Jan/101
The signing of Rick Ankiel and others
Posted by: photogwingsfan on January 27, 2010.
After giving the recent signings by Dayton Moore and the Royals some time to fester, I can finally give my opinion from a fans perspective.
Rick Ankiel- I am not jumping up and down with this signing but don’t hate it as much as others. After they decided to go another direction with trading Mark Teahen (I like who they got in return but hate to see one of my favorite and others go), not resigning Miguel Olivo and Mike Jacobs they had to go after someone with some kind of power. Ankiel had only 11 home runs last season which was marred by injuries but the Royals and their fans hope he can return to the 2008 season form where he hit 25. Everyone knows that the boys in blue won’t hit many dingers so they will need as much help possible from the former Cardinal (blah.) I don’t want to forget his arm in the outfield . It will be a major plus for the Royals outfield. [url]http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200805072655396[/url]
Scott Podsednik- Everyone is hoping the former White Sox can repeat a season where he hit .304 (BA) and steal 30 bases. He is part of a crowded outfield that includes David DeJesus, Mitch Maier, Jose Guillen, Brian Anderson and Rick Ankiel. Something will have to give and as of right now I see a starting outfield as DeJesus (LF), Ankiel (CF) and Podsednik (RF.)
Jason Kendall- This is the one signing that others and I just don’t understand. They let go Olivo and Buck and signed a guy who has no pop whatsoever and for around the same price. My guess is that they think he will work better with the pitchers.
Noel Arguelles- I believe Noel Arguelles is the biggest acquisition during the Royals off-season. It’s true that he might not pitch for a few seasons but this showed that Dayton Moore and the Royals are committed to putting money into the international market, a place that they have been absent as of late.
Pretty much what all this means is that the Royals are just trying to wait until their young guys come up from minors, something we have heard way to much. They have to start hitting on some guys in the draft or we will be right back to wear former General Manager Allard Baird left us.
Jul/091
Petro's Mid-Season Grades For the Kansas City Royals (pt. 2)
Posted by: photogwingsfan on July 15, 2009.
Mike Jacobs: C
Mike Jacobs was obtained by Dayton Moore and the Kansas City Royals to hit the long ball. He has done that for the most part with 12 home runs but what we hasn’t done is drive in runs (30 RBI’s) and have a respectable batting average (.222).
David DeJesus: C
David DeJesus has rebounded somewhat after having a rough start to the season and I think has a lot to do with him feeling comfortable batting in the lead-off position. I will fill a lot better about DeJesus if he can continue to hit and raise his .256 batting average.
Jose Guillen: C-
Jose Guillen has done what we expected him to do. A poor batting average (.243), not many RBI’s (37) and has sprinkled in a few home runs (9). What he hasn’t done, which almost made bump him up to a “C” rating, is go on one of his tirades…there is still a chance.
Mitch Maier: C-
Mitch Maier hasn’t had a lot of chances to show what he has but when he has been in the game it has been mainly for defensive purposes and not for his batting average (.213).
Zack Greinke: A
Zack Greinke (10-5) has done everything anyone could ask at this point in the season. He is second in E.R.A. (2.12) in the Major Leagues, tied for second in wins (10), tied for fifth in strikeouts (129), first in complete games (5), and tied for first in shutouts (2). Along with a dominate inning in the All-Star Game (two strikeouts and no hits) he is having an amazing year.
Brian Bannister: C
Brian Bannister started the season off with a promising 4-2 start in his first eight starts, but since then he is 2-5 in his last eight. A good amount of that can be attributed to a lack of run support but he still needs to show consistency in the second half and maintain his respectable E.R.A. (3.66).
Gil Meche: C
Gil Meche (4-9) has had an off year so far. His E.R.A. (4.50) is not where you would like it to be and he has given up too many home runs (11). Some would say his high pitch count (132) on June 16 against Arizona would is part of the reason he has done poorly in his past starts, but as in past seasons he has rebounded and I believe he will.
Luke Hochevar: C-
I might be harsh with Luke Hochevar, and even though it wasn’t his fault he was the top draft pick in 2006, more is expected of him in what will be his second full season. He has shown flashes, once he finally made his season debut in the second week in May, but he isn’t striking out enough and is still giving up too many home runs.
Kyle Davies: D
Kyle Davies started the season off giving Royals fans an exciting look but that didn’t last long and he was sent to the minors before June ended. Not much has worked for him collectively so far this season so myself and Royals fans hope he can turn things around in the minor leagues and help the big league team as soon as possible.
Jamey Wright: D
Jamey Wright has done what I expected. Eat some innings and pitch below average. It was hard for me to give him much of a grade but when he has gotten into the game it isn’t much to look at.
Kyle Farnsworth: C+
Kyle Farnsworth didn’t start the season off well in the minds of Royals fans when he blew a save against the Chicago White Sox to start the season, but he picked it up after that and has pitched pretty well since then. I am not as much of a Farnsworth hater than others but he does need to try and limit the amount of hits he is giving up with 24 hits and 23.1 innings pitched.
Juan Cruz: C
Juan Cruz has been electric at times and way off as well so far this season. He has been a nice setup man for Joakim Soria and unless something drastic happens and he loses his role to Farnsworth he will continue to be a worthy asset.
Joakim Soria: B
The Mexicutioner has done what is expected of him with a good E.R.A. (1.88) and save total (14) but what is holding me back to giving him a better grade is that he was injured for part of the first half. If he would have been healthy there is no doubt he would have better numbers and could have even been elected to the Major League All-Star game.
John Bale, Bruce Chen, Roman Colon, Ron Mahay, Robinson Tejeda: None of these guys have pitched enough innings in my opinion during the season to really warrant a season grade. Once the season is done it will be easier to see what they have meant to the team.
Jul/090
Royals Come From Behind Again, Win 3rd Straight
Posted by: Casey on July 6, 2009.
Maybe another Bloomquist isn't a bad thing? No, it is.
Mike Jacobs hits his first homerun in over a month, which proved to be the game-winner in the top of the 9th, and Soria closed the door 4-3.
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