According to the projections of CHONE, the Royals have two of the top 20 offensive catchers in the major leagues for 2009 (at least in terms of R150*). 

*R150 is linear weights runs above average, adjusted for league and ballpark

Unfortunately, the top two projected perfomers at catcher probably won't even make the Royals opening day roster.  These two catchers are J.R. House and Brayan Pena.  They are projected to hit .275/.339/.422 and .285/.335/.402 respectively.  So House is projected to have more plate discipline and power while Pena is expected to hit for a higher average.  As should be inferred from the above numbers, CHONE does take minor leagure results into account. 

According to CHONE:

14.  House (1 run below the average MLB hitter)

20.  Pena (6 runs below average)

42.  Buck (14 runs below average)

74. Olivo (26 runs below average)

Now,  GMDM's actual depth chart is likely a complete inversion of the above rankings.  He probably cites Olivo and Buck's superior defense, leadership, salaries, and game calling in its defense. 

Olivo and Buck are average in terms of defense at best.  Can the defense of House and Pena really be that bad?

Why in the hell is Olivo getting paid so much?

In the spirit of what kcisbetterthanstlateverything and royalsretro have done, I have compiled an All-Star team of players that have been drafted and signed by the Royals from 1996-present.  Spending time with KC is the last qualification to gain eligibility for the team. 

I have included some statistics from each player.  These are the stats that players accumulated during their tenure as Kansas City players.  I have included a new statistic for each player called WPA (win probability added).  This statistic is compiled by fangraphs.com.  WPA is the difference in win expectancy between the start of the play and the end of the play. That difference is then credited/debited to the batter and the pitcher. Over the course of the season, each players’ WPA for individual plays is added up to get his season total WPA.   A negative WPA means a player consistently helped his team lose. 


Starting Pitchers

1.    Zach Greinke (92 GS, 589.1 IP, 28-42 W-L, 4.51 ERA) (33.2 WS)  (3.71 WPA)
2.    Jeremy Affeldt (42 GS, 399.2 IP, 17-22 W-L, 4.77 ERA) (-1.45 WPA)
3.    Jimmy Gobble (43 GS, 416.2 IP, 22-23 W-L, 5.31 ERA) (-1.45 WPA)
4.    Dan Reichert (51 GS, 379 IP, 21-25 W-L, 5.53 ERA) (-2.30 WPA)
5.    Kris Wilson (19 GS, 235 IP, 14-9 W-L, 5.32 ERA) (-1.61 WPA)


Greinke leads the staff in several categories including GS, IP, ERA, W and WPA.  He is one of two current Royals on the list.  Notice the similarities between Affeldt and Gobble.  Which one had the better attitude between these two lefties?  I had all but forgotten about the Royals career of Kris Wilson, but then I remembered, he helped KC in their 2003 playoff run.  Overall, one must admit that the list of Royals All-Star pitchers is pretty impressive.  The fact that each pitcher’s (except Greinke) starting career was over by the time they left the Royals only adds to the credibility of these pros.  It is a bit upsetting that Greinke has been the only drafted starter that has achieved a positive WPA in his tenure as a Royal, but don’t forget that he still has time to turn his WPA into a negative number.  Overall, these starting pitchers had a record of 102 wins and 121 losses while their combined ERA was pretty good as well.   This list of top starting pitchers might be the biggest reason for the Royals success over the last decade. 



Position Players
C-   Paul Phillips (157 PA, 2 HR, 16 RBI, .258 AVG) (-0.90 WPA)
1B- Jeremy Giambi (406 PA, 5 HR, 42 RBI, .276 AVG) (-1.07 WPA)
2B- Ruben Gotay (483 PA, 6 HR, 45 RBI, .242 AVG) (-2.82 WPA)
3B- Alex Gordon (1033 PA, 26 HR, 105 RBI, .248 AVG) (-2.08 WPA)
SS- Mike Aviles (183 PA, 4 HR, 25 RBI, .305 AVG) (1.00 WPA)
LF- Dee Brown (811 PA, 14 HR, 89 RBI, .234 AVG) (-4.90 WPA)
CF- David DeJesus (2268 PA, 41 HR, 263 RBI, .285 AVG) (3.93 WPA)
RF- Shane Costa- (449 PA, 5 HR, 42 RBI, .254 AVG) (-2.16 WPA)
DH- Billy Butler (646 PA, 13 HR, 81 RBI, .275 AVG) (-0.41 WPA)

It’s probably best to remind us that as Beltran, Sweeney, and Damon were slugging away during the late 90s, the Royals were busily replenishing their stock of young sluggers.  Clearly, this trend has continued through the present.  What else could possibly explain our 2nd worst offense in the league?  It’s somewhat upsetting that our starting RF on this All-Star team is spending the year in the minor leagues, but when you consider the offensive prowess of the current Royals, it is certainly understandable.  It was difficult to choose the starting catcher, but I feel that Paul Phillips edges out both Matt Tupman and Mike Tonis.  With the emergence of Mike Aviles this year (thanks to the plummeting performance of undrafted Braves farmhand Tony Pena Jr.), I was spared the pleasure of choosing Angel Sanchez for the team.  I apologize to any Brandon Berger fans that feel he should have made the team, but with the strength of the Royals drafts since 1996, there just wasn’t enough room for him on the team.  Since no All-Star team is complete without a slugging first baseman, I felt compelled to choose Jeremy Giambi for the starting position, edging out the likes of . . . . well . . . . . um . . . . . nobody.  I think it safe to say that Dee Brown revolutionized the way major league outfielders are defined (enough said).  Sadly, only Aviles and DeJesus are the only team members that have a positive WPA in their Royal careers.  With All-Stars on the current Royals team like Aviles, DeJesus, Gordon, and Butler, it is not surprising that the Royals are having such a great offensive year in 2008.  This list of position players might be the second most convincing explanation for the success of the Royals franchise.