With the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings set to begin tomorrow morning in Nashville, Tennessee, I figured I’d ask which KC Royals rumor you would like to come true.

• Trading top prospect Wil Myers to either the Boston Red Sox for lefty Jon Lester or to the TB Rays for right-hander James Shields. Do you even want to see Myers traded?

• A trade of righty Luke Hochevar

• A trade of veteran lefty Bruce Chen

• Acquiring knuckleballer RA Dickey from the NY Mets for a bunch of minor leaguers

• Signing free agent starter Ryan Dempster

• Sign newly free agent pitchers Jair Jurrjens or Jeff Karstens? Remember last year when GM Dayton Moore was going to trade Myers to the Braves for the oft-injured Jurrjens?

• Trade a bullpen piece like Aaron Crow to the Detroit Tigers for starter Rick Porcello.

• Trade third baseman Mike Moustakas to the Chicago White Sox for Gavin Floyd.

• Trade Alex Gordon or Billy Butler to the Seattle Mariners for some of their young pitching, like Danny Hultzen, James Paxton, and Taijuan Walker.

Let me know which deal you would like to see happen. I’m leaning towards a deal with the Mets for Dickey, mainly because he wouldn’t cost the Royals one of their current stars or Myers.

Just like the divisional series, the championship series in Major League Baseball have former KC Royals playing integral parts for their new teams. One finished in a short four-game sweep. The other in an exciting seven games.

Raul Ibanez struck again in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series. Down 4-2 with two outs in the bottom of the 9^th inning against Detroit Tigers closer Jose Valverde, Ibanez took the second splitter of the at-bat into the right field seats to tie the game up at 4-4 and send the half-empty home crowd into a frenzy. That died off quickly as the Tigers came back and won in the 12^th inning after captain Derek Jeter was lost for the rest of the postseason with a fractured ankle.

In Game 2, Ibanez went 1-for-2 with two walks in the Yankees 3-0 loss. They collected just three hits off Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez (he had one of them).

Ibanez couldn’t be the hero every night and couldn’t awake the sleeping Yankees offense. In Game 3 (the first game in Detroit), he came up with two men on base, two out, and the Yankees down 2-1. Ibanez was facing lefty Phil Coke and worked the count full. However, Coke threw a nasty offspeed pitch and struck him out to end the game. He went 0-for-4 in Game 3. Ibanez went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts in Game 4 and was pinch-hit for by Alex Rodriguez, who of course did nothing.

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

One day after the Major League Baseball regular season came to an end, the firings began on Thursday.

The KC Royals were one of those teams who brought out the ax.

It was announced that the team dismissed hitting coach Kevin Seitzer. He had just completed his fourth season as hitting coach with the Royals.

The Royals were fourth in the American League in batting average at .265 and third in total hits (1,492). However, they were just 12th in runs scored (676) and tied for last among the 14 teams in homeruns with 131. Also, supposed superstar Eric Hosmer experienced a dreadful sophomore slump, Jeff Francoeur went back to his old ways, and Mike Moustakas regressed in the second half.

Apparently, manager Ned Yost thinks the team should “power up” more often to drive in more runs. Seitzer’s philosophy was to keep the ball in the middle of the field. Yost wants more homeruns. That usually brings more strikeouts, which the team already does a lot of.

“I think we’ve got a group of young power hitters that are capable of hitting homers,” Yost said. “Our offense was built more around singles and doubles, because we’ve got a big field and we drive the big parts of the gaps. But it’s difficult to get three or four singles in a row to score a run. We have to have the ability to open it up a little bit more, use the power that we have to take advantage of a quick strike — a walk, a base hit, boom! There’s three runs instead of trying to mass eight singles or seven singles and two doubles together to score some runs.”

I can’t wait until the 2013 season to see these guys swinging for the fences.

The Royals would like to stay in-house with their hiring of their new hitting coach. Some candidates include minor league hitting coordinator Jack Maloof, Triple-A Omaha hitting coach Tommy Gregg, and Double-A NW Arkansas hitting coach Larry Bradshaw are some candidates.

The rest of the Royals coaching staff is staying intact. They are looking for a bullpen coach, but would also like to keep that job in-house. The Storm Chasers pitching coach Doug Henry and Naturals pitching coach Larry Carter are in the running as they platooned with that job during the final month of the regular season.

