Well it's been a couple of weeks since I last wrote about Kansas City baseball...and with good cause...every time I think about this team, I get a little bit depressed.
In the time since that last post, the Royals have made some moves and shuffled some things around. Most notable is the recalling of Mike Aviles and designation of Alex Gordon. Ah...Alex Gordon...The Chosen One. Or maybe not.
Gordon is now making a transition to left field, in an effort, I suppose, to give us a potential power hitting corner outfielder. Will it work? I dunno. But it's worth a shot and I guess better than just throwing in the towel. In the meantime, though, it's good to see Aviles back with the big league club. Aviles has shown that he can, in fact, hit major league pitching (something Gordon has yet to prove on a consistent basis). Aviles gives positional flexibility on defense as well. Chris Getz not hitting well? Plug Aviles in at 2B. Yuni Betancourt underwhelming us at shortstop? Aviles. Callaspo playing horrible defense at the hot corner? Aviles. Maybe Mike Aviles is the real Chosen One. At least for now.
My one gripe in all of this...Chris Getz hasn't done a lot to impress me outside of the first seven games or so. The offense did look better before he was injured, and he does play a much better second base than Callaspo, but his bat just isn't looking good right now. I could argue that maybe Gordon deserves a spot on the roster more than Getz...but if they're serious about the position change for Alex, probably better to do it in AAA. I don't necessarily like Getz on the roster, but I can see where the organization's hands are a little tied.
Oh. And Kila is on the roster. Let's hope they actually let him play rather than sit the bench for two weeks. That would just be a waste of time for all involved.
Showing posts with label alex gordon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alex gordon. Show all posts
Friday, May 7, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Canadian Beatdown
As soon as I heard Scott Podsednik would be out of the lineup, having traveled back to KC to handle a personal matter, I thought we might be in trouble. He's been the real spark in this lineup, hitting in the two position between DeJesus and Butler. Then the news came across the airwaves that catcher Jason Kendall would get his first day off - another spark towards the bottom of the order. The two of them were replaced by Brayan Pena (who had one at bat prior to Monday night's game) and Mitch Maier. Ouch.
Not to mention we have another sinkhole in the lineup with Alex Gordon back from his injury. I have lost all faith in Gordon, and the fact that he's batting .167 (yeah, I know, small sample size so far) and has already struck out twice hasn't changed my tune.Bannister has his first rough outing to top it all off, and we get an 8-1 loss at the hands of the Blue Jays.
Looking at various articles this morning, I'm left wondering why Trey Hillman would want to keep Pods out of the lineup again today. According to an article I found at Yahoo Sports, Hillman says he doesn't like to play guys who are traveling. Well...okay...but would you rather have Pods in the two hole batting .457, or have to shuffle the lineup and stick Maier back in the bottom of the lineup so he can try to improve on his .100 average? I say go with the guy hitting .350 points higher...but what do I know? Yeah...Pods may be a little tired, but I think I'd take my chances. And if he looks a little sluggish, well, you can always pull him. Oh wait. No...your hands are tied there, aren't they Trey? I almost forgot Dayton Moore has screwed this roster up so badly that you're short handed on the bench because you have to carry 13 pitchers....
Speaking of 13 pitchers - why is Luis Mendoza (22.50 ERA, 3.25 WHIP) still on this roster? Time to make room for another position player guys. There is absolutely no point in having this clown continue to to give up three or four hits per outing. Give your manager the roster flexibility he needs, Dayton. Recall Aviles, or bring up Kila...do anything but let Mendoza continue taking a roster spot away from a more deserving player. I think we've all seen enough.
Monday, March 15, 2010
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
March 15, 2010 edition of Good/Bad/Ugly...
The Good
Royals vs. White Sox tonight at 9:05 is televised and Greinke is pitching. I'll be home in plenty of time to settle in and watch Zack throw. So far, Zack has thrown 6 innings of shutout baseball, posting a 0.00 ERA and striking out five. He's only allowed two hits and a walk so far, for a WHIP of 1.00. We don't have a ton to look forward to when it comes to Kansas City baseball, but we do have Zack.
Other good things: Butler and Callaspo have picked up where they left off - Butler is batting .318 so far and Callaspo .364 (both in 22 at bats). Luke Hochevar has looked decent in three innings as well...maybe things will click and he'll pitch worthy of his draft status.
The Bad
Kyle Davies...yuck. This kid seems to have all the raw ability in the world, but just doesn't have what it takes between the ears. Yeah, it's spring, and yeah, he's only thrown 7.2 innings...but damn...an ERA over 15 doesn't do a whole lot for me - anyone else?? He's allowed 17 hits, 6 walks, and 13 earned runs in that small sample size. My opinion - that small sample size is enough for me. Bye, Kyle. Good to have known you.
