Royals Projected Lineup By OPS+
Posted: December 11th, 2009 | Filed under: Baseball | 60 Comments »
The Pozman 2000s will be posted soon — it has been an extremely hectic week in Minnesota. But in the meantime, for your viewing pleasure, I offer you the Royals projected lineup for 2010 by 2009 OPS+.
It should be noted that the Royals lineup will undoubtedly NOT be exactly like this … they will surely pick up a center fielder somewhere, and I am so certain that Alberto Callaspo is not part of their future plans that I’m actually writing him out of the lineup — I could be wrong. But with the Royals signing of Jason Kendall, this should give you a decent idea of what to expect from KC in 2010.
Leading off and playing left field: 106 (David DeJesus).
Batting second and playing second: 74 (Chris Getz … I just have a bad feeling about them hitting him second).
Batting third and playing first base: 124 (Billy Butler).
Hitting cleanup and DHing: 80 (Jose Guillen … he could be in RF too).
Batting fifth and playing third: 86 (Alex Gordon … you hope he will improve on this).
Batting sixth and playing center field: 76 (Willie Bloomquist … the Royals don’t have an actual center fielder at the moment. You could put Mitch Maier’s 78 here. I suspect the Royals will get someone).
Batting seventh and catching: 72 (Jason Kendall).
Batting eighth and playing DH/OF: 68 Josh Fields (I’m cheating a little bit here here … this could be Alberto Callaspo’s 114. But I’m pretty certain Callaspo will not be with the Royals in 2010 … and Fields will get at-bats).
Batting ninth and playing shortstop: 68 (Yuniesky Betancourt).
Looking like another pennant in the American City of Avenues Boulevards and Fountains.
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I’m sorry, Joe.
We’re going to have two above average guys in our lineup?
Sweet!!
What is the over under for how many times the Royals get shut out in 2010? 20? 25?
Jason Kendall?! You gotta be….
Wow.
Sorry to make a bad situation seem even worse, but there is also the possiblility that Billy Butler will not repeat last year’s offensive achievements. Although Baseball-Reference has slightly inflated his OPS+ rating with a park factor adjustment of 98 (slight pitcher’s park), Kauffman Stadium was in reality a strong hitter’s park last year for most everyone. Butler himself had hugely divergent home/away OPS splits of 1.027/.679. His home field performance is liable to come back to Earth a bit in 2010.
With a lineup like that, back to back Cy Youngs are inevitable.
I’ll give you (KC) Nick Punto for a box of balls, 3 bats and a rosin bag.
“I’ll give you (KC) Nick Punto for a box of balls, 3 bats and a rosin bag.”
Don’t underestimate Moore’s ability to give up something for nothing. Hell, he’d probably offer you guys Butler straight up for Punto (like he did for Betancourt last winter).
Good thing those guys are all gold glovers.
Maybe we can move the fences behind the Hall of Fame and fountains.
Joe, I’m sad.
What’s that team’s motto? “Runs are overrated?”
Trust The Process!
And yet, I still look forward to the baseball season. True. Blue. Sadomasochism.
One hit? One goddamned hit?
I hope I forget all about this by February. I need baseball excitement in February. Zack Greinke. Billy Butler. Joakim Soria. Zack Greinke. Billy Butler. Joakim Soria. Zack Greinke. Billy Butler. Joakim Soria. Must keep repeating.
Why, oh why, did I sign that contract?
Zack Grienke’s line for next year 10-19 325 strikeouts, ERA 1.32
Dayton Moore: every below average player’s bank.
I’m pretty sure that Dayton Moore and I must have stopped playing fantasy baseball at about the same time, and thus we have an overinflated view of Jason Kendall. I had no idea how bad Kendall has been for so long.
Holy cow, they actually signed Jason Kendall. Dayton Moore really is dyslexic…he thinks last place means first.
Or maybe that “outs” means “times on base”…
I would just like to point out that Brian Bannister’s career OPS+ is 92.
(Okay, so in 2009 it was 7.)
the bad news is…well, your post. the GOOD news is that with a lineup like that, if Zack gets bored and starts fidgeting and/or getting a little grumpy, the Royals can let him play SS for a few games, CF for a few more, hell, WHATEVER HE WANTS, JUST KEEP HIM HAPPY.
@ Brian (#15) I think that’s what a fan’s idea of The Process should be. Just repeat the names of Greinke, Butler, and Soria.
WATCH OUT DAYTON — THE KILA MONSTER IS COMING!
But club officials make it clear that Kendall projects as their key offseason acquisition.
Joe,
Question. Shouldn’t it be “Boulevards and Fountains?”
I’m fairly certain KC is known for it’s amount of Boulevards.
In fact, didn’t you used to work on a notable KC Blvd? Grand?
Maybe I’m wrong. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised.
But you get to see history when Jason Kendall steals his 178th career stolen base and becomes the sole holder of the record for career stolen bases by a catcher. He’s keeping the dream of John Wathan’s 1982 season alive.
Jason Kendall
HOFer????
Wow… I’m not even going to try to go to any games next year. If Dayton wants to give me free tickets, I’ll consider it, but at this point, if he isn’t trying, neither am I.
I would have been ok with signing Kendall—-in 1998.
http://www.theonion.com/content/news_brief/royals_gm_didnt_know_he_was
Yes, we are the laughing stock.
