In possibly their last move of 2012, the KC Royals signed veteran outfielder Endy Chavez to a minor league deal on Monday.

He is expected to compete with Jarrod Dyson for the fourth outfielder spot behind expected starters Alex Gordon, Lorenzo Cain, and Jeff Francoeur.

Chavez spent 2011 with the American League Champion Texas Rangers and part of 2012 with the surprising Baltimore Orioles. So he brings some playoff experience with him. And who can forget THAT catch he made over the wall at Shea Stadium to rob the Cardinals of a homerun during the playoffs in 2006.

With Baltimore in 2012, he hit just .203 with two homeruns, six doubles, 12 RBIs, and three stolen bases. That came in just 158 at-bats. Chavez was worse than that in the Orioles minor league system, where he played at four levels. In 15 games in Triple-A, he hit just .149 with six strikeouts and zero stolen bases.

Unfortunately, for a guy with speed, his on-base percentage leaves a lot to be desired: just .309 in his career. Even with all that speed, he has never stolen more than 32 bases in a season. And that total came back in 2004. He hasn’t stolen more than 12 bases in the big leagues since then.

Injuries have also hampered Chavez over his career. In 2012, he had both an oblique injury and a hamstring problem.

I’m thinking that Chavez is just an emergency option in case Dyson or Cain get hurt. Dyson would be the better option for the fourth outfielder, though Chavez has played all three outfield spots.

All four Division Series played win-or-go home Game 5’s, so every series was interesting and down to the wire.

The first team to punch their ticket to the Championship Series was the SF Giants. All four former KC Royals played integral parts to their advancement.

Lefty reliever Jeremy Affeldt pitched in just about every game. In Game 1, he walked one in 2/3 of an inning (12 pitches, five for strikes). In Game 3, he allowed one hit over two scoreless innings of relief (22 pitches, 14 for strikes). In the Game 5 clincher, he pitched another scoreless inning (the seventh). He was pulled after that one inning after a scary incident in the dugout on a foul line drive (he should be okay for the National League Championship Series).

Left fielder Gregor Blanco started every game for the Giants. In Game 1, he went 2-for-3. In Game 2’s blowout loss, he went 0-for-2, but the Giants only collected two hits. He went 0-for-1 with a run scored in Game 3. He showed off his surprise power in Game 4 with a two-run homerun in the 2^nd inning that gave the Giants the lead they would not relinquish. In the Game 5 clincher, he went 1-for-4 with a run scored in their six-run 5^th inning.

Shortstop Joaquin Arias didn’t start, but made an impact off the bench. He pinch-hit in Game 1 and picked up a single and scored a run in the bottom of the 9^th inning of the Giants 5-2 loss. He hit the eventual game-winning ground ball in the 10^th inning of Game 3’s 2-1 victory. Arias went 2-for-3 off the bench in Game 4 with two doubles and two runs scored.

Lefty reliever Jose Mijares had the worst series. In Game 2, he allowed three runs on two hits and a walk, but did not record an out. He rebounded in Game 4 and struck out the only batter he faced (Joey Votto) on five pitches in the 4^th inning.

One former Royal saw his season come to an end with the Cincinnati Reds. That was former closer and Reds setup man Jonathan Broxton. Broxton took the loss in Game 3 when a Ryan Hanigan passed ball moved base runners up in the top of the 10^th inning and Scott Rolen’s error scored the winning run. He pitched in three of the five games and allowed that unearned run on four hits over three innings. Broxton walked one while striking out four.

» Continue reading “Former Royals Help New Teams to Championship Series”

The MLB Postseason begins in just a few hours, as Wild Card Friday kicks off for the first time.

St. Louis, the defending World Series champions, are in Atlanta to face the Braves. That game will be televised on TBS at 5pm ET.

The surprising Baltimore Orioles are in Texas to face the disappointed Rangers, who lost the American League West division title on the season’s final day. That game will also be televised on TBS at 8:30pm ET (or following the National League Wild Card game).

Sure the KC Royals had yet another disappointing season (maybe more so than 2011). However there are a few former Royals participating in the postseason.

