Royals Off Day Updates: Yost’s Fate, Hosmer in RF?, The Trade, Erv, and More

Aug 27, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher James Shields (33) smiles after finishing the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

There are just ten games left in the Royals season, a final stretch that should see the team reach .500 for the first time since 2003 and they would reach their highest win total since 1989 if they win just five games.

Of course, as long as there’s a mathematical chance (even if slim), that’s not going to be enough.

–In light of that, Will Leitch discussed the legacy of the James Shields for Wil Myers trade. His key question is whether or not the success of this year matters if the Royals don’t make the playoffs. To me, watching the team over the year, they’ve shown incredible resilience. Every time they’ve looked to have fallen out, they jump back with a new streak. Some of that is a credit to having a 200+ IP starter for sure. Shields is also credited with an impact on the attitude in the clubhouse.

If the Royals don’t make the playoffs this year, it can still be considered a successful season. If they don’t make the playoffs next year, it can’t be considered an effective trade. The Royals would be left with virtually nothing while Wil Myers would be making All-Star teams for another team.

—David Glass came out and said that Ned Yost’s fate is in Dayton Moore’s hands. Yost’s contract ends after this year, but Moore’s lasts through next season. There have been no indications of extension negotiations so far, but I’d guess that Yost gets another year. Whether that’s wise or not is another matter.

Back in May, Yost preached patience and positivity with this young team and perhaps that’s part of why they’ve been so resilient. But he has made decisions that have cost the Royals games. Yost’s reputation is that he’s good with getting young players ready as big leaguers, and I think he’s had an impact in that way, but I’ve long thought that he’s the guy to get the Royals ready to be the real deal, but not the guy to lead them through the postseason.

–Since today’s an off day, you can watch the scoreboard and you can look towards things for next season.

One of those is the hypothetical question posed by Jeffrey Flanagan of Fox Sports Kansas City: What about potentially moving Eric Hosmer to right field?

We’ve seen Hosmer in right on a few occasions and for the most part it hasn’t been pretty. Ahead of last year’s interleague games, Hosmer was thrown in right to allow Billy Butler to play first and get both bats in the lineup. In the offseason, he could devote more time to playing the outfield at least, but I think a move is unlikely. Hosmer’s athletic and I’m sure he could hold his own after a while, but he’s better at first than he’s likely to be in right. Alex Gordon made the move successfully, but he also spent months in the minors to make that transition.

–Would you like to know more about Ervin Santana? Sure you would!

MLB.com featured Santana on their “En Sus Palabras” (In His Words) online segment and he discussed his start in baseball, day to day life, family and more. Santana’s been a fan favorite after success this season and sometimes it’s nice to get a look at the player as a person. Part of what he talks about is the transition from the Dominican Republic to the US, including typical interactions and even difficulty in ordering food (he’d seek out restaurants with photos on the menu, unable to read all of the English words).

The whole interview is in Spanish but there are subtitles.

–Just for fun, here’s Alcides Escobar stealing home on a broken hit and run. Great job by Alex Gordon to stay in the rundown long enough to let Escobar make a break for the plate, too.

–The last item isn’t specifically about the Royals, but will be taking place on Saturday at Kauffman Stadium.

If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you’ve likely seen writing from Ethan Bryan. His current project is seeing how much you can change the world through simple acts.

Acts like playing catch, for instance.

This Saturday, Ethan is attempting to set a record for playing catch and in the process, he’s raising funds for Not For Sale, an organization that fights worldwide slavery. You can find out more about their mission to change the world here. It’s a good cause and if you’re interested in contributing to the cause (and the record), Ethan will be at Lot N in the Truman Sports Complex starting at noon on Saturday.