Royals 2012 Home Opener Preview - Kansas City News

The Royals 2012 home opener is just hours away! After starting the season off with a road trip out west, Kansas City will play its first home game this afternoon at 3:10 p.m. The Royals (3-3) will take on the struggling Cleveland Indians (1-4).

For the second year in a row, Luke Hochevar (1-0) will get the start in Kansas City’s home opener. Hochevar looked impressive in his first outing of the season, allowing only two runs in 6 innings pitched against the Angels. While Cleveland has looked terrible so far this season, the Royals will face one of the league’s better pitchers in Derek Lowe. In his only start this season, Lowe threw seven scoreless innings against Toronto to lead the Indians to their only win of the season. The pitching matchup suggests that this could be a very low scoring affair; however Hochevar has struggled against Cleveland in the past. In 2011, the Royals’ Ace went 1-2 against the Indians with a 5.31 ERA. Derek Lowe has struggled against the Royals in his career, with a 5.72 ERA in games played in Kansas City.

After a disappointing end to its series against the A’s, Kansas City has a great opportunity to take this series and build some momentum. The Royals’ next three series are at home, and several AL Central matchups loom in the near future as well. A hot start could catapult this team into playoff contention, and this year, the Royals seem capable of living up to their early hype.

This will be the first home opener for both Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas, as both were called up from the minor leagues during last season. The Indians went 12-6 against the Royals last season, and won 4 out of the 5 games played in Kansas City.

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Late Collapse Costs Royals Series Vs. A's - Kansas City News

There are “tough” ways to lose a baseball game, and then there is the manner in which the Royals dropped last night’s extra-inning affair to the A’s. After taking the lead in the top of the 12th off of a Billy Butler double, reliever Jonathan Broxton allowed two runs and Oakland had a walk-off victory. It was how Broxton gave up the last run that has Kansas City fans fuming.

After former Royal Coco Crisp tied the game in the bottom of the ninth with an RBI grounder, Broxton’s control issues began. He hit Yoenis Cespedes on the first pitch of the at-bat to load the bases, then beamed Jonny Gomes on the first pitch of his at-bat to give Oakland the win. It was only the third time the A’s have won a game on a hit-by-pitch in the club’s history.

Broxton’s meltdown wasted some clutch hitting by two of Kansas City’s stars. Billy Butler and Alex Gordon both hit home runs and were responsible for all four of the Royals’ runs. The Royals had chances to add to their total, including a bases-loaded situation in the 5th, but were unable to capitalize.

The Royals’ return home tomorrow with a 3-3 record, and Kansas City can’t help but feel like it missed a golden opportunity to win its first two series of the year. There are some positive signs that should give fans hope – Kansas City’s starting pitching has been fantastic, and the Royals’ main offensive weapons are starting to find their groove. The Royals have a very easy April schedule, and there is no reason to doubt that Kansas City can emerge from the first month of the season with a winning record.

The Royals return to Kansas City tomorrow for the team’s home opener. Luke Hochevar (1-0) will start for Kansas City, while Derek Lowe (1-0) will start for the visiting Cleveland Indians. The Royals lost last year's home opener, 4-2, to the Angels.

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A Closer Look At The 2012 MLB All-Star FanFest - Kansas City News

The 2012 All-Star game in Kansas City will feature many fun events and attractions; however none may be bigger or more interactive than the FanFest. Entering its 22nd year, the MLB FanFest is an interactive baseball theme park that features activities for baseball fans of all ages. With the All-Star game coming to Kansas City, this year’s FanFest will feature free autograph sessions with legendary Royals players, as well as rare Royals memorabilia.

The FanFest activities last for five days, starting on Friday, July 6 and ending on Tuesday, July 10. The events start at 9:00 a.m. each day and last until 8:00 p.m. on every day except Tuesday, in which the event ends at 6:00 p.m. A full list of the events and their times and date can be found here.

Tickets are currently on sale, and an adult ticket is only $30. All existing Royals Season Ticket Holders will have the opportunity to purchase a strip ticket for all MLB All-Star events held at Kauffman Stadium. Each strip includes one ticket to each All-Star Week event at the ballpark and two MLB All-Star FanFest tickets.

