Bo knows Hall of Fame?

Most Royals fans have probably seen the ballot by now. While there are a couple of names that stand out as fairly solid candidates, the 2013 Royals Hall of Fame ballot is also a sad commentary on a period of Royals baseball that was not so Hall of Fame-ish.

Yes. You saw it right. We’ve got Emil Brown, Jimmy Gobble, and even Runelvys “Fat Elvis” Hernandez! Yikes.

We do have some names like John Wathan, Bo Jackson, Darrell Porter, and Kevin Seitzer on the board. Al Fitzmorris, one of the original 1969ers, is there. Outfielders Al Cowens and Jermaine Dye, a more recent bright spot, is on the ballot. But are any of these guys HOF material? Hard to say.

I think the best way to do this, given the time of year, is via bracket. Time to go March Madness on the Royals HOF.

There are 10 candidates up for election this year, so we need to get creative. Let’s find the four most undeserving candidates and match them up in our two play-in games. This should be easy. Right off the bat, we can select Brown, Gobble, and Hernandez. Looking at everyone else, judging off time spent as a Royals player, their total WAR during that span (according to Baseball Reference) and their WAR per 162, it looks like the fourth person involved in the play-in games will be John Wathan.

Let’s pair them off and have the pitchers and hitters face each other. First we have the pitchers, Runelvys Hernandez vs. Jimmy Gobble. Hernandez pitched four seasons for the Royals and had a WAR of 3.3 during that stretch, while Gobble only managed a 1.1 WAR in six years. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Runelvys wins (something he rarely did as a pitcher).

The next battle features Emil Brown and fan fave John Wathan. Brown only spent three years in the Royals outfield, and had a 1.4 WAR. During his decade as a Royals player, Wathan managed a 3.7 WAR. At first glance, looks like a Wathan win. However, since Wathan had such an advantage on seasons played, we’ll look at WAR per 162. Brown managed a 1.1 WAR per 162 with Wathan posting a 1.4. Looks like team Wathan just knocked down a three at the buzzer.

With that settled, we’ll seed the bracket by total WAR as a Royals player. The matchups are as follows:

(1) Kevin Seitzer vs. (8) Runelvys Hernandez

(4) Al Cowens vs. (5) Jermaine Dye

(3) Al Fitzmorris vs. (6) Bo Jackson

(2) Darrell Porter vs. (7) John Wathan

The #1 seed, but is he good enough? Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

In the first game of the day, the top seeded Team Seitzer knocks off Hernandez easily, winning in blowout. Sadly, it’s the last we’ll see of the Fat Elvis team mascot in this tourney. His halftime show (which was actually just Hernandez doing a kung fu exhibition in a white sequined jumpsuit), was the highlight of this matchup.

The next game, dubbed “Battle of the Backstops”, saw Porter get out to a 12-point lead by halftime. However, Wathan’s experience as a player in KC (six more years than Porter) drew him within just a few points with less than two minutes left in the game. With momentum going his way, Wathan relied on his managerial experience (during five seasons as the Royals skipper, he had a .515 win percent) and coached his team to a one-point victory. Wathan could be the Cinderella story in 2013…

Al Cowens versus Jermaine Dye was a close one. Cowens boasts a 10.5 total WAR with the Royals and a 2.7 WAR/162, while Dye has a 9.5 total and 2.9 WAR/162. Hard to say who gets the edge here…they even played roughly the same amount of time in Royal Blue, with Cowens at six seasons and Dye with five. With less than a minute on the clock, Cowens relies on his 5 WAR from 1977 (the highest single season WAR for either player) and sinks two free throws to win the game. The four seed advances to face Seitzer in round two.

In the final game of round one, a tenacious Bo Jackson relies on raw athleticism to hang with Fitzmorris. Fitz has a 14.2 WAR from his eight seasons in KC, with a 3 WAR/162. Jackson, meanwhile, only played five years with the Royals for a 6.2 WAR and 2.5 WAR/162. But have you seen this guy play? Bo makes one amazing play after another…wowing the crowd, keeping them glued to their seats. Just as the game starts getting out of hand, though, there is a tragic turn of events. With Jackson out to a 15-point lead, he crumbles suddenly to the floor. A nasty looking fluke of an injury leaves the KC crowd silenced. It was about the most deflating thing you could ever imagine. Unable to go at 100%, Jackson faltered, allowing Fitzmorris to scratch his way back into the game and eventually pull out a win. “It’s a miracle,” said Fitzmorris. “Hallelujah.” 