Let’s start with pitcher Chad Durbin.

Despite a rough start to his 2012 season with his newest team, the Braves, he rebounded to have a respectable season. He allowed just one run over his final ten appearances (7.1 innings).

Though I am not sure the Braves would want to bring him into this afternoon’s game versus the Cardinals with runners in scoring position. During the regular season, Durbin allowed 12 earned runs in 18.2 innings. Opponents only hit .222 in those situations, but he walked 13.

One of my many Carlos Beltran cards from his time with the Royals.

The big name former Royal in the entire postseason is outfielder Carlos Beltran. With the Cardinals for his first season in 2012, he was putting together MVP-caliber numbers in the first half before his bulky knees hurt him in the second half.

In the first half, he hit .296 with 20 homeruns and 65 RBIs. He walked 41 times to just 60 strikeouts. However, he hit just .236 with 12 homeruns and 24 RBIs. He also only played in 69 games in the second half (compared to 82 games in the first half).

Overall, he hit .289 with 32 homeruns and 97 RBIs. He scored 83 runs and hit 26 doubles. Even though he struck out 124 times, he did walk 63 times.

Beltran will be batting second and playing right field for the last team to clinch a playoff spot in the NL. The Cardinals hope that he can relive the magical postseason that he had back in 2004 with the Houston Astros.

As I am typing this, the Orioles have yet to release their Wild Card roster (which was supposed to be submitted at 10am ET this morning). Their end of season roster had two former Royals on it. Whether they make the playoff roster remains to be seen.

» Continue reading “Wild Card Friday: Royals Connection”

The World Series begins tonight as the Texas Rangers make their second consecutive appearance in the Fall Classic against the St. Louis Cardinals. With the National League winning the All-Star Game, the Cardinals will have home-field advantage.

If you follow the KC Royals, you may be thinking “Why should I care about the 2011 World Series?” Well, if you like baseball in general, it should be a good series. You can also watch a few former Royals try to win a title, which is every professional’s goal.

The Rangers have four former Royals that will be with the team in the World Series. Speedy outfielder Endy Chavez made two starts against the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS. He went 0-for-4. Expect to see him get a few pinch-running opportunities. If you watched Game 6 of the ALCS, you probably saw Andres Blanco as their head cheerleader, greeting teammates at the top of the dugout steps after big plays, waving his towel. Because of a stress fracture in his back, Blanco has not been on the Rangers playoff roster. Esteban German has been on the playoff roster, but has yet to appear in a game. That could change with the first two games being played in St. Louis (and possibly four total). Catcher Matt Treanor was not on the ALCS roster (but was on the ALDS roster) though he could be added to the World Series roster with their need for an extra bat (and catcher).

If you happened to watch the NLCS, Octavio Dotel and his high socks toed the rubber in just about every game. He pitched in four of the Cardinals six games against the Milwaukee Brewers, including the World Series clincher. Dotel is a big reason why the Cardinals are in the World Series. In four LCS games, he allowed one earned run on two hits over four innings. He also struck out five, which seemed to be Ryan Braun every time they faced each other. You may just root for the Cardinals because they are a fellow Missouri team.

Who are you rooting for?

» Continue reading “Royals Fans: Who Are You Rooting for in the World Series?”

That’s a headline KC Royals fans hope to enjoy as soon as next season. With the way the team played over stretches this season, it’s not hard to picture that scenario.

However this year, we are left to root for another team.

Being a baseball junkie, the playoffs are one of my favorite times of the year (outside watching guys make their debuts and the start of the season). It’s when nobody’s become somebody’s and sometimes superstars become choke artists.

While the Royals are beginning the offseason, some of their former players have the luxury of participating in the postseason. Actually, the only team without a former Royal on its roster is the NY Yankees.

Let’s start with former ace Zack Greinke. The whole reason he wanted out of KC was because he was tired of losing. Well, in his first year in Milwaukee, the Brewers won the National League Central and he is undefeated at home (Miller Park). Despite pitching the team’s finale at home on Wednesday as the Brewers secured home-field advantage against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS, Greinke is expected to start Game 2 at Miller Park on Sunday (on short rest).

