YOY is an acronym for Year Over Year. According to investopedia.com, it is: a method of evaluating two or more measured events to compare the results at one time period with those from another time period (or series of time periods), on an annualized basis. Year-over-year comparisons are a popular way to evaluate the performance of investments. Any measurable events that recur annually can be compared on a year-over-year basis – from annual performance, to quarterly performance, to daily performance.

In other words – I want to compare the 2011 Royals to the 2010 Royals. Right now, after 93 games.

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As a fan, I’ve struggled a lot over the years trying to decide when I should cut ties with a player and give up on them. When does a player pass the point of no return? Maybe when he’s making 12 million dollars a year and not running out fly balls. (Sorry Jose Guillen, but I’m talking to you. I’ve been at too many games where I watched you hit a fly ball, look at it for a second, and then storm back to the dugout before the ball was even caught. (Actually, everyone has probably been at a game where that happened, so I’m not that sorry.)

Now I don’t put Alex Gordon in the same class of player purgatory as Guillen, but I’ll be honest, my heart can only take so much.

I remember watching the College World Series, when Gordon was playing for Nebraska in 2005, and hearing the announcers talk about what a prospect he would be and how he’d been drafted by the Royals. He struggled a little bit in that CWS, hitting .182 with 2 RBIs in 3 games. It didn’t matter to me at the time though–the announcer had said the kid could rake and announcers are never wrong, so I waited for Gordon to blaze through the minors his rookie season and bring back the glory to the hot corner that the Royals had been missing since the mid-80′s. (I was a little naive.) (more…)

Billy Butler once looked like this.

Honestly, who can blame him? Part of why I loved playing the game was spending time in the field. Batting was great, sure, but it just wouldn’t have been the same if I weren’t heading out to right every half inning.

So, I’m okay with Billy’s desire to play the field. From a classic baseball standpoint, that’s half the fun of the game. First base was never a favorite of mine, but if that’s your position then you want to get out there and play. It’s completely understandable. When you think of the recent increase in focus on defense, then it’s even more important. If Billy doesn’t get out and play at first on a regular basis, he could lose some of his fielding ability and whatever defensive credibility he might have left. Given that over half of all MLB teams don’t use a DH, retaining his fielding ability is important for his future.

There are a lot of reasons for wanting to both hit and field. Anyone can see that. What I want to know is whether Billy’s offensive production at each spot suggests he would be useful as a full-time DH.
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So, when the Royals began increasing their payroll starting in 2007, it looked like their small market standards might begin including random free agent signings. In one year, the payroll increased from around $47 million to $67 million. Part of that resulted from the Gil Meche and Octavio Dotel signings in the previous offseason. Things kept rolling after that year, as the Royals signed Jose Guillen. The payrolls in the next few years were $58, $70, and $75 million.

Well, unfortunately, money doesn’t directly translate to wins. From 2007-2010, the Royals averaged 69 wins. While better than the three-year stretch before that, it’s not as productive as you would hope. From 2007-2009, the Twins had a comparable or lower payroll and won an average of 85 games. Basically, while the payroll didn’t create as bad of a situation as the Cubs’ did, it was still pretty frustrating.
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Mike Aviles is ready to prove his rookie season was no fluke

Last year, as you’ve probably heard by now, the Royals were second over-all in the Majors in team batting average, but ranked twentieth in runs scored. At the same time, the team dominated the basement of all pitching statistics (28th in quality starts, 29th in ERA, WHIP, and BAA).

In short, the Royals could hit the ball, they just couldn’t score, protect a lead, or defend very well.

The addition of defenders who can actually make plays like Alcides Escobar, and (I know, I know) Jeff Francoeur should help out a team that has had to suffer through the woeful defense of Yuniesky Betancourt, Jose Guillen and Alberto Callaspo. But our rotation, which will probably be one of the worst since 2005 when Jose Lima, a young Zack Greinke and Runelvys Hernandez combined to win 18 decisions out of 94 starts, isn’t going to do us any favors.