With the 2012 MLB All-Star game at Kauffman Stadium, people in the Kansas City area have a great opportunity to learn more about the game and dive deeper into Royals history. The 2012 FanFest has a lot to offer, and is one of the nice perks a city gets to enjoy when hosting baseball’s midsummer classic.

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Royals Season Comes to and End

The Kansas City Royals have completed another losing season, leaving only 5 teams in the entire league with worse records than the Royals. Although this season ended on a positive note, with the Royals stringing together several wins and many players stepping up and improving their batting averages and ERAs, it was still just another losing season for a team that hasn't seen a decent win / loss record since 1985. Ah, thank God for the 1985 Royals, George Brett, Willie Wilson, the good old days...

I suppose the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about is David Glass and the way he refuses to spend money on quality players, and furthermore, the players who emerge from Kansas City as stars are immediately traded away.

The Kansas City Royals are talking a big game right now about how their farm team approach is ready for harvest in 2012, and that they are predicting a playoff appearance by 2013. KANSAS CITY, MO (January 25, 2011) – Baseball America, baseball’s preeminent authority on minor league prospects, has rated the Kansas City Royals farm system as the best in all of baseball in the soon-to-be-released 2011 Prospect Handbook.

"The Royals have one of the deepest and most talented farm systems in recent memory,” said Jim Callis, Executive Editor at Baseball America. “It's unusual to see a system with three stud hitters like Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Wil Myers, or four quality lefties like John Lamb, Mike Montgomery, Danny Duffy and Chris Dwyer, and the Royals have both. To show how highly we regard the Royals system, we ranked it No. 1 before the Zack Greinke trade, which netted more top prospects. "Seven of the Royals’ top 10 prospects will be in Major League Spring Training camp next month in Surprise, Ariz. The group includes first baseman Eric Hosmer (ranked #1), third baseman Mike Moustakas (#3) and left-handed pitcher John Lamb (#4).

The Royals have been nurturing a great farm team system that is creating future star players, but how do we know that isn't just another way for Glass to make money? At what point will the Royals start trading away their star players, as they have done with every star player we've ever had since the 1990's? I started to get suspicious the minute they renovated Kauffman Stadium last season.

It is no accident that they turned Royals stadium into a giant BAR with the new renovations. Fans can now go to a game and not even watch the game, they can go to one of the many indoor bars, go watch a live band, pretty much anything but pay attention to just the game itself. Glass figures that if all there is to do at a Royals game is actually watch the Royals, then the fans would go home thus spending less money on concessions. Glass has figured out a way to make more money off the ever-losing Royals franchise and I think that they have no intention of EVER spending money on players, thus eliminating us from the big race indefinitely.

But hey, I was lucky enough to actually ATTEND the big games in 1985, so I will always have that. I'm sorry that you young fans will probably never see Kansas City in a celebration of that magnitude in your lifetime. At least we will be able to watch the great players come through Kansas City next season for the All Star Game 2012.

Royals Winning Streak 6 Games

The Kansas City Royals keep the party going. Now into a 6 game winning streak, our boys in blue are playing like they are vying for a playoff slot. Many concerned Royals media are very irritated that the Royals are putting up wins, as each win takes them further away from a good draft spot in 2012. On 810 AM today a few skeptics claimed that "other teams are wisely dropping games to get to a better draft pick and the Royals should do the same". That sounds familiar to me as an avid Kansas City Chiefs fan, in the 2008 and 2009 seasons I was hoping that the Chiefs would drop all of their remaining games in order to get a great draft position - but alas, they would usually win just enough games to get them mediocre players in the draft like Glen Dorsey and Tyson Jackson.

This raises an interesting question when it comes to baseball, however, as baseball players base their entire careers on batting averages, and pitching wins, losses and ERA scores. How can a Major League Baseball team throw games on purpose without some players having to take a personal blow to their batting average or pitching stats? How would they even get the players to agree to do something like that? As we in Kansas City are WAY too familiar with, The Kansas City Royals are more or less a launching pad for star players who cut their teeth here and then immediately ask to be traded away (Zack Greinke, Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye, Carlos Beltran), The Royals refuse to pay any of these star players the salaries that they want, and away they go to other teams. The politics of the Kansas City Royals administration is appalling and it is a direct smack to the face of the faithful Royals fans. But, obviously they don't care at all, they keep all the money, turn Kauffman Stadium into a giant BAR, and trade away any players that show any promise.

