Hope is spelled A-V-I-L-E-S

Tonight, Mike Aviles stuck the dagger in our hated rivals' hearts in the top of the 8th inning. Mike Aviles, who has never projected as a Major League shortstop. Mike Aviles who according to some (ahem- NY Royal on Royals Review) - "he’s not a below average SS; he’s an awful SS. No one would play him at SS in the majors. No one."

Yes - that Mike Aviles.

But wait - he's also the perfect symbol for the Royals. The little guy who couldn't. The team that doesn't stand a chance. It's just a great story. He may fall flat on his butt in a few weeks, but man, what a ride this is now. Mike Aviles provides the Royals with something that no Tony Pena AB ever did - hope. And no matter how spectacular Pena is in the field (and he is), TPJ never provided us the slightest inkling that he might win a game for us with his talent.

In 45 ABs, Mike Avi"les is more" has gone .333/.362/.689. In 162 ABs, TPJ went .154/.171/.191. In 1/4 the at bats, Aviles has the same number of total bases as TPJ this year, 3 more HRs, one more 2B, and one less hit. His OPS is 1.051. He is on pace to commit two more errors than Pena over the same time period, and I'm sure he's missed some that Tony could have reached with the range, but man....HOPE.

I'm feeling for the first time in a while like we almost have our ideal team on the field. I think one more piece (Butler back at first) could seal the deal for our best chance at winning. Let's keep it rolling.

Dubya

Well said

It's time.

We have been in Mark Davis shock for so long, I'm glad you finally broke through. Like Harry Potter we have finally decided that treating him with so much reverence as "He who must not be named," has only given him more power.

So, I say again, with emphasis- MARK DAVIS

Though he continues to hurt us, maybe if we try to understand his evil spirit, then we can exorcise the demon.

I hate being in this place. I try to track every game. I think "hey at least they are scoring in the first few innings, that's a plus," but I KNOW they are going to lose. It's a dreadful certainty. No lead is safe. No pitching combo is safe. No bases loaded "hey Buck is up, he kills with runners in scoring postion," will save my dread and certainty that the game is over shortly after some yahoo sings "home of the Brave..."

Our pitching staff looked so good at the beginning of the year, and now... the dreaded words LEAGUE FREAKING AVERAGE COMES OUT OF MY MOUTH EVERY NIGHT. I'm so tired...

I also know that, and this hurts to say, the Tigres will not save us. They won't. I pass a church sign on the way home that says something to the effect of "none need saving." Well I agree. We don't need saving, we are not granted redemption. Missouri is cursed beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Given the way our sports are going, the Tigers are going to fail. I could pretend this is a reverse hex or jinx, but I know that I am only postponing the inevitable. There is no alternate strategy. There is no "maybe I could switch teams." We are stuck with the Blue, the Red, and the Black/Gold. We are stuck with pain and misery. We will not be saved... God I hate sports.

Enough. I'll post again when I can pretend I care. Going to the check box scores mode, no more tracking. No more local sports talk radio.

The Curse of Mark Davis

Is it bad that I knew that it was over as soon as Teahen dropped the ball? As a lifelong Royals fan, I am accustomed to (and almost expect) the new and different torturous ways that my favorite team finds to lose. Sure there are many "logical" reasons for why we lost last night (Pena Jr, Yabuta, Tomko, Hillman, Teahen, etc), but I choose to believe there is something greater at work here.

Specifically, the curse of Mark Davis.

In 1989, Mark Davis had a 44 save, 1.85 ERA season with the San Diego Padres. He also won the Cy Young Award that year.

In the offseason, he was a free agent, and the Royals signed him to what was an enormous contract at the time. In 1990, he only made less than one Royal (George Brett) and only by $100,000. That year, he made more than Bret Saberhagen, Mark Gubicza, Danny Tartabull, Frank White, Wilie Wilson (and more than Bo Jackson and Kevin Seitzer combined). Also that year, he had 6 saves. He also had 6 wild pitches, 7 losses, and a 5.11 ERA.

For the next two years, he devastated Royals fans with one more save, and 4.45 and 7.18 ERAs respectively. Also, in combined salary over those 2 years, he made more than any other Royal on the team. Including the King.

Davis went on to torment a string of teams before his retirement, including the Braves, Phillies, Padres and Brewers. But the beginning of that run, and the team that literally paid the most for his hideous performance, was our beloved Royals.

Before Kansas City acquired Mark Davis, the franchise had a 1746-1587 record (.524). They had been to the playoffs 7 times in 20 years. They had won 2 pennants and one World Series. Fourteen winning seasons in 20 years.

Post Mark Davis, the club has gone 1282-1689 (.440) over 18 1/2 years. They have not made the playoffs once and had only 3 full winning seasons (1 strike shortened).

The reason I tie the curse to Mark Davis is for the following reasons:

1. Davis showed the Royals that spending large amounts of money was risky, and didn't guarantee winning. This led to a decade of cutting back that the club still hasn't recovered from.

2. Davis taught the Royals that losing was possible, even probable, even with the odds stacked in your favor. We had the Cy Young winning closer - it should have been automatic. The team learned that losing was possible and it has yet to shake that attitude.

3. Davis' acquisition was the peak of Royals optimism. The frenzy post his signing was palpable among fans. He was the ultimate diappointment - the landmark disappointment. The primer, the trailblazer, for all Royals disappointments since that moment.

The curse of Mark Davis lives on. Last night, it lived on in the glove of Teahen. It lived in the arms of Tomko and Yabuta. It lived in the mind of Hillman. Doesn't matter who is on the field, he can live through them.

What will it take to break the curse? Personally, I believe it will take an incredibly special player. It will take a player that can lead through performance, but more importantly, through attitude. He will refuse to lose. He will "will" the team to break the curse. He will be the second coming of George Brett. Some say it could be Gordon, but he has yet to prove it. Whoever it is, may he come soon.

Until then, the curse of Mark Davis lives on...
Dubya

Royals progress and two Tiger tidbits

Good to see that the current regime will not tolerate ridiculous 12 game losing streaks. I'm a huge Billy B fan, but he was struggling mightily, and we needed TPJ out of the lineup. Aviles finally got the call-up that he deserved, and TPJ is riding pine (finally!).

Also, I'm a big fan of the Davies call-up. Bombko is going nowhere fast, and should be used only as mop-up to eat innings and save arms in my opinion. He's worn out, and very hittable. Getting Davies another extended audition after his solid start in AAA is a good thing.

