Butler Still Struggling

Bob Dutton is saying that Mike Sweeney "probably needs to increase his efforts to find a new team because Billy Butler’s recent work at first base in the Dominican Republic isn’t drawing rave reviews." Looking at his offense (a .234 average in 13 games), I'm not sure that anything he's doing on the field is drawing rave reviews.

Does it bother anybody else that we're talking about a 21 year-old? Obviously he can hit, but is that enough for such a young guy? He's a butcher in the field (he made 12 errors at third base in 49 games at Idaho Falls in 2004 and 18 errors at third base at High Desert in 2005). He's been a little better since moving to the outfield in 2005, but he doesn't seem to be able to read the ball off the bat. And he's so ungodly slow--even when he does make a decent read.

Maybe I'm beating a dead horse here. Butler is going to be in Kansas City for a long time and apparently he's going to be our DH for just as long. But I can't get over the fact that we have a 21 year-old on the roster who can't find a defensive position in which he's even mediocre. 

More on Torii Hunter

The Royals are still in the running for Torii Hunter, but it appears that the White Sox have moved to the front of the line. The Dodgers and Rangers are also still interested. According to Bob Dutton's latest column, the White Sox want an answer quickly from Hunter because they want to go after Aaron Rowand if Hunter turns them down. The Royals, on the other hand, are more willing to wait.

In an attempt to take advantage of all the attention, Hunter is thought to be pushing for a six-year deal now rather than a five-year deal. At the age of 32, a five-year deal seems a bit ridiculous, but six years? Come on. His price tag seems to be going up too. If he ends up with a five year deal, he may receive $80-90 million. Is he really worth it? I guess he is if a team is willing to pay that much, but his best years are probably behind him. Paying a guy $16-18 million a year until he is nearly 40 just doesn't seem wise.

Royals Looking to Japan?

Check out what Ken Rosenthal and Royals Review are saying about the possibility of the Royals dipping into the Japanese market.

Rosenthal is reporting that the Royals "are close to signing free-agent reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta to a two-year contract with a player option for a third season, according to major-league sources. Yabuta is a 34 year-old right handed set up man who has spent 12 years with the Chiba Lotte Marines--the team managed by former major league manager Bobby Valentine. Yabuta was 4-6 last season with a 2.73 ERA and four saves in 58 appearances.

Royals Review points to this article that says the Royals are interested in closer Fukumori Kazuo. According to this site, Kazuo is 31. He has 72 career saves and a 3.68 ERA in 662.0 innings of work.

Depending upon the price tag for either one of these players, I'm all in favor of doing whatever it takes to strengthen the bullpen, especially since David Riske may end up signing elsewhere. 

2007 Royals Awards

You've probably heard by now that Brian Bannister came in third in the American League rookie of the year voting, behind Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox and Delmon Young of the Devil Rays. Bannister went 12-9 with a 3.87 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in 2007. Congrats to Bannister for such a great year and for finishing in the top three.

Gil Meche was named the 2007 Royals pitcher of the year and Mark Grudzielanek was named the 2007 Royals player of the year. Arguably, Brian Bannister had a better year than Meche, but nobody is complaining about Meche's 2007 performance. Grud hit .302 and he was his typical stellar self in the field, making just six errors in 490 chances.

Mike Sweeney recently received the 2007 Hutch Award, which is given to one major league player each year who "exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desires of the late Fred Hutchinson." Hutchinson died of cancer in 1964 at the age of 45. Congrats to Mike Sweeney for a well deserved award.

Carlos Silva Rumors

The Royals are believed to be interested in free agent right handed starting pitcher Carlos Silva, who may make between $8-11 million per season over the next four years.

When you look at Silva's career numbers, it easy to see why Moore might be interested in him. He's 55-46 with a 4.31 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. His strikeout to walk ratio is better than 2-to-1 and he's 28. He had a horrible 2006 season, but his other seasons have all been solid. He gives up too many hits (opponents have a career .299 BAA), but you get the feeling that it's because he goes after guys. He's never walked more than 37 guys in a season. Compare that to the 2007 efforts of Gil Meche (62 BB), Jorge De La Rosa (53 BB), Odalis Perez (50 BB), Brian Bannister (44 BB), and Zack Greinke (36 BB in 122.0 IP).

He would be a solid number three or four guy for the Royals, behind Meche, Bannister, and possibly Greinke. Let's see what happens. The Mets, Phillies, and Tigers are also showing interest.

