordo has performed at a 246/311/432 line since June 1st, and if he can continue to perform near that mark, he will be more than a valuable asset at the bottom of the lineup while he continues to provide the best LF defense in the league.

3. Can Ned Yost manage a bullpen?

In April, I felt that despite the poor start, Royals bullpen would ultimately be "solid" this year, but the question was whether "solid" was good enough for Ned. I argued that the Royals needed Soria to bounce back and that Ned would need to start being strategic in his L/L and R/R matchups. While Ned has still made at times baffling and frustrating decisions with his starters (such as allowing Travis Wood to try to "get the win" and still insisting on sending Hammel out for the 6th, he's mostly done a good job).

MASH: Minor/Moylan - Alexander - Soria - Herrera (Credit to C3HIEF3S for the origins of the phrase) have cemented into reliable pieces, and now that Herrera is showing signs of stabilizing, our dumping of Wood, our call up Flynn, and the acquisition of Buchter and Maurer, the Royals have the potential to enter October with one of the best and deepest bullpens in the postseason.

4. Will the Royals find a boost from an unexpected X-Factor to lift them to contention?

Cool-Whit, Boni, Mike ****ing Minor, and Alexander have come up huge thus far. Cool Whit is, incredibly, is second on the team in WAR and has more than replaced Zo's presence on the team. They, like the X-Factors on the 2014-2015 teams, have been critical cogs as we've raced back to contention, while Cool-Whit and Boni also have provided a rosier outlook for this team's future. It's worth noting that Salvador Perez and Jason Vargas has been beasts on offense and the mound (along with Sal providing his customary defensive excellence), but I am still a bit wary of Salvy's annual Yost assisted offensive drought as the team moves into August, along with Vargy regressing to his averages.

5. Can Jorge Soler and Brandon Moss be productive contributors in Kauffman’s dimensions?

Ouch, no, but the Royals shift to power-hitting in the juiced ball era looks like one that will pay off. Thankfully, Moss is showing signs of entering his seasonal hot streak where he becomes corn-fed Jesus for a month, and we'll need him hot to keep up with Cleveland down the stretch. While Jorge has been painful to watch in the majors, his scorching performance in AAA should give one a bright hope for the future. While some may disagree, I offer Moose, Hos, Gordo, and Duffy's struggles as exhibit A for why it is far too early to give up on Soler's potential.

Bonus Question - Is Raul Mondesi truly ready to be an everyday player?

Ha! Not even close. However, like Soler, his progress in AAA is incredibly encouraging. With ceilings like Lindor and floors being Esky being thrown out there, it's hard not to be excited about his future.

The Picture Forward

There are many reasons to be excited, and not only for 2017. The Royals emergence of Cool Whit, Bonifacio, and Scott Alexander, and the fact that we have pieces like Salvador Perez, Danny Duffy, Kelvin Herrera, Jorge Soler, Ryan Buchter, Brandon Maurer Cheslor Cuthbert, and Raul Mondesi until at least 2019 should leave one feeling pretty optimistic. Re-up Moose or Hos (and heck, re-sign Dyson while we're at it), and suddenly this team looks very much like one that could compete for the indefinite future.

The Royals are all in again, buckle in and enjoy the ride.

April OP:

Spoiler!

[Reply]
RealSNR 05:10 PM 06-29-2017
Honestly, are we that much worse of a team if we sell? We could still potentially play around the level we are now if we send off Hosmer, Escobar, and/or Cain. The only significant kick in the nuts we'd see in dropoff performance is if we sell Vargas.
[Reply]
penbrook 05:13 PM 06-29-2017
Gore will be here come September
[Reply]
Mama Hip Rockets 05:26 PM 06-29-2017
Originally Posted by RealSNR:
Honestly, are we that much worse of a team if we sell? We could still potentially play around the level we are now if we send off Hosmer, Escobar, and/or Cain.
Escobar? No. Hosmer and Cain, yes. This team would be much worse without Hosmer and Cain.
[Reply]
suzzer99 06:10 PM 06-29-2017
Has anyone ever seen the radio call of Bo's throw posted anywhere online? I remember I was listening at the time and Fred White just about blew a gasket. Or maybe it was one of the Denny's.

Here's the video. Never gets old.


[Reply]
Why Not? 06:30 PM 06-29-2017
Originally Posted by RealSNR:
The Royals kicked ass in the postseason because they could be counted on to completely shut the game down as soon as they got any kind of a lead beyond the 6th inning.

If this 2017 team goes to the postseason and has a 1-run lead going into the 6th inning, is ANYBODY here confident they will win? I'm sure as **** not. Only way I can see that happening is if we churn out some more runs, and the offense, while improved, just doesn't do that, particularly at the 7-8-9.

