Yardbarker: Kansas City Royals

Could this keep Guillen in line...

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:23:00 -0500

Listen if your argument against Jose Guillen is that his offense has declined, he's an injury risk and is too poor a defender, especially for what he will cost and what you'll have to pass up ( Holliday/Bay) to make him your left fielder, I can understand that argument.But if you primary reason for dismissing him, is the baggage and what you perceive to be a clubhouse issue, I would dispute that with you. There is no doubt that Guillen is as cuddly as a cactus but as far as being a di...

Mike Moustakas and Johnny Giavotella

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:12:49 -0500

Some quick Royals links to share while watching NFL football. Yesterday, John Sickels posted 3 “random player comments from his 2010 Baseball Prospect Book. One of those three players was Kansas City Royals prospect Johnny Giavotella. Click here to check out what Sickels had to say about Johnny-G. You can pre-order a copy of the book [...]

Hall of Fame Poll: Kevin Appier

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:02:16 -0500

I was hoping some Blue Jay news would pop up this morning, but it is pretty quiet, unless you consider Bud Selig planning to retire in 2112 news (please couldn't it be sooner?). Or that the Red Sox, Dodgers, Mariners and Rangers all have interest in Marco Scutaro. In the 'we don't know what we are talking about category Gordon Edes from ESPN Boston says: Blue Jays having signed Gonzalez, it would seem highly unlikely that the Jays plan to offer Scutaro salary arbi...

Players A to Z, Brian Bannister

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:22:23 -0500

Brian Bannister pitches as a starter for the Kansas City Royals. Bannister is a favorite of the sabermetric community due to his embrace of advanced statistics. Brian tries to minimize hits walks and home runs allowed, while maximizing his strikeouts. In other words, Bannister pitches to minimize his FIP, his Fielding Independent [...]

the help that hurts

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 06:31:09 -0500

by Al Behrman - AP I am the greatest!!! Suck it, Ryan. View full size photo » as we enter the horse latitudes of the baseball posting seasons -- doldrums occuring somewhere between the first scent of pumpkin pie and the hangover from new year's -- it is time to give some attention to a factor sometimes overlooked. we toss around the term "replacement value" as a kind of an insult. in reali...

MLB Hall Of Fame Ballot Announced - Cast Your Ballot

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:57:07 -0500

More photos » by Steve Nesius - AP Put Andre Dawson in the Hall of Fame! Browse more photos » Today, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced its 2010 ballot, which contains 27 players. Any player getting votes on 75% of the ballots submitted will be admitted to the Hall in the Class of 2010. Here's the complete list: Roberto Alomar, Kevin Appier, Harold Baines, Bert Blyleven, Ellis Burks, Andre Dawson, Andres Galarraga, Pat Hentgen, Mike Jackson, Eric Karros, Ray Lankford, B...

Red Sox Want a Royal

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:58:00 -0500

The Red Sox acquired Tug Hulett from the Kansas City Royals. Why would the Red Sox want a player who was DFA’s from one of the worst teams in baseball? He has a .393 career minor league OBP. You would think that a team that supposedly wanted to improve its OBP last [...]

Royals Top 30 Prospects: #18-13

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:03:10 -0500

We now cover prospects #18-13. Some of these players (Herrera, Fortuna, and Sample for example) are in about they same place I would have ranked them last year--or perhaps they even dropped a little bit--not because their performance was bad but there is a lot of competition for spots as we move towards the top 10. That is a good sign in my opinion. You questions and comments are, as always, welcomed.#18--Kelvin Herrera--RHP--Age:19 Year Age Tm Lg Lev ERA G GS ...

Have The Sox Found Their Leadoff Man In Coco Crisp?

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:18:03 -0500

What do you do when you can’t afford Chone Figgins and Johnny Damon? You go to the bargain bin. And inside it you find Coco Crisp. It doesn’t look like they’re super close to a deal, but some details from the Trib: The White Sox have expressed interest in free agent and longtime nemesis Coco Crisp, according [...]

Jose Guillen would accept a trade...