On the Tiger front, our beloved Mizzou was disposed of in the baseball playoffs. Honestly though, the chances were really slim of advancing. They were facing the #1 team in the country in Miami, and really gave them a good run. Keep your eye on Aaron Crow. That dude is a stud and may end up a Royal.

Finally, Demarre Carroll made the wise decision to stay in school, giving us some much needed continuity for next season. I think we will see some real improvement in BB this year.

Dubya - OUT

TPJ must go

I really don't care how good he is in the field. His fungo bat is killing me. It's like having all of my toenails pulled out one by one watching him bat. Seriously, it's not like we dont' have options. Callaspo should play everyday, or Aviles and his .340 AVG and 9 HRs should be called up. I'm sicking of batting the pitcher in the American League every night.

Even the greatest defensive shortstops of all time could hit A LITTLE FRIGGIN BIT. Ozzie Smith hit .262. Omar Vizquel hit .272. Hell, even Buddy Biancalana hit over .200 for his career.

This is intolerable and it is time for a change. The lineup needs a shakeup and we should start there.

I'd also like to see Teahen benched and Maier given a shot in the bigs. At a minimum, maybe it would shake him up like a couple of years ago.

Clearly this is all stemming from my emotion over being no-hit. And of course by the jacky Red Sox. That means 7X as much coverage by the media as being no-hit by another team (except for the Yankees of course). Miserable to have to endure this crap.

Dubya

Minor Talent

We have some hot prospects going right now, and that makes things exciting despite the lack of offense with the big club.

Moose seems to be heating up. He hit his second home run in 3 games last night and his average is on the steady increase (up to .210). The power stroke coming along is especially encouraging.
Aviles is STILL hitting the crap out of the ball, again prompting the question why we continue to settle for zero production out of the nine spot. He's hitting .344 with a 1.051 OPS. 14 doubles, 5 triples, and 6 HRs. Please, oh please, give him a shot. I'm tired of losing games where Bombko actually deserves a win.

Maier and Costa are also worth mentioning (.360 and .331 respectively) although the crowded outfield just makes them nice depth. I will say this though - Teahen and Guillen are on notice. A weak hitting corner outfielder and one that has as many strikeouts as total bases cannot be acceptable past June 30.

Pitching looks great with lots of depth. I expect the dominant Rosa (covered in another post) to be in Omaha within weeks, and the Davies is showing promise in Omaha currently (2.61 ERA in 6 starts). Lots to be positive about in the minors.
Dubya

Chiefs Rock the Draft

Suck Peterson finally had a good day.

I, like the rest of the Chiefs faithful, were fully prepared for another WTF draft coming out of Camp "Suck Peterson" this year - and I do believe I was caught with my pants down.

Let's look at it objectively. The Chiefs went in needing (in order of priority in my opinion):
1. OL help
2. Secondary help
3. WR help
4. DE help

On need number one - they traded up (actually smartly I might add) to obtain one of the most versatile and "sure thing" offensive lineman in the draft with their second pick (15th overall) - Branden Albert. Let's forget for a second this his mom couldn't spell and realize that this guy can play guard and tackle and has a mean streak. They also added a tackle from Clemson (Richardson) in the 6th round who was predicted to go much earlier. Need definitely addressed here.

On need number two - not quite as strong, but still got Brandon Flowers from Virginia Tech in the 2nd round and JaJuan Morgan from UNC. Flowers is major physical and never gets hurt. Morgan is a natural, but still needs work. I think Flowers starts from day one. Morgan will be a nickel guy to start. Solid additions to the secondary.

On need number three - Let's face it, wide receivers have not been kind to us in the draft. Looks like last year's pick might be the first one to stick in a long while. But the Chiefs at least went "safe" here. They got William Franklin (a Mizzou Tiger - YEEEESSSIR!) who is solid and a good 3rd/4th guy in the 4th round. Then in the 6th they picked up a little know dude named Kevin Robinson. While he may never start at WR, we immediately got our return man for next year. Good support and role players here.

Finally on need number four - Okay, so we only drafted one true DE (a longshot out of Gardner Webb in the 7th round), but c'mon - WE GOT GLENN FRICKIN DORSEY!!!!!! He never should have fallen this far. We could have never dreamed it. And now, we have a DT who could be one of the best ever out of college. Can't wait to see him wreck some havok. Need not met directly - but DORSEY DORSEY DORSEY.

As for the other picks, we took our customary 2 tight ends at random and one RB named Jamaal Charles out of Texas. This was a shrewd pick in my mind. He is a burner and could push Larry, who we all know needs pushing.

Bottom line - best Chiefs draft in my memory. I'm actually excited to see the improvement.

Dubya

Moose Goes Yard

Mike Moustakas hit the first of what will hopefully be many homeruns in his Royals career tonight. Unfortunately, it took this long to come (oh, and it was his first extra base hit as well). Here's hoping this loosens him up and sets him on a tear.

In other news, I have yet to be convicted that my calls to send TPJ down and Aviles (or even Berroa) up are incorrect. Please let it come sooner rather than later.
Dubya

Thoughts

The first game of the double header was actually encouraging. The game is essentially over if your starter gives up 7 and they battled back.

New thing I'm looking for:

As old Quigley would say, show your work!

I'm going to assume that 4 plate appearances is about average, it's likely closer to 5, but that gives us approximately 36-45 plate appearances per team per game.

Now, in order to neutralize a starting pitcher in todays game you need to get them to 100 pitches in the sixth inning, 5th would be nice, but that is stretching it (Bombko had 100 in the 4th *sigh*)

So that means that if you are looking at 4 plate appearances for each batter to end a game then the pitchers would have averaged 4 batters per inning, likewise with 5.

So using a conservative estimate of 4, each inning the starting pitcher needs to throw 17 pitches. This would equal 17*6 or 102 pitches. The odds of seeing the pitcher come back in for the 7th would be pretty squarely in the offenses favor.

So 17 pitches divided amongst 4 batters equals just over 4 pitches per batter.

So extrapolating it works quite well. If the pitcher is rolling and there are only 3 batters per each inning, each batter would need to take about 6 pitches, or 18*6 or 108.

5 batters per inning and you are nearing 3 pitches per hitter.

I'm sticking with 4 which appears to be a conservative or good real estimate.

If TPJ, Guillen, Buck, or any other strugglers aren't seeing at least 4 pitches, they are, in effect helping the pitcher to go longer without providing the benefit of fatiguing the pitcher.

