From the Ashes of the Allard Baird Era - A KC Royals Dynasty

[Kyyrewyyoae]

This is my first dynasty thread, so any comments or suggestions are welcome. I intend to go a month at a time and hopefully make it through a good number of seasons.

Spring training '06 was a time of transition for the Royals, as the front office tried to deal with a bad situation.

In order to lower payroll and build for the future, many of the familiar faces were dealt for young prospects. KC needed strong pitching arms urgently.

1B Doug Mientkiewicz, superfluous after the acquisition of Ryan Shealy, was traded to Baltimore for young pitching prospect Garrett Olson and 3B Billy Rowell.

Managament agonized over fan favorite Mike Sweeney, but his $11 million price tag and his injury problems were impossible to ignore. Sweeney was packaged with free agent signee Reggie Sanders and OF Emil Brown and sent to Arizon for SS prospect Stephen Drew and $3 million in cash.

Starting pitcher Mark Redman and Seth Etherton packed their bags for Chicago (Cubs) in exchange for young pitcher Mark Pawelek.

The only logical explanation for Odalis Perez' $8 million contract was a clerical error, so he became the Yankees' problem in exchange for pitcher Tyler Clippard.

Scott Elarton and Runelvys (Fat Elvis) Hernandez boarded a bus for LA, and the Dodgers send pitcher Clayton Kershaw and $1 million in return.

Not all the Royals were shown the door; backup catcher Paul Bako signed a 3-year deal for $750k, and reserve outfielders Chad Allen and Kerry Robinson extended for 3 and 4 years at $350k each. None of these players were expected to figure greatly in the club's future, but they were dependable backups and their prices were low.

Hoping to boost ticket sales, the GM lowered prices to $20 and raised the scouting and farm system budgets to $5 million each.

On April 1st, the 2006 Royals took the field with a revamped roster and an eye to the future. Opening day lineup and pitching rotation follow. I'll try to get at least April up tomorrow.

[HoustonGM]

I'd cut down those catchers on your active roster. :p

[Kyyrewyyoae]

I'd cut down those catchers on your active roster. :p

Yeah, I think I dumped them at the deadline.

On to April 2006.

The Royals got out to a rocky start, finishing the first month of the season with a 6-18 record.

Rookie RF Shane Costa is leading the team with a .364 BA, and DH Esteban German is hitting .328.

Disappointing plate performances were the story for 3B Mark Teahen (.191) and CF Joey Gathright (.159).

On the pitching side, the story is Closer Todd Wellemeyer, who posted a 2.08 ERA and notched 5 saves. Reliever Joe Nelson also had a hot start and a 1.98 ERA.

Not all the pitching news was good; starter Jorge da la Rosa was shelled to the tune of a 9.58 ERA and a 1-2 record. Relievers Mike Wood (10.69) and Ambiorix Burgos (11.12) were shipped back to AAA Omaha to work out the kinks, and replaced by Leo Nunez and Scott Dohmann.

Down on the Farm

Batting:
Gordon .294 AAA
Lubanski .318 A
Butler .368 A

Pitching:
Hochevar 2.39 A
Grienke 5.27 AA
Lumsden 6.94 R

[Kyyrewyyoae]

The injury bug bit the Royals roster in May, but the squad managed an 11-16 record, bringing the season to 17-34.

Injuries:

7 May - 2B Mark Grudzielanek - Sprained finger, out 2 weeks
Fernando Cortez brought up from AAA

17 May - SP Juan Cedeno - Foot stress fracture, out 2 weeks
Andy Van Hekken brought up from AAA

20 May - CF Joey Gathright - Twisted ankle, out 8 days
Rich Thompson off the bench

25 May - SP Jorge de la Rosa - Sore rotator cuff, out 8 days
Zach Greinke brought up from AAA

26 May - 2B Mark Grudzielanek returns, Cortez back to AAA

28 May - CF Joey Gathright returns, Thompson back to the bench

Batting:

DH Esteban German continues his hot streak, hitting .331.
RF Shane Costa leads the team with a .362 BA and 6 home runs.
3B Mark Teahen improves slightly to .212.
CF Joey Gathright continues to struggle with a BA of .192.

Pitching:

Rotation
1 - Gobble 4.55 3-3
2 - Hudson 4.82 2-5
3 - Keppel 4.07 4-5
4 - Van Hekken 6.75 0-1
5 - Greinke 7.20 0-1

Disabled List - de la Rosa and Cedeno

CL Todd Wellemeyer continues to close out games, ERA 3.18 and 14 saves.

RP Ambiorix Burgos got back on track in AAA, posting a 1.93 ERA in 23.1 innings of work. He was brought back to bullpen and RP Scott Dohmann was demoted to AAA.

Down on the Farm

Batting:
Huber .344 AAA
Gordon .241 AAA
Lubanski .389 AAA
Butler .287 AAA

Pitching:
Hochevar 3.49 A 2-2
Lumsden 5.68 R 2-2

[HoustonGM]

Looks like you found a real gem in Wellemeyer.

[Kyyrewyyoae]

The stubbed toes and skinned knees continued in June for the Royals. KC posted a 10-16 record for the month, bringing the season to 27-50.

Injuries:

2 June - Jorge de la Rosa back from injury, sent to AAA Omaha

3 June - Juan Cedeno back from injury, sent to AA Wichita
Andrew Sisco - Foot stress fracture, out for 12 days
RP Scott Dohmann brought from AAA to the bullpen

5 June - SP Luke Hudson - Hairline wrist break, out for 17 days
de la Rosa brought up from AAA

15 June - Sisco back from injury, RP Mike Wood to AAA Omaha

15 June - 1B Ryan Shealy - Fractured skull, out for 8 weeks
Justin Huber brought up from AAA
16 June - SS Angel Berroa - Twisted knee, out for 9 days
Andres Blanco brought up from AAA

18 June - SP Bobby Keppel - Dislocated collar bone, out for 7 days
Tyler Clippard called up from AAA

24 June - LF David Dejesus - Torn hamstring, out for 36 days
Rich Thompson comes off the bench to play LF

25 June - SS Angel Berroa back from injury. Because of the potential of young SS Andres Blanco, Berroa remains on the bench.

Batting:

DH Esteban German now leads the team with .336 but no home runs.
RF Shane Costa is a solid contributor with .329 and 6 home runs.
LF David Dejesus leads all players with 7 home runs. He is currently on the DL.

Pitching:

Rotation
1 - Van Hekken 3.32 2-2
2 - Keppel 3.92 5-5
3 - Gobble 4.62 4-8
4 - Hudson 5.19 2-6
5 - Greinke 5.93 0-4

CL Todd Wellemeyer continues to anchor the bullpen - 3.13 ERA 0-3 16 SV.

Down on the Farm

Batting:
Gordon .216 11 hr AAA
Lubanski .321 4 hr AAA
Butler .324 10 hr AAA

Pitching:
Hochevar 3.71 4-4 A
Lumsden 3.68 2-2 R

[Kyyrewyyoae]

July was every Royals fan's worst nightmare. KC lost 17 games before finding a victory and finished at an abysmal 3-24. The season to date stands at 30-74.

Injuries:

5 July RP Joel Peralta - Stretched ankle ligament, out for 16 days
RP Scott Dohmann into the bullpen from AAA Omaha

22 July - RP Andrew Sisco - Ankle stress fracture, out for 21 days
RP Joel Peralta off DL and back into bullpen

2006 AL Star Game:
The Royals' representative was CF Joey Gathright, for reasons that can only be described as unclear.

At the Trade Deadline:

The front office made a number of moves to shore up the roster at the deadline.

SP Jimmy Gobble's contract request was unsuited to budget constraints and unreasonable given his mediocre performance. To solve this problem, Gobble was packaged with six perennial minor-leaguers and $3 million and sent to Los Angeles for two pitching prospects.

To LAA:
P Jimmy Gobble
P Adam Bernero
P Brandon Duckworth
P Esteban Yan
RF Chad Allen
LF Chip Ambres
1B Ken Harvey
$3,000,000

To KCR:
P Joe Saunders (80/88)
P Steven Shell (80/92)

P Shell was assigned to AAA Omaha
P Saunders was assigned to the rotation

The performance of SS Andres Blanco allowed the Royals to divest themselves of useless bum Angel Berroa.

To DET:
SS Angel Berroa
$2,000,000

To KCR
P Eulogio De La Cruz (70/91)

P De La Cruz was assigned to AAA Omaha

Although the future catcher is exciting prospect Adam Donachie, he is not ready to play everyday in the majors. C Josh Bard was given a 2-year deal for $2.1 million in the hopes Donachie would be ready to take over by then. This left a backlog at C.

To CHW:
C John Buck
C Mike Tonis

To KCR:

P Brandon McCarthy (76/91)

McCarthy was assigned to AAA Omaha.

Ace closer Todd Wellemeyer was rewarded for his great season with a 4-year deal for $2.25 million.

P Luke Hudson signed 4 years $700k

Batting:
DH Esteban German .330 0 hr
RF Shane Costa .298 7 hr
3B Mark Teahen .230 12 hr
C Josh Bard .266 11 hr
CF Joey Gathright .192 23 SB

Pitching:

Rotation
1 - Saunders 4.58 1-5
2 - Keppel 5.32 5-11
3 - Hudson 5.43 2-11
4 - Van Hekken 5.55 2-7
5 - Greinke 6.02 0-6

RP Todd Wellemeyer 3.38 0-3 17 SV

Down on the Farm

Batting:
Gordon .233 13hr AAA
Lubanski .350 5hr AAA
Butler .297 11hr AAA

Pitching:
Hochevar 3.86 1-0 AAA
Lumsden 3.21 3-2 R

Citing widespread injuries, managment has raised medical staff funding to $5 million. Farm system and scouting budgets were raised to $7 million each.

[HoustonGM]

The game has trouble picking the one needed all star from bad teams. I've been clamoring for the option for the user to pick all the all-stars.

[Kyyrewyyoae]

August saw a major improvement from the July debacle. The Royals went 13-15 in August, bringing their season record to 43-89.

Injuries:
12 August - RP Andrew Sisco back from injury
RP Leo Nunez sent back to AA

14 August 1B Ryan Shealy back from injury
1B Justin Huber is playing well at 1B so Shealy takes a seat on the bench

25 August SP Zach Grienke - Spiked achilles tendon, out for 17 days
SP Brandon McCarthy to rotation from AAA

28 August 3B Mark Teahen - Pulled groin, out for 16 days
IF Esteban German slides over to 3B, Shealy off bench to DH


Batting:
Gathright .200 0 hr 26 SB
Dejesus .267 9 hr
German .338 0 hr 12 SB
Costa .300 10 hr
Bard .259 13 hr

Pitching:

Rotation
1 - McCarthy 3.69 4-2
2 - Saunders 4.39 4-8
3 - Hudson 5.11 3-12
4 - Keppel 6.10 5-14
5 - de la Rosa 6.47 3-5

DL - Greinke

RP Todd Wellemeyer 3.38 1-3 21 saves

Down on the Farm

Batting:
SS Stephen Drew .296 18 hr AAA
3B Alex Gordon .247 19 hr AAA
CF Chris Lubanski .276 2 hr AA
LF Billy Butler .393 8 hr AA
C Adam Donachie .228 2 hr AA

Pitching:
SP Steven Shell 2.70 4-1 AAA
SP Luke Hochevar 4.69 1-2 AAA
SP Eulogio De La Cruz 2.97 2-1 AAA
SP Mark Pawelek 3.55 1-1 AAA
SP Tyler Clippard 4.35 5-8 AAA
SP Chris Nicoll 2.78 3-2 AAA
SP Tyler Lumsden 2.45 0-0 A

The medical staff budget was increased to $6 million, and the farm system and scouting budgets to $8 million each.

