Kansas City Royals Franchise Thread

[CHOWDERHEAD]

2011 Kansas City Royals Franchise Thread



After dominating in my fictional franchise, I thought it would make for a good challenge to see if I could turn the Royals into a legitimate playoff team. Not seeing any other franchise threads on here for iOOTP, I thought I would share with the rest of the iOOTP community.

Now my selection of the Royals was made more out of the challenge rather than any real allegiance to the team. With that said, and notwithstanding that I am a life-long Red Sox fan, I do have some good memories of the powerhouse Royals teams of the 70's and 80's; teams that produced such memorable stars as George Brett, Hal McRae, Frank White, Amos Otis, Dan Quisenberry, and Willie Wilson. With that said, and given the sad state of the big league club and the raw talent in the minors, it may take a little bit to even break .500 ball.

I will try to keep the thread informative yet simple. Let's go Royals!

[CHOWDERHEAD]

Front Office Information

[CHOWDERHEAD]

Pitching Staff

[CHOWDERHEAD]

Lineup - LHP & RHP

[CHOWDERHEAD]

Minors

[Supernovae]

Great to see a Franchise thread here! I can't wait to read about your franchise. I'm going out on a limb and saying in Year 4 of your league you'll win the championship.

[CHOWDERHEAD]

Royals Sign Moyer to 1 year Contract

March 31, 2011 ~ Realizing just how thin the Royals staff is, GM Chowderhead made a bold (desperate) move today in signing the wily 48 year old veteran to a 1 year deal. It is being reported that Moyer will be paid $480,000 for the season. While fan reaction has been rather tepid, GM Chowderhead was quick to point out that Moyer brings a wealth of experiance and knowledge that the young staff should benefit from.

[CHOWDERHEAD]

Bonderman Joins the Staff
March 31, 2011 ~ It is quickly becoming apparent that GM Chowderhead does not have a lot of confidence in his staff. It was announced today that the Royals have signed a 1 year deal with Jeremy Bonderman worth $750,000 for the season. While the team’s scouts seem to think Bonderman still has something left in the tank, fans are skeptical that he will be able to produce numbers anywhere close to his 2006 season (14-8 with era of 4.08 and 202 k’s). No word on who will get bumped from the starting rotation to make room for Bonderman.

[Husky51]

Cool. Can't tell if Bonderman is happy or saying "what the ****" about his acquisition.

[CHOWDERHEAD]

Originally Posted by Husky51

Cool. Can't tell if Bonderman is happy or saying "what the ****" about his acquisition.

Agreed, there were a lot of Bonderman pics to chose from but I think this best represents what he will experience while playing in KC

[CHOWDERHEAD]

Opening Day Loss, Angels Win 9-6

March 31, 2011 ~ The Royals welcomed the Angels into town for the start of a three game set. Taking the hill for the Royals was Kyle Davies, while the Angels sent out Dan Haren. The Angles have been picked to win the AL West, while the Royals have been pegged for another last-place finish.

With neither starting pitcher looking particularly good, the game would be decided by the bullpens. Whereas the three Angels relievers combined for 2 1/3 innings of no-hit ball, their three Royals counterparts gave up 5 runs over just 2 innings. Just to illustrate how bad the bullpen was, each of these three pitchers (Crow - Blown Save, Tejeda - Blown Save and Loss, and Soria) each ended the day with a disgusting 27.03 ERA!

Despite the loss, there were a few bright spots. Davies pitched into the 7th inning and only scattered 6 hits. Cabrera, Butler, Aviles, and Maier each collected 2 hits on the day.

The Hy-Vee Royals Player of the Game went to Melky Cabrera who went 2 for 4 (5th inning 2 run HR) with 2 runs scored and 3 rbi in the 9-6 loss.

Season Record: 0-1 (5th Place)

[phillupi]

Not a Royal fan but I am a baseball fan. I like your style. How about some tid bits of other games around the League? Yankees? Just saying.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CHOWDERHEAD]

Royals Top Angels 9-7

April 1, 2011 ~ Despite giving up 7 runs on 17 hits, the Royals were able to hold off the Angels for the team's first win of the year. In what should have been a colossal mismatch, Royals starter Jeff Francis outlasted Angels starter Jered Weaver to earn the victory.

Francis, thanks to being staked to a 8 run lead, was able to do just enough to hold onto the victory. Francis went 5 1/3 innings, scattering 12 hits, 6 runs (5 earned) while striking out 3. In a rather dramatic turn around from the night before, the trio of Crow - Hold, Tejeda - Hold, and Soria - Save) combined for 3 2/3 innings of 1 run ball. Equally impressive was the Royals offense that churned out 13 hits, 4 for extra bases. Escobar led the way with 4 hits, followed by Ka'aihue, Arias, and Pena with 2 each.

The Hy-Vee Royals Player of the Game went to Alcides Escobar who went 4 for 5 (3rd inning double) with 1 run scored, 2 rbi's, and 1 stolen base.