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:45:00 -0500

Even Adam Rubin concedes that it's a far fetched idea for the Mets to trade Jose Guillen for Angel Pagan but someone got a hold of Guillen and ask for his thoughts.Basically the Royals want to move Guillen and they've identified the Mets as a team they maybe willing to take him, reportedly they like Angel Pagan in return. Guillen has a limited no trade clause but told Diario Libre he would waive his no trade clause for a trade to NY.Here's Rubin's translation of Guillen speaki...

Royals Caribbean Report (11/23)

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:08:34 -0500

Hey Hey Kids! It’s Monday and that means it is time for the weekly look at the Royals playing in the Caribbean Winter Leagues. Venezuelan Winter League: 2B-Alberto Callaspo (26) [Zulia] 16 G, 65 AB, 0.292/.343/.415, 7 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 4 BB, 5 SO LHP-Michael O’Connor (29) [Margarita] 12 G, 8.2 IP, [...]

Zack Greinke's Cy Win: Great Pick, But Not Quite Great Change

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:47:45 -0500

Zack Greinke was inarguably the best pitcher in the American League this season. A 9.50 K/9? A 2.16 ERA? 11 home runs allowed in 229.1 innings? The numbers he is directly responsible for -- meaning the figures that aren't his ho-hum 16 wins -- are so overwhelming that Felix Hernandez' stellar season, featuring a 2.46 ERA and a better batting average against than Greinke, got only two first-place Cy Young votes despite being one of the best years of this decade. However, the sabermetr...

Your AL Cy Young Winner Is Zack Greinke

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:17:00 -0500

In a season where there wasn't much to cheer about for Royals' fans, there was one bright spot. And that bright spot was Zack Greinke. Despite everything that went on around him, Greinke went 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA this season. With numbers like this, on a team like the Royals, voters had no choice but award him the AL Cy Young. NEW YORK — Zack Greinke won the American League Cy Young Award on Tuesday, beating out Felix Hernandez after a spectacular season short on wins but long o...

Zack Greinke Wins AL Cy Young

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:28:03 -0500

Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals has won the Cy Young award in the American League, beating Felix Hernandez by 54 votes. Zack Greinke won the American League Cy Young Award on Tuesday, beating out Felix Hernandez after a spectacular season short on wins but long on domination. Greinke went 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA for the Kansas City Royals. Hernandez went 19-5 with a 2.49 ERA for the Seattle Mariners. Greinke received 25 first-place votes and three seconds for 134 points in b...

Zack Greinke Overwhelming Choice for AL Cy Young Winner

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:09:34 -0500

After yesterday's controversial selections of Bailey and Coghlan for AL and NL Rookie of the Year awards, the BBWAA members hit a homerun after an easy pitch to the plate, regardless of his team's place in the standings. Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals was an overwhelming choice for the American League Cy Young Award despite posting a victory total that matched the lowest for any winner in either league among starting pitchers in a full season. Pitching for a team that was next to last in the AL in average runs per game, Greinke compiled a 16-8 record with a 2.16 ERA. No AL starter had won the Cy Young Award without winning at least 18 games. Greinke fell two victories short and equaled the output of 2006 National League winner Brandon Webb, who was 16-8 that year for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Grienke, 26, who held opponents to one run or fewer in 18 of his 33 starts, was named first on 25 and second on the other three ballots cast by two writers in each league city for a total of 134 points, based on the 5-3-1 tabulation system. The righthander’s league-best ERA was the lowest in the AL since 2000 Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez had a 1.74 ERA for the Boston Red Sox. Greinke also was second in complete games (6), shutouts (3), strikeouts (242) and opponents’ batting average (.230). He was the only pitcher named on all ballots. Seattle Mariners righthander Felix Hernandez (19-5, 2.49 ERA), received two first-place votes and finished second in the balloting with 80 points. The other first-place vote went to Detroit Tigers righthander Justin Verlander (19-9, 3.92 ERA), who placed third overall. Hernandez and Verlander were tied for the AL lead in victories. Hernandez led the league in winning percentage (.792) and batting average against (.227) and Verlander in innings (240) and strikeouts (269). It marks the fourth time a Royals pitcher has been honored. Greinke joins two-time winner Bret Saberhagen (1985, 1989) and David Cone (1994). The voting broke down as follows: 1st 2nd 3rd Points Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals 25 3 134 Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners 2 23 1 80 Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers 1 9 14 CC Sabathia, New York Yankees 2 7 13 Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays 11 11 Source: BBWAA The rest of the award schedule is as follows (all times ET) Wednesday, Nov. 18—AL and NL Manager of the Year awards Thursday, Nov. 19—NL Cy Young Award Monday, Nov. 23—AL Most Valuable Player award Tuesday, Nov. 24—NL Most Valuable Player award SEE THE MOST RECENT LISTING OF BBWAA BADGE MEMBERS OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK (THE BIZ OF FOOTBALL) Jon Gruden Signs Mult-Year Extension with ESPN At Midseason, NFL TV Ratings Exceptionally Strong Boise St. Engages PR Firm in Attempt to Gain BCS Game Does the NFL Salary Cap Still Work? (THE BIZ OF HOCKEY) Inside the Numbers: The 2009 Forbes NHL Valuations NHLPA Votes to Create Two Committees, Approves Donald Fehr to Assist in Exec. Dir. Search The NHL Works to Address Head Hits (THE BIZ OF BASKETBALL) Despite Economy Early NBA Attendance Only Down 2% Daktronics to Provide Massive Video Display for Amway Center NBA D-League Goes to 3-Round, 3-Game Format for Postseason Timberwolves File Lawsuit Against AEG Over Target Center Signage (SPORTS BASH) Because It's Good For You: Rob Neyer Roger Clemens Should Have Listened to Momma The NHLPA Is Sports’ Dysfunctional Stepchild Key Off-Season Dates on MLB’s Calendar (and notes about them) Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network. Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Baseball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see. Follow Maury Brown on Twitter Follow The Biz of Baseball on Twitter Follow the Business of Sports Network on Facebook