[Kyyrewyyoae]

September saw the Royals finish 11-17, which combined with an 0-2 October for a 54-108 season mark.

Injuries:

11 September - C Paul Bako - Finger stress fracture, out for 14 days
SP Zazh Greinke off DL and to AAA for rehab

13 September - IF Esteban German - strained ankle, out for 7 days
3B Mark Teahen off DL and back to 3B
SS Steven Drew from AAA to 2B

21 September - SP Luke Hudson - Pulled quadriceps, out for 7 days
SP Steven Shell called up from AAA

SS Steven Drew slides to SS, Blanco to bench, German to DH

28 September - SP Luke Hudson back from injury, to AAA for rehab

Batting:
Gathright .207 0 hr 30 sb
Teahen .238 19 hr 6 sb
DeJesus .284 14 hr
German .331 1 hr 12 sb
Drew .303 1 hr 1 sb
Huber .297 4 hr 2 sb
Costa .292 13 hr 2 sb
Bard .258 14 hr
Grudz .252 6 hr 1 sb

Pitching:
Rotation
1 - Shell 2.25 0-0
2 - Saunders 5.01 5-12
3 - McCarthy 5.26 4-9
4 - Keppel 5.46 7-17
5 - Van Hekken 7.24 2-11

RP Todd Wellemeyer 2.79 1-3 26 SV

Down on the Farm

Batting:
Gordon .247 19 hr AAA
Lubanski .276 2 hr AA
Butler .393 8 hr

Pitching:
Chris Nicoll 2.78 3-2 AAA
Hochevar 4.69 1-2 AAA
De La Cruz 2.97 2-1 AAA
Lumsden 2.45 0-0 A

The Royals finished 36 games behind AL Central champ Chicago.


Playoffs
CWS over NYY 3-0
TOR over SEA 3-0

NYM over COL 3-0
STL over LAD 3-1

TOR over CWS 4-3
NYM over STL 4-1

TOR over NYM 4-3

Finances Cash $24,888,252
Payroll $22,249,000
Payroll Budget $38,752,072

Team Leaders
ERA - Keppel 5.46
Wins - Peralta 8
Saves - Wellemeyer 26
AVG - German .334
HR - Teahen 21
SB - Gathright 30

Team Batting .255
Team ERA 5.72
Runs scored 631
Runs allowed 962

CF Joey Gathright was awarded the Gold Glove.

All in all, it was a rocky season for KC. The main goals of cutting payroll and investing in the farm system were achieved, but there wasn't much success on the field. Hopefully that will change soon; the minors are loaded with talent. Management needs to find a way to pay that talent when it arrives.

On to the offseason!

[Kyyrewyyoae]

The offseason kicked off with a few disappointments as IF Esteban German and RP Mike Wood won their arbitrations. German was signed at one year for $2,250,000 and Wood for $900,000.

In response to German's outstanding year, talks began immediately for a contract extension. In the end, German signed a 4-year deal for $2,150,000. Wood's future with the club was more uncertain. After posting a 6.75 ERA in 2006 and 7.71 in spring training, his days in Kansas City were numbered.

Amateur Draft:
1 - 1B Wilfredo Delgado (65/96)
2 - 3B Patrick Christman (50/93)
3 - RP Jim Lennon (45/90)
4 - SP Bruce Fair (43/89)
5 - SP James McRaild (44/78)
6 - 2B Adam Thomas (45/75)

Farm system and scouting budgets were increased to $10 million each, and the medical staff budget rose to $8 million.

The minor league pitching system was becoming clogged with retreads and medicore arms, so a number of pitchers were placed on the trading block.

To NYY:
SP Danny Tamayo

To KCR
SP Peter Kruni (52/91)
$1,000,000

Tamayo was languishing in AAA with no real chance of breaking into the rotation and Kruni looks like an excellent prospect.

To CHC:
SP Luke Hudson
RP Scott Dohmann
SP Eduardo Villacis

To KCR:
RP Ian Driessen (51/88)
RP Sean Behr (68/85)
RP Roberto Novoa (75/77)

AAA Omaha had an abundance of mediocre 70's-level arms and there weren't many relievers in the mix. If one of these guys tops out in the high 80's this trade will have been worth it.

To LAD:
RP Mike Wood
$4,000,000

To KCR:
CF Matt Kemp (81/87)
SS Oscar Robles (73)
LF Chin-Feng Chen (70)
1B Adam Greenberg (70)

Wood's numbers were horrible and there was no reason to keep him around. The four KC got in return aren't expected to contribute much right away, but they add depth to the bench and depleted farm teams.

To BOS:
2B Mark Grudzielanek

To KCR:
2B Alejandro Machado (75/82)

Grudz wanted too much money for his age and stats. Keppinger gets the start at 2B for the moment but Machado will be ready to step in if that doesn't work out.

There was much negotiation regarding 1B Ryan Shealy, since Justin Huber has taken his starting spot. However, he's only earning $327k and he's useful on the bench. He'll probably be dealt either at the deadline or next offseason.

Lineup shots to follow.

[HoustonGM]

An alternative - move Esteban German to second base (his REAL life natural position), and then DH/1B Huber and Shealy.

[Jam391]

Shouldn't this be a dynasty and not a cupcake team, I would like to hear some success.

[HoustonGM]

Shouldn't this be a dynasty and not a cupcake team, I would like to hear some success.
Dynasties, in the sense of this forum, can also chronicle a team's ascent to stardom. If Kyyrewyyoae keeps it up, we can see him transform the Royals from a 100+ loss team to a perennial World Championship contender. That leads for better reading than a team that wins off the bat.

Oddly enough, when I started my Indian dynasty, I expected to spend a few years rebuilding, but somehow, I won 98 games or so in 2006, and following that, I HAD to keep up the winning for my fans,

[HoustonGM]

Also, you might want to spread out those shortstops among your minor league levels. More than one player at the same position at the same level causes the players to split playing time, and thus could hurt development.

[Red Sox Fan 734]

Just a question Kyy, what is your scouting at?

[Sanji Watsuki]

One little secret I kept about my Baltimore dynasty is that the Oreos really did win in the sim of the World Series. I resimmed to rig it the other way to try and make the story better XD

[Kyyrewyyoae]

Thanks for all the interest and comments. It's good to know I'm not just talking to myself.

HoustonGM, thanks for the tip about the minors. I didn't put much thought into position; I was just assigning them by rating. I'll move them around.

Red Sox Fan 734, the scouting budget is at $10 mil and the ratings are +/-5.

[Kyyrewyyoae]

The Royals looked a lot better coming out of the gate than they did in 2006, but that's not saying much. April saw KC go 11-13 and take 4th place in the AL Central, 4 games behind division-leading Detroit.


Injuries:

8 April SP Joe Saunders out for 13 days with a foot stress fracture
SP Zach Greinke is promoted from AAA

15 April RP Joe Nelson retires unexpectedly
RP Leo Nunez takes his place from AAA

23 April SP Joe Saunders back from the DL
SP Zach Greinke is sent back to AAA

29 April SP Joe Saunders is out again for 34 days with a shoulder separation
SP Jorge de la Rosa takes his spot from AAA



Team Leaders
ERA: McCarthy 3.34
Wins: Peralta 3
Saves: Wellemeyer 5
AVG: Huber .372
HR: Teahen 6
SB: Gathright 4

Esteban German hits slump, drops to .214 BA
Shane Costa cools off as well - .205
new SS Steven Drew is a disappointment at the plate - .143

Rotation:
1 - Shell 6.06 1-3
2 - McCarthy 3.34 1-2
3 - Van Hekken 6.16 2-0
4 - Greinke 7.77 1-2
5 - Keppel 7.84 2-1

Despite strong efforts in AAA Omaha and spring training, many of these guys just weren't performing. May 1st, SP Luke Hochevar, SP Roberto Novoa, and SP Brian Bass were moved up for a shot at the rotation.

Minors:

Batting:
Gordon .258 3 hr AAA
Lubanski .250 0 hr AAA
Butler .342 8 hr AAA
Donachie .277 3 hr AAA
Machade .330 1 hr AAA
Wilfredo Delgado .305 6 hr AA

Pitching:
Daniel Cortez 2.59 4-0 AAA
Tyler Lumsden 2.70 0-1 AAA
Tyler Clippard 3.29 3-1 AAA
Danny Christensen 3.52 1-1 AAA
Luis Cota 2.40 3-1 AA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

The Royals managed to stay competitive in May posting a 10-17 record for the month and a 21-30 overall mark. KC is 7 games back of Detroit and in 4th place in the AL Central.

Injuries:

7 May SP Roberto Novoa is out for 26 days with a wrist stress fracture
SP Blake Johnson takes his place

11 May 2B Fernando Cortez goes down for 17 days with a hairline wrist break
LF Chin-Feng Chen takes his place on the bench

15 May 1B Adam Greenberg is out for 16 days with a sprained back
SS Oscar Rubles takes his place on the bench

17 May RF Shane Costa suffers a fractured skull and is out for 71 days
RF Matt Kemp takes his place.

26 SP Jorge de la Rosa is out for 11 days with a strained knee
SP Danny Christensen takes his place

5874

Batting:
RF Matt Kemp improves to .319 2 hr
1B Justin Huber .322 8 hr
3B Mark Teahen .289 12 hr
SS Stephen Drew continues to disappoint - .145 3 hr
IF Esteban German .233 0 hr

Pitching:

Rotation:
1 - McCarthy 3.31 5-2
2 - Hochevar 4.12 2-1
3 - Christensen 1.69 (only 5.1 IP) 0-0
4 - Greinke 7.77 1-2
5 - Keppel 7.84 2-1

McCarthy seems to be the real deal, as does Hochevar. Time will tell on Christensen, and the other spots are up for grabs.