The Ugly
Injuries. Alex Gordon is out several weeks with a broken thumb. Will he ever break out? In addition, minor league shortstop Jeff Bianchi is likely out for the year with Tommy John surgery the likely solution to his injured elbow. I had high hopes that Bianchi would have a good year in 2010...but looks like his career will be put on hold for now. On the plus side, I guess it's better than losing one of our "prized" prospects like Hosmer, Moustakas, Montgomery, Crow, Myers, etc.
The Good
Royals vs. White Sox tonight at 9:05 is televised and Greinke is pitching. I'll be home in plenty of time to settle in and watch Zack throw. So far, Zack has thrown 6 innings of shutout baseball, posting a 0.00 ERA and striking out five. He's only allowed two hits and a walk so far, for a WHIP of 1.00. We don't have a ton to look forward to when it comes to Kansas City baseball, but we do have Zack.
Other good things: Butler and Callaspo have picked up where they left off - Butler is batting .318 so far and Callaspo .364 (both in 22 at bats). Luke Hochevar has looked decent in three innings as well...maybe things will click and he'll pitch worthy of his draft status.
The Bad
Kyle Davies...yuck. This kid seems to have all the raw ability in the world, but just doesn't have what it takes between the ears. Yeah, it's spring, and yeah, he's only thrown 7.2 innings...but damn...an ERA over 15 doesn't do a whole lot for me - anyone else?? He's allowed 17 hits, 6 walks, and 13 earned runs in that small sample size. My opinion - that small sample size is enough for me. Bye, Kyle. Good to have known you.
The Ugly
Injuries. Alex Gordon is out several weeks with a broken thumb. Will he ever break out? In addition, minor league shortstop Jeff Bianchi is likely out for the year with Tommy John surgery the likely solution to his injured elbow. I had high hopes that Bianchi would have a good year in 2010...but looks like his career will be put on hold for now. On the plus side, I guess it's better than losing one of our "prized" prospects like Hosmer, Moustakas, Montgomery, Crow, Myers, etc.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Alex Gordon: Man of Mystery
What do the Royals have in Alex Gordon? Do they even know? I'm sure they'd like to think he's still "the next George Brett," although I think that title may need to go to Billy Butler at this point. Butler, in my opinion, looks like the guy who will consistently hit .300 with a little pop.
But this isn't about Billy Butler, it's about Gordon. The enigma. The "Man of Mystery." I like calling him that...it's not only applicable, but gives me an excuse to use this picture of Austin Powers (and more importantly, the lovely "Femme-bots").
Again, I digress. Back to Alex. What we know is, he was supposed to be the next great Royals hitter. He was great in college, and great in his only minor league season in AA. And he's been less than impressive at the big league level. What we hope is that he's not a "bust."
In 2007, after only one year in the minors, Gordon came up and played everyday for KC at third base, logging 151 games and 601 plate appearances. He hit .247 that year, struck out quite a bit (137 times), but showed a little patience with 41 walks. He hit 15 homers that year, and added 36 doubles. Not the breakout rookie we all hoped for...but hey...not everyone has that monster rookie season.
The next season, he played in 134 games and had 571 plate appearance. He stepped up a little in year two, improving as a hitter. His average jumped 13 points to .260, and his OBP went way up to .351 (all the way from .314, a major improvement). His SLG even jumped a bit, up from .411 to .432 - all of which accounted for a .783 OPS in his sophomore season, which was a 58 point improvement from 2007.
Royals fans, including myself, thought 2009 would be it. The year Gordon would hit .280, launch 25 homers, drive in 90 runs...and we all know what happened. He started off slowly, we found out he had a pretty serious injury (same one A-Rod had) and by April 15, he was on the DL, headed for surgery. Oh crap.
He began rehabbing in Rookie ball towards the end of June, and played in the minors through mid-July. He came back to the Royals at that point, struggled, and went back to Omaha until September. This looked ugly, but again, he was recovering from a pretty serious injury. Anyway, he wound up playing only 49 games in 2009 for the Royals. He hit .232, had a .324 OBP, and .378 SLG.
Now we look to 2010. Is this the year? Is it 2010 that will see Alex hit 25 homers, 30 doubles, and knock in 90 runs? Is this the year he becomes a force in the middle of the lineup? Who knows? But he's still only 26. There is still time for him to put a nice run of seasons together. Royals fans - and more importantly, the Royals themselves - need this. We need Alex to become a key part of this lineup. For this offense to really succeed this year, and to have a hope of succeeding over the next three or four years, Gordon needs to step up and become a legitimate middle of the order guy. A guy who can hit somewhere between three and five (or worst case scenario, be very good hitting sixth).
Here's what I could see happening: Gordon proves that he is indeed a blossoming hitter, and he does build on 2008. He plays third base everyday and hits about .270 with 20 homers and 35-40 doubles. He also posts a nice OBP around .360 and has about .800 OPS.
