I know I have been absent for a while, and you all know that I am prone to hyperbole, but the Royals recent revelation the Luis Mendoza has won the job of fifth starter has brought me out of the shadows…and my hyperbole with it. A month ago everyone considered it a lock that Luke Hochevar would win the fifth spot…and they sent him to the bullpen. A week ago we speculated that Bruce Chen would get the nod despite Mendoza’s outstanding offseason…and they sent him to the bullpen. What this leaves us with is quite possibly the best rotation for the Kansas City Royals in 20+ years. Let’s take a look at the contenders:

The Greinke Years

The signing of James Shields brought Kansas City a legitimate replacement for their last ace, Zach Greinke. What Shields possesses that Greinke did not is a legitimate rotation behind him. In 2010, Greinke’s last with the Royals, both Chen and Hochevar not only made the rotation but were arguably the team’s second and third best starters. In 08-09 the team had Gil Meche, a quality #2, but rounded the rotation out with Hochevar, Kyle Davies, and Brian Bannister. From 04-07 the Royals had only three pitchers post an ERA below 4, and less than half of the clubs’ starters were below 5. Clearly, no rotation from this era stacks up.

Best Rotation- 2009

Greinke, Meche, Hochevar, Bannister, Davies

Combined WAR: 12.6

The Allard Baird Era (pre-Greinke)

We don’t need to spend much time on this era at all. For every breakout performance from Paul Byrd or Darrell May, there were three Chad Durbins to mess up the rotation. Even in the club’s lone season above .500 their rotation was a mess. While May had a career year and posted a WAR of 5.7, the team had 25 starts (and an ERA well north of 7) from the trio of Chris George, Brad Voyles, and Kris Wilson.

Best Rotation- 2003

May, Jose Lima, Runelvys Hernandez, Kyle Snyder, Chris George

Combined WAR: 8.7

The Herk Robinson Era

As much time as I spent loathing Robinson, I can’t deny that he put together some of the best rotations in the last 30+ years. In 1999, all five starters in his rotation had a positive WAR, which doesn’t say much unless you’ve read the last two sections. In ‘96 Kevin Appier, Tim Belcher and Chris Haney all posted a WAR above 2 with 30+ starts. Jose Rosado posted a 3.3 in just 16 starts! Even veterans Mark Gubicza and Doug Linton were above replacement level. 1994 was even better. In a strike shortened season David Cone was incredible (16-5, 2.94 ERA, 6.6 WAR), Appier was his normal steady self (7-6, 3.83 ERA, 4.3 WAR) while Gubicza and Tom Gordon rounded out the top four nicely.  The only fault that can be found with this rotation is that the fifth spot was dreadful with Chris Haney and Bob Milacki combining for an ERA over 7.

Best Rotation- 1994

David Cone, Kevin Appier, Tom Gordon, Mark Gubicza, Bob Milacki

Combined WAR: 15.9

While the current rotation may be challenged to top that performance in ’94, they’ll have to go to a whole new level to match the staff from ’87. In that year Bret Saberhagen, Gubicza, Charlie Leibrandt, Danny Jackson and Bud Black combined for WAR of 23.5! For perspective, let’s look at the career year for each of the current starters:

James Shields (2007) 5.2 WAR

Ervin Santana (2008) 4.8 WAR

Jeremy Guthrie (2010) 4.3 WAR

Wade Davis (2012) 1.4 WAR

Luis Mendoza (2012) 1.4 WAR

That comes out to 17.1, and that’s the best year any of them have ever had. While it’s unlikely that any of the top three match their career year in 2013, I’d say it’s very possible that Davis and/or Mendoza improve upon their 2012 numbers. This will not be the greatest rotation in the history of the Kansas City Royals, but it’s very possibly the best in the past 20 years. If that happens you can expect to hear a lot more from me and my hyperbole.

