*** 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!

[lewdog]

Less well thought out posts please. It's taking me forever to read through this thread to catch up!

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by SPATCH

One thing that I think is being overlooked by a lot of people is the fact that we are using a superior model for winning in the post-steroid era.

We are better by philosophy and design. Not just talent/confidence/whatever.

Although we are a hugely talented team, if you look at each part individually, we are not vastly more talented than, say, the Angels. A guy like Jason Vargas, who played with the Angels in 2013, goes from a 1.7 WAR pitcher in 2013 to a 2.2 WAR pitcher with the Royals in 2014. Why? The defense behind him in 2014 was designed to be rangey and make plays that the average big league defense can't.

The defense that Dayton Moore assembled was designed to elevate the entire pitching staff.

And when you have a bunch of rangey athletes on defense, you can do some things that utilize their athleticism on offense. Put the ball in play A LOT, get infield singles, steal, go 1st to 3rd... basically, put a ton of pressure on the opposing defense.

The Royals were built to save runs through defense and create runs through team speed. It's proving to be an extremely viable model for winning in the post-steroid era.

When you add in Dayton's philosophy of hoarding a bunch of 1-inning flame-throwing cyborgs in the bullpen to shorten the game, and the fact that we finally seem to be unlocking some of the power in the bats of our athletes... that's why we look like the best team in baseball.

Not only are we talented, and looking more confident, but we are operating on a better design.

WAR factors in defense behind the pitcher. It's called FIP "fielding independent pitching". In Vargas' case he simply pitched better in 2014.

[ReynardMuldrake]

Originally Posted by SPATCH

One thing that I think is being overlooked by a lot of people is the fact that we are using a superior model for winning in the post-steroid era.

We are better by philosophy and design. Not just talent/confidence/whatever.

Although we are a hugely talented team, if you look at each part individually, we are not vastly more talented than, say, the Angels. A guy like Jason Vargas, who played with the Angels in 2013, goes from a 1.7 WAR pitcher in 2013 to a 2.2 WAR pitcher with the Royals in 2014. Why? The defense behind him in 2014 was designed to be rangey and make plays that the average big league defense can't.

The defense that Dayton Moore assembled was designed to elevate the entire pitching staff.

And when you have a bunch of rangey athletes on defense, you can do some things that utilize their athleticism on offense. Put the ball in play A LOT, get infield singles, steal, go 1st to 3rd... basically, put a ton of pressure on the opposing defense.

The Royals were built to save runs through defense and create runs through team speed. It's proving to be an extremely viable model for winning in the post-steroid era.

When you add in Dayton's philosophy of hoarding a bunch of 1-inning flame-throwing cyborgs in the bullpen to shorten the game, and the fact that we finally seem to be unlocking some of the power in the bats of our athletes... that's why we look like the best team in baseball.

Not only are we talented, and looking more confident, but we are operating on a better design.

Great post. I'd just like to add what a HUGE psychological advantage it is to have a bullpen of this quality backing you up. It puts all the pressure on the other team because they know they have to have the lead after six innings. If not, they know they'll probably lose. That thought is going through the back of your mind the whole game. We're a team nobody wants to play right now.

[BigCatDaddy]

Wow. This thread is hotter than an Alex Smith debate thread but actually interesting.

[Hootie]

best thing about the Royals talk on this board is it's baseball, so most people still don't care! Keeps the trolls away

[tk13]

Billy Beane's been pretty good at evaluating individual players. Knowing when to add guys, cut bait, etc. And there has been some bad luck involved. I still think some of the issues they've had in the playoffs, and this is blasphemous I know... is that their philosophy is a little Martyball-ish. Don't make outs, take walks, hit homers. Walks and homers are often the result of pitchers making mistakes. You get in the playoffs, pitchers are elite and will be making less mistakes. At least in theory. It works a bit better when you're the Red Sox and other pitchers fear the middle of your lineup.

