*** Official 2015 Royals Repository ***

[duncan_idaho]

In this thread: All things related to the AL Champions.

Duncan's Official Team Record prediction: 90 wins
Duncan's Official Team MVP prediction: Eric Hosmer

I can't wait for this season to start. The AL Central should be a very entertaining race. I'll give brief thoughts on each team the Royals must contend with to make it back to the postseason - strengths and weaknesses.

Detroit Tigers:
Strength: The offense is still full of powerful hitters, and Miguel Cabrera may be healthier.
Weakness: Rotation is questionable after Price and Sanchez, bullpen continues to be horrible.

Cleveland Indians:
Strength: Great manager and a deep, versatile lineup.
Weakness: The rotation is a question mark past Corey Kluber, and even he has a few questions about him.

Chicago White Sox:
Strength: 1-2-3 combo of Sale, Quintana and Samardzija is pretty formidable. Offense is anchored by Jose Abreu, too.
Weakness: Defense still has major questions, and this team has 20 games to improve by if it really wants to make the playoffs.

The Royals will be a division winner IF ...
1) Ventura and Duffy combine for 375+ innings of high-quality work
2) Eric Hosmer delivers on his potential with a FULL season of success rather than bursts
3) The deeper bullpen lessens the critical load on Herrera, Davis and Holland
4) Lorenzo Cain stays healthy
5) Either Alex Rios or Kendrys Morales bounces back to 2013 form

Let's get this started!

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Thats like the 4th or 5th priority. Baseball is about talent and ability. If you are confident and comfortable, you will still suck if you do not have the ability to hit the damned ball or throw a strike.

I've seen a ton of confident and comfortable Royals teams roll out of spring training expecting to win, only to get blasted in yet another 90+ loss season.

Confidence and comfort might get you the last 1 or 2 wins, which could make a difference, but it will not get you the first 88 wins. I just don't get why this is so hard for people to understand. Talent, ability, practice, and coaching are all VASTLY more important than "comfort" and "confidence". Otherwise, screw scouting, if confidence is so important, just sign 25 random guys off the street in downtown KC and hire the greatest sports psychologists on earth, that ought to be enough to finish .500, right?

No sport sees players go into a slump like baseball. There's a reason for that.

[Kidd Lex]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

Sweet. PB has weighed in. Now I know I'm right on this.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

Sweet. PB has weighed in. Now I know I'm right on this.

Just as long as you admit you have no actual evidence of your claim, you can make up whatever you like.

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by RollChiefsRoll

To be fair, Gordon's HBP was by his best buddy and was almost certainly an accidental buzzing.

4th of the season though.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

No sport sees players go into a slump like baseball. There's a reason for that.

So, its not zero. Its not much, but its not zero. Great.

For a while there, when the Royals went like 4 years out of 5 beating up on everyone in Arizona it was the same story:

"wow, they look great! I knows its spring, but maybe this year the kids are finally getting it, look how comfortable they are, clearly having fun. Maybe this is the year!"

*smash cut to 30 days and lots of losses later*

"oh, thats right, the other teams are better than ours. I forgot."

[Kidd Lex]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Thats like the 4th or 5th priority. Baseball is about talent and ability. If you are confident and comfortable, you will still suck if you do not have the ability to hit the damned ball or throw a strike.

I've seen a ton of confident and comfortable Royals teams roll out of spring training expecting to win, only to get blasted in yet another 90+ loss season.

Confidence and comfort might get you the last 1 or 2 wins, which could make a difference, but it will not get you the first 88 wins. I just don't get why this is so hard for people to understand. Talent, ability, practice, and coaching are all VASTLY more important than "comfort" and "confidence". Otherwise, screw scouting, if confidence is so important, just sign 25 random guys off the street in downtown KC and hire the greatest sports psychologists on earth, that ought to be enough to finish .500, right?