Check out the article by FS Kansas City’s Jeffrey Flanagan.

*Thing is, the offense wasn’t the BIG problem with the Royals. It was the starting rotation and then the bullpen down the stretch.

The KC Royals had a pretty successful week. They won their series in Chicago and split their four-game series in Baltimore to go 5-3. They are now tied for last place in the American League Central with Minnesota at 49-65. The Royals continue to play playoff contenders during their upcoming six-game homestand (Oakland and the White Sox).

Omaha is in the midst of a three-game winning streak, as they have gone 4-2. The Storm Chasers continue to blow away the American Northern Division of the Pacific Coast League at 72-50. Two teams in their division have already been eliminated from postseason play. They continue their road trip out west tonight, as they finish up their series in Tuscon before moving on to Las Vegas.

NW Arkansas went 3-3 this past week, but continue to sit in last place in the North Division of the Texas League at 16-33 (15.5 games back). The Naturals finish up their homestand tonight against Frisco.

Wilmington went 4-2 this past week and have a one game lead in the Northern Division of the Carolina League at just 24-24. The Blue Rocks head out on the road to Potomac for a short three-game series before heading back home.

Kane County is in the midst of a three-game winning streak, as they went 5-2. They are 26-23, in a three-way tie for second place in the Western Division of the Midwest League (four games back). The Cougars finish up their road series with Cedar Rapids today.

Hitters of the Week

Majors: Billy Butler had a very powerful week. He went 9-for-27 (.333) in seven games. Four of those hits were homeruns. Six of the nine hits went for extra bases. He drove in seven runs and scored seven runs.

Honorable Mention: Alex Gordon also had a powerful week. He went 10-for-30 (.333) with three homeruns and four RBIs. He led off two of the four games in Baltimore with homeruns.

Minors: Dean Espy, Kane County. The 2011 draft pick out of UCLA is in the midst of a four-game hitting streak. Over the past week, he was 7-for-19 (.368) with two doubles, three runs scored, and two RBIs. He has also cut down on his strikeouts (none in the past three games and just two last week).

Honorable Mention: Irving Falu, Omaha. He went 10-for-30 (.333) with three doubles, a triple, and five runs scored. All of that offense is coming from the leadoff spot.

Pitchers of the Week

Majors: Jeremy Guthrie was brilliant against first place Chicago in his only start last week. He did not allow a run or walk over eight scoreless innings. He allowed just five hits while striking out six. His next start will come Tuesday at home against Oakland.

Minors: I had a tough time choosing just one, so I’m giving a tie once again. Cuban Noel Arguelles had a tough time with his promotion to Double-A, but finally seems to be figuring it out. In two starts last week, he allowed two runs (one earned) on nine hits over 14 innings. He walked six while striking out ten. His best start of the season may have come on August 6th, when he pitched seven shutout innings, while allowing just two hits and a walk.

After pitching in relief on Tuesday for Wilmington, Matt Ridings didn’t find out he was starting on Sunday until it was less than 24 hours before the start. The short notice didn’t seem to faze him. He pitched seven shutout innings and didn’t allow a hit until the 6th inning (three hits total). Overall on the week, he allowed just one run on six hits and two walks over 11 innings while striking out eight.

There were a number of trades that went on Tuesday and a number of deals that never happened. The Ryan Dempster saga continued (until the last seconds). The Philadelphia Phillies began a small fire sale (though Joe Blanton is somehow still a Phillie).

With the KC Royals falling into last place and no real expectation of them digging their way out, many expected some Royals to be on the move.

There were rumors involving outfielders Alex Gordon and Jeff Francoeur. I heard about lefty reliever Jose Mijares and infielders Yuniesky Betancourt and even Chris Getz.

Instead, the only piece they could move was closer Jonathan Broxton. The Cincinnati Reds were looking for some extra excitement late in games to join fire baller Aroldis Chapman and picked up Broxton.

The Reds are one of the hottest teams in baseball (they are 9-1 in their last ten games) and have a three game lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Central.

At least Broxton gets a shot at the postseason, which he would not have gotten if he stuck around in Kansas City.

So what do the Royals get from the Reds?

Pitchers JC Sulbaran and Donnie Joseph.

