Archive for June, 2010

So we’ve determined that David DeJesus should be the Royals All-Star representative.  We’ve checked in on the bullpen’s effectiveness under Ned Yost.  And then there’s the minor leagues, where Wally’s been mowing through the Kings of Kauffman prospect list, while some of those prospects have been gaining some accolades, such as All-Star selections and invites to the Minor League Futures Game in Anaheim. But what else is going on out there in the Royals-verse?

One of my favorite things about working on this blog is being able to share my opinions on my favorite team with a wide audience of readers.  Additionally, I like to get discussion going in our comments section or on Twitter.  I know my opinion isn’t the only one out there, and that’s one of the best things about the Royals online community.  We have the best fans (deal with it Cardinals!) who have stuck by this organization for years, waiting for the ship to turn around. That being the case, I’m interested in adding more voices to the discussion [...]

Anthony Lerew needs an official nickname. I keep thinking of the movie Billy Madison when he pitches. “You want some-a this milk, Sideburns?” At any rate, Lerew gave the Royals six strong innings last night to defeat the White Sox and earn his first major league victory.

Mike Moustakas checks in at #3 on the 2010 Kings of Kauffman prospect list.

The saying goes that a rolling stone gathers no moss.  As slowly as the Kings of Kauffman prospect list has rolled out, I’m pretty sure there is some moss on there somewhere.  It’s probably past time to accept that with my responsibilities elsewhere, I’m not going to complete this list anytime soon. So … I am going to finish the last four up with a more condensed style.

Kings of Kauffman is a proud member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA). As such, we were glad to participate in their official All-Star Game ballot. Our submissions can be viewed here. The BBA Press Release follows below. Read on to find out the selections:

The Royals finished up Interleague play with a series in Washington before returning home to host their cross-state rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. After the dust settled, the Royals had lost the series to Washington (but beat Stephen Strasburg) and took the only series of the year against the Cardinals, much to the chagrin of the best fans in baseball. The Royals are playing near .500 ball with Ned Yost at the helm (20-21 since taking over for Trey Hillman), so they’ve had a lot of these 3-3 weeks. Nobody expects this team to contend – yet – so hanging [...]

What better way to kick off the annual I-70 series than to send Zack Greinke to the mound? It’s looking like Greinke’s regaining his 2009 form, as he headed into the game seeking his third straight quality start against a potent Cardinals lineup. Former Royal Jeff Suppan took the hill on the other side, the type of wily veteran starter that usually gives the Royals fits. Something had to give.

I’m a realistic fan. I know that this team has its deficiencies. We play Jason Kendall too often. Jose Guillen would have been a nice candidate for salary-eating release (though okay, that one has kind of worked out so far). The offense hits too many singles, the pitching staff allows too many walks. So it’s not unusual to find myself lusting after what other teams have. A few examples:

Yesterday reports swirled that the Royals had agreed to terms with Christian Colon, the fourth overall pick in the 2010 draft. Today, those reports are confirmed by the official announcement that Colon has signed with the Royals. The signing bonus amount hasn’t been announced yet, but was expected to be around $2.8 million – consistent with past bonus amounts for that position in the draft. UPDATE: Bob Dutton reports a few details: The deal contains a $2.75 million signing bonus, and is not a Major League contract, so he will not be on the 40 man roster.

So I had this brilliant idea for an article about the Royals after waking up in the middle of the night. In a haze, I jotted down a few notes on a tablet I keep on the nightstand before falling back to sleep, but when I woke up this morning, all I could make out from my sloppy scribbling was that it somehow involved Shania Twain wearing my green and navy KC Royals cap with the shamrock on the back (I guess the Irish really are lucky), a large container of cocoa butter, and a tropical island somewhere in the [...]

The Royals headed into the last game of their interleague road trip mired in a five game losing streak. And with Stephen Strasburg on the mound, it didn’t look like they were going to be able to right the ship. Nobody bothered to mention that to Brian Bannister.