Check out these two lines:


Billy Butler, Age 23 season:  140 games, 45 2B, 17 HRs, 45 BB, 90 Ks, .303/.355/.487
Player X, Age 22ish* season:  140 games, 40 2B, 23, HRs, 41 BB, 90 Ks, .300/.350/.496


Here are their career minor league OPS's:

Billy Butler:   .336/.416/.561   (.977)
Player X:  .327/.388/.600  (.988)

Butler's had a slight edge during his early career in OBP, Player X a slight edge in the power department.  The mysterious identity of Player X is revealed following the jump....

*turned 22 in July

Continue reading this post »

Image from MSNBC.com, sort of

View full size photo »

ATLANTA – A report released Thursday by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia brought a collective sigh of relief to medical workers around the nation.

"The crisis has passed," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, CDC Director.  "Royals Fever is no longer considered contagious."

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by Steve Nesius - AP

#1 Zack Greinke would be a potential Cy Young winner

Browse more photos »

1.  Zack Greinke would be leading the AL in Strikeouts and ERA

2.  Brayan Pena would be called up and would hit .319/.355/.478

3.  Brian Bannister hwould not only regain his 2007 form, but improve on it

4.  Willie Bloomquist would not be as terrible as we anticipated

5.  Coco Crisp would have a .371 OBP in the first month, and would have the 3rd most walks on the team through August

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

Not me.

Browse more photos »

I am not a scout. I am not a sabermagician. I have no professional, college, or even high-school baseball experience, either as a player or as part of a front-office or coaching staff.  

In fact, my direct association with the game ceased to exist around the 6th grade, when, while picking grass while "manning" right field, I had an epiphany: carrying a lifetime .057 batting average wouldn't be opening any doors for me in the world of baseball.

In other words, I'm no expert. You can take everything I am about to write with a grain of salt, dismiss what I say, and disagree with me entirely.  

But be prepared to eat that grain of salt on a serving of crow, as I am 100% correct.  

Well, maybe.

Continue reading this post »

It must be fun to be a baseball fan in a town that houses a AAA affiliate. Not only do you get to enjoy the highest quality baseball outside of the majors (or Japan), you also get to watch a wide array of players take the field.  

For example, had you picked a random Omaha Royals game to watch last season, you would have had the pleasure of seeing a hodgepodge of different players:  rising stars like Mike Aviles, Billy Butler, and Kila Kaaihuie, retreads like Gookie Dawkins and Angel Berroa, AAAA tweener-types like Shane Costa and Damon Hollins, and a bunch of guys like Ryan Shealy and Brayan Pena, who don't really belong in the minors but who also don't have a roster spot open for them on the parent club.  

On top of that, you get awesome promotions that are usually too risque or too bizarre to be considered acceptable at the major league level. Take this year's bobblehead promotion.  

If you go watch a game on bobblehead night in Kauffman, you'd expect to receive either a current player or a former allstar like George Brett or Amos Otis. In Omaha? Warren Mother Flipping Buffett. Why? Because the guy could rake, that's why.


Career OPS:  .931

Continue reading this post »

2008 must have been a bittersweet year for Kansas-based fans of minor league baseball. On the one hand, the Royals organization saw spectacular performances from many of our young hitters and pitchers, and some clubs even managed to bring home an elusive division championship.

On the other hand, 2008 marked the departure of the AA affiliate from Wichita, as GM Dayton Moore relocated the team to Springdale, Arkansas, citing poor attendance and antiquated facilities as the reason behind the move. It made sense from a business perspective - relocation would bring in a new fan base and expose the Royals to new geographical region, as well as allow the players to play in a brand new ballpark designed by the KC-based firm responsible for gems like Camden Yards and Progressive Field. It also didn’t hurt that owner David Glass lives close by. Still, the loss of the team must have stung dearly for the 1,000 or so diehard fans who managed to show up to each game.

Those fans may have felt vindicated a bit by what happened next, as subsequent decisions related to the creation of the new team incited confusion and stirred up more than a little controversy.

First was the non-traditional nomenclature -- rather than calling the team the "Springdale Naturals," ownership opted for the more opaque "Northwest Arkansas Naturals", in what was most likely a cynical attempt at trying to lure in unsuspecting fans of early 90’s rap. (Straight outta Springdale!)

Second, and more damning, was the choice of the team mascot, "Strike." A Bigfoot/Caveman/Hillbilly hybrid, the new mascot immediately became one of the scariest in the minor leagues, famous for its taste for human flesh.

RIP Elaine Delphy (1956-2008)    Cause of Death: between-inning "entertainment"

Continue reading this post »