SB Nation User Blog: minda33

Royals sign J.R. House

minda33 — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 04:22:34 -0000

Royals sign J.R. House

According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, the Royals signed catcher J.R. House to a split contract. House, 29, hit .306/.378/.480 in 454 Triple A at-bats this year. Back in the day, House was considered the Pirates' top prospect before he was derailed by injuries. There was a time when Jason Kendall was expected to move to the outfield to accomodate him.

OT: Interview with Sam Mellinger re: blogs v. traditional media

minda33 — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:31:14 -0000

OT: Interview with Sam Mellinger re: blogs v. traditional media

" It's in the best interest of both sides to co-exist, which is why it irritates me when members of each side get into this cyber pissing match (pardon the language), recycling old jokes and using fundamentally false arguments that went stale before there was wireless internet. Both sides are guilty of it, too."

(Sorry to toot my own horn here, but I'm so thrilled that Mellinger took the time to do this interview for me.)

Ball Star: Why we still care

minda33 — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 03:42:54 -0000

Ball Star: Why we still care

Really cheesy feel-good stuff, but I'm a sucker so I love it. Why do you still care?

"Fan's Eye" that the KC Star took down...does anyone have the original?

minda33 — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:16:31 -0000

"Fan's Eye" that the KC Star took down...does anyone have the original?

Google Reader still shows the intro to Kevin Murphy's latest creation.
"It's all over the sports talk radio and in The Star on-line: What to do about Brian Bannister, who has been simply terrible. His ERA was 7.25 in July and is 12.75 in August. OK, so there is nobody waiting in the wings in Omaha to replace him. But just about anybody may be better than Bannister for a few starts - if for symbolic reasons alone. Dumping Bannister from the rotation or sending him down would send a message to fans that the team does not accept such abysmal pitching..."

That's all we have of it, along with the Google nub linked in the post title. Does anyone out there have the rest of this masterpiece of an article? Does "Fan's Eye" run in the dead-tree version of the Star (God help us if it does)? I'm curious to see what other words Murphy has graced the world with. I didn't know what other avenue to pursue; can any of you help?

Jimmy Gobble in Omaha for rehab

minda33 — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:02:17 -0000

Jimmy Gobble in Omaha for rehab

"Jimmy Gobble sent to Omaha on a rehab assignment (23 + 2 RA + 3 DL)"

Not much here, but I saw Billy James Gobble in the Omaha dugout tonight. He's at about Day 8 of his 15-day DL stint, but has already been shipped to AAA. He looked forlorn.

Trade rumour: TPJ for...

minda33 — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:29:15 -0000

After a disappointing first half at the plate for Tony Pena Jr, the Royals appear to be in talks with several other clubs about a viable offensive replacement for Pena. Options have included giving rookie Mike Aviles more regular duty at SS, or dealing someone like the ultra-dependable reliever Ron Mahay for some middle-infield help.

As the first half draws to a close, Pena's numbers have left many fans searching for better production. Pena is batting .159, a number which only scratches the surface of his below-average production. His OPS+ is...four. (via baseball-reference) It's probably safe to say that Pena is not producing at anywhere near acceptable levels for a Major Leaguer.

Those numbers have rendered the club willing to deal Pena away, and fill his position from within the organization. One prospect that has been discussed is an undersized, often-overlooked, and a very outside-of-the box solution that General Manager Dayton Moore has kept hush-hush in the Royals' closet for a few seasons.

"I'm a little worried about his baserunning abilities; he's a little stiff out there on the basepaths," said JJ Piccolo, assistant GM and director of player development. "But there is a good chance he can still be an offensive upgrade over Pena."

"Oh yeah, he's pretty short, too," said Royals first base coach Rusty Kuntz. "I've seen him before a few times, he's maybe 4 foot 6 in shoes. I'm still excited for the increased production, that little spark that we've needed in the bottom of the lineup."

Moore, a respected baseball thinker who came to the Royals from the Braves' front office, is open to many out-of-the-ordinary solutions to jumpstart his often lackluster offense. "This new kid needs to work on a few things, and bat speed is probably chief among them. But the pitchers in the league can't miss his bat forever."

Moore goes on to describe this new prospect as part of the team's ever-evolving vision for future contention. "We just need to clean things up in a few areas, and really confront some of our problems rather than sweeping them under the rug. The fans deserve a more honest and creative approach."

Some scouts who worked with Royals manager Trey Hillman during his time in Japan were the first to tip Moore and Hillman to this prospect. His signing was a quiet affair, and was quickly buried by bigger stories such as Kansas City signing free agent outfielder Jose Guillen. Pictured below is the prospect receiving his powder blue Royals jersey after finalizing his contract in a memorbilia archive room.

via i14.photobucket.com

The astute scout who spotted Sweepy McBroomerton observes that his batting stance is a bit shaky, but pitchers might just hit his bat more often than Pena makes contact.

The broom has no Major League experience, but grew up in a baseball-rich Japanese city. It won the MVP at every level of amateur baseball in which it played, and is fondly described as a fearless, gutty presence in the batter's box. "He doesn't back down from any pitcher," says a former youth-league coach.

Though its career batting average is fairly low, McBroomerton continues to find professional baseball work with its ability to bunt and advance baserunners, both fundamental characteristics of Moore and Hillman's current vision for the Royals. Sweepy also holds several records in its native Japan for walks.Contributing to the broom's success is its diminutive stature and lack of defined body parts to help umpires create a strike zone for it.

"We're really excited to see if we can get this guy some playing time, " Moore said. "It might seem a little unusual to be putting a household cleaning item in the batter's box instead of our regular shortstop, but we have to try something to keep this team out of the basement."