SB Nation User Blog: lordbyronk

Ozzie Being Ozzie

lordbyronk — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:29:16 -0000

Ozzie Being Ozzie

Here was an interesting article about Ozzie and his theories of intentionally throwing inside. It's a pretty entertaining read.

RRMLP: Burlington Bees/The Hitters

lordbyronk — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:41:31 -0000

Since we are at the halfway point of the season, it is a good time to take a look at the players having an impact in the minor league system. Today, we’ll take a look at the prospects and how the lineup has changed since the beginning of the season for the Burlington Bees. While the team is severely lacking in power, with the exception of Moustakas, there are a few high OBP guys, who would be interesting to follow and track as they work their way through the system (Giavotella, Van Stratten).

Catcher – Ryan Egisti .216/.272/.361
A 15th round pick from the 2007 draft out of Bradley University, he has really struggled with the bat. If anything, he serves as a fine example of the lack of organizational depth at the position.

First Baseman – Clint Robertson .234/.320/.424
A 25th round pick from the 2007 draft out of Troy, AL, he has a fairly significant split hitting righties much better than lefties (.754 vs. .640). He does have 9 HR’s on the year, which places him second to Mike Moustakas on the team.

Second Baseman – Johnny Giavotella .330/.400/.396
A 2nd round pick from the 2008 draft out of the University of New Orleans, he is off to a small sample size driven hot streak. He has shown a good amount of OBP skill, walks are about even to K’s (12/14). On the other hand, he has shown a minimal amount of power with only 7 extra base hits (all doubles). Overall, he has a .796 OPS, but also has a serious platoon split with a .954 OPS Vs lefties and a .764 OPS vs. righties. The platoon split is probably small sample size driven seeing as he has only 22 AB’s against lefties, but with his OBP ability, it makes him one of the more interesting prospects to watch on this team.

Shortstop – Kyle Martin .313/.378/.522
Martin has taken over shortstop when Moustakas moved to third. He was a 29th round pick from Texas Tech and has hit for decent power 5 HR’s in 140 AB’s. If there is an area of his game that needs improvement it’s his defense with 8 errors already in 40 games. Juan Rivera has also received some PT at SS since the Moustakas Move and he’s hitting .215/.268/.277.

Third Baseman – Mike Moustakas .244/.306/.405
After an ice cold start like the rest of his fellow Bees, Moustakas has started to turn his season around and started to show the power that made him the #2 pick in the 2007 draft. After hitting just .190 in April, he’s managed to hit .262 the rest of the way with 11 of his 12 homers hit during these months. While many look at his numbers and see a disappointing season, he is a high school pick and they can take longer to develop. Finally, the big news was the position switch from SS to 3B, which to be honest needed to happen after committing 17 errors at SS. While it doesn’t help our positional need, it should help the player develop in the long run, especially since he more than has the arm for the position.

Right Fielder – Jamar Walton .228/.277/.343
Walton was signed by the Royals as a minor league free agent out of the Marlins organization, and has proceeded to do very little in the Bees uniform with only a .620 OPS. To his credit, he has played solid defense, but I would not be surprised to see him lose PT to Nick Van Stratten in the future.

Center Fielder – Adrian Ortiz .310/.335/.387
If you want to think of him as the second coming of Joey Gathright, then you probably wouldn’t be far off except that Ortiz has hit 2 HR’s and has 19 XBH’s. The real highlight of his game is his speed as he’s stolen 27 bases in 41 attempts for a 66% success rate. His plate discipline also leaves a little to be desired as he has 61 K’s in 393 AB’s, which is a little high for a leadoff hitter. For a 5th Round pick out of Pepperdine, he is arguably having the best season of anyone on the team.

Left Fielder – David Lough .267/.328/.424
11th round pick from the 2007 draft out of Mercyhurst College. Lough is a solid hitter against right-handers with a .807 OPS and a struggling hitter against lefties with a meager .581 OPS. He has some solid power with 8 HR’s third on the team and has some decent speed (10 steals in 17 attempts). Overall, he is a solid all around player with no one tool that really stands out.