RP Todd Wellemeyer 3.31 0-1 13 saves

Down on the Farm

Batting:
Sanchez .391 1 hr AAA
Gordon .269 8 hr AAA
Kila Kaaihue .326 6 hr AAA
Lubanski .222 0 hr AAA
Butler .287 11 hr AAA
Delgado .321 7 hr AA

Daniel Cortez 4.68 6-4 AAA
Tyler Lumsden 3.09 1-1 AAA
Tyler Clippard 4.08 4-5 AAA
Garrett Olson 2.06 6-0 AA

May 31st marked the end of the Stephen Drew experiment. His .146 average (.059 in the last 10 games) bought him a one-way ticket back to Omaha. SS Angel Sanchez took his spot, but Andres Blanco is also in the running.

[Kyyrewyyoae]

June 6-21, 27-51 overall

Injuries:

12 June SP Zach Greinke out for 14 days with a sprained neck
SP Joe Saunders takes his place

19 June 3B Mark Teahen goes down for 279 days with a broken wrist
3B Alex Gordon gets his chance in the majors

31 June SP Danny Christensen is out for 15 days with a mild shoulder separation
SP Van Hekken gets one more chance to prove himself in the rotation
SP Zach Greinke back from injury, sent to AAA

Gordon's first 11 games gave him an average of .214 and no homers. Nobody in the lineup is really hitting well.

5880

Rotation
1 - McCarthy 4.22 7-6
2 - Hochevar 4.87 3-6
3 - Van Hekken 6.16 2-0
4 - Keppel 8.10 3-3
5 - Saunders 12.09 0-3

Wellemeyer 2.89 0-1 16 saves
Sisco 4.70 3-2

Down on the Farm

Kaaihue .312 7 hr AAA
Machado .308 3 hr AAA
Butler .282 17 hr AAA
Blanco .327 0 hr AA
Delgado .303 8 hr AA

Pitching:
Bass 2.88 4-0 AAA
Clippard 4.50 6-7 AAA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

July saw a 4-game sweep of Detroit on the 18-21st. A good run after the All-Star break included a 5-game win streak and a 3-game sweep of Seattle. KC went 12-16 for the month, 39-67 overall, 20 games behind CLE, 5th place. 11-7 since the break.

8 July 2B Jeff Keppinger goes down for 20 days with chipped knee cap
IF Esteban German to 2B, Ryan Shealy to DH

16 July SP Brian Christensen back from DL
SP Joe Saunders to AAA
SP Garrett Olson gets a shot at rotation, Bobby Keppel to AAA

17 July Kerry Robinson retires at 33

18 July SP Luke Hochevar out for 19 days with a spiked achilles tendon
SP Chris Nicoll takes his place

Moves before the trading deadline:

CF Joey Gathright wanted $3.25 million over 2 years. Although he is a defensively talented CF, the .211 avg doesn't justify that kind of money.
DeJesus can move back to CF, Costa to RF and Kemp to LF.

C Josh Bard wants 3 years at $4.550 mil. He's dreaming.

SP Novoa wants 2 years at $1.3 mil for his 8.78 ERA performance.

To FLA:
C Josh Bard
CF Joey Gathright
RP Roberto Novoa
SS Steven Drew
2B Fernando Cortez
SP Jorge de la Rosa

To KCR:
SP Anibal Sanchez (92/93)
$22,000,000

Sanchez is on the DL for 14 more days with a fractured skull.

Gathright chosen as All-Star

5881

Rotation:
1 - Olson 3.68 1-0
2 - Van Hekken 4.48 4-1
3 - McCarthy 4.37 8-6
4 - Nicoll 4.09 1-1
5 - Christensen 5.01 4-3

Hochever and Sanchez on DL

Todd Wellemeyer 4.38 1-3 20 saves

Down on the Farm

Machado .307 4 hr AAA
Kaaihue .316 13 hr AAA
Butler .279 18 hr AAA
Bianchi .313 0 hr AA
Delgado .305 12 hr AA
McConnell .351 0 hr A

pitching
Bass 4.08 5-2 AAA
Clippard 4.04 10-8 AAA
Cota 3.92 10-9 AA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

August saw the end of the promising July streak. KC had an 0-10 start and finished 10-18 for the month. The record stands at 49-85 overall, 25 games behind CLE, 5th place.

Injuries:

18 August SP Luke Hochevar goes down for 19 days with an ankle stress fracture
SP Chris Nicoll takes his place.

25 August SP Brandon McCarthy is out for 13 days with a foot stress fracture
SP Joe Saunders is given another chance. Time's running out for him.

RP Joel Peralta signed to 2 year extension for $700k

5882

Batting:
DeJesus to .301 10 hr
Huber .295 18 hr
Shealy .221 17 hr
Gordon .278 1 hr
Donachie .186 1 hr

Rotation:
1 - Anibal Sanchez 4.92 1-6
2 - Chris Nicoll 4.53 2-5
3 - Danny Christensen 5.75 6-5
4 - Garrett Olson 6.88 1-4
5 - Joe Saunders 9.49 1-5
DL: Hochevar, McCarthy

Todd Wellemeyer 3.44 1-4 26 saves

Down on the Farm:

Batting:
Machado .317 6 hr AAA
Butler .274 22 hr AAA
Kaaihue .310 21 hr AAA
Jeff Bianchi .315 1 hr AA
Delgado .315 14 hr AA


Pitching:
Blake Johnson 2.71 10-2 AAA
Brian Bass 3.55 7-2 AAA
Zack Greinke 4.41 6-7 AAA
Tyler Clippard 4.03 11-9 AAA
Sean Behr 2.41 1-2 AA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

September - October
6-22 for the month. The Royals' final record of 55-107 was a 1-game improvement over 2006.

Injuries:

6 September SP Zach Greinke and Luke Hochevar are back in the rotation
Garrett Olson and Joe Saunders back down to AAA

27 September RP Andrew Sisco signs for 3 years at $1.150 mil

5883

Season wrap-up: The acquisition of Sanchez gives the Royals a legitimate ace. McCarthy and Hochevar are also solid, so the rotation is coming together. The bullpen is a disaster apart from Wellemeyer. Sisco helps, but a couple RP acquisitions would be nice. The farm system has too many SP's and not enough RPs, so some can be dealt.

Nobody can really hit, so a power DH would also be a good FA pickup. Shealy and German can go and Machado can take 2B. Gordon isn't really making a good case for himself at 3B. Teahen may get the job back. Butler could be a solution at DH. The $50 mil in cash gives us lots of options.

TOR over CLE 3-1
NYY over SEA 3-2
STL over ATL 3-2
NYM over ARI 3-1

TOR over NYY 4-3
NYM over STL 4-2

TOR over NYM 4-1

[Kyyrewyyoae]

Amateur Draft:
1 - 3B Haruhisa Komatsu (59/96)
2 - RP Cory Allen (45/93)
3 - SP Cristofer Wible (41/93)
4 - RP Bradford Klotz (47/84)
5 - 1B Don Lowry (48/79)
6 - LF Jamie Watson (48/71)

CF Matt Kemp wins AL Rookie of the Year

Free Agents:
RP Brendan Donnelly signed for 3 years at 3.6 mil
RP Russ Springer 1 year 2.650 mil

Trades:

To TEX:
1B Ryan Shealy
3B Esteban German
SP Zach Greinke
SP Brian Bass
SP Bobby Keppel
SP Andy Van Hekken
SP Steven Shell
RP Joel Peralta
SP Blake Johnson
$18,000,000

To KCR
2B Ian Kinsler (93)

Kinsler gives the Royals a legitimate bat in the order, but the price was high. Shealy was inferior to Huber at 1B, and German had a terrible year at the plate. Most of the pitchers had multiple shots at the bigs but were consistently shelled by major league batters. The farm system is deep enough that KC won't really miss any of them. The $18 mil price tag was hard to swallow, since several of the Royals' key players will be up for arbitration in 2008. The bullpen was also shored up with two FA signings. If the rotation can stay under a 5 ERA and the bullpen steadies then the wins should start to come. Here are the opening day lineups and budget projections.

5885
5886
5884

[Kyyrewyyoae]

April was a horrible start for KC. The Royals endured a 14-game losing streak and went 3-21 for the month.

Injuries:

30 April C Adam Donachie will miss 24 days due to a stretched knee ligament
Paul Bako takes his place

3B Alex Gordon takes DH spot from Butler after he posts a disappointing .215 avg

5901

Rotation:
1 - Anibal Sanchez 7.76 0-2
2 - Brandon McCarthy 5.56 1-3
3 - Luke Hochevar 5.06 1-4
4 - Danny Christensen 7.56 0-5
5 - Daniel Cortez 8.47 0-2

SP's Olson and Cordier replace Christensen and Cortez

Todd Wellemeyer 2.45 3 saves
Brendan Donnelly 2.42 0-0

Down on the Farm

Batting:
Machado .330 0 hr AAA

Pitching:
Mark Pawelek 3.16 3-1 AAA
Joe Saunders 3.48 3-2 AAA
Garrett Olso 2.01 5-0 AAA
De La Cruz 2.51 2-2 AAA
Erik Cordier 2.73 1-0 AAA
Clayton Kershaw 2.60 3-0 AAA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

Things turned around in May for the Royals. Positive steps included a 3-game sweep of CWS, 2 of 3 from BOS, 2 of 3 from NYY, 2 of 3 from LAA, 2 of 3 from TOR, 2 of 3 from CHC, 2 of 2 from CHW, and a 3-game sweep of TOR. KC went 18-9 for the month, bringing their record to 21-30 overall, 5th place AL Central, 13 games behind Cleveland

Injuries:
21 May C Paul Bako will miss 20 days due to a chipped knee cap
Donachie comes back to C

28 May SP Garrett Olson will miss 17 days due to a hand stress fracture
Clippard and Saunders enter the rotation

5902

Rotation
1 - Brandon McCarthy 4.09 5-3
2 - Luke Hochevar 4.87 4-6
3 - Anibal Sanchez 5.72 2-4
4 - Tyler Clippard 6.00 1-0
5 - Joe Saunders 3.20 7-3 (AAA)

Todd Wellemeyer 2.45 13 saves

Down on the Farm:

Batting:
Kaaihue .315 7 hr AAA
Machado .315 1 hr AAA
Butler .351 6 hr AAA
Delgado .280 7 hr AA

Pitching:
Pawelek 3.88 5-2 AAA
Cordier 2.77 1-0 AAA
Christensen 1.77 3-0 AAA
De La Cruz 1.95 3-2 AAA
Kershaw 2.73 6-0 AAA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

June - 13-13 for the month
34-43 overall, 17.5 games behind CLE, 5th place AL Central
Team ERA dropped to 4.89, which is a major victory for a pitching staff that had been abysmal.