Francisco Cordero Rumors

The Royals are rumored to be interested in Francisco Cordero. He put up some impressive numbers in Milwaukee last season: 44 SV / 2.98 ERA / 1.11 WHIP, and now it sounds like he's after a four-year deal worth $40 million.

I can't really see the sense in signing him though. He's 32. His numbers fluctuate from year to year (in 2006 he had just 22 saves, a 3.70 ERA, and he blew 11 saves). And the Royals already have Joakim Soria. I'd much rather see Moore spend the money he has on offensive power and starting pitching.

What are your thoughts?

2008 Royals Broadcasts

So, what do you think about the possibility of Ryan Lefebvre going to the television booth full time next season with Paul Splittorff as Fox Sports Net takes over the Royals broadcasts?

Bob Davis may be headed for the radio booth with Denny Matthews. With Matthews already doing a limited road schedule, it should be interesting to see who will fill in on a regular basis. Would it be Brian McRae? Jeffrey Flanagan's column says that Nate Bukaty could be an option.

And it sounds like Splittorff is thinking about reducing his schedule, so Entercom would need to figure out a substitute for him as well. Flanagan says that McRae and Joe Randa are possibilities. I hope that McRae ends up seeing more work, regardless of whether it's on the radio or TV side. He always gives great insight into the game. Randa would be an interesting addition to the staff as well. He isn't afraid to say what's on his mind.

Hunter, Sosa, Guillen, or Jenkins?

In recent days, the Royals are rumored to be interested in a number of big hitting free agents: Torii Hunter, Sammy Sosa, Jose Guillen, and Geoff Jenkins seem to be generating the most buzz. Let's take a look at each one of them:

Torii Hunter (age 32, CF)

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG
2007	160	600	94	172	45	1	28	107	18	.287	.334	.505
Career	1234	4492	672	1218	259	26	192	711	126	.271	.324	.469

The positives: Hunter played in 160 games last year. So, he's healthy. He hit 28 home runs, which is far more than any other Royals player hit. In fact, David DeJesus and Mark Teahen led our outfield with seven home runs each and they both played the majority of the season. Hunter drove in 107 runs. Our team leader last season was Emil Brown was 62. Enough said. Hunter stole 18 bases, which is more than any Royals player last season. He's a positive, upbeat guy who plays hard.

The negatives: Hunter is 32 and said to be seeking a five year contract worth as much as $90 million. There's talk about Hunter having lost a step in center field already and the idea of paying that sort of money for a player who is on the way down probably isn't all that appealing to Dayton Moore. But he knows that you have to overpay in the free agent market and he's shown that he's willing to do it when he thinks it'll fill a weakness.

Sammy Sosa (age 39, DH)

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG
2007	114	412	53	104	24	1	21	92	0	.252	.311	.468
Career	2354	8813	1475	2408	379	45	609	1667	234	.273	.344	.534

The positives: Simple. He still has power and the Royals don't. He still drives in runs and the Royals don't. His OBP and SLG are slipping. He's nearing 40. And he's a short term stop gap, but he'll be affordable if no other options are available, he's a possibility.

The negatives: His age.

Jose Guillen (age 31, RF)

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG
2007	153	593	84	172	28	2	23	99	5	.290	.353	.460
Career	1268	4485	597	1230	233	22	166	673	27	.274	.325	.447

The positives: Power, the ability to drive in runs, and an impressive OBP last season are good reasons to give Guillen a serious look. He still seems to be improving and he's been reasonably healthy in recent years, playing at least 148 games in three of the past four seasons.

The negatives: Bob Dutton reported recently that bidding on Guillen will start at $30 million over three years and "where it goes from there is anyone's guess." And do we really need to get into his attitude problems? So, it depends on how desperate Moore is for a power-hitting corner outfielder.

Geoff Jenkins (age 33, LF)

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG
2007	132	420	45	107	24	2	21	64	2	.255	.319	.471
Career	1234	4407	661	1221	287	22	212	704	31	.277	.347	.496

The positives: Jenkins appears to be the poor man's version of Torii Hunter. He's played in the same amount of games as Hunter. He's hit more home runs, has just slightly fewer career RBI, has a much higher OBP and SLG. The Brewers declined a $9 million option on Jenkins for 2008, which means he could probably be had for less.

The negatives: He hits left-handed and with Teahen and DeJesus already hitting from the left side in the outfield, the need for another lefty in the line up isn't high. And you have to wonder about his age. His OBP dipped a ton in 2007.

Conclusion:

Taking everything into consideration, I'd choose Jose Guillen over the other three players. The price is going to be high, but that's just the market we are in right now. Guillen seems to be the only one of the four who is still improving. At 31, he's young enough to give us a good few years and I like the fact that he's seeking a three-year deal vs. Hunter who is a year older and seek a five-year deal.

