K.C. Star: Don’t fret over Royals prospect Moustakas

Does Mike Moustakas do little for your Royal enthusiasm? Bradford takes a look.

There is something to always keep in mind when following baseball through statistics: Always consider the numbers within the context in which they were created. This platitude is particularly important when judging the numbers of minor-league players, who play in wildly divergent environments and against variable levels of competition.

When looking at Moustakas, first consider that Burlington is a pitcher’s park in a pitcher’s league, though the Bees’ home isn’t a bad park for home-run hitters. As a whole, Midwest League batters are hitting .247, and the league ERA is 3.56. All of the towns in the league are in cold-weather regions, which probably suppressed offense during the first month. This would have been particularly difficult for Moustakas, who hails from sunny southern California.

Age is probably the most important factor when evaluating prospects. Moustakas, 19, is the only position player on the Bees under 20. There are 20 or so batters in the league that young, and 10 of them have posted a better OPS (on-base plus slugging). Not great. Not terrible.

...Look, I’m not trying to convince you that .223 is a good batting average in any environment. It’s not. But don’t let yourself get too worked up because of five weeks of a performance that, when judged in context, is nothing to really be alarmed about.

MLB.com: ‘Idol’ finalist throws out first pitch

Guy’s got to stop smiling - he just looks creepy/smug when he does (although he’s not as creepy as the former ‘Star Search’ kid).

David Cook, one of three finalists on “American Idol,” threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Royals’ game against the Orioles on Friday night. Kauffman Stadium fans, treated to video clips of Cook’s TV performances on the giant CrownVision board, screamed as he took the field.
...
“My performances are always dedicated to the Kansas City Royals,” Cook told the crowd.
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Cook, from the suburb of Blue Springs, Mo., had a busy day. He gave a concert in Kansas City, appeared at a Blue Springs elementary school and was given a parade in his hometown.

Although plans called for Cook to sing the national anthem before the game, he deferred to the kids’ group originally enlisted for that honor, the Southwood Elementary Choir.

Deadspin: Even Joe Posnanski Gets Yelled At

In coincidental timing with David Weathers’ storming at the media, Poz takes his turn in the “Dark Side Of The Locker Room” section by recounting a (kind of) dark encounter with Jeff Montgomery, the face of the 90s Royals.

Now, I’m not going to tell you I’m the bravest guy around, because I’m not. I’m a bald, chubby-to-fat sportswriter. At first, I had that, “Damn, I’m going to have a fight with Jeff Montgomery and he’s going to pound on me like Sonny pounded Carlo,” feeling in my stomach. But after a couple of minutes, I realize he really isn’t going to hit me, there isn’t going to be a one-sided fight, and then it’s like I have one of those out of body experiences. Suddenly it’s like I’m looking down on the scene, and I’m thinking, “WOW, this guy is mad. Look at him. He’s really, really mad. He’s like crazy mad. Look at this guy, pacing around, stomping around, that towel wrapped around his hand, he’s really mad. I mean, this guy is mad.”

And then, it becomes sort of a mini-struggle not to laugh. Well, I don’t know that I was every close to laughing, but he WAS mad.

My favorite part was when the thing ended, and Jeff says, “Do we understand each other?” and he stomps off. The PR guy turned to me and in a shaken voice whispers: “I just want to thank you for allowing me to be a part of that.”

Royals’ Bale diagnosed with broken hand after punching door

Body all achin’
And wracked with pain
Lift that Bale

Royals left-hander John Bale won’t be returning to active duty any time soon after breaking his pitching hand Friday night by punching a door at the team’s downtown hotel.

Bale apparently was frustrated by his slow recovery from a fatigued left shoulder. He returned early Sunday to Kansas City and is scheduled to undergo further examination Monday by club physicians.

“I’m not pleased, obviously,” manager Trey Hillman said before Sunday’s series finale against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. “Players have to think before they do things.

“They’ve got to think about how it’s going to affect the rest of their team, how it’s going to affect their ability to perform and how it’s going to affect the whole group. I’m hopeful that there’s something salvageable for him. We’ll just have to wait to see where it goes.”

NY Times: Lessons From Big Leagues Guide a Bassmaster Rookie (RR)

“I’m lost, just lost,” the angler, Billy Brewer, a rookie on the Bassmasters Tour, said Wednesday, a day before the start of the three-day competition on the 71,535-acre lake about 130 miles east of Atlanta. He did not have much more luck Thursday, standing in 78th place.