Sulbaran had been pitching for Double-A Pensacola. In 19 starts, he is 7-7 with a 4.04 ERA. He is a strikeout pitcher: 111 in 104.2 innings this season. He has walked 54 while allowing 17 homeruns. Keep in mind that whether he reports to NW Arkansas or Triple-A Omaha, he will be pitching in a hitter’s league.

Sulbaran last pitched on July 27th which would mean he is set to start again on August 1st.

Joseph has been pitching for Triple-A Lousiville (well he started the season in Double-A and was promoted after posting a 0.89 ERA). In Louisville, he was 4-1 with a 2.86 ERA in 18 games out of the bullpen. He had five saves and 22 strikeouts in 22 innings. Walks have not been a problem for Joseph: just 17 this season in 52.1 innings. He’s also only allowed one homerun. Joseph was named to the Southern League All-Star team this season.

Join me in welcoming them to the Royals organization! Hopefully they can help the team in the future.

This past week started out really well for the KC Royals with a home sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays. They then won the first game of their road trip in Minnesota. However they have now lost three in a row (they went 4-3 this past week). The Royals continue on the road in Toronto with four games, as they sit in fourth place in the American League Central at 35-42.

Omaha continues be one of the elite teams in the Pacific Coast League. The Storm Chasers went 6-1 this past week. They now have an 18 game lead in the American Northern Division at 53-31. They continue their homestand with two more games against Albuquerque.

Since the Texas League All-Star break, NW Arkansas is just 1-2 (they lost a series to Corpus Christi). The Naturals are tied for second place in the North Division with a 4-5 second half record.

Wilmington had a very successful week, going 5-2. Problem is, everyone else in the Northern Division of the Carolina League is 5-5 in their last ten games. That puts the Blue Rocks tied for last place at 5-6. They continue their road trip with two more in Frederick before heading to Lynchburg.

Kane County went 4-3 this past week and sit in second place in the Midwest League’s Western Division at 6-4 (three teams are tied). The Cougars continue their series tonight at Peoria.

Hitters of the Week

Majors: The MLB All-Stars were announced on Sunday and shortstop Alcides Escobar‘s name was not on it (despite having better numbers than the three who made the team). He earns the award this week, as he went 9-for-20 (.450) with three doubles, a homerun, and six runs scored. He also walked three times.

Honorable Mention: Could it be? Is Eric Hosmer FINALLY breaking out? He started to show signs over the last week, as he went 11-for-26 (.423) with two doubles, a homerun, four runs scored, and three RBIs. He also stole two bases.

Minors: Clint Robinson, Omaha. He didn’t let his demotion back to the minors faze him. Over the week, he went 10-for-29 (.345) with four doubles, six runs scored, and six RBIs.

Pitchers of the Week

Majors: Luis Mendoza was dominant in his start this past weekend in the Royals lone win in Minnesota. He allowed just one run on five hits over eight innings. He did not walk a batter while striking out five.

Minors: Pitching was key this past week for teams having winning records. That means that I had a difficult time choosing just one pitcher.

Will Smith had two dominant starts this past week for Omaha. He picked up two wins and lowered his ERA to 3.81. In those two starts, he allowed just one unearned run on eight hits and one walk over 13.2 innings. He struck out 16.

Sugar Ray Marimon made his first two starts for Double-A NW Arkansas. Combined, he allowed just one run on six hits over 11.2 innings. He struck out eight.

Yordano Ventura continues his dominance in the Carolina League with Wilmington. In two starts this past week, he allowed two runs on seven hits and three walks over 12.2 innings. Despite striking out 17, he did not pick up a decision.

The reliever of the week goes to Cody Fassold of Kane County. In two appearances (five innings), he did not allow a hit or a run. Fassold did walk three while striking out five.

Rain delayed the start of the Mexico-Puerto Rico game to start Day 2 of the Caribbean Series. Once the tarp was removed, it was a beautiful day for baseball.

With Puerto Rico as the road team, KC Royals minor leaguer (and spring training invite) Irving Falu led off the  game with a double. However he was left stranded. Falu popped up in the 3rd inning, struck out in the 6th, and grounded out to end the 8th inning.