Worth Watching – Nick Van Stratten/OF .352/.417/.537
He’s a 10th round pick in 2006 draft out of St. Louis CC Merimac. He’s another one with a small sample size, but doing a little bit of everything hitting 6 XBH’s with 3 steals in 54 AB’s. He also managed to have a .907 OPS last year in short season ball at Idaho Falls.

As you can see by the numbers the Bees have no exceptional stand out talent on the team, but a lot of solid contributors with balanced skills. Ortiz and Moustakas clearly are the stars with Giavotella and interesting addition from this year’s draft. The Bees currently have a 14-12 record .538 winning percentage good for 4th place in the Midwest league.

1980 World Series - Royals vs Phillies

lordbyronk — Sat, 31 May 2008 18:04:57 -0000

1980 World Series - Royals vs Phillies

For all other frustrated fans of the current version of the team, ESPN Classic is offering a chance to relive the glory days. At 1PM , they will be showing a game from the 1980 World Series between the Royals and Phillies. Enjoy!

Burlington Bees: Hitters Report

lordbyronk — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:30:09 -0000

Here goes: the minor league report for the Burlington Bees hitters. The team is off to a slow start with only 5 hitters batting above the Mendoza line. The sluggish offense is part of the reason the team is off to 2-5 start; however, there is still lots of time to turn things around and these are small sample sizes after only one week of baseball.

The Burlington Hitters:

1.) Mike Moustakas SS - He is off to a slow start to his Burlington Bees career (.185/.295/.185).

BP prospect guru, Kevin Goldstein, caught the home opener for the Kane County A’s team and had this to say: “Seeing Moustakas for the first time is a bit of a surprise. You know just from reading his listed height and weight that he's not the massive slugger one would expect from a player who set California high school single-season and career home-run marks. While he's listed at six-foot even and 195 pounds, he looks downright short, thick, and stocky, and while he was never tested at shortstop during the game, all it takes is a visual to realize he has little chance of staying there, which already the overwhelming consensus among the scouting community. "Does that look like a shortstop to you?" I asked the scout. "That looks like a stocky second baseman to me," he responded. "Hell, that looks like a catcher to me," he concluded. "And he's got a 70 arm, easy, but it would take a lot of guts to try that." Getting away from the negative for a bit, while the game featured three home runs, Moustakas smote the hardest-hit ball of the game, a tomahawk single to right field that didn't have any loft but was past Cougars second baseman Matt Ray before he even had a chance to react. He also struck out twice, including once looking on an outstanding curveball that came back to catch the outer edge of the plate and had one scout joking, "I’m guessing he never saw that pitch in high school."

Using Moustakas as a catcher, now that is an interesting idea. I think 2B or the OF is his eventual destination, but that would be creative and bold.

2.) Adrian Ortiz CF– is off to a hot start batting .357/.400/.464. As the Bees leadoff hitter/CF, he is showing the speed and OBP skills that had him picked in the 5th round of the 2007 draft.

3.) Jason Taylor 3B – Taken in the 2nd Round of the 2006 Draft, he is another Bee struggling with the bat, hitting a mere .150/.320/.200.

4.) Clint Robinson 1B – The team slugger has already hit 3 HR’s in one week of action and is batting a robust .273/.360/.773 with 3BB’s to only 1 K.

5.) Alwin Perez 2B - .000/.143/.000

6.) WilsonTucker RF - .200/.294/.400 with one home run.

7.) David Lough LF - .259/.333/.296

8.) Ryan Eigisti C - .125/.167/.125

Overall, this is a team with a somewhat limited offense and outside of Moustakas, Ortiz, and Taylor there is not much in the way of prospects, though Robinson looks intriguing and should be interesting to follow this season. **NOTE** The players covered are the starters for the team. I’ll cover the others if someone emerges or goes on a hot streak.