What Dayton's done is the opposite of that. He built a team that constantly applies pressure to the other team. Whether it's through speed, defense, or a bullpen that shortens the game to 18 outs.

As much as I'd like us to take more walks... I think the contact philosophy is still a huge part of it. We had the fewest strikeouts by a HUGE margin last year. And so far this year, we still have the fewest strikeouts. Putting the ball in play causes havoc because almost everyone can run. And we are actually taking walks and hitting homers this year on top of it.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by lewdog

Less well thought out posts please. It's taking me forever to read through this thread to catch up!

Penis.

Actually I enjoyed reading through the last hundred plus posts from today. Good stuff.

[milkman]

Baseball people are concerned that it has become a regional sport.
Meanwhile, baseball people don't like the Royals' antics.

These "antics" are a team having fun and enjoying the game, and they are fun to watch.

If more teams had the kind of fun that the Royals are having, baseball might be more fun to watch, which would start to attract more of a national audience.

[stonedstooge]

Originally Posted by milkman

Baseball people are concerned that it has become a regional sport.
Meanwhile, baseball people don't like the Royals' antics.

These "antics" are a team having fun and enjoying the game, and they are fun to watch.

If more teams had the kind of fun that the Royals are having, baseball might be more fun to watch, which would start to attract more of a national audience.

Everyone hates a winner. Never thought I could say that about the Royals again

[milkman]

Originally Posted by stonedstooge

Everyone hates a winner. Never thought I could say that about the Royals again

Hate fuels ratings.

[WhawhaWhat]

Have you guys seen this guys pitch delivery? It's weird.

[RollChiefsRoll]

Looks like a chicken hop from center field. Very odd.

[OmahaChief]

Originally Posted by SPATCH

One thing that I think is being overlooked by a lot of people is the fact that we are using a superior model for winning in the post-steroid era.

We are better by philosophy and design. Not just talent/confidence/whatever.

Although we are a hugely talented team, if you look at each part individually, we are not vastly more talented than, say, the Angels. A guy like Jason Vargas, who played with the Angels in 2013, goes from a 1.7 WAR pitcher in 2013 to a 2.2 WAR pitcher with the Royals in 2014. Why? The defense behind him in 2014 was designed to be rangey and make plays that the average big league defense can't.

The defense that Dayton Moore assembled was designed to elevate the entire pitching staff.

And when you have a bunch of rangey athletes on defense, you can do some things that utilize their athleticism on offense. Put the ball in play A LOT, get infield singles, steal, go 1st to 3rd... basically, put a ton of pressure on the opposing defense.

The Royals were built to save runs through defense and create runs through team speed. It's proving to be an extremely viable model for winning in the post-steroid era.

When you add in Dayton's philosophy of hoarding a bunch of 1-inning flame-throwing cyborgs in the bullpen to shorten the game, and the fact that we finally seem to be unlocking some of the power in the bats of our athletes... that's why we look like the best team in baseball.

Not only are we talented, and looking more confident, but we are operating on a better design.

Excellent post. Go Royals.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

Have you guys seen this guys pitch delivery? It's weird.

Should be able to run on this guy.

[Saul Good]

Are the Indians going to be a total bust this year? They're 2-5 with 4 straight losses by 3+ runs. Brantley has ongoing back problems, Swisher is on the DL, Gomes is out 6-8 weeks with a knee injury, and they're 0-2 in Kluber's starts.

They could be 6 games back before their taxes are due.

In the AL East and West, the last place teams are 3 games back (Yankees) and 1.5 games back (Astros). In the Central, the Sox, Indians, and Twins are already 4, 5, and 6 games behind us. Hell...all three of thise teams are farther behind the second place team in the division than any other AL team is out of first.

Hopefully they keep it up. I want to see them all give up by the All Star break and start playing for next season so we can have a bunch of easy wins in August and September.

/getting WAY ahead of myself