Although three games remain before the All-Star break, the Kansas City Royals concluded the first half of their season on a good note with a 9-6 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. The Royals will travel to Detroit for a three game weekend series before the boys in blue get a much needed breather while the mid-summer classic is in Kansas City.  Overall, besides the record, there have been many good things that the Royals have done over the first 81 games of the season.

After starting the season at a dismal 3-15, which included a 12 game losing streak, the Royals are 34-29 since and still have an outside shot for the division going into the second half of the season. Seeing that this team is so young and just learning how to win in the major leagues ending the season at a .500 mark would be huge for this organization to build confidence for the future.

One thing that will need to change for the Royals to have a chance at winning 44 games in the second half would be the starting pitching.  With Bruce Chen finding his stride in the latter part of the second half and Luke Hochevar still toying with fans by throwing 2 good outings and then having a game where he looks like former Royal Kyle Davies, the pitching has improved at the front of the rotation.  But the big elephant in the clubhouse is starter Jonathan Sanchez.  It is not only the fact that he has not been good at all this year on the mound but that he just doesn’t seem to care.  There are guys in this clubhouse i.e. Billy Butler and Alex Gordon that have been through the struggles of being a Royal throughout their careers and now that the talent is on the field want nothing but to win.  When a front office and even a manager continue to put a guy on the mound every fifth day that doesn’t seem to have the stuff to win nor care enough to change something about it what does that say to the rest of the team.  It says the we made a mistake in the trade but cannot admit it.  Well if you are going to triumph in your good personnel decisions then you also have to admit when it is just not working out.  Pitching is the key for the Royals in the second half and for the future of the team. Now whether that be promoting from within your organization or going out and making a trade that can boost both the guys in the clubhouse and the position of this team in the division standings.

If the team was to go out and get a guy via trade this season or sign one of the arms coming out in free agency over the offseason they could be a contender.  If the Royals could sign one of the two big arms in free agency, being Cole Hamels or Zack Greinke, this rotation gets better as a whole right away. Not only are you getting an ace arm on your staff but it would also make the rest of your starters better.  The fact that right now the Royals are throwing Bruce Chen against other teams number one guy is just not fair.  Bruce would be a great three or four for the Royals but they have to find a number one starters first.  Back to what was said earlier, if the team can get to .500 with as young a team as they have it would be an easy sell for any big name to come to Kansas City to play on a team that is ready to win.

A few changes could be made in the field by the time the Royals season comes to an end later this year.  With the way that second basemen Yunieksy Betancourt is playing as of late he could be a good right handed bat for a team.  Filling the organization with more prospects would help to fill the holes that are left when guys are promoted to the big league level.  Also, Jeff Franceour could be playing in a different uniform before long which would be bittersweet for many fans as he is a fan favorite but that would also open up a spot in the field for the number one hitting prospect in the organization in Wil Myers. No telling what moves will be made before the trade deadline but this team may look a little different than it does now.

So previewing here a little bit here is what could be the future of the Royals both in the field and on the mound. (Some are for this season and some are for the future beyond that, but for this to happen the team is going to have to spend some money for this to come true)

Starting Rotation

1. A new guy (Matt Garza, Zack Greinke, Cole Hamels)
2. Luke Hochevar
3. Danny Duffy
4. Jake Odorizzi
5. Bruce Chen

Batting Order

1. Alex Gordon-left field
2. Alcides Escobar-shortstop
3. Eric Hosmer-first base
4. Billy Butler-designated hitter
5. Mike Moustakas-third base
6. Wil Myers-right field
7. Salvador Perez-catcher
8. Lorenzo Cain-center field
9. Chris Getz/Johnny Giavotella-second base

If this is the team that the Royals could field in the future not only for seasons to come but maybe even for a month or two this season they could win and win a lot. I am not saying go for broke this year because this is not the year for the Royals to try and win a division but if they can get this team on the field sooner rather than later they could learn not only to win at a young age but win together.  Team chemistry is the key here and having guys like Billy Butler and Salvador Perez in the clubhouse the leadership that Royals teams in the past have lacked is a pretty good commodity to have.  Once again, a lot of positives can be taken from the first half of the season but the holes that the Royals do have need to be filled soon for this team to win.  And if they make a move or two watch out.  It has been so long since the Royals won that one cannot even say that the Royals are back.  The simple thing to say would be “The Royals are here, and here to stay.”