Watch out for it, I would bet there is some merit to this

Beetle

what a difference a week makes

Sigh

Well I am writing this prematurely, but I feel pretty confident at 10-0 we have this one in the bag. Depressing. Boo. our ace suddenly became the pitcher everyone thought he would be. I'll still track, but they are starting to look like the 100 loss team everyone thought they were. How sad when you peak in midApril.

This has nothing to do with Trey Hillman. They just can't do anything right, and they have that mojo of appearing to "feel" as if they can't do anything right. This = big losing streak that will bury them for the rest of the season.

No particularly happy right now

Sorry for the length between posts

Greetings again,

I guess that's the nice part of a two man blog. When one guy goes down there is always a good chance the other guy is still functional. I was out of town, traveling a lot, computer busted, dog ate home work, etc etc.

Tracking the boys in blue everyday. Seriously, how punchless are we? I mean this inability to generate even a modicum of runs is startling. 63 runs in 19 games. Yes you can multiply 19 x 3 and still get under 63, but not by a bunch. 3 and some change per game. Swept by the A's. Emil Brown has to go all Gannon on us. I just feel that the team is going to go into a dive mentally soon if they don't break out for 9 or 10 runs soon.

Hochevar sounded (radio listen) sharp for the first few innings and he was able to get at least one key strikeout to bail him out of a 2 man no out situation early on. I am happy that he is able to have some moments of success, even if he does seem to have the potential to let the wheels come rolling off rapidly in games.

I can't get over the basepaths of despair thing though. I mean this is getting patently ridiculous. I anticipate that they are going to fall victim to the hidden ball trick soon. I think the term kamikaze is absolutely the case at this point. When you average 3 runs a game, throwing away outs and baserunners is such a terrible thing.

I think I will hate Olivo until he hits 20 homers in a season. Pretty sure its a safe bet that I can stoke that fire for awhile to come.

Butler has been quietly plummeting offensively, just hate it, but pointing it out.

Jared Allen. The NFL has evolved so much. I, and many rational Chiefs fans, are oddly "ok" with the thought of losing the most popular Chief since DT. Allen is Kansas City. His musical tastes and attitude mesh perfectly with the culture here. I would love to say he can't get arrested, but we know that's not true. Everyone here is so drained of cheer and emotion and quite frankly freaking hope. Coach Herman Edwards is a nice man. I'm sure he'll go to heaven. I have ZERO faith in his ability to draft, manage, and lead at this point after two years. His little ranting and raving press conferences are old. He says the same thing everytime. He could go up to the podium and say "please review my speech from last Thursday, all questions will be answered the same, I will be providing no new information, thank you," and leave. No one would be surprised. So when we have to look at a talented player leaving, all anyone can think is "we need SO MUCH just to go 8-8," leading to, "Hey we may be able to get further along in a direction if we have base block talent from a superstar."

I will hate Herm until he brings home the big one. I think I'm pretty safe stoking that fire for a long time to come.

Beetle

Allen to be traded?

So the rumor is that Jared Allen is all but gone, looking for a new spot with a new contract. Man, I love this guy, but due to the fact that he is asking for $30Mil, I think we have to let him go.

My suggestion: let's trade Jared for a first and a third. That gives us two first round picks to get instant starters for this year's squad. I would love to see those go to an offensive lineman and a defensive back.

A more controversial move, but one I would endorse wholeheartedly, is to trade Larry Johnson if there is a possibility to get Darren McFadden. I think we could swap our first round pick with someone and pick up a second. I like the way D-Mac runs, and he's a lot better attitude than LJ's cancerous one.

Dubya

How to stop a losing streak

Well, as I write this the Royals are headed for their 4th straight loss, dropping them below .500 for the first time this year. It's not time to panic yet, but I do think a few moves would help them significantly and help stop the slide.

The first one happened earlier today when we elected to go with no mo Nomo. This was a great potential story, but their just isn't anything left in the tank. Having Peralta up in his place is a very good move.

The second one was slightly misplayed. Instead of Hochevar, DLR was due another shot at the rotation. He is the lefty that we need in the mix to keep teams off balance, plus he is lights out right now in Omaha. After his win today, he is 2-0 with a Greinke-eske 1.15 ERA. His control is much better (5 walks in 15+ innings) and his K's are at 1 per inning. I want to see Hochevar produce as much as the next guy, but I think a mid-summer call-up might give him enough time to really feel comfortable when he gets his shot. DLR has been there before, and that's what we need.

Finally, I won't stop my petitioning for the jettison of TPJ. His .120 average makes Buddy Biancalana look like Derek Jeter and with our lack of offense in general, we can't pretend play in the National League with an automatic out in the 9 slot. There are two red hot bats in Omaha - Aviles (.324/.347/.603) and Berroa (.339/.350/.542) whose errors certainly can't outweigh their .200 point BA jumps. And yes, I'm the only Royals fan left up for giving the Devil one more chance.

On the bright side our starting pitching gives us a chance to stop a streak every night. Butler and Gordon continue to rip. Guillen is getting "hot" (at least making contact every other at bat).
With a few changes we can jump right back in this thing.

Dubya

Your NWA Naturals Report

As a huge Royals fan who lives 1.5 miles from the new Northwest Arkansas Naturals, I will be providing intermittant updates as the season goes on.

Opening Day: It was fantastic. The park is great - maybe the best minor league park I have seen. Lots of fanfare including a flyover, the Naturals mascot being helicoptered into the stadium (he's a 6'9" Sasquatch named Strike), and David Glass making some comments. There were some major opening day logistical glitches (horrible parking coordination, long lines at the concession stands, etc), but the facility is just top notch. Now onto the team.

Unfortunately, the Naturals performance on opening day may be very indicative of things to come. No batta, no batta, no batta. They mustered one run that day. For the season, the team is batting .225. No, that is not a typo. Their offense if horrifically anemic. Going into tonight's game (where they have mustered one run through 8 1/3), here are the key stats of the starters:

CF Duarte - .207, 0 extra base hits, 5 SBs
SS Sanchez - .188, 2 errors, 8 K's in 32 ABs
3B Lisson - .132, 1 BB, 11 K's in 38 ABs
DH Richardson - .225, 10K's in 40 ABs
1B Kaaihue - .294, 5 HRs, 16 RBIs, 2 errors
2B Maddox - .179, 2 SBs, 7 K's in 28 ABs
RF McFall - .160, 1 HR, 1 SB
LF Valentin - .405, 0BB's, 1 HR
C Donachie - .150, 6 Ks in 20 ABs

Yuck. The two bright spots are Kaaihue and Valentin. Kaaihue shows lots of power, but a propensity to not do much else (including field). Valentin is the classic "tweener" outfielder. Not quite enough power, not quite enough speed.