Will it happen? Nobody knows.
For now, he remains simply a "Man of Mystery."
But this isn't about Billy Butler, it's about Gordon. The enigma. The "Man of Mystery." I like calling him that...it's not only applicable, but gives me an excuse to use this picture of Austin Powers (and more importantly, the lovely "Femme-bots").
Again, I digress. Back to Alex. What we know is, he was supposed to be the next great Royals hitter. He was great in college, and great in his only minor league season in AA. And he's been less than impressive at the big league level. What we hope is that he's not a "bust."
In 2007, after only one year in the minors, Gordon came up and played everyday for KC at third base, logging 151 games and 601 plate appearances. He hit .247 that year, struck out quite a bit (137 times), but showed a little patience with 41 walks. He hit 15 homers that year, and added 36 doubles. Not the breakout rookie we all hoped for...but hey...not everyone has that monster rookie season.
The next season, he played in 134 games and had 571 plate appearance. He stepped up a little in year two, improving as a hitter. His average jumped 13 points to .260, and his OBP went way up to .351 (all the way from .314, a major improvement). His SLG even jumped a bit, up from .411 to .432 - all of which accounted for a .783 OPS in his sophomore season, which was a 58 point improvement from 2007.
Royals fans, including myself, thought 2009 would be it. The year Gordon would hit .280, launch 25 homers, drive in 90 runs...and we all know what happened. He started off slowly, we found out he had a pretty serious injury (same one A-Rod had) and by April 15, he was on the DL, headed for surgery. Oh crap.
He began rehabbing in Rookie ball towards the end of June, and played in the minors through mid-July. He came back to the Royals at that point, struggled, and went back to Omaha until September. This looked ugly, but again, he was recovering from a pretty serious injury. Anyway, he wound up playing only 49 games in 2009 for the Royals. He hit .232, had a .324 OBP, and .378 SLG.
Now we look to 2010. Is this the year? Is it 2010 that will see Alex hit 25 homers, 30 doubles, and knock in 90 runs? Is this the year he becomes a force in the middle of the lineup? Who knows? But he's still only 26. There is still time for him to put a nice run of seasons together. Royals fans - and more importantly, the Royals themselves - need this. We need Alex to become a key part of this lineup. For this offense to really succeed this year, and to have a hope of succeeding over the next three or four years, Gordon needs to step up and become a legitimate middle of the order guy. A guy who can hit somewhere between three and five (or worst case scenario, be very good hitting sixth).
Here's what I could see happening: Gordon proves that he is indeed a blossoming hitter, and he does build on 2008. He plays third base everyday and hits about .270 with 20 homers and 35-40 doubles. He also posts a nice OBP around .360 and has about .800 OPS.
Will it happen? Nobody knows.
For now, he remains simply a "Man of Mystery."
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Granderson on the block?
According to a Fox Sports article posted today, the Tigers are taking offers for Curtis Granderson. The team has already reportedly shopped pitcher Edwin Jackson around as well. Are the Tigers cutting salary? Do they not believe in Jackson?
In other news (and more relevant to this particular blog), the Royals have given the starting third base job to Alex Gordon. He has by no means earned it...but hey...nothing this team does makes a whole lot of sense (that Teahen trade was the first positive move I've seen in about two years).
The same report says the team is comfortable with newly acquired Josh Fields playing left field should they find a trade partner willing to make a play for David DeJesus. I could see this happening. He's cheap ($4.7 million this year), was in the running for a Gold Glove this year, and is a very consistent hitter. A solid guy who plays a solid game, and at a pretty good cost.
Maybe the Royals should ship DDJ off to the Motor City in a package deal for Granderson? Dejesus and Callaspo for Granderson, perhaps? Sounds better to me than that sickening rumor of Callaspo to the Dodgers for 28 year old catcher (who happens to be a career minor leaguer with no power).
I love DeJesus...but if we can get something for him...well...like DM said the other day (about our beloved Royals) - "It's not working." No. It's not working. And shipping off these long time players like Teahen, DeJesus, Buck, etc., who have known nothing but losing may be a step in the right direction.
In other news (and more relevant to this particular blog), the Royals have given the starting third base job to Alex Gordon. He has by no means earned it...but hey...nothing this team does makes a whole lot of sense (that Teahen trade was the first positive move I've seen in about two years).
The same report says the team is comfortable with newly acquired Josh Fields playing left field should they find a trade partner willing to make a play for David DeJesus. I could see this happening. He's cheap ($4.7 million this year), was in the running for a Gold Glove this year, and is a very consistent hitter. A solid guy who plays a solid game, and at a pretty good cost.
Maybe the Royals should ship DDJ off to the Motor City in a package deal for Granderson? Dejesus and Callaspo for Granderson, perhaps? Sounds better to me than that sickening rumor of Callaspo to the Dodgers for 28 year old catcher (who happens to be a career minor leaguer with no power).