This team is hopeless. Dayton Moore has run it into the ground. The Glass family hasn’t been willing to spend to keep pace with the big-market clubs.

Ned Yost is a terrible in-game strategist. He mismanages his bullpen. “The Process” is just a myth. Our so-called “best farm system in baseball” means nothing at the big league level.

Something about our development of young pitchers is causing them to break down. Luke Hochevar is the new Kyle Davies. We should never have given Salvador Perez such a big contract at 21 years of age. Johnny Giavotella should have made the big league roster instead of Chris Getz.

I heard every one of these opinions expressed ad nauseum during the month of April. Particularly on talk radio, but also in the traditional newspapers and of course in the Internet blogosphere, Everyone piled on like a rugby scrum.

Now the team is the hottest in baseball, as of May 16, having knocked off the mighty Texas Rangers in back-to-back road contests.

I know this Royals team isn’t among the league’s best. But they are winning at that pace at the moment, and they’re steadily climbing back toward .500.

The negativity rubbed me wrong in April, and I couldn’t be happier that the Royals are vindicating themselves now.

Sure, the 12-game losing bender made me sick. But the rats fleeing the ship made me even sicker.

Think about it. Which team could have survived losing their ace reliever, centerfielder, catcher and a key starting pitcher (Felipe Paulino) at the start of a season?

Could the Rangers? They haven’t made a roster move yet. Take four key pieces from that team and see how good they would be.

Could the Yankees? They’ve limped along after the loss of Mariano Rivera.

I’m not trying to make excuses for the 12-game bender. But just as we’re probably not as good as our record in May would indicate, we probably weren’t as bad as we played in April.

I’m trying to not get too high over winning 12 of our last 18. But I don’t appreciate everyone who jumped off the bandwagon when we were 3-14. Maybe they didn’t belong on the bandwagon after all. Just stay off and leave room for the real fans.

The Kansas City Royals roster is loaded with youngsters who were baptized by fire during the 71-91 campaign of 2011. Hopes were soaring high in September, as nearly every one of those pups seemed to be putting it together.

But for the team to take the next step to contention, nearly every one of those youngsters will need to improve on what he’s shown thus far (save perhaps Alex Gordon, who may not be able to improve on his great showing).

While improvement from the likes of Mike Moustakas and Alcides Escobar is essential, and while Lorenzo Cain and Johnny Giavotella must prove they can do it over a long haul, the biggest improvement is probably needed from pitcher Danny Duffy.

Duffy was given a crack at the starting rotation perhaps because the Royals realized no one could do worse than the starters they were running out to the mound.

Duffy was called up the day after Kyle Davies broke down in the first inning of a start against the Indians. What followed was legendary. Vin Mazzaro proceeded to give up an unthinkable 14 runs in just 2.1 innings of relief.

So the bar couldn’t have been much lower when Duffy joined the club. Still the jump from Omaha to KC was a big one. Duffy was rolling along with a 2.96 ERA and 84/19 K/BB ratio in 76 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. But the big leagues aren’t called “the big leagues” for nothing.

“It’s night and day. Everybody up here is up here for a reason,” Duffy said this off-season about the difference between the minors and majors.

Duffy went 4-8 in 20 starts, but he rarely gave himself a chance to pick up victories. When he wasn’t giving up big leads, he was racking up so many pitches that he had to be pulled early.

Duffy didn’t make it to the fifth inning five times. That means that in one of every four starts, Duffy didn’t even finish the fourth inning!

The rookie never led the team deep into games – he only pitched past the sixth inning three times.