Season Record: 1-1 (3rd Place)

[CHOWDERHEAD]

Originally Posted by phillupi

Not a Royal fan but I am a baseball fan. I like your style. How about some tid bits of other games around the League? Yankees? Just saying.

Thanks for following along. Given the sheer number of games, I was unsure of how to report on the league without losing focus on the Royals. I think I will take a "once a week" look at the league so as to report on how the teams are doing, hot/cold players, milestones, trades, etc... Hopefully that will provide enough of a mix to keep things fun.

[CHOWDERHEAD]

Bullpen Blowup! Royals Fall in 10

April 2, 2011 ~ Well, any thought that the Royals bullpen was on the right track was quickly squashed after tonight's debacle. After getting a solid outing from youngster M. Montgomery (7 innings, 3 earned runs, and 7 k's) and a perfect 8th inning from A. Crow, things were looking good for the Royals.

Up by 4 runs going into the top of the 9th, Royals relief pitcher T. Collins gave up 3 runs with 2 outs. Unable to close the door, the Royals sent in Bruce Chen who immediately gave up a solo shot to tie the game. With the Royals failing to score in the bottom of the 9th, the game went into extra innings and for reasons unknown, the Royals sent out Chen one more time. Yeah, it didn't go well. Chen gave up 2 more runs and the Royals would lose the game 10-8.

While the pitching staff has had its issues, the Royals hitters have been on fire. Leading the 15 hit attack was Alcides Escobar with 4 hits, followed by Melky Cabrera with 3, and Alex Gordon with 2 (6th inning Double).

The Hy-Vee Royals Player of the Game, for the second game in a row, went to Alcides Escobar who went 4 for 6 with 2 runs scored, 1 rbi, and 2 stolen bases.

Season Record: 1-2 (5th Place)

[CHOWDERHEAD]

Royals Win! Beat Angels 4-3

April 3, 2011 ~ Newly acquired starting pitcher Jaime Moyer did not disappoint in his debut with the Royals. Despite throwing nothing harder than low 80’s fastballs, Moyer kept the Angels hitters off balance and was able to pitch into the 7th inning. Moyer’s line for the day was 6 1/3 IP, giving up 3 earned runs on 8 hits, while striking out 6. Contrary to last night, the bullpen was able to hold onto the lead, with three pitchers going a combined 2 2/3 IP, giving up no runs and allowing only 1 hit. Unfortunately for Moyer, the Royals offense could not stake him to a lead, so the win went to R. Tejeda (1-1 on the year) and J. Soria picked up his 2nd save of the season.

Leading the offense tonight was Melky Cabrera, who went 2-4 (3rd inning double) with 2 rbi’s, C. Getz (2-4 with 2 runs scored), and Alex Gordon (2-4). The Hy-Vee Royals Player of the Game went to Melky Cabrera whose 8th inning single drove in what proved to be the game winning run. Cabrera is now batting .412 on the year, second on the team to Escobar’s .474 batting average.

Season Record: 2-2 (3rd Place)

[CHOWDERHEAD]

White Soxs Pound The Royals 13-3

April 5, 2011 ~ This one was over before it even started. While loyal Royals fans came out to the ballpark expecting to see newly acquired pitcher J. Bonderman start the fame, they were disappointed to hear that Bonderman was a last minute scratch. In his place, the Royals decided to start Luke Hochevar - bad idea!

Hochevar somehow lasted 4 innings in which he gave up 6 runs on 9 hits, while walking 2. Hoping the Bruce Chen could stem the tide, the Royals brought in Chen in the 5th only to see him last 2/3 of an innning, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits (2 of which were HR's). Needless to say, Chen's days are numbered. And, as should be no surprise to Royals fans, A. Crow was ineffective again. All told, Royals pitchers surrounded 13 runs on 21 hits.

In contrast, the Royals offense could only eek out 3 runs on 8 hits off of White Sox pitcher C. Sale. Leading the way for the Royals was DH C. Getz (2-4 (9th inning 2 run HR)with 2 runs scored and 2 rbi's, and A. Escobar (2-4 with 1 rbi). The Hy-Vee Royals Player of the Game award went to C. Getz for his 2-4 night, 1 HR night.

Season Record: 2-3 (4th Place)

[CHOWDERHEAD]

Davies Dominates, Royals Thump White Sox 12-5
April 6, 2011 ~ The Royals hitters came out swinging tonight as they were able to knock out White Sox starter Mark Buehrle after just 1/3 of an inning. The Royals scored 6 runs in the 1st, and 3 more in the 2nd to put the game away early. Not to be outdone though, Royals starter K. Davies pitched into the 8th inning, giving up 2 earned runs , while scattering 5 hits. If not for the Royals shaky bullpen outing of R. Tejeda (4 runs in the 9th), the game would have been a true masterpiece (at least by the Royals standards). What is even more surprising is that with the win tonight, the Royals entered into a 1st place tie with the White Sox, albeit with a 3-3 record.