At last, here we are…the Final Four. Seitzer, the top seed, takes on Al Cowens, while Fitzmorris is matched up against Cinderella nominee John Wathan. Once again, we see the top seed, Kevin Seitzer, roll to victory…his career average (as a Royal) of .294 and OBP of .380 proving too much for Cowens to overcome.  The second matchup sees Wathan taking it to Fitzmorris. Wathan is relentless in the second half, while Fitzy just seems to run out of steam in the end. Cinderella wins again.

After two hard fought rounds of HOF Madness, it all boils down to Seitzer and Wathan. Seitzer jumps out to an early lead, picking his spots and scoring at will. No big plays here…just chipping away, hitting the easy shots, taking what Wathan gives him. Wathan, however, tough as nails, knows how to run the floor. A gritty player with a mind for the game…he takes advantage of some poor defense from Setizer and eventually evens the score.

As regulation draws to a close, the score is knotted at 74. Needing 75% of the vote for induction, the players decline to play overtime, saying if they can’t earn induction in regulation, they don’t deserve enshrinement in the Hall. The most dynamic player on the ballot, they agree, is Jackson. Maybe, eventually, Bo can fight his way into the Hall of Fame. I mean, he just might be the most famous Royal of all…even more than Brett and White and Saberhagen. Surely he belongs? It’s just too damn bad about that injury…

As his replacement, the Royals hired Jack Maloof, who previously held the position of minor league hitting coordinator and special assistant since 2008 with the Royals. Prior to that he was in the Braves organization. He was the Marlins hitting coach from 1999 until 2001, where he helped the team raise their batting average and home run production. During the postseason press conference, manager Ned Yost suggested that he wanted to see more homers from his lineup going forward.

Maloof won’t be alone. Also joining him is Andre David, who was the Royals hitting coach for 11 months from May 30, 2005 to May 1, 2006. He’ll be the assistant Major League hitting coach. He’s been in the organization for 13 years and most recently worked as a hitting instructor at the Royals spring training and instructional facility in Surprise, Arizona. The Royals are following a trend started by many of having more than one coach for their hitters.

Both showed the ability to take walks in the minor leagues, so that may be part of the Royals decision in hiring both. A focus on better pitch selection and discipline would be a good direction to go.

Look up Maloof’s and David’s career numbers, particularly their walks and strikeouts and the message is clear.

— Damion Mandalas (@RoyalRevival) October 24, 2012

Though, it should be noted, Seitzer was always known as a patient hitter during his career and if he tried to pass on that attribute, the message never took hold.

I understand why Kevin Seitzer will no longer be the team’s hitting coach, and really, I’m okay with it. He was unable to help Eric Hosmer battle his way out of a season long slump and he couldn’t right Mike Moustakas when the third baseman started slumping in early June. Their regression, more than anything, is likely what cost Seitzer his job. They are expected to be offensive cornerstones for the next half decade so 4-6 month slumps are simply unacceptable. Whether it’s deserved it or not the hitting coach will almost always shoulder the blame when young stars under perform.

At the same though, there is something that bothers me about his removal.  The Royals finished 12th in the American League in runs scored and that cannot be laid solely at the feet of Seitzer. Ned Yost and Dayton Moore each made contributions that hampered the offense so they deserve an equal share of the blame.

“A walk, a base-hit and boom — there’s three runs. I think that’s the major difference in philosophy.” -Ned Yost

I’m sorry but when has this ever been Ned Yost’s philosophy? I am happy that he decided to channel his inner Earl Weaver mostly because I never suspected he possessed an inner Earl Weaver. And why would I? A single, a stolen base, a sacrifice bunt, a

Aug 29, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas (8) is congratulated by hitting coach Kevin Seitzer (left) designated hitter Billy Butler (center) and manager Ned Yost (right) after scoring against the Detroit Tigers in the fourth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

sacrifice fly and boom – there’s one run is more to Yost’s tastes than a three run home run. We watched it play out all year. Nearly half of the team’s sacrifice bunts this year occurred in the first three innings. Eager to score first Yost would play for one run and often would do so with a runner already in scoring position. Couple this with an insanely aggressive base running style that led to too many free outs and you start to see why runs were hard to come by.