For all his troubles, there’s no denying Duffy’s strike-out stuff. Armed with a mid-90s fastball and knee-buckling curve, the Royals believe Duffy doesn’t have to continue beating himself.

Former Royal pitcher and current broadcaster Jeff Montgomery, for one, sees hope for Duffy.

“Consistency will be the key for Danny,” Montgomery said recently. “It’s really important for him to go out and be a more consistent pitcher. He’s got to learn how to become more of a pitcher than a thrower.

“He’s got great stuff, great ability. If he’s able to capture that magic and learn how to get people out and that he doesn’t have to get everybody out himself, allow the hitters to get themselves out occasionally, he will improve.”

Montgomery seemed to see some of that kind of improvement in Duffy during the season. The former closer said recently that he saw Duffy trying to make the necessary changes as the season went along.

“One thing I saw in him last year that I was very impressed with was that every time he had a failure or a struggle, he made adjustments,” Montgomery said. “And it’s a system of adjustments that you have to make before you finally become a quality plug-in guy that you can go to every day.”

Duffy was just 1-4 at the All-Star Break, and he did improve with a 3-4 mark after the break. But the quality of his starts seemed to remain about the same. A closer look doesn’t exactly show that Duffy got better from the “adjustments” Montgomery alluded to.

Judging by a split of the first half and second half, Duffy didn’t really improve in two key areas – earned runs per inning, and walks per inning.

Duffy pitched 52 innings in the first half of the season. In that half, he gave up 28 earned runs and 25 walks.

In the second half of the season, Duffy was shut down after 53.1 innings. In the second half, he allowed 38 earned runs, while walking 26.

Duffy is not unaware of the fact that he didn’t get it done last year. He knows that he was allowed to stick in the rotation in spite of his dismal performance because the team was determined to let him grow into the role.

He said he’s been focused and disciplined in his effort to be better. He knows his big-league livelihood is at stake.

I think this off-season I’ve done everything I can to be what it takes to stay up here,” Duffy said. “I’ve watched a lot of video and I’m doing a lot of stuff, even in the mirror, with my delivery to improve. I just want to get out there and prove that I belong up here.”

Duffy may not have long to prove he belongs. Not in the starting rotation at least. He’ll most likely start there, but he might not stay there. He’ll have Mike Montgomery breathing down his neck, and Jake Odorizzi, Chris Dwyer and John Lamb not far away. Add those calling for Aaron Crow to be given a shot at starting, and there are plenty waiting in line, should Duffy continue to sputter.

But Duffy is trying to not let the pressure bother him.

“Everybody needs to have a progression in their career, and I feel like I’m getting to that point where I’m going to be consistent,” Duffy said. He admitted he’s aware of the talk about his struggles.

“I know there’s a lot of critiquing going on about my walks and my pitch counts, but I think this year I’m going to conquer that,” Duffy said. “I’ve really worked hard to get strong enough to repeat my delivery every pitch, and I feel that once you get that delivery repetition, you start putting the ball where you want.”

Duffy knows he’s not guaranteed the fifth spot in the rotation come spring. But he says he’s not going to get hung up on his role.

“I’m going to just fill in wherever they need me,” he said. “I can’t get ahead of myself. I’m just happy to be lucky enough to be a part of the squad.”

Bruce Chen won 12 games in 2010. He came back to win 12 again last season. Name the last Royal lefty to post back-to-back seasons with at least 12 wins.

It looked for some time like Chen wouldn’t have the chance to add to that string of 12-win seasons. But last week Chen inked a two-year deal that will hold his place in the KC rotation.

Chen is what the Royals need at this moment. He’s not a fire-balling ace. He’s not a young phenom with limitless potential. Those are nice to have, and we would take them in a heartbeat.

But what Chen is fills a need in KC. You see, the Royals have phenoms. They have players with tons of potential. They even have starting pitchers with great ability. But they haven’t won anything yet. Not at the big league level.

Bruce Chen has shown over the last two seasons that he knows how to win games.

The other Royals last season? Not so much.