Injuries:

25 June SP Tyler Clippard will miss 26 days due to an ankle stress fracture
Christensen takes his place.

LF Billy Butler back into DH after crushing the ball in AAA

Trades:

To DET:
SP Erik Cordier
SP Juan Cedeno

To KCR :
RP Wilfredo Ledezma (81)
3.86 ERA in 58.1 innings of relief

Ledezma takes Sisco's spot in short relief

SP Brandon McCarthy rewarded with a 5-year deal for $4.85 mil

5903

Rotation:
1 - McCarthy 3.48 9-5
2 - Joe Saunders 3.74 1-1
3 - Luke Hochevar 4.42 6-9
4 - Anibal Sanchez 5.37 4-7
5 - Christensen 7.42 4-7

Wellemeyer 3.33 19 saves

Down on the Farm

Batting:
Kaaihue .311 11 hr AAA
Machado .324 4 hr AAA
Keppinger .327 4 hr AA

Pitching:
De La Cruz 1.67 4-2 AAA
Olson 2.75 6-1 AAA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

July - 8-19, 42-62 overall
5th AL Central, 27 games behind CLE

July 2nd was an impressive 23-4 victory over BOS

1B Justin Huber makes the AL All-Star team

31 July 2B Ian Kinsler hits for the cycle

Injuries:
19 July SP Joe Saunders will miss 9 days due to a sore rotator cuff
Tyler Clippard takes his spot

21 July SP Luke Hochevar will miss 18 days due to a hairline wrist break
Garrett Olson takes his spot

5904

Rotation
1 - Brandon McCarthy 3.52 10-8
2 - Anibal Sanchez 4.69 7-8
3 - Tyler Clippard 5.15 3-2
4 - Garrett Olson 9.07 3-3
5 - Danny Christensen 7.94 0-6

DL: Luke Hochevar 4.60 6-10

Wellemeyer 3.24 0-1 23 saves

Down on the Farm

Batting:
Machado .336 5 hr 19 sb AAA
Newkirk .309 10 hr AA

Pitching:
Cortes 3.93 10-2 AAA
Kershaw 3.27 12-2 AAA
Saunders 3.20 7-3

Contract Extensions
1B Justin Huber 4 years $5 mil
3B Mark Teahen 4 years $2.1 mil
RF Shane Costa 4 years $1.65 mil

These three guys are the core of the team and deserved their extensions.

SS Oscar Robles released
RF Rich Thompson released

These two bums should be sweeping floors.

Trades

To NYY:
RP Russ Springer
RP Ambiorix Burgos
RP Wilfredo Ledezma

To KCR:

SP Jeffrey Marquez (80/92)
RP J.B. Cox (81/94)
$7,000,000

Three expendable RP's who wanted new contracts for two good pitching prospects and a little cash.

To CLE:
$3,000,000

To KCR:
C Steve Newkirk (69/94)

Newkirk is the Royals' future at catcher. And he came at a discount.

To ATL:
1B Kila Kaaihue
SS Mike Aviles
C Paul Bako

To KCR:
LF Cody Johnson (76/97)
1B Frederic Porraz (63/89)
$14,000,000

It was hard to part with Kaaihue, but he was playing behind Huber. Johnson is a good long term solution at LF but the main thing here was the money. The more that can be pried out of other teams' hands, the better chance KC has at signing a quality free agent.

To ARI:
RP Leo Nunez

To KCR:
1B Jesus Cota (79)
$5,000,000

Just clearing away the dead weight.

[Kyyrewyyoae]

August - 16-13, overall 58-75
5th AL Central, 27.5 games behind CLE


2B Machado is given a chance at DH due to Butler's failure to produce

8th August Hochevar back from injury, takes Olson's spot in rotation

2B Ian Kinsler signs 5 year deal for $6.150 mil

5905

Rotation:
1 - Brandon McCarthy 3.69 11-10
2 - Anibal Sanchez 4.30 9-9
3 - Luke Hochevar 4.73 9-11
4 - Tyler Clippard 5.36 4-6
5 - Danny Christensen 6.25 4-6

Wellemeyer 3.30 1-2 30 saves

Down on the Farm:

Batting:
Lubanski .284 16 hr AAA
Delgado .292 6 hr AAA
Keppinger .322 5 hr AA
Porraz .336 1 hr AA

Pitching:
Cortes 3.85 13-3 AAA
Kershaw 3.16 14-2 AAA
Marquez 3.98 2-2 AAA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

September - October - 14-15
72-90, 5th Place AL Central
32 games behind CLE
17-game improvement over 2007

Injuries:

1 October David DeJesus will miss 17 days due to a stretched ankle ligament
Kemp slides to CF and Butler takes LF

LF Chin-Feng Chen signed for 2 years at $350k

5906

Playoffs:
TOR over MIN 3-2
SEA over CLE 3-2

STL over ATL 3-1
NYM over LAD 3-2

SEA over TOR 4-2
STL over NYM 4-1

STL over SEA 4-0

SP Brandon McCarthy AL Gold Glove
C Adam Donachie AL Gold Glove

2008 was a step forward. The pitching situation seems to be under control, but some big bats need to get into the lineup. Hopefully the offseason will have some major headlines.

[Kyyrewyyoae]

hey can i know how my rockies are doing kry

Not too well I'm afraid.
5907


Also, this gave me a good laugh.

5908

[Kyyrewyyoae]

Offseason

Draft:
1 - C Luis Ortega (65/96)
2 - SP Erik Key (43/97)
3 - SP Vinnie Kilpatrick (43/93)
4 - RF Brett Wallop (49/84)
5 - RP Kevin Sherrill (43/84)
6 - SP James Wells (44/76)

RP Todd Wellemeyer signed a 5-year extension at $4,050,000

Wellemeyer has been solid in the bullpen for several years and deserves every penny.

Trades:

To CHC:
RP Andrew Sisco

To KCR:
$12,000,000

Sisco was a mediocre reliever and the cash could be better used on a FA.

To CHC:
LF Chin-Feng Chen
1B Adam Greenberg
SS Andres Blanco

To KCR:
C Jose Reyes (82)
$4,000,000

Chen and Greenberg were benchwarmers, and the acquisition of Reyes give KC some strength at C until Newkirk comes along. Donachie, unfortunately, was a disappointment. The loss of Blanco clears up some of the logjam at SS.

To COL:
SP Garrett Olson
SP Billy Buckner

To KCR:
RP Christian Tinker (84/94)

Another great bullpen arm for a couple of retreads. Despite Olson's success in Omaha, he never put it together in the majors. Buckner peaked in the 60 range.

Signed SS Hanley Ramirez (94) to 4 year deal at $16,700,000. This is a huge acquisition for KC. Hopefully it will fill some seats and spark the team to the next level. The price is steep, but at some point the front office has to spend money to compete. Ticket prices were raised to $25.

5909

The situation on April 1, 2009:

5910

5911

[HoustonGM]

Wow. That prospect now.

Wow.

[Red Sox Fan 734]

Wow that team looks really good. Good Luck wiht the 2009 season!

[Red Sox Fan 734]

Kyy, for that headline(Hanley Ramirez) was that one the com made up or dd you somehow change what it said. If you somehow changed what it said could you tell me how.

[Kyyrewyyoae]

Kyy, for that headline(Hanley Ramirez) was that one the com made up or dd you somehow change what it said. If you somehow changed what it said could you tell me how.

Nope, that's the headline the game made.

[Kyyrewyyoae]

April 8-16
4th place AL Central
10 games behind CLE

Injuries:

30 April SP Luke Hochevar will miss 8 days due to a sore rotator cuff
Jeffrey Marquez takes his place

5925

Rotation:
1 - Brandon McCarthy 4.70 2-2
2 - Anibal Sanchez 6.59 1-4
3 - Mark Pawelek 10.13 1-2
4 - Jeffrey Marquez 3.55 2-1 (AAA)
5 - Tyler Clippard 7.56 0-4

DL Luke Hochevar 4.86 3-1

Wellemeyer 5.79 0-1 3 saves
J.B. Cox 0.84 0-1
Christian Tinker 1.50 0-1
Joe Saunders 1.78 0-0

Down on the Farm:

Batting:
Delgado .365 3 hr AAA
Machado .347 1 hr AAA
Donachie .320 4 hr AAA
Komatsu .352 8 hr AA
Watson .353 0 hr A

Pitching:
Cortes 1.50 4-0 AAA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

May - 13-14 for the month
21-30 overall
5th place AL Central
14 games behind CLE

8 May SP Luke Hochevar comes back, Pawelek to AAA

Trades:

To MIN:
RP Eulogio De La Cruz
3B Alex Gordon

To KCR:
LF Jason Kubel (86)
CF Denard Span (83)

De La Cruz was nothing special and Gordon was never going to crack the lineup with Teahen around. Kubel is an excellent contact hitter; he takes the DH spot. Span takes the RF spot from .179 hitting Costa, who hits the bench.

5926

Rotation:
1 - Brandon McCarthy 4.09 5-4
2 - Anibal Sanchez 4.93 3-6
3 - Luke Hochevar 4.04 4-1
4 - Jeffrey Marquez 5.89 2-4
5 - Tyler Clippard 7.77 0-6

Wellemeyer 5.11 0-2 11 saves
Tinker 2.77 0-1
Saunders 1.52 1-0

Down on the Farm:

Batting:
Machado .355 5 hr AAA
Delgado .327 7 hr AAA
Donachie .306 5 hr AAA
Komatsu .348 11 hr AA

Pitching:
Cortez 2.00 9-0 AAA
Behr 2.25 0-1 11 saves AAA

SP Cortez is given a shot at the rotation.

[Kyyrewyyoae]

June 11-15
32-45 overall
5th place AL Central
16.5 games behind CLE

Injuries:

11 June LF Jason Kubel will miss 24 days due to a broken collar bone.
Butler back in as DH

5927

Rotation:
1 - Brandon McCarthy 4.23 7-7
2 - Anibal Sanchez 4.49 6-7
3 - Luke Hochevar 4.67 6-4
4 - Jeffrey Marquez 7.27 3-7
5 - Daniel Cortez 9.72 0-2

Wellemeyer 7.13 0-3 17 saves - moved from CL to setup
Saunders to closer
J.B. Cox 3.09 2-2

Down on the Farm

Batting:
Machado .343 2 hr AAA
Delgado .328 12 hr AAA
Komatsu .327 16 hr AA

Pitching:
Kershaw 3.36 8-3 AAA
Nicoll 3.49 7-4 AAA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

July 16-11
48-56 overall
5th AL Central
11 games behind CLE
8 games behind TOR for the Wild Card

12 July 2B Ian Kinsler voted AL All Star

Roster Moves at the Deadline:

LF Jason Kubel .204 3 hr wants 2 years at $6.95 mil. It's not going to happen.

SP Joe Saunders .217 2-0 5 saves has found a place in the bullpen after a few failed shots at making the rotation. He signs for 4 years at $2.050 mil.

Trades:

To NYM:
C Adam Donachie
LF Jason Kubel
RP Brendan Donnelly
SP Danny Christensen

To KCR:
RP Bryan Wright (65/92)
RF Leon Holman (67/97)
LF Brian Gerber (65/95)
1B Marcus Recinos (63/94)
$7,000,000

Donachie was a complete disappointment and this clears the way for Newkirk. Kubel wanted too much money, and the two pitchers weren't contributing much. In return, KC raided the Mets' farm system for the best young talent.

