Archive for the ‘Royals Review’ Category
If you are a Royals fan you have probably heard somebody complain about Alcides Escobar’s .212 average. They are legitimate, .212 is not a good average. If you have watched many Royals games this year however, you know that Escobar’s defense makes him well worth the outs at the plate.
Specifically if you watched today’s game. For future reference “today” is the day Billy Butler hit a walk-off 2-run home run. In the top of the 8th inning Escobar made an absolutely amazing play. He has made several great plays this year but this play came with 2 outs and the bases loaded in a 0-0 game. That is being clutch with the glove. Escobar stopped a grounder through the hole off the bat of Alberto Callaspo and launched a throw that first baseman Eric Hosmer picked out of the dirt.
Now the subject at hand, Alcides Escobar deserves a gold glove this year. period. His .212 average might be held against him though. If this happens it would be a crime. The gold glove award was made for guys like Escobar. We all remember Rafael Palmeiro winning the gold glove while only playing 28 games at first base all year. He did hit 47 home runs with 148 RBI’s and that is likely why he won the gold glove. What a sham!
Alcides Escobar needs to win this award, he deserves it. If you are complaining about a .212 hitter you have no idea what it was like having Yuniesky Betancourt playing defense every game. If Escobar hits .212 and plays in 155 games and continues to play defense as he has done thus far, it is a well worth him being in the starting lineup.
This is a card I made a while ago. I made it the same time I created the “missing link” George Brett card from the same set. This card was made simply because I thought the picture was great.
Quick thoughts on the Royals; They won today breaking a tough couple game losing streak where Soria was horrible. Billy Butler continues to hammer the ball and not get enough credit. Chris Getz gave a glimpse of what the Royals hope he can be, great defensively and use his speed at the plate. Alex Gordon looks to be growing into a comfort zone in the leadoff spot. I think Gordon in the leadoff spot could be really interesting for the rest of this season.
So I am a big Topps fan. I am also a huge Royals fan. I collect all of the Royals Topps sets, I currently have every year from 1976 to 2011. I anxiously await what Royals will be released with each series Topps puts out. I am focusing on 2011 in this post. I just mentioned in another post that Series 2 Topps comes out in a couple short weeks on June 6, 2011. This led me to find a checklist and review what Royals cards I would soon be getting my hands on.
So far here is what I have:
Series 1 :Gil Meche, Lucas May, Gregor Blanco, Zack Greinke, David Dejesus, Mike Aviles, Kyle Davies, Alex Gordon and Yuniesky Betancourt
The cards for the Royals on the 2011 series 2 checklist are as follows: Wilson Betemit, Billy Butler, Vin Mazzaro, Jason Kendall, Kila Ka’aihue, Joakim Soria, Luke Hochevar and Mitch Maier.
The series 2 checklist is not final though, several should be added, see below for more details.
Lets look at Series 1 and 2 more closely along with their current standing with the Kansas City Royals:
Gil Meche: retired, 0 games with the Royals; FAIL
Lucas May: in Omaha, 0 games with the Royals; FAIL
Gregor Blanco: started in Omaha, now traded to Washington, 0 games with the Royals; FAIL
Zack Greinke: traded to Milwaukee, 0 games with the Royals; FAIL
David Dejesus: traded to Oakland 0 games with the Royals; FAIL
Mike Aviles: starts nearly every day for the Royals; PASS
Kyle Davies: injured but for some reason is still in the Royals rotation; PASS
Alex Gordon: everyday player; PASS
Yuniesky Betancourt; traded to Milwaukee, 0 games with the Royals; FAIL
Wilson Betemit: starts nearly every day for the Royals; PASS
Billy Butler: everyday player; PASS
Vin Mazzaro: 2 games with the Royals, now in Omaha; FAIL
Jason Kendall: injured all year, 0 games with Royals; FAIL
Kila Ka’aihue: played in just 23 games before getting sent to Omaha; PUSH
Joakim Soria: Royals closer having a rough year; PASS
Luke Hochevar: pitches every 5th day; PASS
Mitch Maier: played in just 14 games as a backup outfielder: PUSH
So that is 17 Royals cards and just 7 that are legitimate forces on the team so far: horrible choices by Topps.
Every year Topps releases a “Stadium Set” for teams to sell in their stadium gift shops. This year the set included a respectable 17 cards and here they are.
Stadium Set: Billy Butler, Mike Aviles, Alcides Escobar, Chris Getz, Kyle Davies, Vin Mazzaro, Alex Gordon, Luke Hochevar, Kila Ka’aihue, Jason Kendall, Sean O’Sullivan, Joakim Soria, Wilson Betemit, Melky Cabrera, Jeremy Jeffress, Jeff Francoeur and a team card.
Of these Escobar, Mazzaro, Cabrera, Jeffress and Francouer were all pictures of them on other teams but photoshopped to look like they were in Royals uniforms. These are better choices that the first two series’ of Topps.
Alright now for more additions to the series 2 set.
