Revisiting an old post....

Back towards the end of April, I wrote a blog about how our bullpen was a major weakness yet again. Well...not anymore. The bullpen is clearly the strongest unit on the team this season (so far). Here's a quick breakdown of four major reasons for the bullpen's success:

1. Joakim Soria - Our Rule 5 draft pick. When we picked up Soria, the move immediately made waves in the baseball community. Everyone was high on this guy and couldn't believe he was left unprotected. He promptly followed up his selection by pitching a no-hitter in the Mexican League. It looked like the Royals really found something in this guy. The question - could a Rule 5 guy step in as a starting pitcher, or have any kind of meaningful role on a big league team in his first season??? Yes. Soria came out of the bullpen when we had injuries to guys like Octavio Dotel and John Bale and eventually became our closer. He's looked great all year - and while he's given the closer's role back to Dotel - it may not be long before he takes it back.

2. David Riske - A free agent acquisition during the off-season. Riske is a very solid guy out of the pen and has experience as a closer. He initially took over the closer role when Dotel went on the DL, but got off to a horrible start, which led Buddy Bell to try Soria in the role. This allowed Riske to slide back into a setup role - where he has flourished pretty much all year. He's proven to be a great signing with his 35.1 innings pitched, 28 K's and 2.55 ERA (a team low). A guy who can go out pretty much every other day and get us out of almost any situation.

3. Jimmy Gobble - After being a starting pitching prospect for a few years, Gobble was moved into the pen in 2006 for what looks to be a permanent stay. He pitched well there last season and has continued to look good this year. A lefty with good stuff, he's appeared in more games than any other Royals pitcher this season - taking the mound in 38 games for a total of 26.1 innings. He seems to have finally come into his own in this role, which he's proven by posting a 2.73 ERA.

4. Zack Greinke - The "savior" of a franchise (at least he was before Alex Gordon took that title). Greinke was to be our next Bret Saberhagen....the next big thing as far as starting pitching goes. It was known all over the league - this kid had the stuff to dominate. Then...last year....it all blew up in his face. He had problems. Big ones. He left the team in Spring Training. Nobody knew what was going on...just Zack, his family, and the Royals - everyone else was in the dark. Zack came back, eventually, and was sent to AA Wichita to play in a winning atmosphere with the likes of Gordon, Billy Butler, Mitch Maier, Chris Lubanski, etc. He made his way back to KC in September...but nobody knew what to expect coming into 2007.

Well - he looked better than ever in spring, and came out of the gates in the regular season looking dominant, going pitch-for-pitch with Daisuke and having a couple more great starts after that. Then....the wheels started falling off again. Zack didn't like the pressure, couldn't stand the four day wait between starts.....so he went to the pen, and he never looked back. Now, with the prospect of playing almost every day, his head is in the game, and his stuff looks just plain nasty. He comes in one day, throws four innings. Two days later, maybe two innings. The next day, maybe one. He loves it - and it shows. Since going to the pen, he has dominated opponents and his ERA continues to drop (it was inflated from a couple of shaky starts). He's appeared in 24 games now (only 7 were starts) - and has thrown 61.2 innings. He's struck out 51 and walked only 18. He pushes himself more every time out (the other day his fastball hit 100 mph) and his stuff.....still just plain NASTY. I'm more proud of him than anyone on this team, after all he's gone through...I'm just glad he's here and he's able to keep doing what he loves.

Those are four big reasons our pen has dominated...and I've left out a handful of other good pitchers, but they're not forgotten - these guys are the pitchers who really jump out at me though. Every time they take the mound, I feel like I can relax. Let's just hope they can keep it up......actually, let's just hope we can find a couple more starting pitchers to get them some leads to protect!

Gordon (and team) in a groove

As the Royals continue rolling through interleague play, Alex Gordon keeps making strides as well. Gordon and the Royals as a whole have mirrored each other all year....and it's fitting, considering Gordon is the "next big thing" or "savior of the Royals".