“This sport is unforgiving, sometimes unfair, but you keep throwing, you compete.”

Brewer had the same philosophy about his previous athletic career, as a major league baseball player. He pitched in 203 games in relief over seven seasons (1993-1999) and toiled in the minors for another 201 games. An unforgiving situation on the lake can be matched with some of his experiences as a member of the bullpen for the Royals, Yankees, Athletics and Phillies and 12 minor league teams.
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There was the time in 1996, after being traded to the Dodgers from the Royals, that he threw 30 scoreless innings in a row at Class AAA but was left in the minors.

“We were on a conference call with L.A.’s general manager, me and my agent, trying to find out why I couldn’t join the big league team,” Brewer said. “And the G.M. said: ‘We’re being told Billy isn’t throwing that well. We’re not arguing about it — he’s staying where he is.’
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After 4 of 11 events, he is 33rd among 108 anglers and second in the rookie of the year standings among 11 anglers.

Royals hope irritating sports talk radio host doesn’t show

Don’t Worry, Gordon (Dummy’s Only Looking for His Hand in the Show)

The Royals will be keeping a watchful eye on who’s hanging around Alex Gordon over the next few days.

The Royals are hoping that a spring-training incident involving Dallas sports-talk station KTCK and Alex Gordon’s wife, Jamie, won’t escalate during the Royals’ three-game series with the Texas Rangers, which starts tonight.

The incident occurred toward the end of spring training when an afternoon sports talker at the station interviewed Jamie and Luke Hochevar’s wife, Ashley, in the stands at Surprise Stadium, where the Royals and Rangers share the campus. As the sport talker did his interview from the stands, the show’s other co-hosts listened and commented on the interview from the press box — Jamie and Ashley could not hear those comments.

The seemingly harmless interview took a nasty turn when Jamie was asked whether she knew who Yoko Ono was. When she said she did not, someone back in the booth or at the station hit a “drop” button that spewed the words “stupid b....” over the air. The same drop button was hit again moments later after Jamie answered another question.

Then later in the interview, one of the show’s hosts made crude innuendos about Jamie and Ashley, urging his interviewer to “try and get them to kiss.”

Stat Guy: Doolittle: Royals offense lacks discipline at plate

Outside we wait ‘til face turns Royals blue
I know the nervous walking…

If you want an offense built around plate discipline, it has to be an organizational mandate. Consider the A’s, who have minimum walk-rate requirements for developing hitters at the lower levels of their organization.

The Royals actually have a polar opposite development philosophy. Dayton Moore has said that he believes a player needs to swing the bat to learn the strike zone. As the player learns which pitches he can’t hit, he’ll lay off those pitches and the walks will increase. That’s the theory anyway.

Let’s take a trip around the diamond.

Ross Gload and Mark Grudzielanek are high-contact, low-walk guys who need a high batting average to justify their place in the lineup. Tony Peña is starting to make people cite Angel Berroa’s numbers in Omaha. That’s frightening. John Buck is fairly patient but is so inconsistent at making contact that he’s unlikely to post a decent on-base percentage. Miguel Olivo is a wild swinger who struck out 123 times last season and drew only 14 walks. We’ve covered Guillen. Joey Gathright has drawn one walk this season.

The Royals do have some players with a semblance of patience. There just aren’t enough of them.

Flanagan: Hillman not entirely pleased with Royals’ on-base percentage

Flanagan Oversees...the world of statistics and other jazz.

If there’s one message Royals manager Trey Hillman wants to get through to his hitters, it is to stay disciplined at the plate.

So while Hillman will never become enslaved to the world of statistics, he never takes his eye off one stat that tends to measure plate discipline — on-base percentage.

As you can imagine, watching his hitters this season has Hillman desperately trying to keep his composure.

“I have to bite my tongue all the time,” Hillman said with a slight smile. “And believe me, I want to snap sometimes. But what stops me from snapping is that I know that these guys all care. “They want to improve at it (OBP). They want to get better.”

...“I want guys to be aggressive up there,” he said. “You can’t take that away from a hitter. And you can’t be walking around with a red-hot poker every time a mistake is made.

“But then again, you don’t want your players cutting loose on 2-0 or 3-0 pitches just for the sake of it. I can control it, and I can put the take sign on.”

Outs Per Swing: Interview with Joe Posnanski

OPS: Tough question right off the bat: If you had to start a team with one of these players who would it be, Alex Gordon or Evan Longoria?