The most alarming thing is the high strikeout ratio. They just aren't making contact. The team has a K/BB ratio of 2.84/1. They are averaging a strikeout every 4.7 AB's. But hey, they are AA kids and I imagine the contact will come. They have been raided of significant talent at this level over the past couple of years.

The pitching staff has a couple of ones to watch. *on 40 man MLB roster

Daniel Cortes - 2 starts and a 1.08 ERA. In 8 innings he has struck out 6 (but walked 6 as well).

Carlos Rosa*- made his 3rd start tonight and through 14 IP has a 1.83 ERA with 10 Ks and only 2 walks allowed

Julio Pimentel* - Getting rocked early. 8.59 ERA. 12 hits allowed in 7 innings. Should come around.

Dusty Hughes - 10.2 innings of relief with only 1 run allowed (0.83 ERA). 0.66 WHIP.

Rowdy Hardy - My personal favorite - you just gotta root for this guy and his backyard fastball. A rough start to the season in his first 2 starts (7.27 ERA) - but of course - no walks.

That's it from Northwest Arkansas for now. Let's hope the sticks come alive soon.

The Gaping Holes

While our beloved Royals are off to a solid (and not expected) 7-5 start, I have to be a typical Royals fan and focus on the negative. Thus, this entry.

There are two gaping holes in the Royals lineup. One bats 4th or 5th, and the other bats 9th.

Step right up, Mr. Free Agent Bust, Mr. HGH, Mr. Jose Guillen. Don't get me wrong, I'd love it if this guy proves me wrong and produces. But let's look at facts. He came in complaining that he might not get to play right because our ASSIST MASTER Mark Teahen was already there. His whining led to Teahen bending and moving to right.

Then, he promptly skipped Spring Training. Because he was a "veteran" who didn't need all the work. (Note: true veterans like Mark Grudzy actually can do this and still perform). Now, he has played in every game, and has managed a massive 6 hits in 49 ABs. To top that off, take those hits, mulitply by 2, and you get his strikeout total!!!! Not one HR for the prolific power guy, and today he was 0-4 with 2 K's and a double play! Oh, and an error that led to the Twins' only run.

A few other gems. Alberto Callaspo has 6 hits as well....in 18 ABs. Guillen is 8th in the AL in ABs among outfielders, and 64th in batting average! Only one outfielder who has played in all 12 games is batting worse - Jack Cust, a man in his second full major league season.

My solution: There is this guy down in Omaha named Costa. He's only hitting .350 with no errors, but I think he might be an upgrade. At a minimum, Guillen should hit the bench when (if) DeJesus ever comes back.

The second hole is the magnificent TPJ. While I do appreciate his fielding prowess, 1 friggin' hit is ridiculous. My blind, one-armed mom could have one hit after 30 ABs. Oh- and he has 8 K's to go with that big helping of nothing. No surprise, he is the worst hitting SS in the American League.

My solution: There is this guy down in Omaha named Angel Berroa. He does have one error, but I somehow think that his .371 average and 13 hits might make up for that. And I think he might have shown some promise at one point in his career.

Fill these gaping holes and you have at least one more win this season so far - and over a full season that translates to 12-15 more wins. And that could cost you the playoffs....

Seex and TWOO

Biggest question? Kansas wins the national title, I'm ok with that, but...

"WHY DOES THERE HAVE TO BE A BILL SELF CONTROVERSY??"

Seriously. I had to turn my XM to freaking The Michael Kay show to get some Royals talk (New York local guy). Bill Self. Who cares? The Royals (were) 5-2, all you need to do on local sports talk radio is this...

First guy: "Royals,Royals,Royals,Royals,Royals,Royals,"
Second guy: "Royals,Royals,Royals,Royals, Royals,Royals,Royals?"
First guy: "Royals"

Wash, rinse, repeat. Instead it's the most in depth analysis of Bill Self's 2 liner from the Lawrence paper today. They analyzed EACH WORD.

"I think when Bill Self said 'I think' that this shows some significant insight into what he is going to do..."

REALLY? YA THINK? ABSOLUTELY REEEEEDONKULOUS! Best start in 5 years and we have to put up with this crap.

Here, let me finish it:

"Rock Chaulk, Gay Hawk, Gay U"

Ok, there's your props. Now GIVE ME MORE ROYALS TALK!

Feel better, yes I do.

Beetle

Sigh

Well it was bound to happen. The enemy of my enemy is my friend and Memphis was my friend last night. Resounding boo.

Bannister v whatever poo 4th starter for the Yankees (Phil Hughes?) Knowing my luck, the Royals bats will continue to go into hibernation and it won't matter how well Bannister pitches. Here's to hoping!

Kansas, the Yankees, and Keppinger

A few thoughts tonight on a variety of subjects.

1. Kansas Suckhawks

As I right this blog, the Suckhawks are leading Memphis in the national championship game 22-15. If things continue like this, the will unfortunately be winning the National Championship. As a Mizzou fan, I was raised to hate Kansas and they are just flat out obnoxious in general. My bracket was crap this year, Mizzou didn't make the tournament, and now Kansas is going to win it. Suck. Only brightside is that the sports "geniuses" will stop talking about how the Big 12 isn't a real basketball conference since we haven't won a championship since 1988.

2. The Yankees. That is who the boys in blue face tomorrow for the home opener. Before the season started, if you had told me that the Royals would start the season with a 4-2 roadtrip vs. the Tigers and Twins, I would have laughed in your face. I would have hoped for 2-4, dreamed for 3-3. To be where we are now is incredible.

That being said, my perspective has changed significanlty in the span of a week. As the Yankees roll into town, I actually like our chances of winning the series. Our staff is leading the league in ERA, and we have Bannister, Greinke, and Bale lined up. That makes me hopeful. If the good guys win 2 of 3 in this series, look out - we may be for real.

3. Jeff Keppinger. Who, you may ask, is Jeff Keppinger? Jeff Keppinger is the starting SS for the Cincinnati Reds, and for you diehards, a one-time Royal. For a brief period (6 months), Jeff Keppinger was a Royal. Dayton Moore acquired him in July of 2006 for Ruban Gotay. Then, in early 2007, we traded him for a pitcher named Russ Haltiwanger. Why the history lesson, you may ask? Because I think it tells us something significant about our GM.