I love DeJesus...but if we can get something for him...well...like DM said the other day (about our beloved Royals) - "It's not working." No. It's not working. And shipping off these long time players like Teahen, DeJesus, Buck, etc., who have known nothing but losing may be a step in the right direction.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Opening Day is here - get optimistic
After a snow out on Monday, the Royals are set to kick off the 2009 season today in Chicago, versus the White Sox. While I’m looking forward to the season, I do have a couple of complaints regarding the final 25 man roster.
First and foremost, I just don’t understand the decision to option Luke Hochevar to Omaha. Dayton Moore seems set on having a lefty starter – even if that starter is Horacio Ramirez, who hasn’t looked good in that role for a few years now. Also breaking camp on the roster is Sidney Ponson. I just don’t see where either of these guys outpitched Luke this spring. He posted an ERA around 3.8, and without looking up the exact numbers, I’d say Ramirez and Ponson both had ERAs that came close to doubling that number. I heard Moore on the radio the other day, and he said the other guys outpitched Hochevar, and he didn’t grab the open rotation slot. I wish I had been conducting that interview. I would have loved to ask Moore how he was judging these three pitchers. I love what Moore has done to change the culture here in KC, and respect him a great deal, but come on….
Gripe number two: I think Mitch Maier deserved a shot. Brayan Pena was given the last spot on the roster, and I guess I’m okay with that. My initial thought was, “Why do we need three catchers?” But he’s fairly versatile and can play corner infield and outfield positions as well, plus hits from both sides of the plate, making him a decent pinch hitting option (if he can hit). But Maier is a guy we drafted, a homegrown product who has been patiently waiting for his chance. He played very well this spring, and I thought this might be the year. Unfortunately, he’s back in Omaha – but I’m assuming he’s only an injury or a little roster shuffle away from suiting up with the big leauge club.
As for opening day, I’m not sure what to expect. I think Meche gives us a chance to win every time he’s on the mound, so I expect a decent game. I’m hopeful that we get off to a good start this year (I’m getting tired of starting off every season with a horrible April). This division really does seem to be wide open, and anyone – yes…even the Royals – has a shot. Sure, the Royals need more things to go their way than a couple of other teams, but it COULD happen. We’ve got three strong starting pitchers, a solid bullpen, and a very good batting order which has the chance to be exceptional if a couple of guys break out this season. I’m looking at you Alex Gordon and Billy Butler.
It’s the time of year for fans to be optimistic again – so count me in. I say we play .500 ball this season with a chance to contend. Maybe we’ll actually get some meaningful baseball in August and September this year in Kansas City.
First and foremost, I just don’t understand the decision to option Luke Hochevar to Omaha. Dayton Moore seems set on having a lefty starter – even if that starter is Horacio Ramirez, who hasn’t looked good in that role for a few years now. Also breaking camp on the roster is Sidney Ponson. I just don’t see where either of these guys outpitched Luke this spring. He posted an ERA around 3.8, and without looking up the exact numbers, I’d say Ramirez and Ponson both had ERAs that came close to doubling that number. I heard Moore on the radio the other day, and he said the other guys outpitched Hochevar, and he didn’t grab the open rotation slot. I wish I had been conducting that interview. I would have loved to ask Moore how he was judging these three pitchers. I love what Moore has done to change the culture here in KC, and respect him a great deal, but come on….
Gripe number two: I think Mitch Maier deserved a shot. Brayan Pena was given the last spot on the roster, and I guess I’m okay with that. My initial thought was, “Why do we need three catchers?” But he’s fairly versatile and can play corner infield and outfield positions as well, plus hits from both sides of the plate, making him a decent pinch hitting option (if he can hit). But Maier is a guy we drafted, a homegrown product who has been patiently waiting for his chance. He played very well this spring, and I thought this might be the year. Unfortunately, he’s back in Omaha – but I’m assuming he’s only an injury or a little roster shuffle away from suiting up with the big leauge club.
As for opening day, I’m not sure what to expect. I think Meche gives us a chance to win every time he’s on the mound, so I expect a decent game. I’m hopeful that we get off to a good start this year (I’m getting tired of starting off every season with a horrible April). This division really does seem to be wide open, and anyone – yes…even the Royals – has a shot. Sure, the Royals need more things to go their way than a couple of other teams, but it COULD happen. We’ve got three strong starting pitchers, a solid bullpen, and a very good batting order which has the chance to be exceptional if a couple of guys break out this season. I’m looking at you Alex Gordon and Billy Butler.
It’s the time of year for fans to be optimistic again – so count me in. I say we play .500 ball this season with a chance to contend. Maybe we’ll actually get some meaningful baseball in August and September this year in Kansas City.
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