It’s pretty easy to point out all the bad decisions the Royals organization made over the years. But they’ve made some right decisions and one of them was to make Luke Hochevar a reliever.

With all the improvements the Royals made to the starting rotation, moving Hochevar to the bullpen was a no-brainier. In his 127 games as a starter, Hochevar had a 5.45 ERA, giving up 94 home runs and a 2.08 SS/BB ratio. Last year, he lead the American League with 118 earned runs, which isn’t a good stat. His inconsistency as a starter frustrated the Royals fan base and I’m sure if frustrated Hochevar too. Sure, a lot of fans wanted the Royals to release Hochevar earlier this year. Despite his issues, it would be foolish to release Hochevar without giving him a chance in the bullpen.

And so far Hochevar’s move to the bullpen has worked out. In six games over 8.2 innings, he has a 1.04 ERA with only one earned run (a solo home run) and a 3.67 SO/BB ratio. One of the knocks on Hochevar as a starter was his tendency to lose focus, which allowed him to give up big innings. But pitching an inning or two and being on call to pitch every day appears to give Hochevar the focus he needs to get batters out and be an asset to the team.

But paying 4.56MM a year for a middle reliever is a high price to pay. Hochevar will be a free agent after the 2014 season. If Hochevar continues his success as a reliever, perhaps the Royals can offer Hochevar a contract for a few years and a lower per year salary. Now that’s something Hochevar might have a problem with, seeing his agent is Scott Boras. And if Hochevar is successful as a reliever, he might think he can be successful as a starter again. But unless the Royals put him back in the rotation (which I don’t think is a good idea), Luke Hochevar’s future is being a reliever, which is best for the team and for Hochevar.

The Kansas City Royals find themselves in an all too familiar place at the 2012 trade deadline, as they are once again in “sell” mode.

Reality is starting to sink in. 2012 is certainly not appearing to be #OurTime. The Royals currently sit at 14 games under .500 (40-54) and 11 games behind the 1st place and surging Detroit Tigers. And after going 3-7 on their most recent homestand, are now only ahead of the lowly Minnesota Twins by 1/2 game. It is time to once again start looking toward next season, and what can the Royals spin off at the deadline for players that can assist the ballclub in 2013 and beyond. And while the Royals should be open to any deal that makes them better in 2013, 2014, and 2015, for any player (except for Sal Perez), they should be very aggressive in looking to move the following players.

Jeff Francoeur
After having an excellent season last year, and then signing a 2 year extension with the Royals, “Frenchy” is having a fairly miserable year offensively. He still has a dangerous arm though and would bring excellent leadership and presence to a contenting team, particularly if he was in a platoon role. His contract makes him tough to deal, but with Will Myers ready to step in as the everyday right-fielder, the Royals almost have no choice. They should willingly eat most or all of his salary for something marginally useful in order to get Myers regular at-bats. This would immediately make them a better offensive team.

Jonathan Broxton
The signing of Broxton has proven to be a good one. Once Soria went down, nobody really knew what to expect from “Johnny Drama”. But he has been more than serviceable as the closer and is the type of player that will certainly draw interest as the deadline nears. Teams looking for a closer will likely pursue the 1st tier guys before a guy like Broxton so if he gets dealt it will likely not be until right before the deadline.

Jarrod Dyson
This is a player whose name has surprisingly not come up much but would make a lot of sense for the Royals to look to deal, especially if they can’t find a taker for Francoeur. A speedy pinch-running 4th outfielder is a luxury the Royals cannot affor right now, and one that several teams (like the Yankees) could absolutely use. He is not a player that should look to be dealt for just anything, but if someone comes calling, Dayton should be listening hard.

Yuniesky Betancourt
He’s a free agent after this year. If Dayton can obtain a lottery ticket for him, he needs to say yes before the other GM even completely gets the question out of his mouth.

Chris Getz
Getz has been a very serviceable player for the Royals, especially this season. But it is difficult to see them becoming a championship team with him as the everyday 2nd baseman. If the Royals can get anything for him, they should strongly consider moving him.

Jose Mijares
A left-handed situational reliever who is performing well is always a hot commodity at the deadline. Plus he’s a free agent after the season. Plus the Royals have a surplus of bullpen arms. There is no way he should still be on the roster come August 1.

From the webpages of BaseballDigest.com, I bring to you one of my earliest articles for the website. Originally published on March 23, 2009, this quickly became one of the most read and shared articles on the young website, which was not officially live to the public as of yet. It was one of my favorite pieces I ever wrote, and I share it with you, my I-70 readers, on a Cardinal day off in August. It is republished here with permission from BaseballDigest.com and has been edited for current content.

Last season (2008) the St. Louis Cardinals reached an agreement to bring baseball broadcasts back to the NBC affiliate in St. Louis, KSDK Channel 5. They also announced that they would be re-vamping the broadcast teams on TV.

Many people were excited by the prospect of the broadcasts moving back “home” to the local station that aired games previously. Almost immediately the debate in St. Louis began over who would get the nod to call the games. Eventually it was announced that the voice of Cards games on KSDK, Jay Randolph, would return. He would be joined by young broadcaster Rick Horton who would also take over much of the TV work on Fox Sports Midwest. Over the course of 2008 I realized something more than I had in the past….

I miss Jack Buck….

There was a level of class to the game when you listened to Jack. It was personal and professional and amazing. When on the radio, he made you feel like you were there. On television, you felt like he was sitting in the room with you. He single handedly immortalized moments in our minds. There are days, moments, plays, and events that I will never forget. What he made amazing about those moments was that you don’t just remember the vision of that point in time in you life, we have a soundtrack that plays behind it in our minds. There was a certain something to everything that Jack said. There was an emotion behind it like no other. He made you believe.

I think the summer of the home run chase solidified this in my mind. I remember wondering who would be in the booth for the historic home runs. What would any of the announcers have to say? I remember Shannon’s call on 61 “heading for Planet Maris” and feeling that it was very scripted. I remember Joe Buck calling 62 on Fox and feeling like it was a bit bland, with the exception of him reminding Mark to touch first base. But Jack, man Jack had a way of making you say “wow”. Jack’s request to “pardon me while I stand and applaud” was classic, respectful, and that of a pure emotion. It may have been scripted, but it was perfect for the situation.

One of my earliest memories is being told to “Go Crazy” with the rest of St. Louis. I can honestly say that I realized just how special a situation was when I heard Jack say “I can’t believe what I just saw” as Kirk Gibson hobbled around the bases. I remember sitting on the edge of my seat as baseball returned from the tragedy of 9/11 and listened to Jack as he read his own words.

I know that the announcers for the Cardinals will never come close to what Jack had to offer. This is no slight on their abilities, it is just fact.

While I accept this as fact and I fully appreciate it, it’s a shame to realize that. It’s a shame to realize that my son won’t “see” the game on the radio the way I did.

So, take a few minutes and remember Jack Buck this spring. Go down to the Yard known as Busch III and stop by his statue. Listen to a few of his famous calls. Sit and reminisce about a true American poet, a classy individual and a respectful man. And, while you’re there….

Go Crazy, Folks, Go Crazy….