Comments on: And Down Goes Giavotella

By: MrDave

MrDave — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:35:53 +0000

Jason Bourgeois could, in theory, play second base. If the Royals want to fill the lineup with speed, he may get the nod over Yuni. Yes, this is basically grasping at straws hoping not to see Yuni as the Opening Day second baseman, but Bourgeois has played five games there in his major league career.

By: % (In the UK)

% (In the UK) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:20:09 +0000

“Should we be sweating bullets that Moose hasnt hit squat in ST??”

No,just a little worried,i think the flu & small sample size means we should give Moose the benefit of the doubt,he’s complained of feeling weak etc….If he doesnt pick up his form though i would like to think they would act as decisively as they have with Gia though the options at 3B are not what they are at 2B

In terms of your other point its worth remembering that we got rid of a hitter in tremendous form in Wilson Betemit to accomodate Moose,in my view that was a premature move as “fastracking” helps no one unless your of Hosmers stature but it does counteract your argument of Uncle Ned!

By: kcghost

kcghost — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:04:35 +0000

Well, this just blows. It shows, for the umpteenth time, that you cannot give a journeyman manager an option between a hack veteran and a newcomer who is going to struggle a while. They just can’t pull the trigger on upside.

Should we be sweating bullets that Moose hasn’t hit squat in ST??

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:41:28 +0000

Your comment about Ned wanting strong D up the middle made me wonder if they’re leaving Gia down with the intention of trading him. If he doesn’t fit into Ned and DM’s vision he might be more valuable trade bait if he’s hitting .320-.330 and playing every day in AAA instead of learning in the majors, playing part-time and hitting .260-.270.

By: Sean F

Sean F — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:06:02 +0000

Only one person mentioned it but some folks posting on the mlb Royals forum who have been watching games in AZ have suggested that Gio is still not recovered from his hip surgury. If even partly true, that could be a big reason he was sent down this past weekend.

By: Scott McKinney

Scott McKinney — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 01:48:24 +0000

Clark – unfortunately the best fielding data for Grudz at SS is TotalZone. According to that metric, over his career at SS, Grudz was -2.6 fielding runs per 150 games at that position. Yuni is -8.1 UZR/150 at SS for his career and more importantly over the last 3 years, he’s -11.8. The rule of thumb for translating defense from SS to 2B is +5 runs. Even with a regressed projection for Yuni of -8 runs at SS for 2012 (and given the aging curve for defense, that’s generous), that would make him a -3 runs defensive second baseman.

By: Clark Fosler

Clark Fosler — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 01:24:01 +0000

Scott – without checking metrics, my recollection is that Grudz was a poor shortstop. When able, it might be an interesting study.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:45:48 +0000

Eric – I agree. Getz and Yuni should not be part of the long term solution. They are temporary solutions (at best). They are what they are…which is borderline MLB players on their good days.

This may be all overreacting. Maybe Gio is called up in late May/early June and we get a good sample size out of him this year. But this smells to me like another bad decision by the Royals when it comes to managing the 25 man roster. I really want to see what Gio can do given 450-500 at bast. We know what Getz/Yuni can (and can’t) do.

By: jim fetterolf

jim fetterolf — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:43:57 +0000

“If one cares anything about advanced defensive metrics”

Some care a great deal about so-called advanced defensive metrics while various baseball teams have invested considerable money in the new FieldFX equipment in an effort to move beyond the box score and UZR. At least now we have Yuni to beat up on after the Year of Frenchy.

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:42:27 +0000

Chris I agree with your comments on finding out what Gio can do. Yuni and Getz are both known qualities. At this point in their careers a major improvement in skills is highly unlikely. Basically I feel like those two are not part of the Royals future they are temporary assets (or liabilities depending on how you view it). While Gio has not shown that he can hang at the major league level, he is young enough that he can improve and could be part of the Royals future. I am expecting a .500 club this year, not a contender. So if this year is just part of the improvement process, why would you play known assets that are only a fraction better than somebody that could potentially be part of the future?