The quote above is basically an admission that high on-base and slugging percentages will lead to more runs. Except we know those aren’t the stats the organization values. On more than one occasion a member of the coaching staff or front office expressed amazement that the offense was struggling given the team’s high batting average (.265, 4th best in the AL). Basically this is the part that bothers me about Seitzer’s ouster. If batting average is the money stat, and the team has a high average, then why let the hitting coach go?

“We have to understand the importance of on-base percentage.” —Dayton Moore, October 2008.

Four years later we are still waiting on Moore to understand – not only the importance of on-base percentage – but also how it correlates with runs scored. A quick look at some players he acquired via trade or free agency since uttering this quote shows a distinct lack of understanding. Off to the side are their career on-base percentages at the time of acquisition.

Mike Jacobs – .318
Willie Bloomquist – .322
Coco Crisp – .331
Yuniesky Betancourt – .302
Rick Ankiel – .316
Scott Podsednik – .340
Melky Cabrera – .328
Jeff Francoeur – .310
Yuniesky Betancourt – .292
Humberto Quintero – .268

To be fair, a couple of those moves paid off (Podsednik and Cabrera) but the rest were complete failures. How many general managers in the game today would have let Francoeur and his 81 OPS+ block Wil Myers all year? How many would have allowed Betancourt to come to the plate over 200 times? How many would have carried both those players on their roster? The answer to all three questions is, of course, just one. Dayton Moore.

Kevin Seitzer was the fall guy but – and I can’t stress this enough – he shouldn’t have fell alone.

Kevin Seiter. Photo Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

The former Royal had rejoined the organization starting in the 2008 season and has been credited with helping Alex Gordon and Jeff Francoeur to resurgent 2011 seasons. In 2012, though, Francoeur fell back down to earth while Gordon continued to hit. Eric Hosmer struggled all year and never really got back into the groove and Mike Moustakas‘s offensive production fell steeply after the All-Star Break.

Part of the change seems to be a change in philosophy. Ned Yost mentioned that the offense was dependent on a lot of singles and doubles to create runs, while many of the players on the field could be strong power hitters. Seitzer’s approach is generally to go up the middle with an emphasis on avoiding trying to pull the ball too much, as he said on The Program on 810 Sports this afternoon. Yost told Seitzer in August that he wanted to adjust that approach and wanted the players to pull the ball more, according to Seitzer.

In some ways, this move isn’t a big deal, and in others it is. Generally, I think managers and coaches can get a lot more credit than they deserve for what the players do on the field. Sometimes, they can also take more heat than they deserve for what players do on the field. All the work in the world isn’t going to change Jeff Francoeur from who he is – a guy who loves to swing at whatever he thinks he can get to. He probably helped Alcides Escobar hit better, and it’s notable that Salvador Perez has a career average of .287 in the minors but has a .311 batting average in 437 at bats in the big leagues.

Again, though, where do you draw that line? Did he help Gordon or was it a notorious work ethic and the first healthy season as a big leaguer that put Gordon in position to shine? How much did he help Butler and how much is his own development? We can’t know the answers because we can’t go back and see how they may have done in those productive seasons under the watch of a different coach. Is Seitzer to blame for Hosmer’s struggles? Moustakas’s? And where does Melky Cabrera fit in? He came to the Royals in an effort to stay in the big leagues and ended up having a career year – until he followed it up with what was headed towards an even better career year with the San Francisco Giants. Sure, his performance has a disclaimer attached to it after his admission of using performance enhancers, but how much of that was his weight loss (the more significant element to his PED usage, in my opinion) and how much was Seitzer’s lessons? He kept hitting in San Francisco after leaving the Royals and Seitzer.

Jun 01, 2011; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost (3) watches batting practice with coaches Kevin Seitzer (36), Eddie Rodriguez (14), and John Gibbons (49) as members of the Los Angeles Angels stretch before a game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE

After a year where two of the marquee prospects in the system fought against themselves and big league pitchers through most of the season, and after another 90 loss year, something had to give. I don’t think anybody should be surprised about this development nor should anybody be outraged over it either.

Going forward, the Royals said they want to look from within the organization to fill the gap. Some names that were mentioned today were Terry Bradshaw, who’s been with the organization for years and currently is the hitting coach for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, Tommy Gregg, the hitting coach in Omaha, and minor league hitting coordinator Jack Maloof. If Yost gets his way, the Royals may stick with the pull-happy approach in an effort to hit more homers. Ideally, that approach combined with some additional walks could increase the Royals offensive production. Ironically, as Rany Jazayerli points out, Kevin Seitzer was one of the most patient Royals hitters in history, but couldn’t impress upon his hitters the importance of being patient. We’ll see if that changes now.