Many people had high hopes coming into the season some of the young talent in the organization on the verge of breaking through with the big league club. Alex Gordon was the key figure in all of this - the natural hitter, the next George Brett. Alex was the College Player of the Year two years ago at Nebraska, then jumped straight into AA where he promptly won the Minor League Player of the Year....the first time anyone has won those honors in back-to-back seasons. All the while, he looked about like Roy Hobbs.....the game was easy for this kid - he was the real life "Natural".

Gordon wrapped up spring training by earning his spot as the opening day third baseman for KC. He had arrived. The town was buzzing with hope....we didn't expect the Royals to completely turn this ship around, but the first of our promising youngsters was here, and he's "The One"....the cornerstone of the franchise. His first at bat came against Curt Schilling and the Red Sox. If that wasn't enough...the bases were loaded...talk about pressure! The place was rocking. The chant "Let's Go Gordon!" filled the stadium. And then.....he....struck out.

As Gordon has struggled, so have the Royals (as usual). However, there was still something about this kid. He showed no emotion - no frustration or anger as he struck out time and time again. He was batting .160, .170 - but his on-base percentage was over .300 due to some walks and hit-by-pitches. At least he was getting on base and contributing a bit. And all the while, he kept his cool. You just had a feeling it was coming, any day now, it's coming. But it never came. And the Royals followed right along, never really getting on track either.

All that seems to have changed recently, though. Gordon's found his groove. He just kept plugging along and doing what he always does, not letting the pressure of failure change his approach to the game. It finally looks to be paying off. He's raised his average from around the .175 mark to up around .209. A jump of over 30 points. He's not pressing anymore, worrying about things like batting average or his other personal stats. In an interview I heard the other day on the radio, Gordon says he gave up on worrying about his average for this season "a long time ago". And as Gordon has started to produce, so has the Royals lineup as a whole. They keep plugging along, just like Gordon, and it's starting to click.

It looks like Gordon has also gotten over the initial pressure of being the sole savior of an entire franchise. That's got to be a heavy burden for a 23-year old kid to carry around on his shoulders. An entire city, beaten down for years now by a failure of a franchise, all looking to one rookie. An entire fan base, collectively thinking "Alex is here, a new day is dawning". Imagine what you were doing when you were 23. Probably getting your first job out of college. Now, just think....what if you felt like the company's entire fate rested on your shoulders? Now, take that pressure and multiply it...because you didn't have an entire city watching; you didn't have the national media anointing you as the "next great thing"; you didn't have fans in other cities yelling at you, telling you how bad you "suck" or how "overrated" you are.

It's been fun recently. Not just watching Gordon start to taste success at this level, but watching the whole team. Like I said, their ups and downs seem to go hand-in-hand this year. Gordon's killing the ball right now - he hit mammoth homers in two straight games against the Cardinals. The Royals are winning - they've won two straight interleague series against the Phillies and Cardinals.

Baseball is back in KC - even if only briefly - we've got something to root for. I'm sure this season will have plenty more ups and downs (probably more downs than ups), but we're getting a glimpse of what could be. And I think a couple of years from now, that glimpse will turn into an entire season of good baseball. We've been waiting a long time.....and finally, I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.

The Royals score......17?!?!?!?

Wow. What a day to be at the ballpark. One of the last games I attended (I think two games ago for me) was the afternoon contest against Oakland, in which we were routed by about the same score - so I guess it all balances out in the end.....

It was definitely a fun game to watch. Plenty of excitement, as we didn't pull away from the Phillies until around the 6th inning or so. It was a one run game to that point. The, all hell broke loose - but, in a good way (for once).

Items of note:

**Greinke really seems to be flourishing in his new role. He came in and pitched two innings, striking out five in the process. Sometimes that guy looks absolutely untouchable. I hope he figures it all out and goes back into the rotation, but given the problems he's dealt with over last couple of seasons, I'll be happy watching come out of the pen. If that's what makes Zack happy, then it works for me.