My biggest concern is Guillen's attitude. His altercation with Mike Scioscia a couple of years ago and then his follow up comments about him were extremely low class. Low enough to make me wonder if all his talent is worth putting up with.

Free Agency

On Monday, Jason LaRue and Reggie Sanders filed for free agency. Yesterday, Mike Sweeney and David Riske filed as well.

The Royals will show the most interest in re-signing Riske, who is sure to get a multi-year deal worth more than the $2 million he received in 2007. He already turned down a one-year player option worth $2.9 million for 2008. Riske had a 2.45 ERA in 65 appearances and was a mainstay in the Royals' bullpen all season long. The Royals are still saying that they might bring Sweeney back, and I'd love to see it happen, but I have a feeling that Sweeney has played his final game in Royal blue. 

The Royals also made the obvious choice of declining Odalis Perez's $9 million option for 2008. They bought him out for $1.5 million instead--half of which the Dodgers picked up. I can't seen any reason whatsoever to bring him back for 2008. He was was 8-11 with a 5.57 ERA in his 26 starts this year. Not good.

Now let's hope that will all of the cash coming off the books that we are able to pick up a legitimate power threat--someone like Torii Hunter. But I'm not crazy about Hunter's demand for a five-year contract--especially at the age of 32. If he's unwilling to budge on that, I wouldn't sign him. Aaron Rowand is available. He had an impressive season in Philadelphia, and I wouldn't mind seeing him play for the Royals, but I think we need to sign at least one proven power hitter and so far he's not exactly proven.

Here's a link to a list of free agents if you want to follow along.

More on Hillman

So far I like what I'm hearing from Trey Hillman. He's talking about pitching, defense, and spending extra time in Spring Training on fundamentals. It's the way he's found success in Japan and it's the way he expects to find success in Kansas City. In Sam Mellinger's article about Hillman in the Star on Monday, he pointed to an acronym Hillman uses: AAO--which stands for adapt, adjust, and overcome. His current team in Japan, which is playing in the Japan Series as we speak, got to the series even though they were last in every major offensive category except stolen bases.

Hillman should feel right at home in Kansas City. The Royals were 27th in the Major Leagues in runs scored last season. They were 23rd in hits, 30th in home runs, 28th in RBI, 22nd in BA, 26th in OBP, 29th in SLG, and 29th in OPS. Oh, and they didn't steal bases very well either. They were 21st with just 78 steals. I still can't get over the fact that Emil Brown led the team in RBI with just 62 and John Buck lead the team in HR with just 18. It was a pathetic year offensively, so Hillman better know how to get the most out of pitching and defense. Presumably Moore will find a legitimate free agent bat or two, but I wouldn't count on a lot of help if I were Hillman.

Now let's just hope that he can do here what he did in Japan.

Tony Pena to Succeed Torre?

How sweet would it be if the evil Yankees hired Tony Pena? Pena is convinced that he did a great job in Royal blue and he feels like he's grown in his ability since going to New York. Here's his exact quote: "There's no question that just being around Joe, I learned so much from him. I know I did a great job in K.C., but the two years that I've spent in New York working from Joe Torre helped me a lot and made me a better manager."

I would love to see Pena become Joe Torre's successor. Pena is reportedly third in line behind Don Mattingly and Joe Girardi, but how much fun would it be to watch Pena routinely pull his bizarre managerial stunts in Yankee pinstripes? How would the likes of Derek Jeter or A-Rod react if Pena danced in the shower with his uniform on after a losing streak? Or if he declared that the Yankees were going to win the East while they were eighteen games out of first place? Or if he called for four bunts in a row from guys who can't bunt? Of if he pitched around horrible hitters to get to clean up hitters? Remember those days? I sure do.

Please, oh please, let it happen in New York!

2008 Royals Coaching Staff

We now have a full coaching staff heading into the 2008 season:

Trey Hillman, manager

Mike Barnett, hitting coach

Bob McClure, pitching coach

John Mizerock, bullpen coach

Dave Owen, bench coach

Rusty Kuntz, first base coach

Luis Silverio, third base coach

Hillman Expected to Become Royals' Manager

According to Buster Olney over on ESPN.com, Trey Hillman is expected to be named the successor to Buddy Bell as the Royals manager today.

Hillman is 44 and has been managing in Japan for the past five seasons, during which he lead the Nippon Ham Fighters to their first title in 44 years. He also has 12 years of experience in the evil Yankees' minor league system. You can read a little more about him in Bob Dutton's column today.