So again the slim chance of the Royals playing respectable baseball falls upon our offense. I’ve taken a look at our best offensive players who finished 2010 strong and could keep the momentum going into 2011.

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Fans waited weeks with baited breath, speculating on who the lucky player would be.  Who would be this young man who would be our payment for the slugging enigma?

Wait no longer, fans.  The Royals received right handed pitcher Kevin Pucetas from the Giants to complete the trade.
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Why is this franchise so power starved?
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It wasn’t a huge issue at the time since Robinson Tejeda was dealing with some health issues, so the extra arm in the ‘pen helped fill that gap while he the Royals decided if he needed a DL stint to deal with it.  It turned out that Tejeda needed time off, so he hit the disabled list with biceps tendinitis and Kila Ka’aihue took his place on the roster and order was restored.  But when Jose Guillen was designated for assignment on Thursday, the Royals didn’t promote a hitter from Omaha to replace him, rather, they sent Philip Humber to Kansas City, another reliever.  It’s like a second sequel to a bad horror movie, only this eight man bullpen creates more problems than it solves and needs to go.
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The Royals headed out west, but it wasn’t quite Manifest Destiny at work, instead, they won two of six games and struggled to score runs.  Their highest run output in a game this week: a feeble three runs.  And they lost that game.

It was also a bipolar week, as fans expressed immense joy at the end of the Jose Guillen era.  The jubilation didn’t last as panic set in after a Bob Dutton report of Zack Greinke expressing doubt that he’ll see any of the top prospects make an impact before his contract expires in 2012.

If that scares you though, wait until you look at the numbers…
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Taking his place on the roster is Philip Humber who was recalled from Omaha.  Humber was the third overall pick by the Mets in 2004 and was part of the trade that sent Johan Santana to the Mets.  In Omaha, he’d posted a 5-6 record with a 4.47 ERA, striking out 6.1 batters per nine innings and walking just 1.5 per nine in 118.2 innings pitched.
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All that drama almost overshadowed the returns of Rick Ankiel off the disabled list and Alex Gordon from Triple A purgatory.
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MLBTradeRumors.com passed along the first hints of potential Mets/Royals discussions, via Ken Rosenthal.  You’ll notice the names on the Royals side: Gil Meche, Jose Guillen, and Kyle Farnsworth.

And while no specific offers have been leaked or made, that’s a 3-for-3 deal whose finalization would surprise nobody.

And that’s the scary part.
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Awesome.

Then the bullpen fell apart.

It’s hard out there for Royals fans.
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You can check out the post right here.

For my contribution, I put on my GM hat and thought about where the Royals are now and where they could be next year and beyond.  Obviously we’re sellers and we have pieces I think we should move.  Some of those pieces may even give us a modest return.

I won’t spoil the article, as you’ll be interested in the outlook of other AL Central team sites, but I looked mostly at Jose Guillen, Scott Podsednik and David DeJesus.  I could have discussed Kyle Farnsworth or Kyle Davies/Brian Bannister, but I don’t see the Royals trading much pitching right now while Luke Hochevar and Gil Meche are still on the DL (and there’s no solid starter in Triple A to step up – especially with Anthony Lerew likely to miss his next start).

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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.
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Earlier today, Rany Jazayerli tweeted that “sources” were telling him that Moustakas was headed to Triple A.  How likely would that scenario be?  Let’s dig deeper.
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There’s so much noise out there that it’s difficult to tell what’s a true rumor, what’s speculation, and what’s being floated out there by a franchise, an agent or just a beat writer with a clever idea.  So I won’t try to play GM, but I do have some players in mind who I think are easily tradeable and have value to other teams in contention.
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But what else is going on out there in the Royals-verse?
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At any rate, Lerew gave the Royals six strong innings last night to defeat the White Sox and earn his first major league victory.
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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 around .500 is fine, though also disappointing. Think of those “Lowered Expectations” parody ads on Mad TV. It’s kind of like that.
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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.
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Nobody bothered to mention that to Brian Bannister.
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It wasn’t meant to be.
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The Royals had some winnable games in Atlanta, but didn’t come through in key moments and it cost them two games.  Somehow, despite a 2-4 record, the Royals were plus 3 in run differential, scoring 35 (fourth most all week) against 32 runs surrendered (eighth most).
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David DeJesus returned to his leadoff spot and Mike Aviles made a rightful jump to second in the order. The rest fell in line just as one would expect. So did this new lineup generate some runs? Well, yes and no…
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And here is how it all went down.
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Kansas City struck first, turning three singles by Scott Podsednik, David DeJesus and Billy Butler into the first run of the game. The Astros countered with a one out RBI double by Pedro Feliz that scored Hunter Pence.
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Now, on with the show: the Royals returned to Minnesota’s Target Field this week, then traveled to the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati to restart interleague play.
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And if not, all of us at Kings of Kauffman wish him good luck on his future endeavors and hopefully, down the line, that includes witnessing the Royals making the playoffs.