The Royals pounded out 18 hits on the night with seven different Royals hitters having at least 2 hits, with DH C. Getz leading the way with 3. Melky Cabrera contains to shine at the plate, going 2-5 (1st inning double & 7th Inning 2-run blast) with 2 runs scored and 3 runs driven in. Getz is now batting .471, Escobar is at .464, and Cabrera is hitting .360 for the year. The Hy-Vee Royals Player of the Game went to Kyle Davies for his solid pitching outing in gaining the win.

Season Record: 3-3 (Tied, 1st Place)

[CHOWDERHEAD]

Tigers Sweep Royals

Slight change in the way that I report the season:

April 8, 2011 ~ Tigers 3 Royals 2. Losing is always hard, but losing on an error in the bottom of the 8th inning makes it almose unbearable. With the score tied 1-1 going into the bottom of the 8th inning, and with the Royals’ starter Jeff Francis having his best game of the young season, an untimely booted ball by the KC second baseman allowed 2 runs to score and which proved to be the final nail in the coffin. Despite taking the loss, Francis (1-1 on the year) had a terrific outing, going the distance in scattering 5 hits, 1 ER and striking out 5. Tigers starting pitcher Max Scherzer was equally effective, going the distance in a 5 hit, 2 ER night. On the offense side of things, Billy Butler proved to be the bright spot, going 2-2 on the day with 2 walks and 2 rbi’s. The Hy-Vee Royals Player of the Game went to Jeff Francis for his complete game performance.

April 9, 2011 ~ Tigers 3 Royals 1. For the second night in a row, the Royals offense was unable to support a strong pitching performance. M. Montgomery (0-1) was the tough luck loser, going 6 2/3 innings, scattering 6 hits, 3 ER, and 7 K’s. It is significant to note that a combined relief effort of Crow, Hochevar, and Chen combined for 2 1/3 innings of 2 hit, 0 run ball. Getting the win was Brad Penny who went 8 innings, allowing 0 runs and striking out 9. Billy Butler had another good performance, going 2-4 (both singles), and B. Pena who went 3-4 (9th inning HR) with 1 run and 1 rbi. The Hy-Vee Royals Player of the Game went to B. Pena for providing the only run of the game for the Royals.

April 10, 2011 ~ Tigers 7 Royals 3. The SWEEP is official, the Tigers thumped the Royals on a night where the Royals defense committed 3 more errors. GM Chowderhead expressed concern during the post-game conference at the way his team has been playing defense. Taking the loss for the Royals was Jamie Moyer (0-1) who went 6 1/3 innings, giving up 9 hits, 7 runs (5 ER) and striking out 4. Getting the win for the Tigers was P. Coke who went 7 1/3 innings, giving up 3 runs and striking out 3. One positive trend was the bullpen performance of Crow and Chen who had a combined 1 2/3 innings pitched in which they gave up 2 hits and allowed 0 runs. The big hitters for the Royals included Francoeur (2-4 (8th inning double) with 1 run), Arias (2-3 with 2 rbi’s, 1 walk, and 2 ERRORS), and Alex Gordon (3-4 (5th inning double) with 2 runs and 1 rbi). The Hy-Vee Royals Player of the Game was awarded to Alex Gordon for his 3-4 performance.

Season Record: 3-6 (4th Place)

[CHOWDERHEAD]

MLB News & Notes

With the first full week of the season completed, the following has taken place:

AWARDS:
AL Player of the Week: Tampa Bay center fielder B. J. Upton hit .538 on the week, going 14 for 26, with 1 HR and 1 RBI.
NL Player of the Week: Washington center fielder Jayson Werth hit .500 on the week, going 12 for 24, with 1 HR and 4 RBI.

TRADES:
* Pittsburgh traded Ryan Doumit to the Red Sox for Jed Lowrie and Madison Younginer.
* Toronto traded Juan Rivera to the Tampa Bay Rays for Jeff Niemann and Yoel Araujo.
* The Giants sent Mike Fontenot and Thomas Neal to the Indians for Jensen Lewis and Ezequiel Carrera.
* The Yankees sent Brett Gardner and Slade Heathcott to Seatle for Jack Cust and Ramon Moria.
* The Angels sent Clay Fuller and Hisanori Takahasi to Tampa in exhange for Johnny Damon.
* The Royals sent disgruntled (and overpaid) Jeff Suppan to the Yankees for Mike Lincoln.

CONTRACTS SIGNED:
* Ryan Franklin (Cardinals) 1 year at $4,200,000
* David Eckstein (Yankees) 1 year at $820,000
* Jimmy Rollins (Philadelphia) 3 years at $11,600,00 per year
* Jorge Posada (Yankees) 2 years at $13,493,000 per year

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES:
April 2 ~ Jon Danks (White Sox) CG win throwing a 4 hitter against Indians with 7 k's.
April 9 ~ Clay Bucholz (Red Sox) CG win 5 hitter over Yankees with 7 k's.
April 10 ~ Ian Kinsler (Rangers) 5-6 (3 singles, double, and HR) with 6 RBI's.