Archive for July, 2010

Eric Hosmer will join the Northwest Arkansas Naturals today as they take on the Springfield Cardinals at Arvest Park following his promotion from Wilmington in High A. Hosmer, 20, led the Carolina League in batting average (.354), doubles (29), and despite “only” seven homers, is second in OPS (.974) and total bases (177). The Naturals have a double header scheduled for today, and Hosmer is expected to play in at least one of the games. The promotion has been anticipated for a while, much like Mike Moustakas‘s advancement to Omaha, as Hosmer joins a list of prospects who’ve moved up [...]

Mike Moustakas isn’t the only Royals prospect marching towards Kansas City. Jarrod Dyson continues his trek back up through the system, as he’s been promoted to Double A Northwest Arkansas after some time in the Arizona Rookie League and Wilmington rehabbing an ankle sprain.  Dyson finished 2009 in the Texas League, producing a mere .649 OPS but he did steal 37 bases in 43 opportunities.  With he and Derrick Robinson at the top of the lineup, the Naturals have some wicked speed at the top of the lineup.

Life as a Royals fan has improved significantly since the start of the season. They have been competitive over the past couple of months – no small feat given their recent history. It has at least felt like they have a reasonable chance to win every series going in. As a fan, that’s the most important thing to me. A welcome respite from

It’s finally official, as Mike Moustakas has been promoted to Omaha in Triple A.  Moose’s promotion has been a topic of speculation all season, as he’s been a hitting machine since joining Northwest Arkansas halfway through April after opening the season with an oblique strain. Moustakas hit .347/.413/.687/1.100 with 21 homeruns and 76 RBI in his first 298 plate appearances in Double A. So far, he’s been promoted between seasons and not in the middle of the season, so it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to a higher level of competition.

First of all, though it isn’t Royals news directly, you’ll by now have heard of the passing of George Steinbrenner.  I’m not and never will be a fan of the Yankees, but you can’t tell the story of baseball without including Steinbrenner, love him, hate him or love to hate him.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. The week started off with the Royals sweeping Seattle in Safeco Field which got some Royals fans all in a tizzy about the playoffs and deeming Ned Yost a prophet. Then the Royals brought a pencil to a gunfight against the White Sox (no, they didn’t even think to bring a knife) and got swept by the new leaders of the American League Central. Talk about mood swings…

Hopefully you were able to watch the All-Star Futures game last night.  With two big name Royals prospects named to Team USA (and both starting), this was my first opportunity to see live game footage of Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer.  For that reason alone, it was worth watching.

Whooo boy, the quicker we can get through this, the better.  The Royals ran into a buzzsaw, as the White Sox have been a buzzsaw lately.  Did you know Chicago was 22-29 at one point?  They’re 49-38 now, a 37-9 record over that span.  That’s unreal. Anthony Lerew tried his best to fill the shoes of Zack Greinke, who’d been scratched due to shoulder discomfort earlier in the day.  And, well, he got through the first inning alright.  He gave up a sacrifice fly for a run in the second inning.  Then in the third inning, all hell broke loose.

Carlos Quentin hit two homeruns off Brian Bannister, including a two-run shot as Chicago scored four in the fifth inning as the White Sox won their second game in a row against the Royals. The loss guaranteed the Royals would not win the series, after winning their previous four including taking two out of three against the same White Sox team in Kansas City.

Don’t forget, for anyone who hasn’t seen them in action (like myself), Royals prospects Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer are representing the organization in the All-Star Futures Game today.  Moustakas will play third base and bat third while Hosmer will bat fifth and DH. The game is on ESPN2 at 5 p.m. Central time, so after the Royals stave off a sweep at the hands of the White Sox, flip over and check out a glimpse at the future. You can stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, or by [...]

For those of you tuning in to the Royals later today, you’ll notice the scheduled starter, Zack Greinke, will be replaced by Anthony Lerew. Greinke tweaked his shoulder while fielding a bunt in his last start at Seattle. At the time, he took a couple of warm up throws after and was able to continue, eventually finishing seven innings. The Royals are using the term “precautionary” and say he should be able to make his next start on Friday back in Kansas City against Oakland. Considering Gil Meche hasn’t pitched since May 25 and Luke Hochevar‘s last start was June [...]

So after an off day to contemplate their recent success, the Royals traveled to the South Side and ended up on the wrong side of a back alley brawl.  Bruce Chen never really had it and Mark Buehrle managed to scatter baserunners over seven innings to get the win. This after an off day of “should the Royals shoot for the playoffs” posts all over.  Now I’m as optimistic as the next guy, but I’m not delusional.  Focus ladies and gents…