Let’s see if I can come up with a post every day of the rest of the offseason.  Today, there are 12 days left until Opening Day on April 6.

Back into the lightning bolt font, you!

Today is a very special day – new episode of Mad Men!! – and I refuse to have it marred (too much) by the fact that Johnny Giavotella was demoted. It’s a little bit comforting that the reasoning given is for his defense. I concede that his defense isn’t perfect. But neither is Yuni’s! OK, I’m still annoyed. So anyway, here are 12 things that have changed about the Royals since the last episode of Mad Men aired on October 17, 2010.

(In mostly chronological order…)

12) David DeJesus was still a Royal…for about three more weeks.

11) The Storm Chasers were still the Omaha Royals.

10) Jeff Francoeur was not a Royal yet.

9) Zack Greinke was still a Royal.

8) Yuni was still a Royal OH WHY GOD WHY

8) Gil Meche had not retired yet.

7) Jason Kendall hadn’t yet taught us how to rewind ourselves.

6) Mike Sweeney was still playing.

5) This blog had not yet introduced (and subsequently abandoned) the Y’Know Meter. (It will return in 12 days!).

4) Salvador “OH MY FORD NOT SALVY” Perez was not a big name yet.

3) Kila Ka’aihue was still being jerked around  a part of the Royals organization.

2) Frank White still had a working relationship with the team.

1) I still worked for the Chasers.

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Let’s see if I can come up with a post every day of the rest of the offseason.  Today, there are 13 days left until Opening Day on April 6.

13

is Salvador Perez’s jersey number. Rany Jazayerli’s piece on the Perez injury, and the subsequent trade for Humberto Quintero, is quite good. Most reactions that I’ve read include the assumption that the PTBNL in the trade will be someone who was drafted last year, and the teams are just waiting until it’s legal to do so before they announce and complete the trade. Rany, however, suggests this (much happier) alternative:

My guess – perhaps I should say hope – is that it might be a player who is out of options, but the Royals want to see how their roster shakes out first. Would Sean O’Sullivan or Vinny Mazzaro qualify as a “key component” of the trade? They might, simply in the sense that they’d go right to the Astros’ major league roster and maybe even into their rotation.

Please, Lord, let this be the answer. I don’t know how much of a Real Thing “addition by subtraction” is, but if the Royals are at the point where they are actively subtracting the O’Sullivans and/or Mazzaros (Mazzaroes?) of the world, they are at a point where they are ready to win. Acquiring those two in particular – by trading away Alberto Callaspo and David DeJesus, respectively – were seen by many as an indication of a lack of understanding of the value of the players being traded away. To jettison either or both of them* would be a signal from GMDM that now we are in a new part of the Process, and the right pieces are in place.

*or any player whose presence on the 40-man makes you shake your head in embarrassment for the team

With that said, the PTBNL could still be a 2011 draftee, or a prospect of even greater value than Kevin Chapman. I’m actually quite nervous as to which version of GMDM made this trade – the one who can’t resist speedy outfielders, or the one who makes seemingly boring acquisitions that might actually be brilliant, or the one whose moves get openly praised on the open seas of the blogosphere.

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Let’s see if I can come up with a post every day of the rest of the offseason.  Today, there are 14 days left until Opening Day on April 6.

Two weeks, ladies and gents. TWO WEEKS from right now, we’ll be staying up late watching the Royals play the Angels. It’s about time. We’re to the point where something that should be a non-story – Eric Hosmer getting a bit of playing time in the outfield – has people yelling at each other on the KC Star website.

Oh wait, they all do that anyway? Sweet honey mustard, I need to stay away from that noise. But seriously, I don’t understand how people are actively upset about this. I have been trying since this afternoon to put myself in the mindset of the people who comment on Star stories like that. I imagine they get upset about absolutely everything:

“There are usually three M&Ms on these cookies, but this one has four?! UGH, I try to be a good fan but the stupid company just keeps making these boneheaded moves……..I don’t know how much more I can take.”

I don’t know, kids. It just seems like getting upset about the creation of roster flexibility is not super healthy. With interleague play stretching out over the whole summer, it’s probably more important than ever to get a little creative so you don’t have to stash a brilliant hitter on the bench every time you play in an NL park. It’s probably a good thing we’ll have actual games about which to complain in two weeks.