The recent Royals winning streak is a cute little gesture of a small time team winning with heart and determination, but in the big picture The Royals will probably not return to the World Series in the next century. Thank God for the 1985 Royals, who continue to keep the team out of the record books for longest streak without a pennant. Thank you George Brett, thank you Bret Saberhagen, thank you Willie Wilson, you guys stuck it out here in Kansas City and brought home the gold........probably for the last time.

Royals Winning Games!

Hey wait a minute...it's not over yet! The Kansas City Royals are actually playing pretty well of late. Although they have no shot at the MLB Playoffs, it is still a good sign that they are playing as a team and putting up some wins. The Chiefs could take a lesson from the Royals at this point, as they are complimenting each other in the media, playing like a team and seem to have a really positive attitude right now.

Pitcher Bruce Chen, now 11-7, pitched a stellar game against the Minnesota Twins pitching for 8 innings and slapping them down 4 - 0. Chen was on the radio this morning really pumping up the Royals and how they have come together as a team and he goes on to describe the positive feeling around the ball club right now. Whatever they are feeding The Royals, can they please feed some to The Chiefs? The Chiefs are staring down an 0-2 start this weekend facing the somewhat overrated Detroit Lions on Sunday, it would be nice if Chen and some of the Royals players could show up to a Chiefs practice and give them some pointers on playing like a team - especially on defense. It's always good to have at least one Kansas City sports team playing well, so congratulations to the Royals on their recent victories. They are officially no longer in last place!

Royals Win Series in New York for First Time Since 1999

The Royals finished an impressive series win over the Yankees last night in New York marking the first time the Royals had won a series in New York since 1999. This is quite a statement for this young club who have exceeded expectations thus far. Many Royals fans, myself included are simply waiting for the collapse to begin. I thought the 0-6 road trip was the beginning of the end, then I looked at this road trip to NY and Detroit and thought this might be it. Lo and behold, the Royals surprise again. I now am a believer as the Royals simply destroyed the Yankees last night 11-5, and young hope Eric Hosmer had three more hits including a HR for the second straight game.

To give some perspective on how long it's been since the Royals won a series over the Yankees in New York, I thought I would compile a list of how the world was back in 1999.

Elvis Grbac was the Chiefs Quarterback and it had only been 5 years since the Chiefs had won a playoff game. Gunther Cunnigham was their Head Coach.

Norm Stewart had just retired as Mizzou's Basketball coach.

Almost nobody in the US knew who Osama Bin Laden was.

Napster was released to very little fanfare.

Bill Clinton was President of the United States.

Lance Armstrong won his first Tour de France.

The Columbine Massacre occurred in Colorado.

Eric Hosmer was 9 years old.

Royals Win In Extra Innings Again

The first place Royals (no that is not a misprint) won its second consecutive thriller, beating the White Sox 7-6 in extra innings. This is the second straight win for the Royals in extra innings, as Kansas City came back to beat the Angels on Sunday.

The Royals have now won four straight games for the first time since September of 2009. The team has used some late-game magic in all four of its wins - and its only loss came when an Alex Gordon blast fell just inches short of a game-winning home run. The Royals' late-game heroics should have relief pitchers and closers around the league terrified, as this team has proved it will go down swinging every night.

This time, Melky Cabrera was the hero, singling home Chris Getz to give Kansas City another walkoff win. The Royals' offense is producing, with new players such as Cabrera and Matt Treanor mixing well with Billy Butler (on pace for another strong season) and Alex Gordon (finally playing like the player we thought he could be).

This feels a bit like the 2003 season, the last time the Royals finished with a winning record. That year, Kansas City had an endless supply of late-game heroics and breakout seasons from several players. While still early, the Royals start may signal that the team could be ready to contend sooner than most expected.