Last year the Royals series 2 set was 11 cards, the year prior to that 12. This is a good point to expect cards for 2011 except that the Royals have a ton of rookies and new additions so they might get a couple extras. They should really clean up in the Update set expected around September. Escobar and Jeffress had Brewers cards in the 2011 Topps set so they won’t appear until the update set if even then. I don’t think Eric Hosmer was called up in time to have a card in series 2 this year so he will have a very sought after update card.
Alright so we know 8 of the cards in the series 2 set but several numbers on the checklist are listed as “TBD.” Some of these will be Royals. Lets figure the Royals will get 13 cards in series 2. That leaves 4 more in the TBD category. Lets guess at these 4 cards. My guesses are Jeff Francoeur, Melky Cabrera, Bruce Chen, Aaron Crow Rookie and Jeff Francis. This is ignoring a couple big options, mainly Chris Getz, Matt Treanor, Tim Collins Rookie, Jarrod Dyson rookie and Brayan Pena.
The update set this year could be absolutely killer! Hosmer and Duffy rookies are a lock. In either series 2 or update we should get all of the following rookies: Hosmer, Duffy, Collins, Crow and possibly Dyson, Teaford. There is even an outside chance some other callups could happen and get cards in the update set(Moustakas, Montgomery, Lamb)
I wish I could get about 35 Royals cards this year but that probably won’t happen. I’ve rambled enough, any thoughts?
Nate Adcock stepped into a bad situation and made a great start for the Royals today. Because of the injuries to Kyle Davies and Bruce Chen and the unfortunate outing by Vin Mazzaro, the Royals are left very short-handed in their starting rotation. So enter long man Nate Adcock.
Nate Adcock is a rule 5 draft pick in his first year with the Royals. He has been in a few games so far this year and has far exceeded expectations for a throw away of sorts from the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. His longest outing before tonight was 3 1/3 innings. This was his first start of the season. He stretched himself into a great 5 shutout innings against a very good St. Louis Cardinals team. He didn’t get the win, nor the loss. The Royals would go on to lose 3-0 to the Cardinals.
Adcock’s great start will likely be forgotten by most people which is a shame. He has been a very pleasant surprise for the Royals and I think he will continue to be a great addition to the bullpen/rotation.
He donned the fabulous powder blue uniform shown in this 1984 Donruss custom card today. Look for more Royals custom cards in powder blue from the 1984 Donruss set on this site soon.
Chad Billingsley threw a one-hitter against the Diamondbacks last night. The only problem was that he still lost. He gave up a double to Stephen Drew and tried to pick him off and made an error. Drew scored and the Dodgers didn’t, that would have to be a horribly frustrating experience.
Victor Martinez is killing the Royals. Who is really killing the Royals is the Tigers pitching. Verlander and Penny absolutely shut the Royals down the last two games. The Royals reward? Facing 6-0 Max Scherzer, but wait, here come the clouds, here comes the rain and it is a Sunday without baseball. The Royals officially went 0-2 in Detroit and will go home.
The Royals took 2 of 3 in New York so the road trip was a successful 2-3 record. The bad part? 3 losses and just 2 runs scored in those three games. The good part? In those 3 losses, Royals pitching gave up only 9 runs. Infact they gave up 3 runs in each of their 3 losses. A major league team should be happy with that and they should win a very good amount of games like that. Bottom line is that the bats went cold and the Royals lost. Cleveland on Monday.
Pepsi Max Can featuring Royals legend Frank White also known as "A Can Of Frank"
This may take a bit to explain…
First of all I will explain the reason for my post. I have a WordPress feature that shows me traffic on my website. I often look at this to see what articles people are reading and what links are getting clicked. This feature also show incoming links, outgoing links and search terms used to find my site. The search terms are what is really interesting, you would be surprised how often a surfer searches for “Zack Greinke hair” and ends up on my site.
Today someone searched for “pepsi max commercial royals player” This really got my attention because I would like to know who that Royal is as well. During Royals games and I’m sure many other ballgames and programs there is a Pepsi Max commercial with a “Field of Dreams” theme. If you haven’t seen it allow me to explain. CC Sabathia is walking through a cornfield and comes across a clearing full of legendary baseball players. These players include but aren’t limited to: Babe Ruth, Jim Thome, Ozzie Smith, Dennis Eckersly, Ricky Henderson and Randy Johnson. A second commercial has since come out featuring Rollie Fingers and Evan Longoria.
In the commercial you get a glimpse of a Kansas City Royal in the background during one frame. It is never really clear who this Royal is. I know what you are thinking, “George Brett” but NO, you are wrong, the Royal is a black player. So lets go down the list; Willie Wilson, Frank White, Bo Jackson, John Mayberry, Danny Tartabull, Willie Aikens, Hal McRae, Jermaine Dye…ok this is getting out of hand, I’ll stop.
In my mind there are only two real options in that list; Frank White and Bo Jackson. Bo is a real possibility because of his incredible fanfare in his brief career. We all know about Frank White’s eight gold gloves too.
This commercial just happens to co-inside with a Pepsi Max promotion that you see pictured here. As Ryan Lefebvre so eloquently puts it: “A can of Frank.” This is a soda can available in the Kansas City area right now. This can is the reason I believe that the Royal in the Pepsi Max commercial is indeed Frank White.
