Comments on: Catch Your Breath Monday

By: Mdogg

Mdogg — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:37:56 +0000

I think the royals will go 13-20 through now and the end of May. If you look at the number of runs they have allowed it is getting out of control… only the ChiSox have given up more runs and there bullpen has been terrible.

By: kcghost

kcghost — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 13:53:52 +0000

The fact some of even think the FO office is dumb enough to trade someone like Lamb for the “missing piece” should be a clue a how well the FO has performed in the past.Scary.

Don’t sign Francoeur to anything. The odds of him having really figured it out are very low. This is nothing more than a hot start. I must admit that I wouldn’t be opposed to extending Gordon, but it is somewhat likely that he is just enjoying a hot start also and will fade back to his normal production.

I never saw the point in trading for Getz unless thatis what had to be done to get rid of Teahen. The guy has a career OPS of 640 versus Aviles 750.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 12:45:13 +0000

Zawadski is having a pretty tough start in AAA. He hasn’t been hitting at all in AAA, but he did have a nice spring. I am waiting for Giavotella and Bianchi to get their chances. Bianchi has had several injuries, but everytime he is healthy, he hits.

By: % (In the UK)

% (In the UK) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:31:22 +0000

This Aviles/Getz issue is a realy tuff call to make,the concern for me is the lower third of the line up & its lack of production,so logically that would give the lead off spot to Aviles but he HAS cost us 2 games this season with shocking defence,so despite his 3 run bagger on the last strike of the game landing me a winning bet (i backed the Royals with a 1 1/2 run head start) i’m reluctant to commit & renounce the excellent defence we enjoy from Getz,so i’m prepared to trust Uncle Ned on this one!

Interesting no one has mentioned Lance Zawadski on this one,solid defence & productive bat i know having watched a lot of Portland games,just needs a chance,hows he been doing in triple AAA anyone?

By: mountainside

mountainside — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 02:15:05 +0000

Aviles isn’t a great fielder, but I highly doubt he’s cost the Royals 2-3 games in the course of 22 games played. That advanced metric would peg Aviles as a -20ish defensive player. I’ll have to see this metric!

As for Getz, I’m just waiting for when Giavotella to shows up. I think Johnny G is going to be the sleeper out of this crop of prospects.

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 01:19:02 +0000

Aviles looks like Jim Abbott out there trying to play any position in the infield. He is hands down the worst defensive player on the Royals roster, and that includes Billy Butler. He makes terrible decisions in the field and on the basepaths often, and I wouldn’t bat an eye if Dayton Moore cut him right now. I learned at 10 years old not to throw behind a runner, apparently at the age of 30 in the Major Leagues Mike Aviles had still not learned that lesson, and it cost us a game. I don’t care how he’s hitting, he’s already cost us 2-3 games this season with his terrible ass defense.

By: Daniel Smith

Daniel Smith — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 01:04:20 +0000

Getz’s problem doesn’t lie so much in his batting average as it does in his absolute lack of power. Regardless of him perhaps edging close to acceptable in the OBP dept., his inability to hit much of anything more than a single creates two issues:

1) when he does get a hit leading off, he’s unlikely to give his team a chance for an easy score because he has to hit AND steal successfully to put himself into scoring position

2) at times he’s not leading off, he may be in a situation to drive in baserunners from the bottom of the order, and it’s unlikely he’ll do that while being this much of a punch-and-judy hitter. It sucks to know that if there’s a man on 1st w/ 2 outs and Getz is up, there’s very little chance that runner scores because Getz can basically only hit singles.

So…I love that Getz can walk, but if he’s only going to hit .250 or less and hit for virtually no power, his solid defense doesn’t make up for it. Putting Aviles at 2B AND leading off is also cringe-inducing, but if he hits .300+ w/ power, that’s simply more valuable than Getz.

By: kcrb

kcrb — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 23:51:53 +0000

well said ted…i agree

By: Ted

Ted — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 23:09:26 +0000

KC and Texas lead the AL in runs. KC also leads the league in stolen bases (30), hits (100 something), and doubles (40 something). They rank second in stolen base percentage (86% — MN is a perfect 10 for 10), third in extra-base hits (69), fourth in walks (80ish), and are middle of the pack in strikeouts. This is not an offense that needs much tinkering. Kila might not be producing like we want, but he has absolutely nothing to prove in Omaha, not to mention he has no place to play at AAA. Coming into the season we all expected very few wins (or, at least, most fans expected few wins), and, because of this, most were willing to give guys like Kila and Getz and Aviles and Escobar and Gordon and Betemit time to prove that they belong. I see no reason to alter the plan. With an offense hitting and running like this, we can afford to carry some guys who are struggling. And one month of good baseball does not make us a contender for the division. The pitching is beginning to give up more runs, and as our team ERA continues to move toward the bottom of the pack in the AL, our record will nose dive a bit, not matter how well our offense is playing. Kila might not look like he belongs, but lots of guys struggle for quite a while in the bigs…just let him be for a few months. Impatience has been at fault for many of KC’s problems, maybe it is time to play things out for a while, see what we have.

By: Clark Fosler

Clark Fosler — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 20:53:04 +0000

Ben – I would offer that the same criteria you applied to moving Kila out, could well also apply to Getz. He actually has twice as many PA’s and a <700 OPS, albeit with better defense, but I don't think on an 'Escobar-esque' scale.

I'm not completely advocating getting rid of Getz at this point, but would instead offer that Aviles should be in the lineup at least five days out of seven, be it at second or third or even DH (although I have to believe he is a better 3B than Betemit).