Who should be the scapegoat for another year of disappointing Royals baseball?  Whose head needs to roll as a result of the team’s poor showing?  Dayton Moore? Kevin Seitzer?  How about Rex Hudler?

Should Ned Yost be the scapegoat for what has been a disappointing season so far? (Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE)

One of the interesting aspects of social media is that it provides a real time peek into the thoughts of hard core sports fans.  Every evening you can sit down at your computer and watch the commentary during the game.  One of the most frequent themes on Twitter has been that Ned Yost is to blame for this disappointing season and that he should be taken to the nearest bus terminal with a ticket to Anywherebuthere Town, USA.  But I say – not so fast.

Before I explain my thoughts, let’s take a peek into the world of social media and look at just a few of the many thousands of comments concerning Ned Yost:

• Aaron Stilley @Royal_Heritage – You may say Yost is a by-the-book manager, but today I saw him pioneer the use of a late inning defensive downgrade while leading!
• Scott Thomas @hosmermania – Ned Yost=Hank Hill. Old fashioned grumpy guy who hunts. Never does anything new. Very predictable.
• Mike Engel ‏@michaelengel – How many people in uniform were surprised by the bunt? One? The left field ball boy? #Yosted
• Josh Green ‏@Jashg84 - As long as Yost is in there, it will continue like this unfortunately
• 1Yankh8r ‏@1Yankh8r – Can’t wait to see how the Spin Doctors in the Yost camp sell last night’s debacle. #FireYost

#FireYost has become a popular hashtag.  So is #Yosted.  And fans are right to be upset.   Some of Yost’s decisions this season on the surface appear to be nearly inexplicable.  But let’s take a closer look.

I think the best way to judge a manager is to evaluate what he is doing with the talent he has been given.  For instance (I realize this is a very unrealistic example, but I’m trying to make a point), what if one participant in the Indy 500 was forced to ride a bicycle – how well do you think this person would do and where do you think he or she would finish?  You would expect him to finish last because the race wasn’t fair, he wasn’t given the same sleek expensive race car to drive as all the other competitors.  You know what I’m getting at, don’t you?

The Royals payroll is about $61 million.  That’s about $2.5 million per victory so far this year.  Wins are going for about $5 million each in Detroit and Los Angeles (Angels) this year, and almost $6 million in Boston.  By comparison, if higher payroll means greater talent, then Ned Yost isn’t playing all that badly with the hand he’s been dealt.  The Rays do an awesome job at less than $2 million per victory.

Are the Royals going to bunt again?!? (Credit: Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE)

Still, how do you explain all the crazy managerial decisions Yost has made?  There have been times I’ve wanted to tear out what little hair I have left every time I watch Yuniesky Betancourt trot out to 2^nd base or yet another failed and ill-advised bunt attempt go awry.

The Royals have been caught stealing more than any other team in the American League except one.  This is pretty remarkable considering 10 teams (in the American League alone) have stolen more bases than the Royals.  Just imagine how bad this statistic would be if Jarrod Dyson hadn’t been playing recently.  Aren’t the Royals young and athletic?  Don’t most of them have average speed or better, with the possible exceptions of Billy Butler and Humberto (why did we trade for him again?) Quintero?  Are the coaches sending the green light at the wrong time?  Are the players using poor technique?

How many times this year have you seen a Royal caught napping and picked off the bases?  Many more times than I care to recall.  Is poor coaching to blame?

There are a couple schools of thought regarding a stable lineup.  Some people say it’s beneficial to a player to always know his role and where he’ll bat when he comes to the stadium.  Yost obviously didn’t attend this school.  Yost believes in juggling the lineup as if it were a bowling ball, a power saw, a flaming torch, and a butcher knife.  Unfortunately, when you play with fire, somebody is going to get burned.

I wish I knew why many of the Royals are slumping at the plate this year.  Is this Ned Yost’s fault?  Last year, Kevin Seitzer was considered to be a hitting guru on the level of Charlie Lau.  This year, Hosmer was unable to hit his way out of a paper bag for six weeks, Alex Gordon is on track for 12 home runs compared to 23 last year, and the team is trending toward scoring about 100 fewer runs than last season.  Is this Kevin Seitzer’s fault?  Is he not providing the same quality guidance and instruction as last year?