Greinke isn’t the only former Royal on the Brewers. Shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt was also included in the deal that sent Greinke to Milwaukee. Betancourt has had a solid season (.252) in teaming with Rickie Weeks (and others when Weeks was on the DL) to form the Brewers double-play combination.

The Brewers counterpart, the Diamondbacks, have Willie Bloomquist on their roster. The Dbacks have yet to finalize their NLDS roster, so I am not 100% sure he made the cut. He had solid seasons in 2009 and part of 2010 with the Royals. He also had another solid season in Arizona this year (.266).

Utility man Wilson Betemit was traded to the Detroit Tigers during this summer to bolster their offense at third base. Despite dealing with a knee injury late in the season, Betemit started the Tigers final two games of the season. Betemit and the Tigers won the American League Central and begin their playoff push tonight against the NY Yankees in New York.

Catcher Matt Treanor was traded at the end of August while he was finishing up his rehab assignment (a concussion put him on the DL). Who was he traded to? The same team that dealt him to the Royals during spring training, the Texas Rangers. The Rangers won the AL West and secured home-field advantage in the ALDS. Surprisingly, Treanor made the Rangers ALDS roster, as they chose to carry three catchers. The Rangers begin their quest for a second consecutive AL title at 5pm ET today against the visiting TB Rays.

Treanor isn’t the only former Royal on the Rangers. Middle infielder Andres Blanco, who can be seen as more of a cheerleader than an actual player for the Rangers (he got into just 36 games this season), spent the beginning of his career with the Royals (I remember him as a youngster in Wilmington). He actually isn’t on the ALDS roster as he is dealing with a stress fracture in his lower back (though I’m sure you’ll still see him cheering). His replacement on the roster? You guessed it, a former Royal. That would be Esteban German (2006-2008), who can give them some speed and flexibility, but most likely won’t play (like last year). Another speed guy off the bench for the Rangers is Endy Chavez, who spent his first year in the big leagues (2001) with the Royals.

Speaking of the Rays, they have a host of former Royals on their roster, most notably in their revamped bullpen. Closer Kyle Farnsworth, who looks to be healthy, spent half of 2010 in KC before being traded to Atlanta. Farnsworth signed with the Rays this past offseason and helped solidify a brand new bullpen. His setup man, Joel Peralta (who can also close if Farnsworth is unavailable), spent 2006-2008 with the Royals. The past two seasons (in Washington and TB) may have been his best seasons yet. Juan Cruz, the guy who runs like a greyhound, spent the last two seasons with the Royals before signing with the Rays this year. Cruz has become the 7th inning guy or the reliever who comes in to get out of the mess. Lefty JP Howell is, thankfully, finally healthy. Howell was a 2004 draft pick of the Royals and started for them back in 2005. It has been a tough season on the quirky left-hander, but if he can figure it out, he will be tough.

The big name on the Rays that came from KC is Johnny Damon. Who can forget the guy who never wanted to leave, but has won how many World Series titles since? Damon will be batting 5th tonight for the Rays against the Rangers and lefty CJ Wilson. Despite his age, Damon has proven that he can still play the game and play it well.  I heard a rumor about a month ago that Damon wants to retire as a Royal.

The Philadelphia Phillies are the favorite yet again to win the NL title and Raul Ibanez is a big reason why. Though he struggled mightily against lefties this year and for most of the first half, he really came on strong down the stretch (he has seven RBIs over his last ten games). Ibanez spent 2001-2003 with the Royals.

The Phillies will face the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS beginning on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals can bring reliever Octavio Dotel in early or late, and he doesn’t seem to care. Since being acquired at the trading deadline from the Toronto Blue Jays, Dotel is 3-3 with a 3.28 ERA in 29 games. He has struck out 32 over 24.2 innings. Dotel pitched in 24 games for the Royals in 2007.

So, who will you be rooting for Royals fans?

Let me know in either the comments section or on my Facebook page.

(Check out my Tigers-Yankees Preview on Around the Horn, which should be up shortly.)