JoePo:Whew, impossible to say. I really like Longoria a lot … and I like Alex a lot. I can’t really say which one I would take, but I considered the question this way: If Tampa Bay called and offered Longoria straight up for Alex Gordon, would I make the trade? I’d have to say no. Gordon is pretty close, in my mind, to establishing himself as a good Major Leaguer, and he has a chance to be a lot better than that. Longoria hasn’t done anything yet. But Longoria has huge, huge upside; I’m probably wrong. When Longoria hits .379 with 38 homers next year, you can use that quote in the “stupid sportswriter Hall of Fame” book.

EH: The Royals once had a young star Centerfielder named Carlos Beltran. He was eventually traded due to salary concerns; do you see B.J Upton having the same fate with the Rays?

JoePo: Well, who knows, they might sign him to a nine-year deal in the next week. I like Upton an awful lot. I haven’t seen him enough, I would love to watch him every day. I watched Carlos every day for five years, and on certain days, when he was really good, it felt like watching a young DiMaggio (because of of his smoothness) or a young Willie Mays (because he could do everything). I remember when Beltran blew up in those playoffs against the Cardinals, and everyone was saying “Well, you didn’t know he was THAT good.” And I said: “Yeah, I did.”

BP Sports: Bannister emerging as Royals’ spiritual leader

From Sabermetrician to Savermetrician...Brian Bannister can do it all!

Dayton Moore, a Christian, is supportive of the Royals’ Bible study, which Bannister helps to lead now that first baseman Mike Sweeney, the longtime face of the franchise and its spiritual clubhouse leader, signed with Oakland in the offseason.

“Mike and I talked many times about Brian eventually being the leader of team because not only is he rock-solid, but he has a passion for Christ,” Royals co-chaplain Rod Handley said. “Brian told me, ‘I like to speak through actions instead of words, but I understand when I get that mantle from Sweeney, I’ll be more verbal.’ When Mike said goodbye at the end of [last] year, he said, ‘If I’m not back, Brian’s the guy.’”

Bannister, who trusted in Christ for salvation at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Bible Church’s Awana group while growing up, sees his career as a vehicle for fulfilling the Great Commission. He has shared his faith to poor kids and gang members at a Brooklyn (N.Y.) church and at his old high school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes group. But his biggest mission field is the Royals’ locker room.

“Baseball is a hectic lifestyle,” Bannister said. “It’s tough on relationships and families. Even though these guys have material things, they’re missing out on Christ. So God has really given me an opportunity to share with guys.”

Seattle Times: Stone: Bannister digs into stats to pile up pitching feats

Ho-hum...Just another Brian Bannistater article including “a man named Voros McCracken”.

And that person is 27-year-old Brian Bannister, pitcher for the Kansas City Royals and son of a Seattle baseball legend, former major-league pitcher Floyd Bannister out of Burien’s Kennedy High School.

When the Royals were in Seattle this past week, I asked Bannister how familiar he was with such esoteric terms (in the mainstream, at least) as BABIP (batting average on balls in play) and VORP (value over replacement player). He rolled his eyes, as if I had just asked him two plus two.

“It’s like the ‘Good Will Hunting’ line — ‘This stuff is so easy to me,’ “ he said, but not in a boastful fashion.

Bannister is well beyond the rudimentary stage of study. Ask him how deeply he has delved into statistical analysis, and he says, “Oh, as deep as anybody. I’ve gone as deep as you could go, so far.”

If there’s a Web site or book that presents some provocative new way of looking at baseball and its numbers, chances are strong Bannister has checked it out. “What it has stirred up is really fun,” he said. “Because here’s a whole group of baseball fans that were kind of outcasts, or ignored, or everyone said they were crazy. “The truth is coming out that they have some interesting things to say. If I can bridge that gap a little bit, I’m happy to do that.”

MLB: Royals tab Hochevar to start Sunday

Colt Griffin fans are just going to have to wait…

Luke Hochevar, the Royals’ top pitching prospect, will pitch on Sunday against the Athletics.

Hochevar, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft, will take John Bale’s spot in the rotation. Bale is on the 15-day disabled list with left shoulder fatigue.

Officially, Hochevar will be recalled from Triple-A Omaha and put on the roster before Sunday’s game, and one player will have to be removed.

In three starts for Omaha, Hochevar was 1-1 with a 2.60 ERA. He’ll be pitching on regular rest after working six shutout innings on Tuesday night against Nashville.