Royals Season Starts Today

The Kansas City Royals' 2011 season officially begins this afternoon against the Los Angeles Angels. It is opening day at the K, where players and fans alike can look forward to the promise a new season brings.

Kansas City has a new opening day starter after Cy Young winner Zack Greinke was traded to the Brewers this offseason. Luke Hochevar gets the start for the Royals, and Kansas City fans never know what to expect from its former first-overall draft pick. Hochevar is as up and down as they come, but many feel he could be poised to finally break out and live up to his draft status and contract.

Recently, Kansas City turned heads as the Royals' minor league system was rated as the best in league history by Baseball America. Most fans feel this season will be another disaster in terms of wins and losses, and I would agree. The Royals are at least a year away from being able to compete for the division, but it should be fun watching the team grow.

Zack Greinke Breaks His Rib Playing Basketball

Former Kansas City Royals star Zack Greinke has a fractured rib from a pick-up basketball game and will likely miss games in April
by Kansas City News

Zack Greinke's new team, The Milwaukee Brewers, will not receive his services for at least the first part of April.  Somewhat of  a "poetic justice" situation for Kansas City fans, it wouldn't have bothered me if he was out for the season.  As it stands, the Brewers have reported that Greinke fractured his rib while playing in a pick-up basketball game.  While it is in Zack's contract that he cannot participate in professional basketball, it doesn't say anything about staying of the playground courts.

Ironically enough, Greinke had recently stopped former MLB player Aaron Boone in a New York hotel and asked him about his career ending injury that Aaron sustained during a pick-up basketball game.  Boone recounts "I don't know if he was looking for advice or what, but he told me he played basketball quite a bit, and how much he enjoyed it. He asked me what I thought. I don't remember if I said, 'Play, or don't play.' But when I read how he got hurt, I said, "Whoa!'"

Zack "Donald" Greinke will begin the 2011 season on the disabled list and will not start the home opener as planned.

Bio Info:
Donald Zackary Greinke ("Zack") was born in Orlando, Florida on October 21, 1983. Selected from Apopka high school in the first round of the 2002 player draft, Greinke was named Gatorade National Player of the Year that same season. Greinke entered the major league on May 22, 2004, playing in the same game that saw the retirement of Reggie Jackson's number.

Greinke's performance has seen its ups and downs largely due to his battles with depression and anxiety. In 2004, he ended the season with 8 wins and 11 losses and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.97. His 2005 season was not as successful (5-17, ERA of 5.80), and in February of 2006 he left the Kansas City Royals spring training camp because of depression and anxiety.

Greinke spent some time away from baseball, eventually returning to sign a one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals in 2007. In 2008 he had a good year, posting 13 wins and 10 losses and an ERA of 3.47. In January 2009, after winning the Cy Young Award, Greinke signed a 4-year contract with the Kansas City Royals worth $38 million, and pitched 24 consecutive innings without giving up a run.

Joakim Soria Wants to Drop "Mexicutioner" Nickname

Joakim Soria wants to drop his nickname the "Mexicutioner." Soria feels the nickname is too negative, especially given the drug violence and turmoil in his homeland of Mexico. While Soria's heart is in the right place, it can be hard for an athlete to shed a catchy nickname, and Soria's nickname ranks among the best of active athletes.

Soria has been one of the few bright spots for the Royals' organization over the past few seasons. Unfortunately for Soria, the Royals media have already sold many t-shirts branding him as "the Mexicutioner" and it has gained cult status among Kansas City fans. Soria offered that some of the best closers in baseball, including Mariano Rivera, do not have any nicknames, and that if fans wanted to call him something they could dub him "his Mexillency." Not working for me.

I understand Soria's reservations towards his nickname, but feel that the name is too awesome for Soria to drop. There are thousands of athlete nicknames, and most are really lame. Look at the best athlete nicknames ever; Soria's nickname ranks right up there with some of the best in sports. Will Soria's nickname stick? Only time will tell, but I for would miss watching "the Mexicutioner" close out the seldom wins the Royals will pick up next year.