So how good are these Royals and how much talent does Ned Yost have to work with?  There’s really no way to know.  With acknowledgement that some may disagree with me, the 2012 Royals may have one of the major’s best defensive shortstops in Alcides Escobar, one of the best defensive catchers (when Salvador Perez returns – please hurry), the best defensive left fielder in Alex Gordon, the strongest outfield arm in Jeff Francoeur, possibly the major’s most improved player in 3^rd baseman Mike Moustakas, the player with the greatest potential in Eric Hosmer, the speediest bench player in Jarrod Dyson, one of the top hitters in a position loaded with talent, DH Billy Butler, the hardest throwing relief pitcher Kelvin Herrera, and a very capable bullpen. But without decent starting pitchers, there is simply no possible way to know how good this team is.

The pitching anchor of the 2012 Royals is Bruce Chen.  Just let that soak in for a moment.  On opening day this season, we sent Bruce Chen to the mound in Anaheim to face Jered Weaver.  Weaver was an All-Star and 2^nd in the Cy Young balloting last year.  Chen’s heater is about 84 mph.   The Royals brought a knife to a gunfight that day and they were shutout 5-0 in a swift 2 hours and 22 minutes, the 2^nd shortest game of the season – it was merciful and quick.  This isn’t the way you want to start a season and it set the tone for what was to come.

Bruce Chen is the Royals #1 pitcher. No really, I'm not kidding. (Credit: Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE)

I don’t blame Bruce Chen.  Bruce is a very likeable guy who gives it everything he has every time he walks to the mound.  But he shouldn’t be in a position where a team looks to him as the stopper.  Chen earns $4.5 million per year.  Weaver earns $14 million.  It’s like sending your funny cousin Joey into the ring to face Mohammed Ali in his prime every five days.  Who would do that?   Why are the Royals doing it?  It’s insane!  How can we blame Ned Yost for this injustice?

I believe it all boils down to pitching.  Pitching is the lifeblood of a baseball team.  Wins and losses begin with the guy who takes the mound in the 1^st inning.  Pitching holds the other team down, keeps your side in the game, and provides your teammates with a chance to win.  A baseball team simply cannot be successful without strong starting pitching.

When you watch a team play that has poor starting pitching (aka The Royals), anything else you see on the field is an attempt to make up for this shortcoming.  Everyone else must extend themselves and try to do things they aren’t capable of doing.  They must try to steal when the timing isn’t right.  They constantly bunt in a desperate attempt to move runners into scoring position.  They try to hit 6-run homers when nobody is on base.  The manager flip flops the lineup trying to find a winning combination that will overcome the lack of talent on the mound.  He’ll move the potential All-Star 1^st baseman into right field trying to squeeze one more drop of offense out of a team that must overcome a mishmash hodge podge rotation cobbled together from castoffs, 2^nd level trades, and Independent Leagues while waiting for the top prospect hurlers in the minors to one day, some day, fulfill their potential.

So, who’s fault is it that the Royals don’t have a major league caliber starting pitching rotation?  In my opinion, it isn’t Ned Yost’s fault.  He can only manage with the team he’s been given.  He doesn’t draft, he doesn’t make trades, it’s not his main responsibility to evaluate talent and bring prospects up from the minors.  It’s his job to coach the team on the field.  No doubt he overcompensates and ends up doing things that look stupid in retrospect, but many of these decision are made in desperation while attempting to surmount the overwhelming pitching handicap the Royals have been saddled with.  All things considered, it simply isn’t possible or fair to call Ned Yost the worst manager in the major leagues, and we won’t be able to make this assessment accurately until and unless the Royals Front Office provide him with a competitive rotation.

You may say the Royals can’t afford to compete in the free agent wars and their small market revenue stream places them in an unwinnable position.  Well, no doubt it makes things more difficult, but I don’t see anyone in Tampa making excuses for their low payroll, and they are winning.  And by the way, they’re winning with an abundance of talented young pitching.  Just sayin’.

My friend Mark surprised and spoiled me, taking me for a two-day vacation to Surprise,Arizona.  From our first take-off to our final landing, the entire trip was phenomenal.  For the first time in my life, I wasn’t strip-searched, poked, or prodded passing through security in the airport.  Both of our flights actually arrived early.  The weather in Arizona was perfect.  There is no possible way to fully share my experiences at Spring Training.  However, here are some highlights from that 48-hour pilgrimage:

*Being in the right place at the right time out of pure ignorance and getting the opportunity to witness the PCL Champion ring ceremony.