“Rather than start ‘Johnny Whole Staff’—a bullpen start—[on Sunday], we’ll go with [Hochevar] and reward him for doing very well at Spring Training and also starting well in the Triple-A season,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said.

The Most Overrated Pitching Prospects in Baseball | Baseball-Intellect

Video scouting reports of the most overrated pitching prospects in baseball.  An excerpt follows:

Lofgren is liked by many because of his mental make-up. He is intelligent and has a great “feel” for pitching and many think his stuff plays up because of this. I completely appreciate the need for a pitcher to have a strong make-up and a great feel for pitching, but when it becomes the central argument for putting Lofgren among the better pitching prospects in the game, you lose me.

Including Chuck Lofgren (Indians), the other pitchers include Luke Hochevar (Royals), Greg Reynolds (Rockies), Matt Harrison (Rangers), and Kevin Mulvey (Twins)

AP: Zack Greinke tosses complete game for third victory in Royals’ 5-1 win over Mariners

Zack Greinke pitched a five-hitter for his third career complete game, and the Kansas City Royals opened a seven-game road trip with a 5-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night.
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Greinke (3-0) joined teammate Brian Bannister with his third win, though his ERA climbed from 0.60 to 0.75. The right-hander was efficient, striking out four and inducing three double plays while facing only three batters more than the minimum.
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Just one Seattle baserunner advanced past first base against Greinke, who retired 18 of his final 20 batters. It was the sixth complete game in the American League this year and second by a Kansas City pitcher.
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Greinke got all the runs he needed in the second inning, thanks to a pair of longballs from an offense that entered the night with just five homers, the fewest in the AL.

Joe Posnanski: Banny Log 041308

Banny does not throw his fastball 90 mph. He COULD throw it 90 mph, obviously, but that’s not his speed. That’s not his rhythm. His fasball consistently tops out from 86-88 mph, which is well below major league average, which is why nothing has ever been easy for the guy. He pitched quite well for the New York Mets, and they didn’t really believe it, they traded him for a 23-year-old knucklehead who could throw a million miles per hour. The Royals got hBanndy and they liked him all right, but the truth is they were unimpressed enough to start him in Omaha last year despite the fact that they were DYING for starting pitching. They didn’t really know what they had.

*Banny can (and has) gone on a long and entertaining soliloquy about how he owes his entire to Scott Kazmir. He says when the Mets traded Kazmir, he was floundering in Class A ball. But as soon as Kazmir was traded, he was moved up to Double-A to take Kazmir’s spot. Banny was then given Kazmir’s place in the Arizona Fall League, and he pitched quite well. The Mets started looking hard at him at this point because, well, they no longer had Scott Kazmir. And when he made it to the big leagues, the opportunity was only available because Kazmir was gone. “You have to take advantage of it,” Banny says. “But that’s my whole career right there. I know there are still bad feelings in New York because of that trade, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Now, he views the radar gun in the same way that Joe Morgan used to view scouts that called him a “good little player.” It’s motivation. It’s a reputation to beat. It’s an opponent to batter.

Posnanski fits the Kazmir trade, Bannister-for-Burgos, BABIP and Joe Morgan into a single blog post.

MLB.com: Liriano uneven in return to Majors

Francisco Liriano’s return to the Major Leagues wasn’t exactly reminiscent of the pitcher who dominated the league in 2006 as a rookie.

The left-hander looked much more human in his first start back following a 19-month layoff due to Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery, giving up four runs over 4 2/3 innings in a 5-1 loss to the Royals on Sunday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.

Liriano was effective at times in his start, but the Royals were able to scatter six hits and drew a total of five walks. He threw a total of 90 pitches in the outing, 51 for strikes.
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The Twins managed just three hits off Bannister, who went the distance.

MLB: Girardi’s gamble can’t save Yanks

Me am the Girardi World. Planet Earth not think ... therefore, me do!

The idea might have looked good on paper, and it was certainly understandable considering the large green blob that threatened the general area. Mindful of those ugly Doppler scans, Yankees manager Joe Girardi gambled that Wednesday night’s game would be interrupted. He lost.

Scratching rookie Ian Kennedy minutes before first pitch, Girardi opted instead to have the Yankees’ relievers start and his starter relieve, planning on spending some time in the clubhouse to wait out a lengthy delay. But the Yankees and Royals played on, spoiling the manager’s forward-looking plans with a 4-0 loss at sloppy Kauffman Stadium.