Hillman was believed to be in the running for the job in New York as Joe Torre's successor. Honestly, I don't know a thing about Hillman, but I have found a few links that may enlighten all of us, at least a little:

Quality of play now on par with majors

Hillman's resume has several viewers

Hillman again a Rangers candidate

I'm relieved to know that Dayton Moore isn't looking to Atlanta to fill our every need. And I'll be interested to learn more about Hillman in the coming days.

Bell Headed to Chicago

I've been expecting changes in personnel any time, but I was a little surprised to hear that the first one on the list is Buddy Bell. You've probably heard by now that he has accepted a position with the White Sox as a minor-league field coordinator. He walked away from a job as a senior advisor to Dayton Moore. While it was a nice thought to keep Bell on board in KC, having a clean break feels better, doesn't it?

I don't think Buddy Bell is a terrible manager, even though he was 174-262 with the Royals and 519-724 overall. He's never managed a good team, or even a decent team. His temperament is probably better suited for a team of veterans, but it's not exactly easy to find premium managerial positions given that those who have been successful in the past are always at the top of the list.

Bell said that he had an epiphany after his cancer scare. He realized that he wanted to spend a lot more time with family, so he decided to step down as the Royals' manager. His new position with the White Sox will allow him to work out of his home and that's a good thing. So, let's not pile on as he leaves Kansas City. Let's thank him for what he's done and wish him well in his future endeavors.

The Season in Review

Before the season started, I predicted that the Royals would win 74 games. I had every reason to believe that they were on the right road. I looked down the line and saw Billy Butler, Luke Hochevar, Billy Buckner, and many others waiting for their call to the big leagues. I felt the hope that we all felt when Alex Gordon made the club out of Spring Training. I expected Mark Teahen to continue to build upon the success of his 2006 season. I expected Ryan Shealy to make his presence felt. And I expected Gil Meche to be the anchor of the rotation.

I knew that the extended losing streaks would probably continue. I just had hopes that they wouldn't reach monumental proportions as they have in the past couple of seasons. I knew that our rotation was far from adequate. I knew that we had a couple of guys who don't hustle. And I knew we have several injury prone guys on our roster. But I still figured that if the Royals could catch a break or two, then they'd crack the 70-win mark for the first time since 2003.

Going into September, that looked like a certainty. Most of the summer they played at a 74-win pace, and for several months they were above .500, but the wheels came off in September, during which there were a pitiful 9-19, and they finished the season with a 69-93 record. I understand that Buddy Bell was retiring, and that guys wanted to finish the season, and that we sometimes had guys playing out of position. But to not win 70 games after making such great strides all season is a major disappointment.

Mark Teahen suddenly lost his power. Alex Gordon had a disappointing season. Tony Pena swung at nearly everything, drawing just ten walks for the season, while striking out 78 times. David DeJesus hit just .260. Emil Brown, who didn't play nearly as much this season as the previous two, led the club in RBI with just 62. That's pathetic. Esteban German hit sixty-two points lower this season than he did last season. John Buck showed more pop than in the past, but he finished the season with a .222 batting average. Ryan Shealy was awful. He hit just .221 with 3 HR and 21 RBI in 52 games and was constantly injured.

The season certainly had some bright spots though. Joakim Soria was beyond outstanding. In fact, our bullpen was the best I've ever seen in Kansas City. David Riske, Joel Peralta, and Jimmy Gobble kept hitters off balance all year. Billy Butler proved that he can hit pitching at any level. Joey Gathright proved that he belongs in the major leagues. Ross Gload had a decent season, especially since few people expected him to get more than 300 at bats. Brian Bannister was dominant at times and had one of the best seasons we've seen in many years from a Royals' starter. Arguably, Gil Meche was equal to the task, but had less run support than Bannister did. Zack Greinke appears to have turned a corner and should settle in nicely as the number three starter next season.

So, where does that leave us for 2008? Who knows. We'll have a new manager, presumably an extra bat or two in the line up since we have a lot of cash available, another starter or two, and the hope that all of the young talent will finally blossom at the same time to make the Royals a contender in the AL Central. And you know what? I'll hope right along with you that all of this happens. I've just learned to temper my hope with reality. Dayton Moore has made many great personnel decisions already and I suspect that he'll continue to do so. So let's sit back and wait to see what he does this offseason and then let's cheer the boys in blue as they begin the 2008 season.

Thanks for sticking with me for the entire season. Stop back during the offseason for commentary about the moves the Royals make.