Jose Lopez

lordbyronk — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:46:54 -0000

Here's a thought. Lopez seems to have fallen out of favor with the Mariners. What would it take to obtain him? His MLB track record is not the best:

.232/.263/.367
.247/.282/.379
.282/.319/.402
.252/.284/.355

The OBP is really low, but his defense is above average. I think 2006, could represent his upside, but considering that the Mariners rushed him along and he's only 25, I think there is potential here. He could make a nice stop-gap until Moose is ready. What would we be willing to give up to obtain him? Would it be worth it?

BP Top 100 Prospects

lordbyronk — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 18:35:24 -0000

It's out the list of the top 100 prospects in the MLB. Mike Moustakas makes the list at #19. Luke Hochevar really took a dive down to #72. Amazing, what a difference one year makes. Here's the link if anyone is interested (it's the complete list):

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7092

Opening Day Pitching Staff

lordbyronk — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:19:02 -0000

Has anyone else noticed how deep our pitching has become? I mean, who will make the opening day roster?

Starters:
Meche, Greinke, Bannister, Hochevar, Tomko, Davies, JDLR, Bale, Hudson

Relievers:
Braun, Duckworth, Yabuta, Soria, Peralta, Musser, Mahay, Nunez

Long Shots: Tsao, Colon, Lawerence Nomo

If I were mixing and matching this bunch. I would carry the following
Starters: Meche, Greinke, Bannister, Hochevar, Tomko
Relievers: Hudson, Bale, Peralta, Gobble, Nunez, Mahay, Yabuta, Soria

Figuring that Spring Training will sort most of this out, how would you mix and match the pitching staff, if we start tommorow?

Opening Day Roster

lordbyronk — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 20:58:31 -0000

If the season started tommorow, what would are opening day roster look like. At this point, there are many things that could change in my mind the most likely is the addition of another starting pitcher. However, if I were manager this would be the roster:

Rotation: Gil Meche, Brian Bannister, Zack Greinke, Luke Hochevar, Kyle Davies

Bullpen: Luke Hudson, John Bale, Joel Peralta
Jimmy Gobble, Leo Nunez, Yashito Yabuta, Joakim Soria

Catchers: John Buck, Matt Tupman

First Base: Ryan Shealy

Second Base: Mark Grudzielanek, Esteban German

Shortstop: Tony Pena Jr., Alberto Callaspo

Third Base: Alex Gordon

Outfielders: Mark Teahen, David DeJesus, Jose Guillen, Ross Gload

DH: Billy Butler

Some of these roster spots are interchangable. Luke Hudson as long reliever could become Davies (if pushed out of the rotation) or DeLaRosa. Reserve outfielder is an interesting dilema. Gator should probably be it, but what do we with Gload if we carry Shealy, or do they battle for 1B in Spring Training and the other is cut? Anyway if you are GMDM for a day, and have some tough decisions to make, which do you choose?

Trade Market - The Pitchers

lordbyronk — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 05:58:28 -0000

For the second part of my look at the trade market and how it applies to our Kansas City Royals, I will focus on pitching. The Royals are only one of 30 other teams that are looking for both starting and relief pitching. Our trade bait remains the same: DDJ, Buckner, Lubanski, Huber, Costa, Peralta, Gobble. The FA market is a little iffy, Carlos Silva for 5/55 anyone? Didn't think so. Also to make matters more complicated, what do the Royals need? Is it a front line starting pitcher (an ace) or depth in the back of the rotation? If they move Soria to the rotation, who will close? Personally, Greinke looks poised for a breakout season and maybe Hochevar can join him at the top of the rotation for the next 4 to 5 years. This would leave Meche as our #3 starter with Bannister #4 and Davies #5. However that is the rose colored glasses view, the other perspective is we have a lot of mid-range talent (#2, 3, 4 starters), but no ace. Which side will win? Only time will tell, but regardless of what happens, GMDM is going to acquire some pitching this offseason. In this article, we will look at veteran starters, and up and comers, who could make a difference.