“I didn’t get fooled—they said once it started it would be moderate to heavy,” Girardi said. “It was something we talked about. We knew the rain was coming, and we knew it had a chance to get real bad. In your mind, you hope it works out. The guys did the job; we just didn’t score any runs.”

Doolittle: Royals’ Bannister is a pioneer when it comes to baseball statistics

outside we wait ‘til face turns Royal blue
there is a wait so long
here comes our man

Bannister is one smart ballplayer. As he takes the mound today against the Yankees, sabermetricians aren’t smugly hunched over their keyboards, rooting for the laws of regression to bring Bannister down. Because, after all, Bannister is one of them.

Indeed, there may not be a more popular player among the stat-geek crowd. I make no claims of being a sabermetrician but obviously harbor an extreme fondness for them. I firmly believe that the use of advanced metrics and the concepts studied in the field have led to more intelligent team management and an improved product on the diamond.

And because I want this process to continue, I can honestly say that I have never wanted to be more wrong about a ballplayer.

Royals complete Jason LaRue deal by giving Reds $1

The Royals’ media guide still lists the Royals sending a player to be named to the Reds in exchange for catcher Jason LaRue. Has that trade never been completed?
-- Jason J., Prairie Village, Kan.

That November 20, 2006, deal that brought LaRue to the Royals has been completed, Taylor tells us. The Royals sent the Reds $1. That’s right, the big one buck that is sometimes specified as “cash considerations” if the two teams cannot agree on the player to be named. This is a fairly common practice. The Reds wanted to move LaRue and his $5.45 million salary that winter and they assumed a large chunk of it to make the deal. The Royals, in return, agreed to send the Reds a player to be named or $1. Reading between the lines, it appears the Reds just wanted to clear most of LaRue’s salary off their books and really didn’t care about receiving a player in return. They could apply the $1 to Ken Griffey Jr.’s salary.

LaRue hit.148 in 66 games. I’d much rather have the $1.

Mellinger: Royals’ Gordon: The next George Brett?

More like the next George Stallings…

The buzz of a packed sports bar hangs from outside the bathroom door. Gordon’s eyes shift from the poster above the urinal.

It’s been clear for some time now that Alex would do just fine, thank you, without the attention that comes along with being The Next George Brett. He would do especially just fine, thank you, without any attention while he’s going to the bathroom.

Alex turns his neck. He bites his lip, catches the guy’s eyes and tries like heck to be polite. Saviors don’t curse at fans, you know.

“Can you give me a second until I’m done peeing?” Gordon says.

The man nods his head. Absolutely, he says. Take your time. But then he just stands there. Right there in the bathroom.

This is as close as Alex comes to snapping.

“Hey,” he says coldly. “Can you wait outside?”

FOX Sports: Perry: Are the Royals ready to compete?

Not since the ”Joe Zdeb Neds A Nckname!” rally...have the Royals fans been so excited!

Of course, it’s players who win ballgames and not the suits upstairs. On that front, the Royals are improving. Despite his rookie struggles, Alex Gordon remains a profoundly promising young talent, and he’s going to settle into All-Star form perhaps as soon as this season. He’ll contend for the AL MVP at some point over the next half-decade. Billy Butler is to fielding what Keanu Reeves is to British accents, but at the plate Butler is a force. Blessed with tremendous power from the right side, Butler is going to be a middle-of-order hitter once he adjusts to major-league pitching. Sure, he’ll be stowed away at DH for the rest of his career, but he’ll put runs on the board and lots of them.

Then there’s top prospect Mike Moustakas. A lefty-hitting shortstop, Moustakas boasts tremendous bat speed, exceptional raw power, and an ability to make consistent, solid contact. Defensively, there’s some question as to whether he’ll be able to remain at short, but he definitely has the quickness and athleticism for second base. Wherever he winds up, expect him to flash 30-homer power on an annual basis. As young core hitters go, few can match what the Royals have.

KC Star: [Jorge] De La Rosa clears waivers, could be headed to Colorado

Left-hander Jorge De La Rosa cleared waivers Wednesday afternoon and accepted an outright assignment to Class AAA Omaha in a move that could be a precursor to a trade to Colorado.

The Royals designated De La Rosa for assignment March 26 to clear roster space in order to acquire reliever Ramon Ramirez from the Rockies for a player to be named later. All signs point to De La Rosa, 26, being that player.