Kyle Davies showed for years that he knew how to lose games. Luke Hochevar showed last year that he knew how to let winnable games slip away. Felipe Paulino, for all his promise, didn’t show that he knew how to win games. And Danny Duffy showed he has no idea what’s going on.

The addition of Jonathan Sanchez was heralded as a significant upgrade in the Royals’ rotation. But it remains to be seen if Sanchez is not a year removed from his best work. A little too reminiscent of Jeff Francis to have the hope of a franchise placed on him.

I hope Sanchez is a difference maker in KC. I hope he’s a 20 game winner. But I feel safer in hoping that Chen can win 12 games again, milking the most out of his average physical ability. And by doing so, I hope he shows Hochevar and Paulino and Duffy how to get the most out of their considerable talents.

And if Chen can win 12 games in 2012 and in 2013, he’ll match which pitcher as the last Royals lefty to win 12 in four straight seasons?

That would be none other than Charlie Leibrandt, who won 60 games over a four-year span from 1985 to 1988, and picked up a World Series ring in the process.

The parent site of i70baseball, Baseball Digest, has recently been running their end of the year Report Cards for each franchise. The following is the post written by Todd Fertig for the site about the Kansas City Royals.

The revolving door has spun crazily in Kansas City the last several years, but the turnover may finally have come to a halt. The decade-long “youth movement” may finally have produced some youth worth keeping. The Royals minor league system earned a number one ranking last winter, and though the big league team lost 91 games, one by one top prospects matriculated to KC. By the end of the season the team’s entire starting lineup was 27 years old or younger, and only dreadful pitching kept the youngsters from contending in the AL Central.

Rotation: F
Hopes for the Royals’ pitching staff were especially low entering 2011, so you would think it would be hard for the starters to disappoint. But the Royals’ youthful offense and fielding were unexpectedly strong, making the weakness of the rotation all the more glaring.

Kansas City finished 27^th in the league in quality starts, as well as team ERA, and 26^th in opponents’ slugging and OPS. Royal starters managed a mere two complete games, and just six shutouts. To comprehend just how directionless was the staff, consider that for an extended period KC utilized a six-man rotation, prolonging the Kyle Davies train wreck. He finished 1-9 with a 6.75 ERA before he was mercifully released.

It’s hard to believe the team’s best starter was nearly left off the roster prior to the season. But after searching high and low for anyone else, the Royals kept Bruce Chen, who wound up the team’s only starter with a winning record. Chen led the team in wins (12) and ERA (3.77).

Danny Duffy gained experience, but that’s about all you can say. Jeff Francis was a stop-gap at best. But Luke Hochevar may have turned a corner – he went 6-3 after the All-Star break, and finished with a 1.283 WHIP. Felipe Paulino was a revelation, posting 8.6 SO/9 and a 1.372 WHIP.

Bullpen: D
Though the bevy of young arms in the pen gained a measure of acclaim, this group was not really all that effective as a whole in 2011. Closer Joakim Soria’s troubles were well documented. Soria blew several saves when the Royals still had hopes of contending, and the psychological effect of those collapses on the rest of the club cannot be overestimated. Soria had never posted an ERA above 2.48. This year it was 4.03.

Setup man Aaron Crow started with the sizzle the Royals hoped for from a first-rounder. But after being named to the 2011 All-Star Game, he let teams hit .313 and score 4.34 earned runs after the break. The cast of Tim Collins, Louis Coleman, Blake Wood, Nate Adcock and Greg Holland was at times serviceable, while at other times atrocious.

BD Report Cards brought to you by Seamheads

Catchers: C-
The Royals foolishly hoped Jason Kendall had something left in the tank. The 37-year-old never made it off the DL. Matt Treanor filled in admirably, but there was never a hope he would hit. Bryan Pena disappointed at the plate as well, and the Royals finally turned to 21-year-old phenom Salvador Perez in September. His lock on the position is now rock-solid.