You see, Jeff Keppinger is currently the best hitting SS in the majors. He's hitting .423 with 2 HRs and 3 doubles. Last year, in 67 games for the Reds, he hit .332 with a 2/1 BB/K ratio. Russ Haltiwanger, on the other hand, is at single A Wilmington for us, where he had a middling ERA last year. When I first looked at this, I thought, "Wow, we were robbed here. I certainly would rather have Keppinger starting at SS right now over TPJ, and this pitcher is a bust."

Instead though, let's look at what it tells us about our GM. In this same 6 month period, the Graffanino for De La Rosa trade was made, along with the MacDougal for Lumsden/Cortes trades were made. Both, I think we would all say, were good moves for the depth of young pitching in the organization. The Keppinger trade made some sense at the time. Keppinger had done nothing extraordinary, and Haltinger was another young arm. Most importantly, it brought in depth in the prospect staff. Now, so far this trade has turned out bad for the Royals, but the strategy under which it was made, has not.

You see, this trade shows Moore's strategy in a nutshell. Young arms are top priority, then we will worry about everything else. Due to this philosophy, we have a solid starting rotation for the first time in years, and plenty of prospects in the minors. I think it is what will lead us into contention over the next few years.

So while Keppinger maybe got away - remember the strategy. I think this Moore guy just might know what he is doing.

The Matrix

Clearly, I am Neo, living in an alternate reality where my Kansas City Royals are really good at baseball.

A few stats from this universe before someone unplugs me:
1. The Royals are 3-0 since the dream year of 2003. And for the second time in 28 years.
2. The Royals' team ERA is 1.55 and leads the AL
3. Alex Gordon leads the league in HRs
4. Joakim Soria leads the league in saves
5. The Royals have the best record in baseball.
6. All of those statistics have been accumulated against the prohibitive favorite to win the AL Central, the Tiggers.

Incredible. Now we will see what the new starter Bale can do, along with the shaky (at best) Tomko.

On another note, I will be periodically reporting on the newly minted NWA Naturals this season, the new AA affiliate of our beloved Royals.

Last night, in their first game ever, they defeated the San Antonio Missions 6-4. Highlights included:

• OF Jose Duarte reaching base all 5 times (3-3, 2 walks, and 2 SBs)
• OF Brian McFall showing off some power going 2-4 with a HR and a triple
• Top prospect Carlos Rosa with a strong 4 inning start. He allowed 2 ER on 6 hits, but walked no one and struck out 5. Rosa is on the Royals MLB 40-man roster.
• A solid 2.2 innings from Dusty Hughes to earn the win, giving up no runs, 1 hit, and 1 BB.

Can't wait for their home opener on the 10th.

Looking for the Oracle,

Dubya

Two and Oh!

Wow who called this...

What a DOMINATING performance. Gotta love Bannister showing last year was not a fluke and spring training was meaningless. That was a truly impressive performance. Soria sittin down 2-4 hitters with all K's was also just incredible.

I'm so excited for Greink's start tomorrow I can hardly sit still. I anticipate that he is going to have at least a quality start.

Anyway, gotta keep moving.

Beetle

Undefeated!!!!!

Wow. The Kansas City Royals are undefeated. They are also in first place, have a winning streak, and are above .500.

Yes, I realize that we are one game into the season. I don't care. There have been far too many seasons recently that begin with a multi-game losing streak, pouring huge amounts of ice cold water on my fandom before I even get out of April. I am genuinely excited and filled with ridiculous expectations AND I DON'T CARE!!!!!!!!

Now seriously - some great things I saw from the game, and some scary things too.

Good things:
1. Grudz is fine. Great performance by him at the plate. I was worried about his health and limited Spring ABs, but he looked good.
2. Nunez. MVP of the game yesterday with 2 crucial innings of shutting down the mighty Tiggers.
3. Gordon. Long ball!!!! It is crucial for him to not repeat the negative start from last year. While 1-5 isn't great, the two run homer was huge.
4. Soria. While shaky at first, he closed the door to earn the first save.
5. Meche. He did get hit a lot, but his Ks were up and remember, this is the best lineup in the league right now.
6. Hillman. It's a big deal to get started positively for the new skip.

Troublesome things:
1. Guillen. He did have the assist from right (justifying his persistence to play there), but he is looking beyond bad at the plate. No likey his bat - or his steriod reputation.
2. DeJesus. Let's hope these little injuries aren't a pattern.
3. Tomko. Biggest questionable move in my mind. Why was he in? Of course, he lived up to expectations giving up the game-tying bomb.

Can't wait for Wednesday. And I can't remember the last time I was this excited for the second game of the season.

Dubya

And the winner is...

Tomko..........I think.

As we speak, De La Rosa is in the process of pitching himself right into AAA ball. Through 3 innings, he's allowed 5 hits and 2 HR's. As is typical of DLR, he teases you with greatness, only to screw it up. His four K's through 3 innings makes me think - "wow, this guy could be more than total dog crap". Then he wets the bed and lets friggin' Rafael Furcal go yard on him.

Since De LLLLLLa Rosa is blowing up, and my boy Hochevar was optioned to AAA ball yesterday, I'm thinking Tomko is the winner. Their is a slight chance that Davies could steal the spot, but I think that he and Jorge have options left. Tomko doesn't. That means a rotation that looks like this:

1. Meche - solid ace
2. Bannister - great last outing
3. Greinke - ditto
4. Bale - he's earned it
5. Tomko - Merry Christmas. For now.

I'm guessing that five spot will be a rotating door for the first half of the season. Hopefully, we can land on a solid one before the pennant race (snicker snicker).

6 days until Opening Day!!!!!

Dubya

Lookin tight

Man Rany's blog has been excellent. Billiam Butler is ROLLIN. Gordon is lookin solid. Pitching has been good as well.

I've heard the stadium looks not even close to ready.

ugh

I feel as bad as I look today. Long night. Dexter has to stop spending time with me, one of these times it's gonna be the movie "Very Bad Things."

Meche and Cinderella

Two separate topics here, but I liked the title.

Meche is looking VERY solid heading into the season and that bodes well for us. Having a "stopper" who can end potentially season-ending losing streaks is step one in turning the franchise around. Above all, he has been consistent, which is extremely encouraging heading into the season.