Puerto Rico recorded just four hits in the game against Mexico’s starter Randy Keisler. Mexico held on for the 2-0 victory as veteran Luis Ayala (who is auditioning for a big league job) earned the save with 1.2 hitless innings. He induced five ground outs in his effort.

Both teams are now 1-1 in the series.

In the nightcap, the Dominican Republic went up 2-0 in the series as they beat Venezuela, 5-2 in 13 innings. Venezuela dropped to 0-2.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Andy Dirks drove in the go ahead run in the top of the 13th with a single. Two batters later, Erick Almonte drove in two runs with a double. Venezuela went down in order in the bottom of the 13th.

Today, Venezuela and Mexico face off in the first game, with Puerto Rico and the DR playing the later game. ESPN3.com will be airing the games, though it is broadcast with their Spanish announcers.

The Caribbean Series in the Dominican Republic is underway, as Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic have taken the first games of the series. Both games were controlled by the pitchers, as hitters only collected a total of 27 hits over two games. The losing teams each scored just one run.

If you are interested, ESPN3.com (or Watch ESPN) will be televising the series (though it is through their Spanish speaking broadcasters). I will be trying to tweet throughout the series, especially when it concerns the KC Royals players.

In the first game of the day (Game 1 of the series), Puerto Rico defeated Venezuela, 3-1 behind the pitching of veteran Nelson Figueroa. He allowed one run on seven hits and two walks over 6.2 innings. He struck out eight. Figueroa allowed that run in the first inning.

Irving Falu led off in the Puerto Rican lineup and went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. He also played shortstop.

In the night cap, the host Dominicans beat Mexico, 2-1. Luis Mendoza started for Mexico and took the loss. He threw a lot of offspeed pitches and was in trouble most of the game. It didn’t help that his offense did not record a hit (or a base runner) after the third inning.

» Continue reading “Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic Take First Games of Caribbean Series”

This week, MLB released their top 100 prospects, both live on MLB Network and on MLB.com. The KC Royals have widely been considered to have one of the best farm systems in the game and that young talent is what will carry the Royals to future success.

On the 2011 list, the Royals had six players on the list. Mike Moustakas (seventh) and Eric Hosmer (eighth) have graduated to the big leagues. John Lamb (34th) dropped off the list after missing most of 2011 due to Tommy John surgery. The other three have reappeared in the 2012 rankings.

Wil Myers, now an outfielder, has been ranked over the last three years (33rd in 2010 and 16th in 2011). He dropped a bit this year to 19th, as he struggled for the first time in his first season in Double-A. However, he rebounded in the Arizona Fall League and should carry that success into 2012.

Mike Montgomery, a left-handed starter, has fluctuated all over this list the last three years. He was ranked 43rd in 2010 and then jumped to 14th in 2011. Many thought he would be the first young pitcher to the big leagues for the Royals. Instead, he struggled at Triple-A and slipped to 31st on this list. Still, scouts (and the Royals) are high on Montgomery and maybe he can crack the Royals rotation sometime in 2012.

Right-handed pitcher Jake Odorizzi was 37th in 2011, but dropped in 2012 to 47th. He was dominant at times in High-A in his first season with the Royals, but sometimes he struggled to pitch five innings. Upon his promotion to Double-A, he struggled a little more with consistency. Still, he is the Royals most intriguing right-handed pitching prospect.

The newest Royal on the list (and the highest ranked) is Bubba Starling. The athletic outfielder that was lured away from a Nebraska football scholarship came in at 17th. He will begin his professional career in 2012 with high expectations, but in the lower rungs of the minor leagues.

All in all, the Royals have four prospects in the top 50 and still have a potent farm system.

When KC Royals rookie first baseman Eric Hosmer made his Major League debut, there wasn’t a whole lot of hoopla surrounding his promotion. Now that his rookie season is over, fans of the game have realized that he really is something to talk about. Unfortunately the writers haven’t quite caught on yet.

What the Royals need from Hosmer in 2012 is more of the same from him. After struggling a bit in the beginning (and at the very end), Hosmer had one of the better seasons by a rookie (and by a Royal). He hit .293 with 19 homeruns and 78 RBIs. He hit 27 doubles, scored 66 runs, and had an on-base percentage of .334. All of this came in just 128 games.

The Royals can ill afford for Hosmer to slump in his sophomore season. Not trying to put any pressure on him or anything.