Veteran Starters
Righties:
1.) Mark Prior - 2007: Injured did not play. At this point, no word has been made if the Cubs will offer him arbitration, so he could be a FA at this writing. He presents the most upside in the trade market. His career has played out much like Chris Carpenter's, ace like potential, but he's only on the mound every other year. The Cubs have been very patient with him and I expect him to remain with the team, but if he could be had this would be worth pursuing.

2.) Rich Harden - 2007 Stats: 1-2 2.45 ERA 27 K/11BB in 25.2 IP Signed through 2008 for 4.5 mil with a 7 mil club option for 2009. Much like Prior in that he's an ace when healthy, but he so seldom is that you forget how good he can be. I could see the A's parting with him as I think they will be big sellers this winter. Drawback: Both he and Prior would come at a steep price, would it be worth it?

3.) Erwin Santana - 2007 stats: 7-14 5.75 ERA 125 K/58BB in 150 IP Under team control for 3 more years, he is the most attractive and attainable option of the three. His MLB performance has been inconsistent, but his minor league track record is solid and he could be a nice mid-rotation pitcher for years to come. The Angels also seem to have grown frustrated with the inconsistency. The Angels seem to need DH, 3B, and a little OF help, perhaps Huber and Lubanski for him?

Lefties:
1.) Chris Capuano - 2007 stats: 5-12 5.10 ERA 132K/54BB in 150 IP Arb eligible through 2009. He is coming off of an offseason, and seems to have fallen out of favor with the Brewers. The Royals seem to have an interest in a lefty who could be consistent and Capuano fits that profile. The Brewers desperately need relievers and defensive specialists.

2.) Noah Lowry - 2007 Stats: 14-8 3.98 ERA 87K/87BB in 150 IP. Signed through 2008 and 2009 for 6.75 mil with a club option for 2010 of 6.25 mil. He has the most upside and a successful MLB track record. Drawback: The Giants are rebuilding and will be asking a lot as he is one of their most valuable trading chips.
3.) Zach Duke - 2007 stats: 3-8 5.53 ERA 41 K/25BB in 107.1 IP. He will be under team control until 2011. The Pirates have no need to part with him and would be selling low to do so, but he might benefit from a change of scenery. His stellar rookie season has been followed by two mediocre seasons. Drawback: Our teams don't match up well due to being in very similar situations.

Up and Coming Talent:
1.) Phillip Humber (Mets)
2.) Kevin Slowey (Twins)
3.) Anthony Reyes (Cardinals)
4.) Hayden Penn (Orioles)
5.) Hong Chih Kuo (Dodgers)

Again, I tried to keep these trade possibilities as realistic as possible, so no Johan Santana to the Royals for Justin Huber, Joe Nelson and a bucket of baseballs. If only that would work! Pitching is a much more complicated issue due to our developing young talent and lack of any glaring weakness. Compound this with the fact that every major league team is looking for it, the decision making process has to be difficult for GMDM and staff. For the sake of this exercise and to simplify things, Soria will remain in the bullpen. What starter do we get? Well, it depends if you are a glass half-full or half-empty type of person.

Trade Market

lordbyronk — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 15:43:19 -0000

The Royals will spend the majority of the offseason looking to upgrade a few positions in the field for a power hitter either SS, LF, or both. The FA options have been discussed heavily over the past couple weeks. In this article, I will break trade canidates into veterans at SS, veterans at LF, and the category I think the Royals will venture into the undervalued talent, which will be under team control for a greater amount of time. Of course, trades are a little trickier than FA's seeing as we have to have something another team would actually want. I figure our most tradeable commodoties are DDJ, Gobble, Gator, Huber, Costa, Buckner, Peralta.

Veteran Trade Canidates at SS:
1.) Miguel Tejada (Orioles) - Though he is a player on the decline, his production could be a welcome boost to the middle of the lineup. In 2007, he hit .297/.357/.442 with 18 HR's and 96 RBI's. Defense is also on the downward slide, could TPJ be his defensive replacement? Under contract until 2009, but 26 mil seems expensive.