5928

Rotation:
1 - Anibal Sanchez 3.79 11-7
2 - Brandon McCarthy 3.94 10-7
3 - Luke Hochevar 4.66 8-6
4 - Jeffrey Marquez 6.98 3-11
5 - Daniel Cortes 7.59 2-2

Saunders 2.34 2-1 6 saves
Wellemeyer 5.55 3-6 17 saves

Down on the Farm

Batting:
Delgado .310 19 hr AAA
Machado .337 3 hr 22 sb AAA
Komatsu .309 21 hr 15 sb AA

Pitching:
Kershaw .346 10-5 AAA
Behr 3.42 0-2 18 saves AAA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

August 11-18
59-74 overall
5th place AL Central
14.5 games behind CLE

No injuries

5929

Rotation:
1 - Brandon McCarthy 3.65 13-7
2 - Anibal Sanchez 4.45 12-10
3 - Luke Hochevar 4.48 9-10
4 - Jeffrey Marquez 6.45 3-15
5 - Clayton Kershaw 6.00 0-1

Wellemeyer 4.88 3-6 17 saves
Saunders 3.21 3-5 11 saves

Down on the Farm

Batting:
Delgado .321 25 hr AAA
Machado .353 4 hr 28 sb AAA
Komatsu .312 27 hr AA
Porraz .218 6 hr AA

Pitching:
Cota 3.49 5-2 AAA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

September - October 11-16
70-92 overall thanks to a late season slide
2 games behind last year's mark
5th place AL Central
20 games behind CLE

5930

Playoffs:
TOR over MIN 3-2
CLE over OAK 3-1
PHI over LAD 3-0
CHC over NYM 3-1

CLE over TOR 4-3
PHI over CHC 4-2

PHI over CLE 4-1

[Kyyrewyyoae]

Offseason

Draft:
1 - SP Wes Meeker (46/95)
2 - RP Tony Waggle (47/90)
3 - RP Kirk Clemens (45/87)
4 - 2B Darryl Leclair (44/81)
5 - 2B Rob Valance (47/75)
6 - 1B Chris Martin (47/67)

Trades:

To ATL:
LF David DeJesus
CF Chris Lubanski
2B Jeff Keppinger
SP Chris Nicoll
SP Tyler Clippard

To KCR:
RF Jeff Francoeur (87)
$19,000,000

The lineup needs some bats in a hurry, and Francoeur posted a .305/.330/.577 34 hr line in Atlanta in 2009. DeJesus wasn't earning his salary and Lubanski never developed his potential. The farm system is full of promising young arms so the loss of Nicoll and Clippard doesn't hurt much. And the $19 mil sweetens the deal.

2B Alejandro Machado has been knocking the cover off the ball in AAA; he gets a shot at the majors and Kinsler moves to DH.

5931
5932
5933

[HoustonGM]

Francouer would be one of the best hitters in the game if he learned patience.

[HoustonGM]

I'm curious about this - You said Gordon wouldn't crack the lineup with Teahen there...what was Gordon's rating/stats? It looks like Teahen absolutely stunk.

[Kyyrewyyoae]

5941
5942

I see your point. Teahen had a horrible 2009 and doesn't seem to be the same after his injury. This doesn't change the fact that I was completely unimpressed with Gordon. The two years he saw significant at bats led .228 and .227 averages. He picked it up a little bit in Minnesota, but in any game I've played I've never seen him break out of the low 80's in rating. I guess I was hopeful for Teahen based on his 2007 numbers, but he's been disappointing. It's time to see if an upgrade at 3B can be found. I'm optimistic about Komatsu, but he's not ready.

5943

[HoustonGM]

Gordon's a good player in my dynasty. Check it out. :)

[Kyyrewyyoae]

April 12-12
3rd place AL Central
2 games behind CLE

Maybe it's a testament to the low expectations in Kauffman Stadium, but I consider .500 a solid step forward.

5947

Rotation
1 - Anibal Sanchez 1.80 4-0
2 - Jeffrey Marquez 2.86 1-1
3 - Brandon McCarthy 4.38 4-2
4 - Clayton Kershaw 4.45 2-1
5 - Luke Hochevar 5.88 1-4

Behr 1.59 4 saves
Wellemeyer 4.05 0-2
Cox 1.50 0-0
Saunders 2.84 0-1

Down on the Farm

Batting:
Komatsu .279 7 hr AAA
Delgado .308 7 hr AAA
Porraz .351 2 hr AA

Pimentel 2.83 4-0 AAA
Cortes 3.18 3-1 AAA
Driessen 2.70 4 saves AAA

[Red Sox Fan 734]

That lineuep is pretty good and so is the rotation. I would just sign the top free agent next year just to stablize the rotation a bit. Once Billy Rowels overall gets a bit higher i would put him in the lineup. In all of my games he became a s-t-u-d.

[Kyyrewyyoae]

May 13-14
25-26 overall
2nd place AL Central
3 games behind CLE
Team Batting .269
Team ERA 3.92
Runs Scored: 240
Runs Allowed: 212

A Team ERA under 4 and more runs scored than allowed? It's a miracle!

Injuries:

29 May RF Jeff Francoeur will mis 15 days due to a strained knee
Butler takes his place

5948

Rotation
1 - Anibal Sanchez 2.73 5-4
2 - Brandon McCarthy 3.84 8-3
3 - Jeffrey Marquez 3.82 5-3
4 - Clayton Kershaw 4.52 3-5
5 - Luke Hochevar 4-4

Bullpen:
Behr 2.77 12 saves
Wellemeyer 3.65 0-2
Cox 1.38 0-0
Saunders 3.32 0-1

Down on the Farm

Batting:
Bianchi .306 7 hr AAA
Komatsu .268 12 hr AAA
Delgado .289 15 hr AAA
Porraz .319 4 hr AA

Pitching:
Pimentel 3.78 6-3 AAA
Cortes 3.69 4-2 AAA
Driessen 3.86 0-1 6 saves AAA
Klotz 3.24 12 saves AA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

June 13-13
38-39 overall
3rd place AL central
5 games behind CLE
Team Batting .271
Team ERA 3.86
Runs Scored: 372
Runs Allowed: 322

The run at .500 continues. Baby steps.

Injuries:

3 June Todd Wellemeyer will miss 17 days due to a foot stress fracture

5949

Rotation:
1 - Anibal Sanchez 3.04 7-5
2 - Luke Hochevar 3.49 6-5
3 - Clayton Kershaw 3.79 6-7
4 - Brandon McCarthy 3.86 6-7
5 - Jeffrey Marquez 4.47 6-4

Bullpen:
Behr 3.27 0-1 16 saves
Cox 2.30 1-2
Wellemeyer 4.08 1-3
Saunders 3.32 0-1
Tinker 4.56 1-1 1 save
Kruni 6.23 0-1

Down on the Farm:
Bianchi .299 10 hr AAA
Komatsu .273 21 hr AAA
Johnson .288 20 hr AAA
Delgado .257 17 hr AAA
Porraz .344 5 hr AA

Pitching:
Pimentel 3.69 9-4 AAA
Cortes 3.56 5-4 AAA
Driessen 4.07 1-1 6 saves AAA
Lennon 3.57 1-0 14 saves A

[Kyyrewyyoae]

July 12-15
overall 50-54
3rd place AL Central
6 games behind CLE
Team Batting: .271
Team ERA: 4.06
Runs Scored: 488
Runs Allowed: 447

LF Cody Johnson in everyday lineup as a test. Matt Kemp wants $5.3 mil and 2 years.

Injuries:

6 July Jeff Francoeur will miss 34 days due to a shoulder separation.
Matt Kemp takes his place.

2B Ian Kinsler and
SP Anibal Sanchez selected to AL All Star team

Roster Moves:

SP Anibal Sanchez signed for 4 years at $5.80 mil.

SP Luke Hochevar signs for 4 years $2.25 mil.

SS Angel Sanchez signs for 3 years at $750k.

CF Mitch Maier signs for 4 years at $550k.

Matt Kemp wants 2 years and $4.35 mil. No chance, so he goes on the block.

To ARI:
SP Daniel Cortes

To KCR
RF Carlos Gonzalez (83/91)
$1,000,000

To PIT:
3B Mark Teahen
LF Billy Butler

To KCR:
3B Freddy Sanchez (91)
$4,000,000

This is a significant upgrade at 3B, though it was hard to part with Teahen. The bottom line is Teahen and Butler weren't producing at the plate. Sanchez is .338/.383/.479 so far in 2010 for the Pirates.

To BOS:
LF Matt Kemp

To KCR:
SP Sean Lande (52/96)
SP Tim Stanek (75/97)
RP Matthew Connor (62/92)
$2,000,000

Kemp was excellent for KC in 2009, hitting 38 homers. He couldn't match that pace in 2010, and wanted way too much money. So after 4 short years he gets the boot. In return the Royals get a little cash and three top prospects.

To WSN:
RP Tyler Lumsden

To KCR:
2B John Stoltzfus (45/91)
$2,000,000

Lumsden had a good career with the Royals, but he doesn't have a role in the new bullpen. The farm system doesn't have a lot of depth at 2B.

Signed SS Jose Morban (70) to a 2 year contract at $350k to shore up the bench.

5950

Rotation:
1 - Anibal Sanchez 3.53 9-7
2 - Brandon McCarthy 4.03 12-7
3 - Clayton Kershaw 4.04 8-11
4 - Luke Hochevar 4.08 8-7
5 - Jeffrey Marquez 4.74 8-5

Behr 3.90 0-2 24 saves
Cox 2.09 1-2
Wellemeyer 3.86 2-3
Tinker 4.19 2-2 1 save
Kruni 4.32 0-1
Saunders 3.89 0-2

Down on the Farm

Batting:
Bianchi .291 13 hr AAA
Komatsu .259 27 hr AAA (demoted to AA in favor of Billy Rowell)
Porraz .338 8 hr AA

Pitching:
Driessen 4.26 1-1 11 saves AAA
Pimentel 3.66 10-5 AAA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

August 13-16
63-70 overall
4th place AL Central
8.5 games behind CLE
Team Batting: .270
Team ERA: 4.23
Runs Scored: 616
Runs Allowed: 597

Injuries:

14 August SP Jeffrey Marquez will miss 8 days due to a strained ankle.
Pimentel takes his place

17 August Justin Huber will miss 8 days due to a strained ankle
Jesus Cota into the lineup

24 August Marquez returns

25 August Huber returns

5952

Rotation:
1 - Anibal Sanchez 3.35 13-8
2 - Brandon McCarthy 3.99 13-10
3 - Clayton Kershaw 4.38 11-14
4 - Luke Hochevar 4.67 9-10
5 - Jeffrey Marquez 5.00 9-7

Bullpen:
Behr 3.40 0-3 30 saves
Cox 2.10 3-2 1 save
Wellemeyer 4.58 2-3
Tinker 4.08 2-2 1 save
Kruni 4.26 0-2
Saunders 4.56 1-3 1 save

Down on the Farm:

Batting:
Rowell .263 9 hr AAA
Delgado .275 28 hr AAA
Bianchi .285 20 hr AAA
Porraz .336 13 hr AA

Pitching:
Pimentel 3.64 11-6 AAA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

September - October

The Royals ended the 2010 season on a tear. They started 7-0 before losing to Cleveland on September 10th. KC finished with a 18-9 record for the month and an 83-79 overall record. The late season push was not enough to catch the 1st place Indians, as KC finished 4 games short. Regardless, team officials are very happy with the progress the franchise has made in the last five years.