**Alex Gordon came in late in the game and had two at bats - his second was a double that he absolutely smashed into left-center. I'm still waiting for him to have a really looooooong hot streak. One thing I did find out courtesy of the post-game radio show, as lousy as his batting average is, Gordon is third among all rookies in extra base hits this year. So he's got that going for him, which is nice.

**The bullpen as a whole looked pretty solid once again. That's really become a strength with the team this year (along with the starting pitching). Soria went an inning and looked sharp, as did Dotel. Now if we could just start hitting on a consistent basis.....

**Tony Pena Jr. hit his first homer of the season, and his first as a Royal. He ripped it. Maybe the hardest I've seen him hit the ball this season. He's really coming around at the plate, and he's a hell of a lot more fun to watch than AwwwHell Berroa.

**Since we beat the tar out of the Phillies - I don't mind saying that I really enjoyed seeing Ryan Howard absolutely MASH a ball off the back wall of the KC bullpen. Wow. That's all I can say. Wow. Wow. Did I mention....wow?

And I got to do it all with my four year old daughter....sure, she made me drop about $40 on some hot dogs, ice cream and a pink Royals cap....but I had a great time doing it.

Hopefully, we can keep rolling through the St. Louis series, which starts tomorrow night. Be nice if we can take at least two from them and keep posting more in the wins column. Bring on the Cards!

Finally, some speed arrives!

I've been waiting...and waiting....and waiting.....finally - Joey Gathright has made his way back to the big league club. It's time to see what we've got in this guy. Can he lead off? Can he play centerfield? Is he part of the future here in KC???

Don't get me wrong - I love David DeJesus. But I don't love him as a leadoff hitter. I like him better as a #2. DDJ is patient, takes pitches, gets on base. He doesn't have the speed you'd like to see in a leadoff hitter, and he doesn't have the pop you'd like to see in a #3 guy. If Gathright can hit at this level....and that's a big IF (although he's 2-for-2 tonight so far).....he's the perfect leadoff guy. Probably one of the fastest - if not THE fastest - guy in baseball.

I won't be as picky on where he plays in the outfield. DDJ plays a fine centerfield...but....Gathright could play a great center with his speed and range. If he pans out and becomes our man out there, our range in the outfield is instantly improved. Imagine Gathright with his speed in center, DDJ with his pretty good speed in left, and Teahen with his speed (and his laser rocket arm, you know, like Peyton Manning?) in right. Not a bad outfield going into the next few years.

Of course, all of this is coming from the optimist in me. Gathright's never been able to get it done at the plate at this level. He was hitting over .300 at Omaha, but it's a whole different ballgame up here (just ask Alex Gordon).

Regardless of what happens, it's about time they brought him back up. We need to see what we've got, for better or for worse. I'm hoping for the better.


DON'T FORGET! BASEBALL AMATEUR DRAFT STARTS TOMORROW!!!!

The Huber Effect

We've seen this before.....bring a top prospect up from the minors, let him play a little, then sit his butt on the bench. It's hard to say if this slowed the development of Justin Huber, but it couldn't have helped. Now we're seeing the same thing with Billy Butler.

Dayton Moore and his new regime promised the fans we'd see better handling of prospects. Moore seems to understand the value of scouting, minor league development, etc. However....now we're watching Billy Butler, probably the best pure hitting prospect in baseball, being handled in pretty much the same way we've seen Huber handled in the past.

What's the deal????

I'm well aware of Butler's defensive shortcomings....the guy was born to hit, but that's about all he was born to do. He looks awful in the outfield, and has probably embarrassed him self a bit in the process. Now the Royals say they're going to move him to first base. Ok. Great. I'm good with that. So....shouldn't he be in Omaha, logging time at the new position?? Oh. You'd rather have him sit the bench with the big leaguers...improving on nothing. Um.....Ok.