Infield: B
Seemingly every month, an infield position was handed over to one of the Royals’ coveted prospects. Alcides Escobar assumed the shortstop duties on opening day. In May, first baseman Eric Hosmer made his feverishly-anticipated debut. June saw Mike Moustakas move in at third base. The transition was complete in August when Johnny Giavotella took over at second.

Giavotella and Moustakas had mixed results. Moustakas struggled mightily for much of the season. But he broke loose with 12 doubles, four homers and 19 RBI in his last 36 games. During that span, only one player bested his .379 average.

Hosmer asserted himself as the team leader and will only get better. The 21-year-old made a push for Rookie of the Year with 19 homers and 78 RBI in just 128 games. Escobar, meanwhile, looks to be the long-term answer at short.

Billy Butler is a capable fill-in at first, and is arguably one of the best designated hitters in the league. He hit .291 and found his power stroke in the second half to finish with 19 homers and 44 doubles.

Outfield: A
A very convincing argument could be made that Alex Gordon, Melky Cabrera and Jeff Francoeur made up THE BEST outfield in all of baseball in 2011. Defensively, they blew the curve with 49 assists. Gordon earned a Gold Glove in left, and Francoeur got snubbed in right in favor of Nick Markakis.

The trio was also a doubles machine. They combined for 136 doubles, each finishing in the top 8 of the league. As a group they also belted 61 homers.

At the plate, Gordon had one of the best seasons by a Royals outfielder in history. He was one of just five players in all of baseball to hit better than .300 with 20+ homers and 45+ doubles.

Top Offensive Player
Gordon’s 5.9 WAR was KC’s highest since 2003. In just his second year in left field, he became one of the best.

Top Pitcher
Chen missed more than a month, or his numbers might have been even more impressive. Even so, he continues to pitch like an adult, as opposed to Davies, Hochevar, Duffy, etc. Few in baseball get more from their physical ability than Chen.

Todd Fertig
I-70 Baseball

In their quest to plug the fat chasm that is their starting rotation, the Royals have big dreams. They looked at Luke Hochevar and saw an ace. They looked at Kyle Davies and saw “good stuff” (which we now know must have been code for naked pictures of Dayton Moore for as much wiggle room as Davies got). They coddled and nudged and tolerated and bent at the knees before Zack Greinke because, when properly motivated, Greinke deigns to be what is arguably best pitcher in baseball. All the time and hope invested in frontline pitching is well-justified. Without genuine top of the rotation starters, Kansas City will never compete for anything other than primacy in a watery American League Central. I hope the Royals find someone to fill these roles. If they don’t, I will understand. Aces are hard to identify and develop. But my husband may lose it if they cut ties with their best pitcher, Bruce Chen.

Over the last two years, Bruce Chen is 20-12. Whatever your thoughts on wins as an accurate metric of performance, this is almost unbelievable. Chen is winning at a .625 clip for a team with a .410 winning percentage and his turn in the rotation is familiar, comfortable. Last night’s nine strikeouts notwithstanding, Bruce is relatively unspectacular. He chugs through innings without a dropoff in performance (unlike some some players I know *cough* Hochevar *cough*). Hitters reach base against Chen at a rate of .329 the first time through the order, .323 the second time through, and .335 the third. Like a six-pack of Rolling Rock, a Bruce Chen start promises enjoyable predictability. The Royals, if they hit at all, will be in the game when he pitches. And they are more likely to actually win the game with him on the mound than with anyone else.

Don’t misunderstand: I’m not advocating a four-year deal. I know Bruce Chen is as old as dirt in Major League Baseball years. Seriously, the guy was a Montreal Expo! He was playing professional baseball when Eric Hosmer was five-years-old. But amid the sparkly fun of the minor league promotions, we tend to forget that actual grown-ups can have a useful role. The Royals need Chen next year.