SS Hanley Ramirez led the AL in stolen bases with 58.

5953

Here's the way the 2010 playoffs played out. Here's hoping The Royals can get in on the action next year!

5954

[Kyyrewyyoae]

5961

5962

5960

[Kyyrewyyoae]

Offseason

SP Brandon McCarthy wins the AL Gold Glove

CF Denard Span is awarded $3.5 mil for one year at arbitration

C Jose Reyes is awarded $2.75 mil for one year at arbitration

To PHI:
SS Jose Morban
RF Shane Costa

To KCR:
$7,000,000

Just clearing out the dead weight.

Draft:
1 - SP Joseph Verbos (45/98)
2 - SS Mike Desfosses (47/90)
3 - RP Paul Hutchinson (45/86)
4 - 2B Torigata Fususaki (43/83)
5 - 1B Chad Gillespie (47/75)
6 - SS Sean Hamilton (44/69)

To WSN:
RP Bradford Klotz
SP Mark Pawelek
$1,000,000

To KCR:
SP Eric Ramus (71/97)
SP Scott Peters (71/96)

Monkeys must be running the show for the Nationals.

The issue this year is money. Son-of-a-***** owner David Glass has set the payroll budget at $18,163,564. This means that staying the course in 2011 would cause the Royals' cash supply to dwindle from $66 to $15 million. And that doesn't take into account the fact that five key players, including Sanchez and Huber, are in contract years. The prime candidate for budget cuts is SS Hanley Ramirez. His contract, at $16.7 mil/year, is by far the largest on the team. And to be fair, he's had two solid seasons in Kansas City. But do numbers .297/.360/.495 and .272/.366/.454 rate such a huge contract? He also won the AL stolen base title in 2010 and had 21 homers. All things being equal, he'd be a great guy to keep around long-term. But for a small-market team, the price tag is just too high. Here's the demands from the other five:
Sanchez wants 3 years $9.6
Huber wants $10.05 for 3 years
Francoeur wants 4 years $5.95
Span wants 2 years $4.85
Reyes wants 2 years $3.8
The broadcast system has switched to a local blackout to try to draw more fans into the stadium, but that's no solution to financial realities of this kind.

If Ramirez were dealt, it would have to be for a SS. The only other in the farm system with much is promise is Mike Desfosses in A ball. Sanchez, Bianchi, and McConnell are around but they're not everyday players.

OK, decision time.

Sanchez signed at $9.15 mil 3 years
Huber signed at 5 years $9.05 mil
Francoeur signed at 3 years $5.4 mil
Span signed at 3 years $4.2 mil
Reyes signed at 3 years $3.3 mil

To SEA:
SS Hanley Ramirez

To KCR:
SS Matt Tuiasosopo (81/91)
$22,000,000

He had to go. Tuiasosopo is a solid replacement. No major league experience but a lot of potential:

5973

With Ramirez gone, the speedy Span takes the leadoff spot. Freddie Sanchez slides from 3B to DH to make time for rookie Billy Rowell. Thus, the lineup:

5974

The Rotation remains unchanged.

5975

So even with the spate of signings, the financial situation is improved. Payroll is down and there is a thick wad of cash to boot. Hopefully attendance will be up and those figures will improve even more.

5976

[Kyyrewyyoae]

April 9-15
4th Place AL Central
9 games behind MIN
Team Batting .264
Team ERA: 4.03
Runs Scored: 111
Runs Allowed: 106

Not the start KC was hoping for. The pitching took a small step back and the hitting hasn't improved.

Injuries:
28 April RP Todd Wellemeyer will miss 22 days due to a spiked achilles tendon.
Luis Cota to the bullpen from AAA

5999

Rotation:
1 - Jeffrey Marquez 1.16 2-1
2 - Clayton Kershaw 2.27 3-1
3 - Anibal Sanchez 2.50 1-2
4 - Brandon McCarthy 4.05 1-3
5 - Luke Hochevar 7.71 1-2

Down on the Farm:

Batting:
Dickerson .330 3 hr AAA
Machado .365 0 hr AAA
Ortega .319 5 hr AA

Pitching:
Peters 2.94 5-1 AAA
Ramus 3.00 1-0 AAA
Lande 2.36 3-1 AA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

May 13-14
22-29 overall
4th Place AL Central
11 games behind MIN
Team Batting: .261
Team ERA: 3.81
Runs Scored: 244
Runs Allowed: 210

The rotation has improved but the lineup is still missing some power.

Injuries:
8 May Brandon McCarthy will miss 7 days due to a sore rotator cuff.
Eric Ramus up from AAA

15 May McCarthy back, Ramus to bullpen. Cox to AAA.

20 May Christian Tinker will mis 16 days due to a hand stress fracture
Wellemeyer comes back

6000

Rotation:
1 - Anibal Sanchez 2.63 3-4
2 - Jeffrey Marquez 2.59 4-4
3 - Clayton Kershaw 4.11 4-5
4 - Luke Hochevar 4.44 4-2
5 - Brandon McCarthy 4.38 1-6

Saunders 2.70 2-1 4 saves

Down on the Farm:

Batting:
Dickerson .300 4 hr AAA
Delgado .321 12 hr AAA
Machado .342 1 hr AAA
Porraz .333 3 hr AA

Pitching:
Peters 2.60 9-2 AAA
Connor 1.94 1-0 AA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

June 11-15
33-44 overall
4th Place AL Central
18 games behind MIN
Team Batting:. 267
Team ERA: 4.16
Runs Scored: 356
Runs Allowed: 347

The mediocrity rolls on.

6001

Rotation:
1 - Jeffrey Marquez 3.03 6-6
2 - Anibal Sanchez 3.05 7-6
3 - Brandon McCarthy 4.37 2-7
4 - Clayton Kershaw 4.88 5-8
5 - Luke Hochevar 5.27 5-5

Saunders 2.41 2-2 11 saves
Wellemeyer 3.12 1-0

Down on the Farm:

Batting:
Delgado .341 19 hr AAA
Machado .358 1 hr AAA
Porraz .322 3 hr AA
Komatsu .292 17 hr AA
Lowry .309 12 hr A

Pitching:
Peters 2.86 11-2 AAA
Driessen 3.11 4-3 12 saves AAA
Kilpatrick 3.78 7-4 AA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

July 17-11
50-55 overall
4th Place AL Central
16.5 games behind MIN
Team Batting: .270
Team ERA: 4.02
Runs Scored: 493
Runs Allowed: 458

Finally the Royals string together a decent month.

12 July 2B Ian Kinsler and SP Anibal Sanchez selected to AL All Star team

Injuries:
30 July Alejandro Machado will miss 13 days due to a foot stress fracture.

6002

Rotation
1 - Anibal Sanchez 2.57 10-6
2 - Jeffrey Marquez 2.89 9-7
3 - Clayton Kershaw 4.45 9-8
4 - Peter Kruni 4.50 0-0
5 - Brandon McCarthy 4.81 3-11

Saunders 2.81 3-3 18 saves

Down on the Farm

Batting:
Dickerson .302 8 hr AAA
Rowell .319 6 hr AAA
Porraz .344 7 hr AA
Komatsu .295 26 hr AA

Pitching:
Peters 2.89 14-3 AAA
Connor 2.11 3-3 20 saves AA
Meeker 3.52 9-7 AA

Roster Moves:

Backup 1B Jesus Cota signed a 4-year extension at $850,000.

Reserve SS Chris McConnell was cut loose.

To LAD:
SP Luis Cota

To KCR:
RP Tim White (64/93)
$10,000,000

Cota was languishing in AAA and blocking the development of pitchers with more potential. White could turn into a valuable arm in the bullpen.

To CLE:
SP Julio Cesar Pimentel

To KCR:
3B Alirio Enriques (64/97)
$2,000,000

Pimentel performed well in the minors but got shelled in KC. The rotation can get along without him.

To COL:
RP J.B. Cox

To KCR:
SP Nick Sidley (73/98)
$5,000,000

Cox was excellent in 2009 and 2010 but took a steep nose dive in 2011 and lost his job. If there were fewer talented pitchers in the system, he might have been given more time to work it out.

[Kyyrewyyoae]

August 13-14
63-69 overall
4th Place AL Central
17 games behind MIN
Team Batting: .270
Team ERA: 4.31
Runs Scored: 622
Runs Allowed: 623

And right back to .500 ball, probably because of the spike in Team ERA.

Injuries:
5 August Anibal Sanchez will miss 30 days due to a wrist stress fracture.
Hochevar returns to the rotation and Bryan Wright gets a crack at the bullpen.

Machado comes back and takes over 2B. Kinsler to DH, Delgado to the bench. His major-league debut was a bust: .143/.302/.229.

6003

Rotation:
1 - Jeffrey Marquez 3.27 11-11
2 - Peter Kruni 5.00 1-1
3 - Luke Hochevar 4.86 10-7
4 - Clayton Kershaw 5.30 11-12
5 - Brandon McCarthy 4.96 3-13
DL - Anibal Sanchez 2.51 11-6

Saunders 3.38 3-5 28 saves

Down on the Farm:

Batting:
Dickerson .301 11 hr AAA
Holman .261 26 hr AAA
Gerber .268 26 hr AAA
Newkirk .260 21 hr AAA
Porraz .337 4 hr AAA
Komatsu .304 34 hr AA

Pitching:
Peters 2.75 16-3 AAA
Sidley 2.47 5-1 AAA
Connor 2.25 4-3 24 saves AA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

September - October 13-17
76-86 overall
4th Place AL Central
26 games behind MIN

The Royals slide into the end of the season. It was a disappointing year overall; a 7-game drop from last year.

Injuries:
4 September Denard Span will miss 17 days due to a sprained knee.
Carlos Gonzales off the bench.

Sanchez comes back, Kershaw down to AAA

17 September Justin Huber will miss 18 days due to a sprained neck.
Delgado in at 1B

2 October Peter Kruni will mis 7 days due to a sore rotator cuff.

Here are the wrapups:

6004

6005

Congrats to the 2011 World Series Champ Atlanta Braves!

[Kyyrewyyoae]

If anyone wondered why I haven't updated in a while, I've been busy with holidays and school. I'm ready to get back at it though.

Congrats to 3B Freddy Sanchez for his AL Batting Title and SS Matt Tuiasosopo for winning the AL Rookie of the Year.