(I thought about highlighting some fun comments from that Star story, but I didn’t have anything nice to say, so I won’t say anything at all. Thumper taught me well.)

COMING UP: Next week, I will be unveiling a new fundraiser via Amazon Associates. It’s not for me, mind you, which is why I’m so excited about it. Basically, you’ll have the opportunity to use your shopping to help a lot of families who really need it. More details to come soon!

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Let’s see if I can come up with a post every day of the rest of the offseason. [OOPS. Fail.] Today, there are 15 days left until Opening Day on April 6.

15 is pretty close to the number of MLB innings* Jeremy Jeffress pitched in 2011. In those innings, Jeffress struck out 13 batters…but walked 11.

*It was 15.1. Close enough? Thanks.

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Let’s see if I can come up with a post every day of the rest of the offseason. Today, there are 17 days left until Opening Day on April 6.

One of Danny Duffy's few games with Omaha.

17

is a lot of fun trivial little numbers from the Royals’ last season: the number of double plays into which Jeff Francoeur* grounded, the number of bases Alex Gordon stole, the number of runs Brayan Pena scored, the number of runs Everett Teaford gave up in the Majors, the number of batters Joakim Soria walked, the number of runs Danny Duffy gave up in Triple-A, the number of innings Kelvin Herrera pitched for Omaha, and so on. It’s also Chris Getz’s uniform number.

*there’s the daily-ish mention!

It’s also the approximate amount of time, in seconds, that is needed to deconstruct the acquisition of Humberto Quintero. The Royals need a catcher with MLB experience to fill in until Salvador Perez’s knee heals. Quintero is that, and was available for a reasonable price. Ta-da!

OK, that’s oversimplifying it a bit. The deal could actually become a mess at some point when the PTBNL is named. Kevin Chapman wasn’t too terribly much to give up for a couple of MLBish players, which means the PTBNL will be someone of more value. How much more?

Furthermore: Where does Jason Bourgeois fit in, and why? The Royals are stacked with speedy CFs and other sundry fourth-outfielder types on the 40-man. We have Jarrod Dyson and Derrick Robinson in the former category, and MITCH and David Lough in the latter. And then there’s Lorenzo Cain, who is legitimately good enough to start every day in center field, is probably a better hitter than Bourgeois, is younger than Bourgeois, and whose name I already know how to spell.

This does kind of look like the end is near for our dear Mitch Maier. If it is, that means the end of the “Mitch Maier Writes Home” series at Royals Review, and that is unacceptable. Process: UNTRUSTED.

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Let’s see if I can come up with a post every day of the rest of the offseason. Today, there are 18 days left until Opening Day on April 6.

In happier times...

It would appear that I missed a day yesterday. Huh. All is folly.

All is folly anyway, as we get news that Joakim Soria needing Tommy John surgery…

…is what I would have written if the Royals’ bullpen wasn’t so deep. Yes, it is absolutely a bummer to know that we definitely won’t see Soria return to dominance this summer, because he won’t return at all. But it’s not likely to cripple any chances that Royals may have at respectability (or first in the division, if that’s what you think is in store). Clark Fosler wrote this last week:

Let’s say Joakim Soria is ineffective [or injured!] and Jonathan Broxton never healthy:  the Royals’ closer would become Greg Holland, with Aaron Crow and Kelvin Herrera setting him up.   At the same time, let’s say the league figures Louis Coleman out and Jose Mijares is a disaster.   Enter Tim Collins and Blake Wood.   That may make you a little nervous, but remember we are talking about sixth and seventh inning guys at this point.   Simultaneously, Luis Mendoza reverts to pre-2010 form or has to go into the rotation.   The Royals can call upon Everett Teaford (who might be a better options as the long man anyway).

Kansas City has options here. It’s not like Soria was the only talented reliever out there. And for many reasons, losing a closer won’t be as apocalyptic as the casual fan might think – Soria wasn’t always used in the toughest moments of the game, because the toughest (highest-leverage) moments don’t always happen in the 9th.

Greg Holland did well in high-leverage situations last year. He actually struck out a higher percentage of the batters he faced in those situations than he did in medium-leverage scenarios. He could slide into the closer role, though it’s likely that that title will go to Broxton by default. That, by no means, is bad news either.