Gil Meche Retires, Hochever Probable Opening Day Starter

Gil Meche unexpectedly retired from the Royals on Tuesday leaving behind $12.4 Million for the final year on his five-year deal. His record was 29-39 with a 4.27 ERA in four seasons with Kansas City. He played 6 seasons prior to that with the Seattle Mariners before Royals General Manager Dayton Moore lured him away with a 5 year $55 million deal making him the highest paid player in Royals history.

It's unheard of for a player to retire and give up this much money, but Meche said he didn't feel it was right to take the money. He is coming off a sub par, injury riddled season that found him working out of the bullpen late in the year. Dayton Moore has said the club will not spend the $12 million on players this season, stating that he didn't see anything out there better than he already had. While I find that hard to believe looking at the Royals roster, it might be wise to spend the money next year when some of our good young talent is ready for the Bigs. What worries me is that Royals Owner David Glass will simply pocket the savings and not put the money into next year's payroll either.

With Zach Greinke gone, the talk at Royals Manager Ned Yost's press conference turned to who the opening day starter will be. Yost hinted that he was leaning toward former first round pick Luke Hochever. Hochever showed some improvement last year going 6-6 with a 4.81 ERA in 17starts. Not really opening day starter numbers are they? It's going to be a long summer at The K.

Greinke Trade Jeremy Jeffress Pot Smoker

Royals Trade Greinke for 3 Unknowns and one Pothead
by Kansas City News

Ah, those wily Royals, once again they have brought up a young player to greatness and .... well.....then they uh......gave him to another team.  Seems like the logical thing to do, right?  The names of famous ex Royal players keeps adding up and currently includes Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye, Carlos Beltran, and now Zack Greinke - who will no doubt go on to achieve great success with other teams after giving us a lackluster year in 2010.  What an odd pattern the Royals have of waiting until their players are really starting to produce and then immediately get rid of them.  I understand that most of the players would have moved on of their own accord and that the Royals had to offer up trades while interest was high and the most could be gained by letting them go, but it just seems that the Royals do this more often than any other MLB team.

In today's trade, the Royals sent Zack Greinke packing to the Milwaukee Brewers along with our shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt and in return they received a basket of cash, Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, Jake Odorizzi, and Jeremy Jeffress.  Lorenzo Cain is slotted to take over in center field, he was a 17th round draft pick by the Brewers and batted for .306 in 2010.  Alcides Escobar will replace Betancourt at short stop, Jake Odorizzi is a young prospect that will spend some time on the bench before we see him, and of course then there's Jeremy Jeffress, who was suspended multiple times in Milwaukee for violating the league substance abuse testing positive for marijuana.

Jeremy Jeffress, a right handed pitcher chosen in 2006 by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round of the amateur draft - whatever the hell that is - and is most widely known in the sports world for his marijuana habit.  Jeffress was suspended 3 times for testing positive for marijuana.  He was suspended for a total of 150 games over the last 3 years for violation of the MLB substance abuse policy.

The Royals were very instrumental in the development of Zack Greinke, including a brief period when Greinke was having anxiety issues and even considered quitting baseball all together.  Greinke was diagnosed with SAD or Social Anxiety Disorder and is on anti-depressant medication.  I suppose if it's ok for Zack to pitch while heavily medicated on anti-depression medication, then it should be ok for Jeremy Jeffress to pitch while smoking blunts on the mound.  Hey, let's not forget that Dock Ellis once pitched a no hitter for the Pirates while on LSD!  Go Royals!

Royals Swept by Twins, Guaranteed Losing Season

You've got to hand it to the Royals, at least they are consistent. Kansas City fell to the Minnesota Twins last night, 4-3, at Target Field which has been a house of horrors for the Royals this season. The Royals latest dismal showing in Minneapolis (the team finished 2-7 there this season) guarantees the Royals will finish with a losing record for the 15th time in the last 16 seasons. And you thought this guy was the benchmark for consistency.

With the Royals' season now painfully behind us, Kansas City fans can reflect on another "promising" year that ultimately went down in flames. Many sports pundits and fans predicted the team to improve, however inconsistency from the entire club lead to long losing streaks and forced the team to ultimately trade all of its veterans and groom younger players. Zach Grienke was wildly unpredictable compared to his previous Cy Young winning form, as well as the entire bullpen ranging from average to downright scary.