Arbitration Deals:
SP Jeffrey Marquez gets $4 mil
SP Christian Tinker gets $2 mil

Contract Extensions:
SP Jeffrey Marquez signs for 4 years at $3.8 mil.
SP Brandon McCarthy signs for 4 years at $6.4 mil
2B Ian Kinsler signs a 7-year deal at $9.1 mil
SP Christian Tinker signs for 2 years at $2.7 mil

2B Adam Thomas (65), was let go to pursue mediocrity elsewhere.

Trades:

To LAD:
CF Joe Dickerson
$2,000,000

To KCR:
RP Don Wrisley (78/93)

The bullpen gets some reinforcement in exchange for a benchwarmer and a little cash.

To ARI:
1B Jesus Cota

To KCR:
LF Joe Allen (51/93)
$1,000,000

Another bum hits the road and the farm system gains another young prospect.

To TEX:
SS Angel Sanchez

To KCR:
1B Harv Wilkie (51/96)
$1,000,000

See above.

To BAL:
SP Clayton Kershaw
SP James Wells

To KCR:
RP Chris Britton (86)
$7,000,000

Kershaw was at 5.30 in 164.2 IP in 2011 and Wells was a bum. Britton's the new closer after a 3.47 ERA in 93.1 innings for Baltimore in 2011.

To ATL:
RP Joe Saunders

To KCR:
RP Alex Steiner (48/94)
$2,000,000

Saunders peaked in 2009 and has been declining ever since. He had 35 saves in 2011 but better arms have pushed him out. It was time to deal him.

So here's the new lineups.
6101

6102

[Kyyrewyyoae]

April 11-13
3rd Place AL Central
5 games behind MIN
Team Batting: .273
Team ERA: 3.88
Runs Scored: 113
Runs Allowed: 113

Injuries:
7 April Justin Huber goes down for 13 days. Delgado in at 1B.

6107

Rotation:
1 - Peter Kruni 1.95 2-1
2 - Anibal Sanchez 4.08 1-3
3 - Brandon McCarthy 4.45 3-1
4 - Jeffrey Marquez 5.40 2-3
5 - Luke Hochevar 6.18 1-3

RP Chris Britton is doing a good job at closer - 1.35 1-0 5 saves.

Down On The Farm:

Batting:
Porraz .336 2 hr AAA
Komatsu .333 8 hr AAA
Lowry .343 2 hr AA

Pitching:
Stanek 2.50 3-1 AAA
Peters 2.05 2-1 AAA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

May 16-11
27-24 overall
2nd Place AL Central
6 games behind CLE
Team Batting: .272
Team ERA: 3.79
Runs Scored: 248
Runs Allowed: 218

Injuries:
5 May C Jose Reyes goes out for 8 days with shouler tendonitis. Newkirk comes up from AAA to fill in.

13 May Reyes returns.

20 May Reyes goes down again for 8 days due to a sprained shoulder.
Newkirk steps in again.

26 May SP Luke Hochevar will miss 27 days due to a shoulder separation.
Scott Peters will move into the rotation after posting a 1.92 ERA in 56.1 innings in Omaha.

28 May RP Sean Behr will miss 15 days due to a finger stress facture.
RP Don Wrisley will head to the bullpen after posting a 2.88 ERA and 10 saves in 50 innings so far in Omaha.

6108

Rotation:
1 - Peter Kruni 3.22 4-2
2 - Anibal Sanchez 3.47 4-3
3 - Brandon McCarthy 4.61 4-5
4 - Jeffrey Marquez 5.21 3-3
5 - Scott Peters 7.20 0-0 (5 IP)
DL - Luke Hochevar 4.45 3-3

Britton 0.64 1-0 10 saves

Down on the Farm:

Batting:
Porraz .341 6 hr AAA
Komatsu .339 14 hr AAA
Lowry .329 6 hr AA
Allen .303 6 hr A

Pitching:
Stanek 3.38 5-3 AAA
Sidley 3.63 7-1 AAA
Ramus 2.01 3-1 AAA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

June - 14-12
41-36 overall
2nd Place AL Central
7.5 games behind CLE
Team Batting: .270
Team ERA: 4.20
Runs Scored: 365
Runs Allowed: 349

Injuries:

3 June SS Matt Tuiasosopo will mis 15 days due to a pulled groin.
Jeff Bianchi takes over at SS

12 June Behr comes back and Wrisley heads back to Omaha.

18 June Tuiasosopo returns.

22 June Hochevar returns to the rotation.
Peters pitched in 3 games and compiled an ERA of 9.19. He heads back to Omaha to work out the kinks.

6133

Rotation:
1 - Peter Kruni 4.07 5-5
2 - Anibal Sanchez 3.16 7-5
3 - Luke Hochevar 4.33 4-4
4 - Jeffrey Marquez 5.24 4-4
5 - Brandon McCarthy 5.33 5-7

Chris Britton 2.01 1-0 18 saves
Sean Behr 2.72 4-0

Down on the Farm:

Batting:
Porraz .340 6 hr AAA
Komatsu .328 23 hr AAA

Pitching:
Sidley 2.99 11-1 AAA
Peters 1.90 5-1 AAA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

July 18-9, ending July on a 10-game win streak
2nd Place AL Central
4 games behind CLE
Team Batting: .274
Team ERA: 4.07
Runs Scored: 506
Runs Allowed: 453

Injuries:

27 July LF Cody Johnson will miss 13 days due to a sprained finger.
Carlos Gonzalez takes over.

LF Cody Johnson selected to AL All Star team

RP Sean Behr signed a 4-year extension at $2.8 million.

6134

Rotation:
1 - Anibal Sanchez 3.27 10-6
2 - Peter Kruni 3.42 9-7
3 - Eric Ramus 4.18 1-1
4 - Scott Peters 7.08 3-1
5 - Luke Hochevar 4.32 5-5

Chris Britton 1.36 1-0 29 saves
Sean Behr 3.08 6-0

Down on the Farm:

Batting:
Porraz .319 7 hr AAA
Komatsu .331 33 hr AAA
Watson .320 28 sb AA
Lowry .323 13 hr AA

Pitching:
Sidley 3.23 12-2 AAA
Wrisley 2.44 2-4 19 hr AAA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

August 14-14
73-59 overall
2nd Place AL Central
6 games behind CLE
3 games behind NYY for the wild card
Team Batting: .273
Team ERA: 4.16
Runs Scored: 642
Runs Allowed: 589

Injuries:

26 August SP Eric Ramus will miss 13 days due to a sprained ankle.
Sidley comes into the rotation.

6135

Rotation:
1 - Anibal Sanchez 3.71 12-7
2 - Peter Kruni 3.53 11-10
3 - Nick Sidley 5.68 2-0
4 - Tim Stanek 5.84 0-4
5 - Scott Peters 5.77 5-3

Hochevar, McCarthy, and Marquez have moved aside for some of the younger arms.

CL Britton 1.05 3-0 35 saves
Behr 2.97 7-0

Down on the Farm:

Batting:
Porraz .322 10 hr AAA
Komatsu .334 39 hr AAA
Watson .328 1 hr 32 sb AA

Pitching:
Allen 2.86 11-3 AAA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

September - October 17-13
90-72 overall
2nd Place AL Central
8 games behind CLE
4 games behind wild card winner NYY

Injuries:

5 September LF Cody Johnson will miss 8 days due to a dislocated collar bone.
Gonzalez takes his spot.

12 September SP Scott Peters will miss 32 days due to a ruptured knee ligament.
Ramus moves into the rotation.

21 September SP Eric Ramus will miss 19 days due to a sprained back. Hochevar takes his spot.

24 September SS Matt Tuiasosopo will miss 9 days due to a twisted knee.
Jeff Bianchi comes in off the bench.

This is the highest win total so far and a definite step forward. We were in the wild card race well into September!

6136

6137

[Kyyrewyyoae]

Offseason

Awards:

3B Freddy Sanchez wins the AL Gold Glove!

Personnel Moves:

2B Alejandro Machado's price tag was too high, so the decision was made to let his contract expire and slide Kinsler back to 2B. This leaves the DH spot open.

3B Freddy Sanchez signed a 3-year extension at $8 million. Sanchez has had 3 outstanding years in KC and the only concern is his age. His outstanding defensive play makes him too valuable to let go.

SP Christian Tinker signs a 4-year extension at $3.7 million. Tinker had a 2.74 ERA in 42.2 innings of work in the Royal bullpen.

SP Anibal Sanchez signed a 5-year extension at $6.25 million. The Royals ace was 14-9 with a 3.71 ERA in 2012. He has been the cornerstone of the rotation since 2007, and at 29 he has plenty more good years ahead.

RF Jeff Francoeur signed a 5-year extension at $5.15 million. He is one of the Royals' best power hitters, knocking 30 out of the park in 2012.

C Jose Reyes signed a 3-year extension at $3.85 million. Reyes is no standout behind the plate, but he is the best option the Royals have until Steve Newkirk or Luis Ortega are ready.

CF Mitch Maier signed a 5-year extension at $800,000. Maier has been a stable and dependable part of the Royals bench for years.

SP Luke Hochevar signed a 3-year extension at $4.05 million. There are several new faces in the Royals' rotation in 2013, and Hochevar is a valuable veteran presence. The ascent of some of the young talents may relegate him to the bullpen.

Trades:

To LAA:
RP Chris Britton
CF Denard Span

To KCR:
CF Peter Bourjos (84)
$10,000,000

CL Chris Britton wanted 4 years and $11.15 mil. He had an outstanding 2012, posting a 1.37 ERA and 44 saves in 52.2 innings, but the price was simply too high. Span never repeated his 2010 .301/.343/.370 line. Bourjos becomes the Royals' new starting CF.

To CHC:
SP Vinnie Kilpatrick

To KCR:
SP Brendyn Atkinson (76/93)

Kilpatrick was good in AAA but overshadowed by some of the more talented pitchers. Atkinson is another in a long list of future superstars in the Royals' farm system.

To BOS:
SP Brandon McCarthy

To KCR:
3B Maxim Lee (68/97)
SP Raymond Berman (53/94)
$8,000,000

McCarthy was one of the venerable old men of the Royals' rotation, and it was hard to see him go. But with Ramus, Sidley, and Stanek there were more pitchers than slots, and youth won out. KC got two solid prospects and a wad in cash in return. McCarthy is the new number 4 starter in Boston.

To HOU:
RP Todd Wellemeyer

To KCR:
LF Jess Priddy (67/94)
$4,000,000

Wellemeyer was starting to feel his age, and Priddy adds some depth in the outfield to the farm system.

To SFG:
SP Jeffrey Marquez

To KCR:
CF Kevin Owen (70/95)
$5,000,000

All the arguments about McCarthy apply here. He will be remembered for his 4 solid years in KC.

To OAK:
LF Jamie Watson
RF Brett Wallop
1B Marcus Recinos
C Adrian Davis

To KCR:
SP David Davis (61/96)
$1,000,000

Four guys who washed out of the minors are dealt for a pitching prospect with tons of upside.