I know that some prefer the dizzying highs and distressing lows of a Danny Duffy start. Like a night of Jell-O shots, a Duffy appearance starts fast, but ends far too early. Others are partial to the eternal promise of Luke Hochevar. And I admit that there is an edge-of-your-seat quality to Hochevar’s starts. Watching him is like drinking Jaeger bombs: everything is perfect until the unforeseen second the world crashes down around your ankles.

Both Duffy and Hochevar may turn out to be much better pitchers than Chen is now, but give me the present over promise. When Chen starts, I know that the game will be worth watching. Too many nights, I tuck the baby in, turn on the television, and find the Royals down 4-1 in the third. While we await the dividends of the greatest farm system in recorded history to pay off at the big league level, I need a security blanket in this time of transition. Bruce Chen is my version of my toddler son’s drool-encrusted blankie. One more year, Dayton. You don’t want to listen to my ten-year-old stepson whine if he can’t make like Will Ferrell and heckle Chen.

Once again I have several thoughts on the Royals, but none of them amount to an entire article. So here it goes:

The Logo: This has been on my mind for a while. Can we go back the crown logo with the R instead of the current crown logo with the KC? I have no real reason except nostalgia. Maybe we can start a twitter movement. Stranger things have happened over a #countrybreakfast.

Classic Royals Logo

The Gangs All Here: With the call up of Johnny Giavotella and Salvador Perez the Royals have placed a player making their MLB debut in 2011 as starters in all of the infield positions. The only one who didn’t get a hit in their first game was Eric Hosmer. He seems to be making up for that. I’m a little worried about Mike Moustakas inability to get over the Mendoza Line. He just looks lost at the plate.

The Royals are now the youngest team in the majors. Remember, sink or swim, this is the youth movement we’ve been waiting for. There will be growing pains. We need to remember that, including myself, when they make boneheaded plays. Especially plays that cost games.

Happy Trails: Many Royals fans have long said as long as Kyle Davies is in the rotation that the front office wasn’t serious about contending. Kyle Davies was released this week. This needs no other explanation. However, I have two questions. Who are the other teams interested in signing or trading for Kyle Davies? I hope one of them was the Wichita Wingnuts. Secondly, As Royals fans who will be our new Wipping Boy? Because…

Hochocinco to Cool Hand Luke: I’ll be honest. Luke Hochevar is not my favorite Royal. I’m not sure why. I would like think it was his holdout, signing bonus, and then subsequent sucktitude in the majors. But that hardly makes him unique to major leaguers. I have more favorable feelings for players that have had similar contract negotiations. At the beginning of the season I vowed that I would call Luke Hochevar, Hochocinco as long as his ERA remained above 5.00, or cinco. Since the All-Star Break Luke Hochevar has pitched like the ace he’s supposed to be. Lowering his ERA to 4.79. Hopefully this will continue. The Royals need as much starting pitching as they can get if they’re going to be competitive in 2012 and open their playoff window. But if it doesn’t, take notice Royals Fan Wipping Boy is currently an unfilled position.

Joakim Soira Ain’t Right: I know, you’re probably thinking, “thanks Captain Obvious.” You don’t have to be a Stathead to know that closers in baseball are like running backs in the NFL. The have short shelf lives. They have a two or three year window of absolute dominance and then they fall back to the pack. Not that they can’t get guys out anymore, but they can’t do it with enough consistency to hold the closers role. I fear we’ve reached that point with Soria. My logical response to this would be to elevate Crow to that position. But do you do that instead of making him a starter. Either way, I hope the front office is looking for another long term closer.

It’s August: And I’m still watching Royals games with interest. It’s the young guys. If you’re going to be a terrible baseball team, you might as well be terrible, young, and interesting. I’ll probably keep this interest up the rest of the season, except when the Chiefs are playing. One game a week verse six takes some precedents…and they’ve already opened their play off window.

The Royals are probably thankful that they no longer have to travel to the east coast to play again this season after this week. They did not do so hot in Boston or New York this year but during the four-game set in Tampa Bay probably was the icing on the cake.