2.) Orlando Cabrera (Angels) - He would be a one year rent-a-player for 9 mil, but he would provide solid D and a welcome bat, but does he provide more offense than TPJ? 2007 stats: .301/.345/.397 with 8 HR and 86 RBI's. 20 SB's are a nice perk as well.

3.) Rafael Furcal (Dodgers) - Another one year player with a slightly higher price tag of $13 mil. He provides a lot of the same skills that Cabrera does albeit with a higher price tag. 2007 stats: .270/.333/.355 with 6 HR and 47 RBI's. He also had 25 SB's.

4.) Bobby Crosby (A's) Signed through 2009 for 8.75 mil. He's often injured, but who on the A's wasn't this year. The A's could quite possibly be focusing on a rebuilding year. Due to his injury history and being a bit of an underperformer also with the A's being sellers could he be had on the cheap? 2007 stats: .226/.278/.341 with 8 HR and 31 RBI in 349 AB's.

5.) Bill Hall (Brewers) - He's signed though 2010 for about 20 mil. While somewhat defensively challenged at both SS and CF, his bat will play anywhere. He's another one who will need TPJ as a defensive replacement, but he could be capable of hitting 30 HR's. 2007 stats: .254/.315/.425 14 HR and 63 RBI's albeit in an off year for him, but he's signed to a reasonable deal and might be had reasonably.

Veteran Trade Canidates in OF:
1.) Rocco Baldelli (D'Rays) - His contract has one guaranteed year at 2.25 mil and club options for 2009-2011. Though he is often injured, his value will never be lower and he could still have a JD Drew like career. Could he be had for a defensive minded SS and a pitcher? Question is has all his time off hurt his productivity on the field? 2007 stats: .204/.268/.358 with 5 HR and 12 RBI's in 137 AB's.

2.) Pat Burrell (Phillies) - He would be a one year rent-a-player for 14 mil. The Phillies are not happy with him despite his 30 HR's and 96 RBI's, so would they be crazy enough to trade him? His 2007 line is .256/400/.502. Drawback: He'll need a platoon partner due to significant splits and is a little strikeout prone.

3.) Jason Bay (Pirates) He is under contract through 2009 for 13.25 mil. He's coming off an off year. The Pirates will be asking a lot, but he'd make a nice addition if he can bounce back. 2007 stats: .247/.327/.418 with 21 HR and 84 RBI's.

4.) Luke Scott (Astros) He is making little more than the minimum and is under team control for the next 4 years. For whatever reason the Astros just don't seem to like this guy, he got off to a slow start, but is capable of hitting 25 to 30 HR's in a year. Drawback: The Astros needs are much the same as ours. 2007 stats: .255/.351/.504 18 HR and 64 RBI's in 369 AB's. Now again, Why don't they like this guy?

5.) Marcus Thames (Tigers) He's making little more than the league minimum and under team control for 3 more years. Though he is a little defensively challenged and a little bit of a late bloomer, he has a lot of power for a corner OF. He's another one who seems to have fallen out of favor with the Tigers, most likely due to lack of OBP. Maybe Chris Shelton could be had as well? 2007 stats: .242/.278/.498 with 18 HR's and 54 RBI's.

Up and Coming Canidates at SS:
1.) Brett Lillibridge/Yunel Escobar (Braves)
2.) Chin Lin Hu (Dodgers)
3.) Sean Rodriquez (Angels)

Up and Coming Canidates in OF:
1.) Carlos Quentin/Carlos Gonzalez (D'backs)
2.) Matt Murton (Cubs)
3.) Lastings Milledge (Mets)

Overall, it will boil down to the amount of talent that we will have to part with and what exactly the other teams need. I think we match up well with some teams, particularly any needing bullpen help and CF help. I also tried to keep the list realistic to people we could realistically obtain; even though, I'd love to see Jimmy Rollins in Royal Blue. Any thoughts on the trade market? Are there any rumors in the works that could possibly break?