*Having conversations with Dick Kaegel, Toby Cook, and Bob Dutton.

Kaegel, “There’s always a good story to find out here.”

Cook, “I got this job because I was a TV anchor who emcee’d a Royals’ Charities event and got a serendipitous call from Mr. Glass.  How can you ever plan that?”

Cook’s son, “I want to be the GM of the Royals when I grow up.”

Dutton, “Right now, we’re looking at a .500 team.  With a little luck on the pitching mound, some good things could happen this year.”

*Getting pictures with Duffy, Hosmer, Moustakas, Wathan, and Brett.

*The sound of wooden bats echoing all over the complex.

*George Brett giving hitting lessons to Wil Myers.

Brett and Myers were working on balance.  Brett took his stance like he was getting ready to field a ground ball and then picked up his bat, demonstrating the importance of remaining balanced throughout the swing.

*Omaha manager Mike Jirschele hitting blistering backhands to Billy Butler at first base.

*Calling out to Aaron Crow with “M-I-Z” and having him respond “Z-O-U, baby!”

*Conversations with Kevin Seitzer, one of my childhood heroes.

*Watching Seitzer’s “extra-batting practice game.”  On day one, Seitzer pulled Billy Butler, Johnny Giavotella, Lorenzo Cain, and Yuniesky Betancourt aside to play the game.  The rules were simple: five swings to hit the ball to the opposite field with power.  One point for a single; two points for a gap shot that rolled to the fence; three points for a ball that landed on the warning track; four points for a home run.  Anything pulled, hit too high, or that could potentially be fielded by the most amazing infield ever was an out.  After ten rounds, Gia and Yuni tied for the victory, one point ahead of Cain andButler.  I called out to Cain as he was leaving the field, “That’s a great number you’re wearing for your position.”

He smiled and responded, “You better believe it.”

On the next day, the players were paired up for the game—Hosmer and Jarrod Dyson against Mitch Maier and Clint Robinson.  The wind was blowing out slightly; Hosmer and Maier were hitting bombs.  Hosmer once scored 10 points in 5 swings.  On the following at-bat, Maier scored 11.  Dyson proved to be the critical difference, helping solidify the victory in his final at-bat.  As they gathered the balls on the field, thanking Seitzer for the time, Dyson called out, “Me and Hosmer take on anyone, Seitz, anyone.  We are unstoppable.”

I called out to Dyson and told him that he was in my Royals book from last year.  “Lemme guess,” he said, “it was the game when I scored on the pop-out to the shortstop.”

“You got it, dude.”

“I gotta use my speed every chance I get.”

*Meeting Elliott and his family.  (See that story here.)

*Watching an outfield-assist game.  The players were Gordon, Maier, Cain, and Francoeur.  Each player got two throws to each base.  Points were awarded on the “friendliness” of the hop and the accuracy.  Gordon took a quick and impressive lead.  Frenchy could potentially catch him if his final throw to home plate was perfect.  Frenchy released a cannon-like throw that short-hopped Perez and tailed up the third-base line.  He the cussed loudly and conceded the victory to Gordo.  Then he demanded a one-throw rematch later that day.

During that day’s game, Alex recorded his first assist of the season on a play at the plate.  I bet that’s the throw he submitted for the rematch.

*Hosmer’s ridiculous defensive plays at first base—one of them made ESPN.

*Witnessing Gordon’s second home run of the spring.

*Meeting Darren and Tyler, Bob McClure’s nephews. Tyler will be one of the ball boys for the 2012 All-Star Game.

*Driving by Luke Air Force Base and watching the jets practice “touch-and-go’s.”

*As we were walking into the stadium, David Glass was walking right behind me.  I slowed down for a minute and said, “Mr. Glass, thanks so much for the gift of baseball in KC.”

He looked at me, nodded, smiled, and replied, “You’re welcome, son.  So good to see you out here supporting the team.”

*On the way back to the airport, I ate my first In-N-Out Burger—it was incredible.  Someone really needs to bring that franchise to KC.

I know that numerous KoK readers have also made the sacred pilgrimage to Surprise.  What are some of your highlights?

