Archive for September, 2011

In the ensuing weeks after the Jeff Franceour two-year extension, it was inevitable that questions would be asked. Franceour’s a likeable guy but it just seemed that his signing last offseason was another one-year “band-aid” situation. Most people figured he would play the outfield  for a year, revive his career enough to become trade-bait, and leave an opening for Wil Myers either at the end of this season or at the beginning of 2012.

.300 is a magic number in the baseball world. It is a measuring stick, the most basic statistical way to measure the success of a hitter. Sure, there are a million stats that can be pieced together and divided by 162 to justify a player’s worth in any person’s opinion. Hitting .300 though, is what all hitters set out to do at the major league level. Hitting .400? Sure, that would be awesome, but the fact that nobody has done it since 1941. George Brett’s .390 in 1980 is the highest since for a full season. Hitting .300 is an [...]

On Wednesday, Omaha and Kane County took the first step towards advancing in their respective playoff series, while Northwest Arkansas was edged in extra innings. Thursday, all three were in action again, hoping to climb a step closer to their league’s championship.

One of the perks of having a deep and talented farm system is a trip to the playoffs for some affiliates.  Last year, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals won the Texas League Championship behind Danny Duffy, Mike Montgomery, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas and were named Baseball America’s Team of the Year in the process. This year, the Naturals hope to repeat, while the Omaha Storm Chasers try to add to the success in the Pacific Coast League playoffs.  Kane County is also representing the Royals in the Midwest League. Playoff series started yesterday.  So how did everyone do?

With the 24/7 news cycle these days, Twitter has become a key part of the sports world.  News breaks and it’s spread to thousands within moments, all with a little tweet. Twitter is also a fine tool for starting discussion and finding like-minded individuals.  In the case of the Royals (and watching them), Twitter turns into a cross-country sports bar. I wanted to extend an invitation to follow all of us on Kings of Kauffman (Ethan Evans hasn’t joined the revolution – yet) on Twitter by clicking the following links: Kings of Kauffman: @KingsofKauffman Wally Fish: @thebaseballfish Gage Matthews: @MinnesotaRoyal [...]

I know, everyone does a mailbag. The thing about Kings of Kauffman that (I hope) sets us apart from everyone else is you don’t get the same basic posts day after day. I’m sure the others on staff feel the same way. Whether you’re getting the daily musings of our fearless leader Engel, or the analytical number-barrage from Gage, or the weekly Royalman Report, there’s something for everyone here. But the well-rounded staff we have would be nothing without your readership. Kings of Kauffman consistently sets new records for monthly traffic and comments, and that’s a direct reflection of the [...]

As fans of a team that has been bringing up new players throughout the 2011 season, our sights focus on different awards than they might have previously. Instead of the Cy Young, we see the Fireman of the Year. Rather than Silver Sluggers, we’re content with All-Stars. And rather than the MVP, we look at the Rookie of the Year, or, as it’s actually named, the Jackie Robinson Award. The Royals have a plethora of rookies to offer for this award, though they admittedly aren’t all deserving. Here’s the list of those that would qualify (correct me if I’m wrong): [...]

On August 21, 2010, Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg threw a pitch, felt something in his elbow, and within two weeks went under the knife. One year and two days ago, his ulnar collateral ligament was replaced – Tommy John surgery.  On Tuesday, he makes his return to the mound in the major leagues. My immediate thoughts shift to Royals prospect John Lamb, who underwent the same procedure in June.

As the minor league seasons wind down, they became a central part of this week’s Royalman Report. We talked about the Omaha Storm Chasers entering the playoffs and how that impacts September callups, plus we talked about the solid offensive performances this year by various Royals. Also, in preparation for Friday night’s Royals Twitter meetup at Kelly’s Westport Inn, we announced a special Listener’s Only promotion.  What is it? That’s why it’s only for listeners! Click the embedded player below to listen to this week’s show or you can download the mp3 here. If you want your business featured during [...]

It’s Labor Day, which means a paid day off for many and much, much more for others.  Sports and labor have been intertwined since payment became involved, and every major sport has seen a work stoppage. Which brings us to 1994.

Two huge months at the plate earned Johnny Giavotella the George Brett Hitter of the Year Award and dominance at three levels by Kelvin Herrera led to his being named the Paul Splittorff Pitcher of the Year. Giavotella, who has since been promoted to the majors to play second base everyday, hit .338/.390/.481 in Omaha and had a combined 90 base hits in June and July.  He’s since hit .245/.278/.387 in his first month of the big leagues. Herrera started the season in Wilmington in High A and quickly earned a promotion to Northwest Arkansas where he was named a [...]

Leadership can be a difficult thing to assess in baseball. Our national pasttime has always had an odd mixture of teamwork and individualism that can make it difficult to define the “leader” of a team. Granted, there are anomalies, Mr. Jeter as the leader of the pinstripes for one, but for the most part I think that being the captain of a baseball team is significantly different than being the captain of a football or basketball team.