Nice work on the podcast.

I think everyone agrees that Kila was mishandled and I agree that ‘rushing’ or ‘putting to much pressure’ on guys by calling them up is bunk. I even agree that guys need to be called up when ready and this is a very exciting philosophy (and would have been a great one two years ago for Kila). The one caveat to that final point though is that it can’t be made in a vacuum. I agree in theory, but in practice arbitration Super 2 or free agency years have to be considered by the organization especially if said organization is the Royals.

I’m done beating the drum on this one though and just ready to enjoy the Hosmer era. Couldn’t have asked for a better debut-plate discipline, stolen base, nice defensive double play, a few hits. Should be fun.

Yes, the royals absolutely need to pay attention to super-2 status. I’m extremely shocked that they ignored it in this case. It’s quite a gamble and one I’m not sure I can actually understand.

With Hosmer acting like the real deal, Kila and Clint seem like they are blocked from opportunity.
While everybody likes Billy Butler (Royals gave him 4 more years), he is starting to look like a good, but overrated player - consider Ned won’t let him play first base and he routinely is taken out for a pinch runner late in games, wouldn’t it be better to have Kila/Clint on the roster instead since they can play first defensively, potentially hit more homers and run faster than a turtle.
With his batting average and 4 year contract, Billy would be easy to trade for a top minor league talent (catcher, shortstop).