Here's the budget. KC continues to operate at a loss:

6146

Attendence is on the rise. Revenue is on the rise. Things are looking up!

6149

Komatsu can't be left in AAA any more. The first thought was to play him at 3B and DH Sanchez, but Sanchez has much better defensive numbers. The Gold Glove can attest to that.

6147

Ramus, Stanek, and Sidley get a chance to prove their potential. Wrisley is the new closer after the departure of Britton. With all the oustanding prospects in the minors, the biggest challenge will be finding spots for them.

6148

[Kyyrewyyoae]

April 13-11
tie, 1st Place AL Central with MIN
Team Batting: .280
Team ERA: 4.26
Runs Scored: 129
Runs Allowed: 110

The Royals had a rough start to April; several of the young pitchers got shelled and Komatsu is only hitting .207/.303/.310. But the young arms found their pace and KC rebounded to win 5 out their last 6 games.

Injuries:

19 April LF Cody Johnson out for 4 weeks with a wrist stress fracture.
Gonzalez takes his place.

6152

Rotation:
1 - Anibal Sanchez 3.32 3-3
2 - Peter Kruni 3.07 3-2
3 - Eric Ramus 4.89 1-1
4 - Tim Stanek 4.94 2-3
5 - Nick Sidley 6.23 0-1
CL Don Wrisley 5.87 1-0 4 saves

Down on the Farm:

Batting:
Porraz .317 2 hr AAA
Newkirk .314 3 hr AA
Lowry .303 8 hr AA
Lee .430 5 hr A
Wilkie .340 5 hr A

Pitching:
Wible 3.32 4-1 AAA
Meeker 1.60 3-1 AAA
Fair 2.56 0-1 AAA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

May 17-10
30-21 overall
1st Place AL Central
3 games ahead of CWS
Team Batting: .270
Team ERA: 4.59
Runs Scored: 276
Runs Allowed: 246

The Royals use an 8-game win streak from May 17th-24th to take control of the AL Central.

Injuries:

19 May LF Cody Johnson returns from injury.

6153

Rotation:
1 - Anibal Sanchez 4.21 6-5
2 - Peter Kruni 3.38 7-3
3 - Eric Ramus 3.68 5-2
4 - Tim Stanek 5.07 4-6
5 - Nick Sidley 6.39 1-3
CL - Don Wrisley 3.92 2-0 15 saves

Down on the Farm:

Batting:
Porraz .316 4 hr AAA
Lowry .300 10 hr AA
Priddy .304 12 hr AA
Lee .366 11 hr A
Wilkie .319 12 hr A

Pitching:
Wible 3.09 7-2 AAA
Meeker 2.34 8-1 AAA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

June 14-12
44-33 overall
1st Place AL Central
2.5 games ahead of CWS
Team Batting: .263
Team ERA: 4.55
Runs Scored: 396
Runs Allowed: 372

KC's hitters and pitchers slumped in June, leading to an unimpressive record. Reyes is the only Royals hitter over .300 and he's on the DL. Sanchez has dropped to .276. Kruni is the only starter with an ERA under 4. The lead over Chicago may slip away unless a few players break out of their slumps.

Injuries:

29 June C Jose Reyes will mis 8 days due to a dislocated rib.
Luis Ortega takes over at C.

6154

Rotation:
1 - Peter Kruni 3.02 10-5
2 - Anibal Sanchez 4.79 6-9
3 - Eric Ramus 4.45 8-4
4 - Tim Stanek 5.40 6-7
5 - Nick Sidley 4.84 1-4
CL - Don Wrisley 3.51 3-1 20 saves

Down on the Farm:

Batting:
Porraz .348 7 hr AAA
Lee .343 16 hr A
Wilkie .306 16 hr A

Pitching:
Wible 3.47 8-3 AAA
Meeker 2.75 10-3 AAA
Berman 2.70 5-0 AA
Moore 2.18 9-1 A

[Kyyrewyyoae]

July 13-14
57-47 overall
1st Place, AL Central
1 game ahead of CWS
Team Batting: .266
Team ERA: 4.47
Runs Scored: 521
Runs Allowed: 497

The lead is slim but still holding as the mediocre play continues. Can KC hold it together long enough to see the postseason?

SP Peter Kruni named to the AL All Star Team

18 July Backup SS Jeff Bianchi hit for the cycle.

Injuries:

6 July SP Peter Kruni will mis 8 days due to a sore rotator cuff.
Hochevar goes in.

7 July Reyes is back in action.

14 July Kruni returns.

15 July RF Jeff Francoeur will miss 16 days due to a dislocated shoulder.
Gonzalez takes his place.

LF Cody Johnson signed a 7-year extension at $7.55 million.

SP Peter Kruni signed a 7-year extension at $6.5 million.

RF Carlos Gonzalez signed a 3-year extension at $1.75 million.

SP's Cristofer Wible and Bruce Fair get shots at the rotation after the disappointing performance of Tim Stanek and Nick Sidley.

6155

Rotation:
1 - Peter Kruni 3.30 12-7
2 - Eric Ramus 3.80 12-5
3 - Anibal Sanchez 4.80 8-11
4 - Cristofer Wible
5 - Bruce Fair
CL - Don Wrisley 3.32 4-3 28 saves

Down on the Farm:

Batting:
Porraz .375 11 hr AAA
Gerber .307 17 hr AAA
Christman .264 27 hr AAA
Lee .339 18 hr A
Wilkie .311 18 hr A

Pitching:
Meeker 2.94 13-6 AAA
Lennon 2.97 1-0 22 saves AAA
Moore 2.49 12-2 A

[Kyyrewyyoae]

August 14-15
71-62 overall
1st Place, AL Central
2.5 games ahead of MIN
Team Batting: .268
Team ERA: 4.49
Runs Scored: 689
Runs Allowed: 633

The Twins climb over the White Sox for 2nd place in the Central. KC keeps treading water and stays in 1st place.

Injuries:

19 August 2B Ian Kinsler will miss 18 days due to a hand stress fracture.
Jeff Bianchi takes his spot.

6158

Rotation:
1 - Peter Kruni 3.99 13-11
2 - Eric Ramus 4.08 15-8
3 - Anibal Sanchez 4.28 11-12
4 - Cristofer Wible 3.98 2-2
5 - Bruce Fair 6.75 2-1
CL - Don Wrisley 3.86 5-5 34 saves

Down on the Farm:

Batting:
Porraz .377 14 hr AAA
Holman .292 35 hr AAA
Gerber .313 25 hr AAA
Christman .271 36 hr AAA
Lowry .307 33 hr AA
Priddy .292 28 hr AA

Pitching:
Meeker 3.08 13-7 AAA
Lennon 3.38 2-2 25 saves AAA

[Kyyrewyyoae]

September - October 17-12
88-74 overall
AL Central Champions!
4 games ahead of MIN
Team Batting: .269
Team ERA: 4.44
Runs Scored: 832
Runs Allowed: 756

On September 15th, the lead was 2 games entering a 3-game series against the Twins. The first game was close but Huber's sac fly in the 11th won it for KC. The Royals won the next two as well to sweep the Twins at Kauffman. The lead was 4.5 after losing two of three to the Angels. The Royals traveled to the Metrodome for a four-game series. The two teams split the series 2-2, the lead remained 4. Minnesota would not seriously threaten again.

Injuries:

6 September Kinsler back in the lineup.

10 September Kinsler will miss 15 days due to a hairline wrist break.
Bianchi back in.

30 September C Jose Reyes will mis 17 days due to a strained knee.
Ortega takes his place.

Congratulations to the 2013 AL Central Champion Kansas City Royals!

6159

[Kyyrewyyoae]

The Royals were matched up against the New York Yankees.

6167

Game One

KC got a great 8-inning performance from Eric Ramus and a home run from Justin Huber to take game one in New York and a 1-0 series lead.

6166

Game Two

Yankee pitcher Ben Sheets went 10 innings as New York outlasted Kansas City.

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[Kyyrewyyoae]

Game Three

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Game Four

Eric Ramus worked through a 3-run homer by Melky Cabrera and the Royals offense came alive in the 6th, tying the series at 2-2. Cody Johnson knocked in a grand slam for Kansas City.

6173

[Kyyrewyyoae]

Back in New York, the Royals were stymied by New York's Aaron Harang. Anibal Sanchez managed to keep the Yankee hitters at bay, but relief pitcher Ian Driessen gave up a grand slam to Jose Tabata in the 8th to put the game out of reach.

6174

The Yankees themselves were tripped up in the ALCS. Congratulations to the 2013 World Champion Arizona Diamondbacks.

6175

Aided by a weak Central Division, the Royals finally made an appearance in the postseason. The bar is now set, and KC will be back and hunting for another Divison title next year!

[Red Sox Fan 734]

Well, you finally made the playoffs. Congratulations!

[Kyyrewyyoae]

Well, you finally made the playoffs. Congratulations!

Hey, I never said I was good at this. It is fun though.

[Kyyrewyyoae]

Offseason

SS Matt Tuiasosopo is awarded $3 million in arbitration.

SS Jeff Bianchi is awarded $1.2 million in arbitration.

Free Agent 3B Andy Marte signs for 5 years at $12.45 million. Marte adds some much needed power to the middle of the lineup. He's the new DH and hit 47 home runs in 2013 and 45 in 2012.

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To HOU:
3B Freddy Sanchez

To KCR:
1B Tom Flatt (66/95)
3B Norberto Monreno (72/94)

Sanchez and his $8 mil contract had to be moved to accomodate Komatsu and Marte. He's still a great contact hitter at 36 but has very little power. KC got two good prospects for him.

To LAD:
SS Sean Hamilton
2B Darryl Leclair
CF Matt Beitner
LF Jeff Katzen
RP Mathew Conner
RP Juan Tomili

To KCR:
$8,000,000

Housecleaning! This bunch of bums may peak at a rating in the mid 70's. They were clogging the farm system.

Draft:
1st Round - 20th Overall - 2B Marc Folger (45/92)
2nd Round - 50th Overall - SP Keith Poulson (38/88)
3rd Round - 80th Overall - SP Jose Izquirdo (44/90)
4th Round - 110th Overall - 3B Kyle Coyer (48/78)
5th Round - 140th Overall - 2B James Slipko (44/73)
6th Round - 170th Overall - 2B Denny Cipolotti (44/70)

Opening Day Lineup

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Opening Day Rotation

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2013 saw new records in attendence and revenue!

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The signing of Marte put the club in financial trouble, but it's not as bad as it looks. The minors are brimming with solid talent that can either be put into the lineup or sold for cash.

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[Red Sox Fan 734]

September saw the Royals finish 11-17, which combined with an 0-2 October for a 54-108 season mark.

Wow, 54-108 was my record for the Royals first year in my dynasty.

[Red Sox Fan 734]

Your farm system is stacked!