So yet another rebuilding effort starts in Kansas City, yet the Royals seem to finally be learning their lesson from past failures. The Royals already boast a very loaded farm system and have young players already producing for the team like Grienke, Joakim Soria and more. Hopefully instead of foolishly spending on veterans like Jose Guillen and Gil Meche, the Royals will learn from the Tampa Bay Rays and Florida Marlins, two teams that groomed young players and became successful without spending big money. If not, the Royals organization will be in danger of continuing its streak of mediocrity, despite how impressive it is.

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Soria Records 25th Straight Save

As the Royals' dreadful season nears the finish line, one player has stood out all year as a bright spot for the team. Closer Joakim Soria converted his 25th straight save, breaking the old consecutive saves record for the Royals previously set by Jeff Montgomery in 1993. For the season, Soria has converted 32 of 34 chances.

After pitching a no-decision gem last week, Zach Grienke made it clear he was not willing to sit around and wait for the Royals to undertake another rebuilding project. While it is hard to blame Grienke's stance, it will be interesting to see what the off-season brings for Soria. The Royals have traded many of its productive veterans to build for the future, however Soria is still young and could provide a long-term answer at closer or eventually be moved to a starting position.

Given that Soria has not publicly demanded a trade or let his frustrations with the organization known, the Royals should attempt to lock him up for the long haul. Having a dominant closer is a necessity for any competitor, and Soria is one of the best in the game. While the Royals keep rebuilding, at least Kansas City fans can enjoy watching Soria dominate.

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Royals Trade Callaspo, Call Up Moustakas and Gordon

Royals’ third baseman Alberto Callaspo has been traded to the Los Angeles Angels for two pitchers. Callaspo was dealt just before Thursday’s loss to the New York Yankees. In the deal, the Royals acquired right hander Sean O’Sullivan and minor-league left hander Will Smith. The deal was made to clear a starting spot for prospect Mike Moustakas. Moustakas is believed to be one of the organization’s top minor league players.

On paper, the move makes a lot of sense for the Royals. They made room for a top prospect and signed two good young pitchers in the process. However, the Royals have been down this road with often disastrous results. The Royals have traded the likes of Carlos Beltran, Jermaine Dye and Johnny Damon in the past for a series of prospects, and never got back the value of the players they dealt. While Callaspo isn’t an All-Star player as Beltran, Dye and Damon were, he has been a very steady and productive hitter and infielder. The Royals need Moustakas and O’Sullivan to produce, or Kansas City fans will have to watch another former player tear up for a contender with little to show for it.

Speaking of prospects who haven’t lived up to their potential, Alex Gordon has been called up to replace David Dejesus, who was lost for the season due to injury. Gordon has been a disappointment so far, and Dejesus has been one of the Royals’ most productive hitters for the past season. Losing Callaspo and Dejesus deals a big blow to the team’s offense, but will give younger players an opportunity to contribute. Hopefully these turn-of-events will make the team better for the future, but I’m not holding my breath.

David DeJesus out for Season - Royals News

 

David DeJesus will undergo surgery on his thumb that will likely put him out for the season.  DeJesus was put on the disabled list on Thursday night after chasing down a line drive by Yankee's shortstop and captain Derek Jeter which ultimately ended up as an inside the park home run despite David DeJesus' efforts.  Royals manager Ned Yost told reporters this evening that they expected DeJesus to be out for at least 10 weeks which would put him out until late September, virtually the end of the season.

This comes as an awful blow to Royals fans as the team was just starting to see some success on the diamond.  Alex Gordon was called up from Omaha to take his place, and Mitch Maier will also fill in to fill the void left by DeJesus for the next few games against the rival Yankees.  This stunning injury came on the tail of a large trade made by the Royals this week with The Los Angeles Angels of Aneheim.

David DeJesus learned after examination that he had completely torn a ligament in his thumb.  The surgery needed to repair the damage to his thumb will require that he sit out for the rest of the Royals regular season.

DeJesus was suspect for a trade from the Royals after the 2010 season, so this could present an opportunity for the club to test it's abilities without DeJesus.  The Royals have several young players who are looking for playing time, and it looks at least for now that they are going to get it.