Zack Greinke Wins AL Cy Young. Now Will KC Build Around Him?

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:02:20 -0500

Zack Greinke took home his first Cy Young Award today after a season that saw him go 16-8 with a spectacular 2.16 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 242 strikeouts. Greinke also had six complete games and three shutouts, all for a team that won just 65 games. In fact, Greinke has the distinction of being just the third pitcher this decade to win the award for a losing team. This season, the Royals tied for last in the AL Central with Cleveland, who coincidentally, had the two previous AL Cy Young Award win...

Hypothetically Speaking: The Billy Butler Contract Extension

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:00:00 -0500

The Royals have very few building blocks to build around. Outside of Zack Greinke, Joakim Soria, and Billy Butler, the Royals still have tons to figure out before they become a contending team agin.However, both Greinke and Soria are signed to long term contracts, so is it time for the Royals to look into giving Butler an extension? Butler is under team control for the next four years, but now seems like a good time for the Royals and their young slugger to look into a contract extension.Howe...

Zack Greinke Wins Cy Young Award in Convincing Fashion

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:00:00 -0500

Kansas City starting pitcher Zack Greinke has won the American League Cy Young Award thanks to a superior and dominant season despite a lack of support from a poorly assembled Royals team. Greinke received 25 of 28 first place votes for a whopping 134 total points. Look, he beat out Felix Hernandez, Roy Halladay, Jon Lester, and Justin Verlander, each who had outstanding years of their own that, translated back a season, probably would have beaten 2008's winner Cliff Lee. King Felix actua...

Royals Caribbean Report (11/16)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:01:01 -0500

Time for another update on the Royals playing in the Caribbean Winter Leagues. Venezuelan Winter League: 2B-Alberto Callaspo (26) [Zulia] 10 G, 39 AB, 0.308/.372/.513, 5 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 3 BB, 4 SO LHP-Michael O’Connor (29) [Margarita] 12 G, 8.2 IP, 3.12 ERA, 11 H, 4 BB, 6 SO LHP-Carlos Rivas (24) [Lara] [...]

Crown Gems: Royals Transactions

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:23:07 -0500

It’s been a busy week full of minor transactions for the Royals. In this edition of Crown Gems is news on Edwin Bellorin, Yasuhiko Yabuta, Lenny DiNardo, Mitch Webster, Wilson Betemit, Alberto Callaspo, Miguel Olivo, Bruce Chen, John Bannister, Cody Clark, and Irving Falu. Transactions: The Royals signed 27 year old C-Edwin Bellorin to a minor league [...]