Hitting looked great today. It was nice to see Gordon and Guillen get off the longball schneid, and having Teahen, Butler, DeJesus, and Gordon all hitting over .300 is a very good thing. Callaspo did it again today, and it is getting to the ridiculous point if we don't start the season with him in powder blue. Soria is not himself though, and without a sure closer, any game is up for grabs.

As for the tourney, I'm passively watching. My only emotion today was when W. Kentucky beat Drake on that awesome last second three. Unfortunately, I really liked the Bulldogs this year and I truly think they win that game 9 out of 10 times. Too bad they played the 10th game today. Also of note-Connecticut falls to San Diego. Love it. Calgoon is totally overrated in my book. Mark my words - Memphis is the first #1 seed to fall, likely in their sweet 16 game to Pitt.

That's all for tonight- I might grab a drink with Pester tomorrow. I'll let you know.

Live from the SGF -
Dubya

Feel bad

I had planned on writing about the "flip em" concept that we have talked about many times. I haven't seen this anywhere in the national media, and wanted to put it down as "our" concept. I don't feel so hot tonight so I don't think I'll be doing it.

Basically, it's playing a veteran signee in hopes they produce enough to get a draft pick for them. Sounds not very novel on paper, but it has some details that make it fascinating. Playing a veteran over a young player, in order to get a value pick and build your farm team has an interesting motivation behind it. Maybe I'll write a doctorate level paper later on it.

Beetle

Tourney...Boo

I'm not specifically boycotting March Madness, I've just got some apathy this year. Think the poor MU play had me down early, and then the suspensions... Ick.

Hey we lost a linebacker and almost lost Maclin, don't know if you saw the story. Pinkel was quick to say "we are done with this event and are moving forward." *Whistles innocently* Well, gotta love my thugs.

Ran across this quote, and I HAD to post it.

"That guy throwing 95 (mph)," Hough says, "he's got physical ability,but I've got more nerve, you know what I mean? When the catcher got down and flashed the one finger for a knuckleball, I felt like Nolan Ryan throwing 100 mph."
Charlie Hough

Dude, Charlie Hough for president. "I've got more nerve." You know, *pause* he's right. A knuckler is essentially throwing gopher balls that break funny. Ya the "talented" guys throw 90. I gotta use the vaseline under the hat and maybe some jallapena in my nose. ("you put snot on the ball??") God I miss the Houghster- bastard pitched to 60- first win in (Marlins?) history- one of those young upstarts.

The only thing I hope is that KU is the first 1 seed to lose to a 16. That would make my century. Hey send me an email with the fantasy baseball stuff so I can sign up. Might as well, worst case scenario is I quit half way through...again.

Beetle

Tourney

First - I got you on the minors piece Beetle. I was playing out the "dream scenario" assuming Tomko and the rest of the veterans actually take a shot at the minors. Realize we are probably out of luck, and that's probably why realistically Callaspo and Hochevar end up in the minors.

Since there is not baseball today, a few quick thoughts on the tourney:

1. I think there will be 3 #1 seeds in the final four (everyone sans Memphis)
2. My 12/5 upset this year is the Temple/Mich. St game
3. Watch out for: South Alabama, Temple, Pitt, and Louisville to all exceed expectations.
4. Respect the Valley - Drake won't lose first round. They should have had 2 teams in this year.
5. Wisconsin is BORING, but they are good.
6. UNC will win it all unless there is an injury.

Should be fun - who doesn't love the tourney?

Dubya

Our ignorance

Good thoughts, but there may be some different concerns:
I don't think you can send someone like Tomko to the minors. I think, once you are veteran like that, you release them if they don't make the 25 man. Same may go with German. Huber is gone. Unless no one else wants him, he's going to waivers because he definitely can't go back to the minors. I just don't know if the club is going to not take German, that really sounds like a stretch to me.

Beetle

The Big Show

Okay - rough loss today. Hate to see Soria lose the game after a great rally to take the lead. I think Bale did enough to secure the 4th spot in the rotation. Callaspo had another good day today, making it harder and harder to ignore him. That leads me today's topic: who I think will make the big club when we break Spring Training. As of today, here are my predictions for the 25 man roster. By the way, I am ignoring the Guillen/Olivo suspensions for this exercise:

Pitchers (12)

Starting Rotation
1. Meche
2. Bannister
3. Greinke
4. Bale
5. Hochevar

Bullpen
6. Nomo
7. Peralta
8. Mahay
9. Gobble
10. Nunez
11. Yabuta
12. Soria

I realize that taking Hochevar over Tomko is a stretch, but I just have a feeling. I know people probably expect Musser on this list too, but I think he starts at AAA. By the way, this would make for one heck of a AAA rotation (Tomko, Lawrence, Maroth, Lumsden, De La Rosa). That would actually push Rosa, Duckworth and Davies down to AA. Likely, some folks hit the road in this group for other opportunities.

Keep your eye on Braun and Giron in the minors too. I think they will be up quickly.

Now for positions players:

1B: Shealy
2B: Grudzy
SS: Pena Jr.
3B: Gordon
C: Buck
DH: Butler
LF: Teahen
CF: DeJesus
RF: Guillen

That makes the bench only 4 deep, which is scary and tight. IMO, here are the four:
1. Olivo
2. Gathright
3. Gload
4. Callaspo

Biggest leap - Callaspo over German. I know this is a longshot, but I really like this kid. He's hitting .356 with the most spring at bats of anyone. You can't send this guy down. Look for these guys to make a push for the big club at early and after injuries occur:
-German (if he sticks around)
-Maier
-Hollins (again, if he stays)
-J. Smith
-Huber
-Costa

Well- predictions are always fun. What say you Beetle man?

-Dubya

Man U a Slacker

I'm so posting more. Quality be damned!

Dub and I got to talkin and we decided the following things to be true:
1)The Colorado ROCKies had a miracle 2007 season
2)The Houston ROCKets are having a miracle 2008 season

We have decided that henceforth...(dramatic pause) (hold it) the Royals will now be called the ROCKals. Our goal, of course, is to capitalize on insane winning streaks and attempt to draw them to our team. Now I know Rockals doesn't roll off the tongue...yet.

*sigh*

I was about to write about the Royals beautiful come back win. Unfortunately, they *passed excrement* in *a place usually reserved for sleeping*. Worse, bring the pain:
J Bale 5 2-3 5 4 4 1 4 1 C Tsao 1-3 0 0 0 1 1 0 Y Yabuta 1 2-3 2 0 0 0 3 0 J Gobble 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 J Soria (L,1-1) 1-3 3 2 2 0 0 0

Thats right, yahoo Soria. Rany brags on you and then *boom* you Rockal up on us.