The Royals came into Tampa Bay after a .500 home stand against Baltimore and Detroit. They released Kyle Davies, their worst performer in the rotation after going 0-8 in his last ten starts. This freed up a roster spot to call up catcher, Salvador Perez from Omaha. The Royals also were able to welcome back Brayan Pena who just returned from the birth of his second child. If there was not enough news about the Royals’ catchers, Matt Treanor is scheduled for a series of tests that could clear him to play on Sunday.

The young Royals infield continues to struggle to produce consistency on the offensive side of the ball. During the past seven games, they are a combined 24-98 (.245) with 19 strikeouts and only six walks. Not bad considering one player, Alcides Escobar is known chiefly for his defensive contributions to the team.

This talented outfield continues to amaze fans and finally caught some national attention with their arms. Dare I say one of the best defensive units in the entire league? Jeff Francoeur is featured in an ESPN expose about one of his throws from the outfield. According to a written report, he threw the ball 95 M.P.H. to gun a runner out 242 feet away. This feat in and of itself is incredible. Not to be outdone, Alex Gordon is still hitting at or above .300 and set a franchise record with eighteen assists and counting.

What has been a solid core for the Royals this year in the bullpen was not this week. Joakim Soria, Blake Wood and Aaron Crow had poor outings. All three gave up at least one earned run per outing and an opponent’s batting average well over .400. Hochevar continues to improve and Bruce Chen posted two solid outings, including win number seven against the White Sox on Friday night.

After this weekend in Chicago, the Royals are home for a week against two teams that have spent most of the year chasing each other in the American League East. The Yankees come into Kansas City first, with all the many reasons to like them or hate them. They bring on their tails the Boston Red Sox, who currently have a lead on the Yankees by 1.5 games. Both teams are hoping for two things to happen. One they want to sweep the Royals. Second, they want the Royals to sweep the other team.

This would allow the Yankees to reclaim the division lead or Boston to expand their slim lead. However, I believe that the Royals are capable of disappointing both teams. (Disclosure: I do not do this often) I believe the Royals are going to disappoint both teams, not only preventing a sweep, but by actually winning one of the series next week. This would be a huge boost in confidence to this entire team. Especially for the pitching staff who for the most part have been one of the laughing stocks of baseball in terms of effectiveness and talent.

The following is a press release from the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, provided here in its entirety.

Salvador Perez promoted to KC
Affable, able defender to get extended look

KANSAS CITY, MO – MLB.com is reporting that the Kansas City Royals have promoted former Naturals’ backstop Salvador Perez to the major leagues.

Perez is expected to join the Royals for Wednesday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays and is expected to remain with the club for the rest of the season.

He’ll replace catcher Brayan Pena, who is going to Miami for the birth of his child and is on paternity leave. That left the Royals with only Manny Pina, another former Natural, to catch because veteran backstop Matt Treanor is on the disabled list with a concussion.

Perez, called up from Triple-A Omaha, has adapted well since his promotion to the Pacific Coast League. In 12 games, he’s batted .333 (16-for-48) with five doubles, a home run and 10 RBIs. With the Naturals, Perez hit .283 with eight homers, 43 RBIs in 79 games.

Perez also represented the Naturals in San Antonio at this year’s Texas League All-Star Game, having wowed the circuit’s voting personnel mostly with his defense and game calling ability. At the time of his promotion, Perez was the best catcher in the league at throwing out runners, gunning down 47.8% of runners attempting to steal against him (43 CS in 90 attempts). Signed by Kansas City as a non-drafted free agent in September of 2006, the Valencia, Ven. resident was ranked prior to the season as the Royals’ 17^th best prospect by Baseball America.

The Royals cleared room on the 40-man roster for Perez by placing right-hander Kyle Davies on unconditional release waivers Wednesday. Davies made two rehab starts for the Naturals in the season’s first half.

Perez’ arrival in Kansas City marks the 11^th player on the current Royals 25-Man big league roster to have played for the Naturals since their inaugural season in 2008.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale. Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.