The Rockies indicated a preference for De La Rosa when they surrendered Ramirez but not as a member of their 40-man roster. Colorado wanted to wait to see if De La Rosa cleared waivers and would accept an assignment to the minors.

De La Rosa had the option of becoming a free agent, but doing so would have forced him to forfeit his guaranteed salary of $1.025 million.
...
The two sides have until June 15 to determine compensation for Ramirez. The Rockies could delay the deal until that time and save about $430,000 in salary.

Bannister combines on three-hit shutout of Tigers

And here begins the Brian Bannister saga: can a pitcher with, at best, average stuff use knowledge of sabermetrics to beat the system? Was holding down one of the most dangerous offenses in the American League a fluke?

If Brian Bannister were a lefty, people would call him crafty. Instead, he’ll have to settle for effective.

Bannister stymied the Detroit Tigers’ heralded offense Wednesday, allowing two singles in seven innings as the Kansas City Royals won 4-0.

“That’s a very good lineup, and they are going to score a lot of runs, but I also know that they have a lot more expectations than we do,” Bannister said. “That’s why I wanted to put them under pressure early.”

Bannister doesn’t try for a lot of strikeouts, preferring to induce grounders and fly balls.

“I get criticized for the way I pitch, but I believe in it, and it’s working,” said Bannister, who went 12-9 with a 3.87 ERA as a rookie last season.

KC Star: Feds seize Plaza drug dealer’s car, which is owned by former Royal Santiago

Investigators have seized a luxury car owned by a former Kansas City Royals catcher as part of an investigation into a high-end cocaine conspiracy on the Country Club Plaza. Benito Santiago, 43, who played for the team during the 2004 season, owned the car, federal and state records show.
...
When he pleaded guilty last week to federal drug trafficking charges, Jacques Lavigne, 64, acknowledged that he had given $80,000 in drug profits to an unidentified individual so that person could purchase the car for him and title it in Florida. Lavigne then used the car as his own and parked it at his home, the Locarno Apartments on the Plaza. Investigators seized it in October.

The Kansas City Star identified Santiago as the owner of the car by tracing its vehicle identification and license plate numbers, which were disclosed in court records. Nothing in court records suggests that Santiago knew he was purchasing a car for the operator of a multimillion-dollar cocaine operation.
...
Attempts to reach Santiago through a former lawyer and agent were unsuccessful. Both said they hadn’t heard from him since he left the major leagues in 2005. Santiago’s telephone number is unlisted, and he did not respond last week to a letter sent to his Florida home.

Posnanski: Royals Bannister uses brain power and statistics to stay ahead of the hitters

I was just watching a nifty Mumyfied Hitch and the sponsor was the flick “21”.  And I swear it’s walk-on Brian Bannister that screams out...“I beat the system!”

Bannister has been talking baseball for a long time, and he suddenly realizes that it might all be coming out wrong. He realizes that someone might read his comments, his theories, his ideas and decide that he’s cocky or a know-it-all or someone who thinks he can outsmart the game of baseball.

“I hope people understand,” he says. “I know who I am. I know I’m just a guy with average ability. I’m trying to pitch in the major leagues, against the best hitters in the world. I’m pitching against guys who are like 7 feet tall and can throw 98 mph and have sliders that explode. I mean, seriously, look at me. What am I doing here?”

At that moment, Bannister is wearing his glasses, and he’s eating a sandwich, and he looks like he just got off work at the accounting office down the street.

“I just need an edge,” he says. “We all need an edge.”

Bless You Boys: Former Tigers Coach Billy Consolo Passes Away

Bless you, indeed.  Billy Consolo.

Here’s some sad news for long-time Detroit Tigers fans.  Former coach Billy Consolo, who was a coach for the team from 1979 to 1992, and again in 1995, passed away yesterday from an apparent heart attack.  He was 73 years old.

In addition to his coaching career, Consolo played for 10 years in the major leagues.  The six teams he played for were the Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Angels, and Kansas City Athletics.  He played at shortstop, second base, and third base throughout his career.

You know, Mike McClary and I were just talking about Consolo a couple of days ago.  I was telling him about the article in last Sunday’s Boston Globe, in which Joe Torre claims that he was the first to employ a bench coach when he asked Don Zimmer to join his New York Yankees coaching staff in 1996.

That couldn’t be, Mike said.  Consolo was Sparky Anderson’s bench coach, but maybe they just didn’t call that job “bench coach” back then.