Losing Soria is a bummer, because we love watching him pitch. But it’s not season-shattering for the team’s chances to do whatever – get better, climb toward playoff appearances, stop being embarrassing. It sucks more in a “missed opportunity” way, in that KC didn’t trade him a while ago, when his stock was higher than right now, or B) that he isn’t getting the opportunity to rebuild some trade value.

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Let’s see if I can come up with a post every day of the rest of the offseason. Today, there are 20 days left until Opening Day on April 6.

Lorenzo Cain is one of the post-1985ers.

20

is a really small number. You guys, it’s now officially less than three weeks away from Opening Day!

One thing I forgot to note yesterday is that 21 is also the number of players on the Royals roster born after 1985. So half of our players – much like this blogger – have not been alive for a single instant of Kansas City playing in the postseason. Perhaps they can, someday, be the half-roster to change that for themselves?

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Let’s see if I can come up with a post every day of the rest of the offseason. Today, there are 21 days left until Opening Day on April 6.

21

is Jeff Francoeur’s jersey number. Until further notice, this site will mention Jeff Francoeur at least once per day.

(“Further notice” might come tomorrow.)

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Let’s see if I can come up with a post every day of the rest of the offseason. Today, there are 22 days left until Opening Day on April 6.

Frenchy, stealer of a very respectable number of bases.

22

is the number of stolen bases Jeff Francoeur had last season. Only Alcides Escober (26) had more, among Royals. I wondered how spread out KC’s 153 total steals were among all Royals, compared to the rest of the top 10 most base-stealy teams. Seven Royals stole at least 11 bases, which is the league average per 600 plate appearances, and 14 players total stole one or more.

#1 San Diego = 6 with at least 11 SB | 21 with one or more
#2 Tampa Bay = 7 |  14
#3 Kansas City = 7 | 14
#4 NY Yankees = 4 | 12
#5 Texas = 4 | 13
#6 Anaheim = 4 | 13
#7 Arizona = 6 | 16
#8 Toronto = 4 | 18
#9 NY Mets = 4 | 13
#10 Los Angeles = 3 | 15

So in general, the Royals have a typical allotment of base stealers, both in terms of how many performed above the league average, and the total number who contributed at all to the team total.

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Remember this Alex Gordon beard? Yeah, sorry, you had repressed it, hadn't you?

Let’s see if I can come up with a post every day of the rest of the offseason. Today, there are 23 days left until Opening Day on April 6.

23

is the number of home runs Alex Gordon hit last year. That led the Royals.

In a delightful bit of statistical harmony, check out the team leaders in homers in the Royals farm system:
Clint Robinson hit 23 for Omaha
Jamie Romak hit 23 for NW Arkansas

Wilmington, disappointingly, did not have any 23-homer-hitters. John Whittleman only hit 20 for the team lead there, and nobody in the lower leagues hit anywhere near that many.

(Football timeout: The Chiefs just signed Peyton Hillis, and this is the first time in a long time every KC-area Twitter user I follow agrees so wholeheartedly on anything. The overwhelming reaction right now is basically “Hell yeah!”)

Anyway, back to Alex Gordon. At the Royals Caravan stop back in January, a fan asked Gordon how many home runs he was going to hit this year. He shrugged, and admitted he didn’t even remember off the top of his head how many he hit last year. (I suppose I could have Googled it for him, but my phone was in my pocket and my hands were full of camera.)

Of the six available projection systems available on FanGraphs, it looks like nobody thinks Gordon’s going to top his total from last year. The fan projections have him right at 23 again, and the other five all have lower figures. Here are the averages of the 2012 Royals lineup’s projected home run totals:

Gordon: 20.5
Giavotella: 6.7
Hosmer: 21
Butler: 19
Francoeur: 16.8
Moustakas: 16.8
Cain: 7.6
Perez: 8.6
Escobar: 4.8

Of course, Salvador* Perez’s total could be different, depending on how much time he misses with his torn meniscus.

*how the heck did “Salvy” start making it in to the papers? And yet they still keep referring to Manuel Pina as “Manny,” despite the player’s own request for that to stop. I will not use “Salvy” unless Salvador himself confirms that’s what he wants to be called.

The team’s total last season was 129. If all the regulars hit roughly what they’re projected to, that will put them at 121ish, plus a few from the bench. Of all the things that the 2012 team is going to be – exciting, hyped, energetic, important, and eventually disappointing – one thing they will not be is circling the bases too frequently.

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