Our worst bats are worse than our worst bats from the 2014 team. Our DH blows... only advantage he has is that he strikes out more often instead of GIDPing like Butler would do. If healthy, we're slightly better than 2014's starting pitching rotation. Dyson is gone, too... we don't really have the same speed threat, either.

2014 and 2015 were magical teams. They won their way. As we are now, we can't win that way. We're a different team. And I don't think we have the horses to win a different way because we're some sort of Frankenstein's monster between those WS teams and the future.

If Dayton is going in on this year, a little patching up isn't what we need. We've gotta go in full throttle, which means finding a new DH and another piece to create depth in the bullpen. Probably two. Playing the middle way isn't going to get the job done.
^
[Reply]
bsroyals54 07:49 PM 06-29-2017
The 2017 Royals are a faster team than you'd think. They have one of the fastest 1B, a slimmer Salvador Perez (i know hes not a speed threat), Escobar can run, he just was never on base enough so he could steal. Boni can run for his bulkyness, Whit is a speedster, Cain (nuff said), Gordon isn't fat
[Reply]
Buehler445 08:01 PM 06-29-2017
Originally Posted by bsroyals54:
The 2017 Royals are a faster team than you'd think. They have one of the fastest 1B, a slimmer Salvador Perez (i know hes not a speed threat), Escobar can run, he just was never on base enough so he could steal. Boni can run for his bulkyness, Whit is a speedster, Cain (nuff said), Gordon isn't fat
Gore will be back if we make the playoffs.
[Reply]
penbrook 08:24 PM 06-29-2017
Originally Posted by bsroyals54:
The 2017 Royals are a faster team than you'd think. They have one of the fastest 1B, a slimmer Salvador Perez (i know hes not a speed threat), Escobar can run, he just was never on base enough so he could steal. Boni can run for his bulkyness, Whit is a speedster, Cain (nuff said), Gordon isn't fat
Hosmer is actually the fastest starting 1B
[Reply]
Chiefspants 08:26 PM 06-29-2017
Originally Posted by penbrook:
Hosmer is actually the fastest starting 1B
Second fastest, but yes, Hos is indeed faster than the traditional first baseman.
[Reply]
tk13 08:27 PM 06-29-2017
There's no one way to win in baseball. That's what makes it so fun. There is no way on earth this team is going to win the 2015 way, but that's okay, they don't have to. We'll never have a team like that 2015 team again. Unbelievable bullpen, combined with a lineup that was hitting 1-9. That's why Joe Buck said they might be the best team he's covered. They were that good.

There's no doubt that the first piece they'd need to go after is bullpen help, then probably another bat. But we have multiple mature power hitters in the middle of the lineup right now. We have an ace in Duffy who is probably better than any starter we had on either WS team. Vargas is pitching great, Kennedy can be a solid starter and Karns should be back before the end of the year. There are pieces there you can do damage in a short series with.

The Cubs won a WS last year, and Madden basically had to lean on Chapman and Montgomery as relievers... and Chapman wasn't even that great. Definitely need another reliever down there but you don't need HDH either.
[Reply]
KChiefs1 08:46 PM 06-29-2017
What would it take to get Rosenthal from the Cards?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
[Reply]
Chiefspants 08:47 PM 06-29-2017
In today's blast from the past, read how the Blue Jays "one-upped" the Royals by trading for a better ace in 2012 (R.A. Dickey over Shields) and traded away less valuable prospects (Syndergaard and D'arnaud rather than Myers and Odorizzi).

:-)

https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndica...48149.amp.html
[Reply]
Chiefspants 08:49 PM 06-29-2017
Originally Posted by KChiefs1:
What would it take to get Rosenthal from the Cards?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
According to DJ's Left Nut, probably pieces like Boni or Strahm, if not both.

Some in that org still think he can develop as a starter, apparently.
[Reply]
tk13 10:22 PM 06-29-2017
In creepy baseball news, today is the anniversary of the Moonlight Graham game.

Yankees prospect Dustin Fowler made his debut tonight. Chased a ball into the RF wall in the 1st inning and blew his knee out. Ruptured his patella tendon and is done for the season. Never got to bat. [twilight zone music]
[Reply]
Pitt Gorilla 11:04 PM 06-29-2017
Originally Posted by Chiefspants:
In today's blast from the past, read how the Blue Jays "one-upped" the Royals by trading for a better ace in 2012 (R.A. Dickey over Shields) and traded away less valuable prospects (Syndergaard and D'arnaud rather than Myers and Odorizzi).

:-)

https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndica...48149.amp.html
Honestly, that could have been written by Royals Fan.
[Reply]
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