You are missing the point - these were already incredibly talented guys - the top minor league system remember?! And they almost missed the bus - at the all star break last year people were calling for GMDMs head - and nearly had it according to rumors - and then they brought in Ibanez and Gordon had a powerful closed door meeting (can't remember the order) and something intangible changed - the team started playing with a swagger and the talent potential started being realized and this has all snowballed into what we have now - a 7 - 0 AL Champion Royals Team that is intimidating their opponents to the point their cocky antics have resulted in 12 hbp and people bitching about the Royals celebrating too much!!! Bahahahahahaha!!!!

There is more to baseball than just analytics - talent is king but confidence and chemistry are critical to putting it all together.

[RollChiefsRoll]

Originally Posted by The God Hypothesis

confidence and chemistry are critical to putting it all together.

And Sung Woo.

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by Molitoth

This. There is no point starting a huge brawl, one of our star players could break their wrist on someone's face or some stupid shit and that would really piss everyone off.

Originally Posted by CaliforniaChief

Just keep winning. That's the best middle finger we can possibly deliver the joyless establishment of baseball.

Originally Posted by tomahawk kid

This.

"Joyless establishment of baseball" = nail / head.

Do you understand that if pitchers can keep plunking our batters, and throwing at their faces, it will negatively effect our chances of winning?

Pretty soon our hitters will start flinching. It's almost impossible not to after enough high/tight pitches and hit batters.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by The God Hypothesis

You are missing the point - these were already incredibly talented guys - the top minor league system remember?! And they almost missed the bus - at the all star break last year people were calling for GMDMs head - and nearly had it according to rumors - and then they brought in Ibanez and Gordon had a powerful closed door meeting (can't remember the order) and something intangible changed - the team started playing with a swagger and the talent potential started being realized and this has all snowballed into what we have now - a 7 - 0 AL Champion Royals Team that is intimidating their opponents to the point their cocky antics have resulted in 12 hbp and people bitching about the Royals celebrating too much!!! Bahahahahahaha!!!!

There is more to baseball than just analytics - talent is king but confidence and chemistry are critical to putting it all together.

Why do you not want to believe our team is better than our opponents? Why do you not want to believe that our talent eventually evened things out over a long season? Are you afraid that we really aren't or something, that we might be exposed, and so you need this?

I think we're winning because our team is better than our opponents, and I'm the crazy one?

If confidence was really as important as you seem to think, then it should not be that hard to beat the Royals.... unless we're simply better than the other team, in which case they can't beat us over a long season.

[Hootie]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Thats like the 4th or 5th priority. Baseball is about talent and ability. If you are confident and comfortable, you will still suck if you do not have the ability to hit the damned ball or throw a strike.

I've seen a ton of confident and comfortable Royals teams roll out of spring training expecting to win, only to get blasted in yet another 90+ loss season.

Confidence and comfort might get you the last 1 or 2 wins, which could make a difference, but it will not get you the first 88 wins. I just don't get why this is so hard for people to understand. Talent, ability, practice, and coaching are all VASTLY more important than "comfort" and "confidence". Otherwise, screw scouting, if confidence is so important, just sign 25 random guys off the street in downtown KC and hire the greatest sports psychologists on earth, that ought to be enough to finish .500, right?

No one is saying that lmao

When I'm off my phone later I'll explain what I mean by swagger and confidence

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Hootie 2.0

No one is saying that lmao

So then can we agree that talent and ability is a hell of a lot more important? Can we agree that our team is physically better at playing baseball than our opponents?

[Ceej]

Tonight's game is on FSKC, right?

Right now in that time slot it shows WSU v. KSU baseball for me.

[RollChiefsRoll]

Originally Posted by Ceej

Tonight's game is on FSKC, right?

Right now in that time slot it shows WSU v. KSU baseball for me.

Off day, breh.

[Unsmooth-Moment]

Originally Posted by Ceej

Tonight's game is on FSKC, right?

Right now in that time slot it shows WSU v. KSU baseball for me.

No game today.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Ceej

Tonight's game is on FSKC, right?

Right now in that time slot it shows WSU v. KSU baseball for me.

There is no game today, which is why we're passing the time by bickering. Early season off days are irritating.