And as a thank you to Jon for his service, I present the Jon Twibell retrospective.  A greatest hits, if you will:

• Where’s the Beef? – Looking at the rather paltry middle of the order in KC.
• Really, Royals? – Predicting regression for Jose Guillen, Jason Kendall and Scott Podsednik and praying for a bullpen that doesn’t blow every lead
• You Stay Classy, Kansas City – On Mike Sweeney, Carlos Beltran, Allard Baird and a city’s frustration with its own bad luck
• Royals Look For a Winning Streak – Looking at the Royals need for urgency to actually, you know, win some games and avoid a meltdown
• Where Do We Go From Here? – After the Royals hot start under Ned Yost, Jon looked at what lay ahead

Again, thanks Jon for the time and effort you’ve put in for Kings of Kauffman, and feel free to check in with us when you can.

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Well let’s just go take a look-see, eh?
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Jose Guillen leads the team with 11 homers, but when he’s slumping, like he has been over his last nine games (5-32), the homers become scarce. Alberto Callaspo has been a welcome surprised in the power department, as he’s hit 7 homeruns, but he hasn’t hit a homerun since May 20. A surprising third on the team in homers is Billy Butler, who has only 5 on the year. It’s surprising because he’s hitting .342 on the season, so he’s obviously seeing the ball well. Beyond those three, where will the power come from? Whenever Rick Ankiel comes back, he’ll be a source of power, but he’s been out for more than a month and was slumping before that. Mike Aviles and David DeJesus have some pop, but nobody would expect them to contribute more than 10-15 dingers in a season. The rest of the team has no track record or scouting expectation of power.

It comes down to Butler. The hitting is great, but when’s the power going to come around?
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So what happened next? Is the honeymoon over?  Would the Royals remember that they are, in fact, still the Royals?  Well read on, as we recap the week’s happenings and trends:
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The series that my responses were intended for, Around The Blogs In 30 Days, seems to have died off as their focus has turned to other things.  I don’t blame them in the least for moving on from the series, and I must say that they do an excellent job covering the Mets on a daily basis.  That said, it seems like a shame to not share my responses somewhere so I thought I’d publish them here.  If nothing else it has been fun to look back at my responses before the season started in relation to where things stand with the Royals today.  I hope you enjoy reading the following questions and answers which appear exactly as they did when I sent them back to Mets Paradise back on April 3rd. (more…)

It helps that we have some great voices out there, so while we at Kings of Kauffman feel we provide excellent analysis and commentary, we’re also aware (and thankful) that we’re not alone in our fandom.  Let’s see what others are saying:
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Additionally, Ned Yost‘s first lineup makes a lot more sense (the Royals face LHP Mark Buehrle tonight, still no Kila):
LF – Scott Podsednik
2B – Mike Aviles
RF – David DeJesus
1B – Billy Butler
DH – Jose Guillen
3B – Alberto Callaspo
CF – Mitch Maier
SS – Yuniesky Betancourt
C – Jason Kendall

Compare that with Hillman’s insistence to bat Kendall sixth in the order. Up until the 8 and 9 spots, that’s not a relatively bad lineup. Underwhelming still, but I’m glad to see Maier get a higher slot.

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