Wow, I’m outta breath after all that. I would love to know everyone’s opinions on this and especially if someone has some solid answers.
Wow, so this is really happening. Eric Hosmer is coming to Kansas City. He has been hammering the ball in Omaha and Kila has been far from impressive in Kansas City so they have switched spots for now. This call-up is one of the most exciting events in recent Royals history.
I think Eric Hosmer is ready to play in the major leagues. I am less sure than I was that Kila Ka’aihue was ready though. Can Hosmer do a whole lot worse that Kila though? Probably not statistically. The other side of the coin is what we need to consider. What if Hosmer does match what Kila has done so far. Will Royals fans be calling for him to go to Omaha too?
The long term effects of the possibility of Hosmer failing are unknown. It is a strong possibility though, the Major Leagues are filled with much better players than at Triple-A; just ask Kila Ka’aihue. If Hosmer does good it could be a tremendous boost to the Kansas City Royals this year. He is not however adressing their main need; starting pitching.
If the Royals called up Eric Hosmer in an attempt to contend for a division title this year the starting pitching needs some help too. I think he will help the offense, with that said, it was the wrong call-up in my opinion.
The Omaha Storm Chasers had two first basemen doing well this year. Clint Robinson has major power and has crushed eight Home Runs this year. He could easily be the odd man out if Hosmer does well. Since the call-up of Eric Hosmer I am officially catorgorizing Clint Robinson as trade bait. Maybe we can get some starting pitching out of him.
Much has been said of how young this Royals team is. I think the greatest advantage of that is that maybe these young guys aren’t expecting to lose as Royals of the last about 20 years have. They might not know how to win yet but they don’t know how to lose either. Is this a push toward the playoffs in Kansas City? Why not? Let’s go for it, the AL Central is really weak and who knows what could happen. That being said; starting pitching needs fixed. Kyle Davies should be a bullpen guy in my opinion and Sean O’Sullivan is likely no better than a spot starter. You can’t convince me that Bruce Chen will continue to pitch well the rest of the year and Luke Hochevar and Jeff Francis are mid to end of the rotation guys. How’s that for a reality check?
All this being said(I know I am all over the place on this post); I am excited as hell about this. What is attendance going to be like for this weekend series against Oakland? It could be huge! See you at the K!
This is a set of cards from the April 2nd game at Kauffman Stadium between the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and the Omaha Storm Chasers. It was billed as the “Royals Futures Game.” It drew a lot of interest because of how good the Royals farm system is right now.
All of the pictures you will see in this set will be from one of two sources; The Kansas City Star slideshow from the game or from Royals Corner. A very gracious gentleman named Dave from the Royals corner posted many pictures from the game and was cool enough to allow me to use them to make my set.
The photo credits for this set are as follows:
Royals Corner: Van Stratten, Bianchi, Cain, Perez, Keating, Pina, Robinson, Sisk, Mongomery(MVP), Seratelli, Zawadzki, Romak, Falu
KC Star Slideshow: Myers, Colon, Lough, Hosmer, Chavez, Coleman, Montgomery, Dwyer, Moustakas, Duffy, Smith, Blanco, Giavotella
Me: Lamb
This is a set of cards from the April 2nd game at Kauffman Stadium between the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and the Omaha Storm Chasers. It was billed as the “Royals Futures Game.” It drew a lot of interest because of how good the Royals farm system is right now.
All of the pictures you will see in this set will be from one of two sources; The Kansas City Star slideshow from the game or from Royals Corner. A very gracious gentleman named Dave from the Royals corner posted many pictures from the game and was cool enough to allow me to use them to make my set.
The photo credits for this set are as follows:
Royals Corner: Van Stratten, Bianchi, Cain, Perez, Keating, Pina, Robinson, Sisk, Mongomery(MVP), Seratelli, Zawadzki, Romak, Falu
KC Star Slideshow: Myers, Colon, Lough, Hosmer, Chavez, Coleman, Montgomery, Dwyer, Moustakas, Duffy, Smith, Blanco, Giavotella
Me: Lamb
This is a set of cards from the April 2nd game at Kauffman Stadium between the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and the Omaha Storm Chasers. It was billed as the “Royals Futures Game.” It drew a lot of interest because of how good the Royals farm system is right now.
All of the pictures you will see in this set will be from one of two sources; The Kansas City Star slideshow from the game or from Royals Corner. A very gracious gentleman named Dave from the Royals corner posted many pictures from the game and was cool enough to allow me to use them to make my set.
The photo credits for this set are as follows:
Royals Corner: Van Stratten, Bianchi, Cain, Perez, Keating, Pina, Robinson, Sisk, Mongomery(MVP), Seratelli, Zawadzki, Romak, Falu
KC Star Slideshow: Myers, Colon, Lough, Hosmer, Chavez, Coleman, Montgomery, Dwyer, Moustakas, Duffy, Smith, Blanco, Giavotella
Me: Lamb
If you are a Royals fan you have probably heard somebody complain about Alcides Escobar’s .212 average. They are legitimate, .212 is not a good average. If you have watched many Royals games this year however, you know that Escobar’s defense makes him well worth the outs at the plate.
A Hair Off Square 