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Elliott, Moose, and Hosmer

Spring Training baseball is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

My friend Mark and I traveled to Surprise,Arizona in hopes of watching a couple of games and maybe getting a couple of autographs.  We were completely unprepared for the amazing experience that awaited us.

For two days, we watched batting practice, situational drills, and throwing games.  We saw Kevin Seitzer pitching extra batting practice and making a game of it—Eric Hosmer and Jarrod Dyson beat Mitch Maier and Clint Robinson by one point.  We saw the outfielders practicing their throws to every base—Alex Gordon beat Jeff Francoeur in that game.  Frenchy demanded a one-throw rematch.  Danny Duffy threw a bullpen session and looked phenomenal.  Johnny Giavotella and Billy Butler spent hours fielding rocket shot ground balls.  But one of my favorite memories from Spring Training 2012 is Elliott.

Wherever Elliott went, he was surrounded by ballplayers.  The six-year-old blonde-haired kindergartner from St. Joseph knew the names and numbers of everyone and wasn’t afraid to ask the hard questions.  When introduced to Bubba Starling, Elliott asked, “Bubba, when will you be in the majors?”

Bubba smiled and laughed, “I don’t know yet, Elliott, I just don’t know.”

On Monday, before warm-ups, the players gathered around Elliott and started quizzing him on who wore what number.  Elliott answered every one correctly.  One of the players even responded, “I didn’t know he wore that number.”  (Elliott has always been a numbers guy.  His dad used to let Elliott stay up late watching the games on TV while using various scenarios to teach him math skills—a brilliant parenting strategy.)

Elliott got the opportunity to step on the field during batting practice, watching Seitzer help the players make their adjustments.  Moustakas and Hosmer and Gordon all spent some time with him in between swings.  Jason Kendall gave Elliott a fungo bat to practice his own swings.  Gordo watched Elliott swinging and commented, “The kid’s a natural.”

I spent a few minutes visiting with Scott, Elliott’s dad, and learned a little more.  Elliott has loved baseball from the age of 2.  Most evenings after dinner, Scott and Elliott would watch the Royals on TV and play ball on a makeshift diamond in their living room.  Elliott was a couple of months shy of turning three when he attended his first game.  At the game, he knew all the names and the numbers of the entire roster.  However, the numbers were too large for his vocabulary.  Instead of saying, “Twenty-five,” Elliott would say, “Two and five.”

Since that day, it’s been nothing but Royals baseball for Elliott.  He has participated in a couple of summer baseball camps sponsored by the Royals in 2010 and 2011.  He practiced his throwing and hitting while making friends with Bruce Chen, Chris Getz, Tim Collins, and Nate Adcock.  He amazed all of them by quoting their statistics from the week and quickly won their admiration.

One of Elliott’s highlights from Spring Training was visiting the locker room.  He was the center of attention.  From the players to the front office staff, everyone overwhelmed Elliott and his family with kindness and compassion (and pictures and autographs, too).

Elliott, you see, has spina bifida.  On March 1, he underwent his twelfth surgery, a VP shunt revision.  Elliott focused on the important things going into the surgery, telling anyone who would listen, “I’m feeling brave today.  My cousins are gonna come visit and I’m going to Spring Training next week.”

Elliott stayed for the duration of Monday’s game which the Royals lost 2 – 1.  On the way out of the stadium, Elliott spotted his favorite player, Alex Gordon.  Gordo high-fived Elliott and spent a few quality minutes with him.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect Spring Training experience.

Two days after returning home from Arizona, Elliott is playing baseball on the Wii and waiting for the start of the regular season.  He’s already making plans to head back to Surprise next year.

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The Royalman Report

Due to the Super Bowl, we’re not holding our usual live broadcast of the Royalman Report, but we do have some new content to share.

Included in this episode is Fake Ned Yost interviewing Rany Jazayerli as well as a report from Royals Fantasy Camp that includes an interview with Royals hitting coach Kevin Seitzer and fantasy camper Dave Darby.

Also, head over to Youtube for an amusing song about Yuniesky Betancourt.

You can listen below or download the mp3 directly.

The Royalman Report is hosted by Troy “Royalman” Olsen with co-host Michael Engel and features Chris “Fake Ned Yost” Kamler, 610 Sports blogger Jeff Herr and Sam Sapenaro of the K Crew and airs  live Sundays at 7 p.m. central time at RoyalmanReport.com as well as on Livestream.com/RoyalmanReport.

Subscribe via the RSS feed and get updates when new episodes are uploaded.

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