We had some notable hitting which was great, but I really couldn't wait to write the following line:

Fukudome had a steal

Won't get to write his name much this year. Fukudome. First child: Fukudome Beetle Jr. I can make this happen!

Beetle

Monday Monday

Greetings again,

So listened to the end of the game. Shock of shocks, mahay looked terrible. I won't even capitalize his name. Everyone else pitched pretty well who mattered. Bannister appears to be zeroing in. Hitting nowhere to be found, but they were in the game until the end.

I don't think I'm filling out a bracket this year. Just don't feel up to it. Stupid tigers.

Quick thoughts today. Trying to go to bed early.

Beetle

Hillman Ball

As I looked at the final score from today's game (13-3), I was anxious to see who went yard. Looking through the boxscore, however, I discovered that the boys in blue had no homeruns today. I mention this, because I think this may be the style of ball we see all year. I'm confident in our ability to produce runs, but we aren't going to do it via the longball. Except for the occasional shot from Butler, Teahen, Buck, maybe Shealy - we are going to rally teams to death. This is very consistent with what we have seen from Hillman in his past experience. He seems to do well with "Whitey Herzog" type clubs. His Japanese teams were known for their fundamentals and their ability to put pressure on clubs via the running game. Perfect fit for our "popless" outfit in KC. I think the fit is good, as will be the results. As long as the pitching comes around.

Saw "3:10 to Yuma" last night. Great flick - I enjoyed a lot. I'm not normally a fan of westerns, but this was really good. Like him or hate him, Crowe can flat out act. I believe him as the hero or the villain, wholeheartedly, evertime. Saw "Michael Clayton" a few weeks ago as well as "the Kingdom". I would rate Kingdom better than the critics and Clayton slightly worse than the critics. Both solid, however.

Oh - broke down and did the midnight Wal-Mart run for a Wii last night. I am officially a dad of 3. I will say though that the think is pretty addictive. I imagine I will be quite sore tomorrow from my Wii activity. Upside - I'm one heck of a boxer. Downside - my 6 year old beats me at bowling every friggin' time.

Dubya - out

Sunday Sunday

Sitting at home.  Watched "Rescue Dawn" and "The Kingdom."  Very good movies both.  They both had their good points and were enjoyable.  Did work out which I feel pretty good about.

The Royals have been kinda sleepwalking the last few games.  Meche had a good outing, which is nice.  He was on a pitch count.  Nomo is coming back down to earth, which I predicted.

Really looking at a couple of video games that I might be wanting to play.

1)Rainbow Six Vegas 2: This may be the one that actually pulls me off Call of Duty 4.  I have become rather pimplike at COD4, and enjoy playing as much as I can.  Everything I've heard about the new Rainbow Six says it is better in pretty much every way.  Blam Blam kill kill, yay!

2)Army of 2: Very interested in this.   You play in pairs and kill for big money.  Definitely like the concept.

Michael Clayton is in the cue for tonight.  Heard mixed reviews.

Taxes not done.  Gotta get on those.

Rockets 22 straight to include the Lakers today.  Is this Colorado Rockies part 2??  Who saw this coming.  All these western conference teams make moves and... The Rockets get the best run, they signed no one and lost their AllStar center.  What more needs to be said?  Bizarro.

Beetle

Easy Big Shooter

I would like to officially apologize to anyone who had to endure the previous post.  The responsible parties have been censured.

They do exist, and I'm a fan...

Now for a little something I KNOW Beetle isn't tracking. Our hometown Kansas City Wizards. While I won't mention them much on this blog, I will occasionally talk of the world's most popular sport (and the sport that is treated like crap by we "ugly Americans").

The team had been on the downslide for the past couple of years (missed the playoffs in '05 and '06), and the departure of Eddie Johnson might lead some to think we are headed back there. I, however, am optimistic this season.

Let me remind everyone that we DID make the conference semifinals last season. I know Eddie is a talented player, but dude had a lot of the characteristics of a Prima Donna/Clubhouse Cancer (e.g. Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson, Barry Bonds) and clearly didn't play hard for the full 90. I think him leaving will help the team chemistry and Scott Sealy will step up and have a huge season.

Final soapbox on this topic: SUPPORT YOUR FRIGGIN' TEAM Kansas City! We are consistently in the bottom two in the league in attendance, and that ain't portraying the fair city correctly. Another couple years like this and that eyesore to the East will steal our team from us. This year the Wizards will be playing out of Arrowhead as they wait for a permanent home. Most of their games will be at the CAB and they are ridiculously affordable, ranging from $15-$25. So circle the home opener date (exactly 2 weeks from today) and support the other Blue vs. the D.C. United.

Well good and bad

The hitting came out tonight, but jeez, not happy about Yabuta's performance.  TPJ, Butler, Gordon and the usual suspects put on a clinic.  Soria pitched two strong innings (imagine a 6 out closer *shiver with excitement).  Tomko + Yabuta = ick today.

Just watched "The Fountain."  Jesus.  Let me save you 1 hour and 45 minutes of your life.  TERRIBLE MOVIE.  Avoid like a Mizzou basketball game.  I hate to compare the two because the concern is that "The Fountain" was terribly edited and conceived.  The acting was credible...  Need I be less subtle?

Two weeks to the last moments of hope for our season.  Thankfully I enjoy the journey as much as I do.

Fascinating that we both conceded that Royals on Radio has the nod over the TV telecasts.

1)Denny Matthews is sick

2)Both spouses hate watching baseball on television

3)We almost never have to listen to that puke Bob Davies on the radio

Did you see Flanigan's article in KC Star?  He quoted Tori Hunter as "almost crying" when he heard about the renovations to The K.  I have my own story about that:

I have a friend who works grounds for Chiefs/Royals.  He has been working long enough to draw a pension and retirement.  Last year (I mean after the Chiefs playoff loss to Colts) he was getting ready to drop his papers.  He went to a meeting and the plans for the upgrade to Arrowhead and The K were revealed.  He couldn't talk about specifics, but the wonderment he described when he talked about the plans was awesome.  He was like 20 years younger, he was excited, he was motivated.  He said, "I can't possibly leave until this project is finished.  I have to see this dream realized."

Get ready for some cool stuff man.