EV Tribune: Cactus League sets attendance record

Not much of a Bonds effect in Scottsdale, but I can’t imagine attendance will hold up well in SF.

The just-concluded Cactus League season set records for total attendance and per-game turnout.

“Not too bad,” league president J.P. de la Montaigne deadpanned Thursday.

Attendance this year was 1,316,160 for 177 games, which comes out to about 7,436 fans per game.
Once again, the top turnstile count was recorded at Mesa’s HoHoKam Park, home of the Chicago Cubs. The defending champions of the National League’s Central Division drew 181,280 fans in 15 games, and their average attendance of 12,085 was almost 22 percent higher than the runner-up San Francisco Giants.
The Scottsdale-based Giants suffered a slight drop in attendance from 2007, perhaps due to the absence of all-time home run leader Barry Bonds. Still, their per-game count of 9,929 was 10 percent better than the third-place Seattle Mariners, who train in Peoria.

“They did almost 10,000,” de la Montaigne said. “I think anybody would be happy with that.”

Rocky Mountain News: Roster all but set for opener

Left-handers [Mark] Redman and Franklin Morales officially were named by manager Clint Hurdle to fill out a rotation that also will include left-hander Jeff Francis and right-handers Aaron Cook and Ubaldo Jimenez.

The Rockies, meanwhile, traded right-handed reliever Ramon Ramirez to Kansas City for a player to be determined, opening a bullpen and roster spot for left-hander Micah Bowie, and decided the budget would allow them to option outfielder Cory Sullivan, who has a $1 million salary, to Triple-A Colorado Springs. That created a fit for Scott Podsednik as the fifth outfielder.
...
Hurdle said if Josh Towers, who was battling with Redman and Morales, and Jose Capellan clear waivers Friday, they will be sent to Colorado Springs and used in the rotation to create depth in case a need arises.

Towers has a $1.2 million major league salary, which could scare away teams, and Capellan had been out with a sprained ankle this spring training until Monday, limiting the amount of time scouts had to evaluate him.
...
The Rockies have until June 15 to decide on the player they will receive from the Royals, but the target is left-hander Jorge De La Rosa, who is out of options and will have to clear waivers before the Rockies can acquire him and send him to Colorado Springs.

KC Star: Royals trade Huber to Padres, cut loose De La Rosa

Even the Royals’ need for some right-handed power couldn’t overcome Justin Huber’s inability to master a defensive position. The Royals traded Huber to San Diego this afternoon for a player to be named later. The deal came one day after Huber smoked a two-run pinch double against the Padres in an 8-4 victory.

“For us, the way our club was shaping up,” general manager Dayton Moore said, “we just didn’t see the opportunity for him to be on our team. He’s out of options, and I really wish we had more time.”
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The trade was one of two made today by the Royals. They earlier acquired right-handed reliever Ramon Ramirez from Colorado after clearing space on their 40-man roster by designating left-handed pitcher Jorge De La Rosa for assignment.
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The lack of a defensive position hampered Huber’s development. He was a catcher when acquired from the Mets but shifted to first base because of a knee injury. Huber struggled at first base and fared little better after shifting in 2006 to left field.

Rany on the Royals: Reason #6: The Writer.

Pivotal Joe McGuffin’s abound!.....Rany on the hotbed of baseball writers, Kansas City.

Bill James has moved on to Boston, he now has a pair of world championship rings on his fingers, and now has his own website, and while I’m sure he has some residual affection for the Royals, I don’t imagine that he stays up at night wondering if the Jose Guillen signing will pan out. In his place, we’ve been blessed with another writer every bit James’ equal, and who writes about the Royals with more frequency, more passion, and – thanks to the internet – with much more influence than James had at his peak.

Joe Posnanski is the reason I decided to start this blog, because if he can write about baseball (and movies and pop culture and politics and whatever else catches his fancy) while still maintaining his Kansas City Star column and writing a book about the Big Red Machine (which will be hard-pressed to top his book about Buck O’Neil), then I figured I could blog about the Royals in my spare time. But Posnanski is also the reason I almost decided not to start this blog, because how the hell can I expect to compete with him?

Posnanski may not be the best sportswriter in America (although he probably is), and he may not be the best analyst in America. But no mainstream sportswriter understands the numbers of baseball – both what the numbers tell you and what they don’t tell you – as well as Posnanski. And no analyst comes within a country mile of Poz’s writing skills.