Now, who am I to criticize? Well...just a fan. No, I don't have a master's degree in business or any real baseball background. But I'm a fan who goes to a ton of games every year, and when I'm not there, I'm watching on TV or listening on the radio. Just a guy who studies the game with my free time and recognizes when mistakes are made. A guy who sees when a similar mistake is being made. A guy who's getting really tired of bungled moves with this team.........

I'm not jumping all over Moore. I love Moore. I have all the confidence in the world in this guy. That being said, if Butler's not going to play here, send him back to Omaha. Let him hit every day and continue to improve his game. Let him play first base every day. Let this kid prepare himself to succeed at the next level! PLEASE!

Now that I've got that off my chest....I feel like I'd better mention something positive. How about Meche???? Man....he's come out and proven all the doubters wrong. Where are all these national media guys now? I remember when KC and Dayton Moore were bashed for shelling out the big bucks for him.....time to eat your words boys.

Also - you've got to love the emergence of De La Rosa as a top notch starter. When one of these two guys start, the Royals are 10-7. Maybe we should shave it down to a two-man rotation....

Back after hiatus

I had to take the end of April to get away from this blog. I couldn't handle trying to come up with something to write about, everything was going so terribly for the Royals (and still is, really).

Anyway - I'm back. And Billy Butler is here. Glad to see they finally made room for this kid...he is a hitter. And we can always use one of those.....especially in this weak lineup. Going into the season, I thought our lineup would be great and our pitching would still be the shaky part of the team, but I was wrong.

Let me clarify - I didn't think the pitching would be as horrible as last year, but I thought it would only be slightly improved. Meche and company have proven me wrong, though. The starting pitching has been vastly improved, while the bullpen has still been a sore spot (although Soria is the real deal). However, the bullpen hasn't been as much of a sore spot as our underperforming lineup. Alex Gordon is off to a slow start, which makes the start Shealy is off to completely impossible to describe (thank god he's on the DL now).

On a positive note, we did just split a four game series with the Angels, so that's nice. And even though we sit with a record of 10-20, there is a different feel to this team....I never feel like they're just completely overmatched, and that's a nice improvement from 2006. Another positive - Butler looks like the real deal, and I do see signs of improvement from Gordon - he's patient, and although he's only batting about .170, his OBP is over .300, so he's getting on base, just not getting hits.

Heading out to The K tonight to watch game two of the Detroit series, so hopefully will see a good game. Looking forward to seeing Butler in person.

I'll be posting more regularly (hopefully) throughout the rest of the season, and will try to have some fun new features for you guys, so stay tuned......

Bullpen is major weakness

It appears that once again, our bullpen is a major weakness on this team. We have definitely seen improved starting pitching this year (which was another weakness last season), and the bats are starting to wake up a bit....but we can't hold a lead.

Last year, we had 28 save opportunities blown (according to the official team page). This year, we've already had five blown opportunities - in only 21 games. Basically an eighth of the way through this season, we're on pace to blow 40 saves. Ouch.

A lot of this problem has been attributed to the injury of our new closer Octavio Dotel. After showing pretty good stuff in Surprise, Dotel was injured and placed on the DL at the beginning of the regular season, and has yet to see any game time in 2007. Another major blow to the pen came with the injury of John Bale, a lefty setup man.

Some good news/bad news - First the good: We finally have a timetable on the return of both pitchers. Now the bad.........it's not until mid-May. Hopefully the starting pitching can keep doing their job for another month, getting the team into the sixth and seventh innings of most games and not making this team rely on it's shaky pen as much. Once these two return, it could help the rest of the guys a lot, as they will all fall back into places they are probably more comfortable with....which will hopefully translate into a better late inning look for our pitching staff the rest of the way in '07.

Other than that....looking forward to seeing Greinke go today, hoping he shows the ability to bounce back after one horrible start and one so-so start....he needs to show that kind of resiliency at the big league level before he can take the next step to becoming a top of the rotation guy.