Beetle

Miisssster Anderson

Speaking of the Tigers, I can't believe what we are seeing. This used to be a really competitive program before Snyder single-handedly tore it to the ground (I seriously think the developmental league is scraping the bottom of the barrell if they are resorting to the powder-sniffing Q). I feel for Mike A, but he's gonna have to turn up the winning QUICK or this experiment will be aborted within 2 years.

Even worse - our "scoring tandem" of Carroll and Lyons seemed to regress at the end of the season. They combined for 17 tonight. Some semblence of progress would have been nice this season. So far, the "40 minutes of hell" we thought he was bringing has been directed toward the viewing public. Yeeeesh.

I think Anderson has done what he can with this clusterbomb - and I admire his discipline with the thuggish behavior - but next season better not involve losing to anymore football schools. Man - just when we finally kick in and beat 'em in pigskin, we return the favor in hoops. Ah- the life of a Tiger fan.

Hrm

Well I like the idea that we have more balance, but I don't think that Tomko or Nomo (the O brothers) will pitch meaningful games this year. Ageist that I am, I think both are wet noodle arms without enough guile to make enough valuable to starts to justify their roster spots. I think Bale is a reasonable shot to be a low average 4. I wouldn't touch Hocevar or however you spell is name for the 5th. I think starting would damage his long term prospects and so I say no no no (with all due Amy Winehouse trademarked props)

Dear God we lost 61-56 tonight (Teegrays). Can you say futility? I didn't even invest a second in watching it. When the conclusion is foregone, it's better to shoot the horse rather than watch it suffer.

I spent the time playing Call of Duty 4, which is NOT a foregone conclusion, and I rather rock at the game.

Well I'm going to get in bed, let's hope I don't post again tonight, as that means I didn't sleep well.

St. Patty's this weekend. Knock back a green one for me.

Pitching

Okay, so the top 3 are settled:

1. Meche
2. Bannister
3. Greinke

Now - who for 4 and 5? I have to say, this is probably the most depth in terms of experience that the Royals have ever had to choose from for those slots.

Nomo (11 years)
Tomko (11 years)
Duckworth (7 years)
Lawrence (6 years)
Bale (5 years + 3 in Japan)

Now I'm not saying the experience equals quality (see eLLLLLarton and OdaLLLLLLis last year), but it certainly doesn't hurt on a young team like ours. Combine that with some young promising arms (Hochevar, Lumsden, Nunez, De La Rosa, Davies) and you have a recipe for some strong starters. Not to mention that the depth helps a lot when pitchers go down, and you know they will.

My guess - 4 & 5 are split between experience and promise. Bale wins the four spot with a solid spring, and due to the fact that I can't see Hillman not throwing a lefty in the starting five. I also think he probably has an affinity for Bale because of the Japan connection.

Five goes to.....drumroll please....Hochevar. I know, I know - it's too early. We don't want to ruin him. Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah. Listen - the guy is a #1 pick who has his contemporaries already impacting the league (Joba Chamberlain, Tim Lincecum, Andrew Miller). The reliever thing doesn't make sense if we plan on him being a starter long term. What is the downside? Let the games begin...

Another area heretofore unconsidered...

Music! I know you like your hip hop being a poor man from the inner city. I've always been here to provide you with the rock stuff that I think you'd like. If you haven't heard the Arctic Monkeys, I highly recommend investing some time. Nothing would be cooler than you sitting in the front seat of your car and having the following exchange.
Dubya: "Arctic Monkeys! I love the Arctic Monkeys!"
Dubya drops his seat to low rider position and begins thrashing about in the car
Dubya's child (Dubya Jr) and his close friend sit terrified in the back seat as one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse looks on

Terminal insomnia is a bitch ain't it

Heh, morning...

Having a tough time sleeping tonight for some reason. Anyhoo, big day today, notables:
1)Royals win, Royals win! Happy enough. I am drinking the koolaid, aaaaaahgin. I just don't think enough can be stated that the Royals are 8-6 in Cactus play. I know that it's preseason, but the Chiefs showed what happens when you don't win a preseason game... worst season in franchise history. So, conversely we have competence in the preseason and tah freaking dah. Revised prediction of 85 wins. Biggest concern- Jose Guillen has been awful, and I have seen quotes essentially stating "Jose definitely is ready to get ready to play, he's had a wake up call." He is THIRTY-FREAKING-ONE. I'm glad he needs to figure out that he needs to be in shape to play. Otherwise the rest of the guys look sharp as hell. Pitching way ahead of schedule. "Let's get nuts!"
2)The Chiefs signed a wide receiver from the Ravens. They signed an UNHEARD of wide receiver from the Ravens. If there is a team in the NFL that is known for wide receiver incompetence MORE than the Chiefs, it is of course, the Ravens. Gratz Peterson. This guy is going straight to the practice squad if we are lucky, if not outright cut before game 3 next year. This whole offseason is making me want to cry. I do concede to Flanigan's idea that "well at least we didn't waste money on free agents in the offseason." Unless we could have gotten Faneca from the Stillers, overall I wasn't blown away by the crop of free agents. I just have no faith that the Chiefers are going to actually fill needs in the draft.
3)Spring football is here! This weekend I think there is a televised practice for the Teegrays! I have written off the ole basketball team. They have just enough talent to play themselves within 2 points of pretty much any team, then they choke big and bad. Might have something to do with no one on the team being a true point guard after Hanah. Call me crazy. Glad he got booted though overall. I love my thugs, but they gotta be accountable for stupid behavior.

First post came easily enough. I have no aspirations for this other than a running dialogue, documentary of our thoughts. If anyone reads it then kudos. I figure I'll just write something while angry that I'll regret down the line.

Beetle

He's Dreamy

Dubya: Okay, I have to admit it. I have a man crush on Billy Butler. The dude is just EXACTLY what I think of when I picture the quintessential ballplayer, and to make it even it better, he wears the powder blue. So far this spring, he's hitting a paltry .419 while leading the team with 21 total bases and 13 hits. Sick.

That follows a Freshman season where he hit .292/.347/.447 over 92 games. Do you know what George Brett did in his rookie year? .282/.313/.363 Now, I'm not saying Billy Butler is as good of a hitter as George Brett - yet. What I am saying is that the man could be shaping up to be the best pure hitter since "The Great One" if this trend continues.

Only problem with this comparison is the whole "complete player" thing. Brett was an incredible field player, while Billy looks like Britney Spears at a MENSA convention when he sets foot between the lines. Looks like we have Edgar Martinez on our hands.