That is one of the worst lineups I have ever seen. Our team is going to stink. Like a glue factory. Or a dead skunk. Or my old roommate’s refrigerator. Or a leaking sewer. Or a migrant worker’s armpit. Or a pile of fish guts. Or a carpet drenched through with cat piss. Or a pig barn. Or a fertilizer plant. Or a dog fart.
Feel free to come up with your own simile.
And those idiots are going to trade away Callaspo, who hits doubles and gets on base.
I am thoroughly frustrated…..
The worst part is that last year I actually felt ok with the lineup/projected batting order at the begining of the season and look how that ended up. At least this year, I’ll have no expectations!
I look at your predictions Joe and it makes me sick to think of how many times we will be shut out or lose 3-1 or 4-2.
Honestly, as someone who grew up a Royals fan, if it weren’t for my fantasy team, I just wouldn’t pay attention to baseball at all anymore. As it is, I don’t pay attention to baseball at all after August (well, September if I make the fantasy playoffs). I haven’t watched a World Series game in years because, frankly, if I wanted to watch a championship that is rigged, I’d watch wrestling. People talk about how the NFL has become the more popular league because it is better for TV, but don’t discount the significance of the fact that literally any team could be the dominant franchise in the league ten years from now–we have no idea. In baseball, about eight teams have a legit shot at being the “dominant franchise,” and maybe fewer than that. As a Chiefs fan, football stays interesting even when the team is bad because I know franchises can and will turn around. But the Royals? Who gives a shit?
I can’t imagine that I’m alone in these sentiments, but I guess if MLB is happy being the “National Pastime of the I-95 Corridor, St. Louis, and Nowhere Else,” they’re more than welcome to the title.
The Royals don’t have any players on Roids. Thus, they lose.
Some guy named Tiger is evidently available. He could probably hit better than 4 of those guys…
New Royals motto: Just wait until 2012!
All the Royals need now is Dusty Baker.
Ben, I’m not clear how the Kendall signing is evidence of MLB being rigged. It’s a sign of the Royals brain-trust having no brains. They could actually spend less and get more production than they’re going to get.
I actually think, given how craptacular the Royals offense is likely to be next year that they should just start all their pitchers in the field. They’d always have the platoon and matchup advantage. Just rotate guys around the diamond as needed. Completely punt on offense.
Look — the Royals have been taking all of the Braves pitchers. It’s time to give someone back. How about they give Billy Butler and David DeJesus to the Braves. That way they don’t have to worry about having a couple of decent hitters in their lineup. It will quicken their games. After all, it takes SO much time to have runners on base.
Okay, okay, I realize that’s not completely fair. How about the Royals trade Butler and DeJesus to the Braves for Todd Redmond and James Parr. I know those two are better than the pitchers they Royals have “acquired” from the Braves before, but I’m sure they will still post ERAs over 5.
I thought Jason Kendall retired some five years ago. Really? Is Sundberg available? He’s better defensively…even now.
As part of the Dusty Baker deal, we will be glad to throw in Willy Taveras, who fits perfectly into the top of this lineup as your everyday CF. All we’re asking in return is that you promise never to send either one back.
FYI career games caught:
1. Pudge 2288
2. Fisk 2226
3. Boone 2225
4. Carter 2056
5. Pena 1950
6. Sundberg 1927
7. Lopez 1918
8T. Ausmus 1917
8T. Santiago 1917
10. Kendall 1907
Well, Joe, I think the idea is Getz and Fields are both supposed to do better… if they don’t, that looks pretty bad. However, Fields has almost nothing left BUT improvement. And it seems fairly clear Bloomquist isn’t starting, like you kind of hinted at but still used his OPS+ anyway. I’m more confident about Getz and especially Fields improving their OPS+ by a significant margin than Gordon, honestly.
And we can only hope Yuniesky sucks enough to force the Royals to hand Aviles the starting job back. That would make the lineup look better.
What are we thinking???
You know, a friend put it this way and this is how I now like to think about it: The Royals are a performance art piece. Some gifted performance artist asked Royals management several years ago if he could borrow the team for a few years to make massive, large-scope piece of art, a subversive piece that would be based around themes of massive stupidity, obdurateness, denseness, and an inability to learn from mistakes. A piece designed to test the outer, outer limits of what a sports fan can endure. A piece designed to incur the wrath of the online baseball community. Designed to become the laughingstock of the sports world.
In other words, the most successful piece of art this decade.
Well I guess this means the end of John Buck and with the Mark Teahan trade a few weeks ago we officially have nothing left to show for Beltran. I feel like that’s really the saddest part of this whole deal.
The location poll is going to be biased by people who prefer to click “Heartland” rather than “Rust Belt,” even though “Rust Belt” is more honest.
I am glad the royals have a lot of money to play around with because they are going to have to eat Kendalls 2011 salary he is barely playable as a starting catcher now and it wont get better when he is two years older
How is it at all possible to have a 68-80 OPS+ DH in your lineup? All the guy has to do is hit — he doesn’t need to run particularly well, he doesn’t have to field. All he has to do is hit.
Buck signed for 2MM.
Why didn’t the Royals know they could have signed him for this. A one year contract for 2MM.
I don’t necessarily think that going in a different direction is a bad idea, but Jason Kendall??? Find somebody young and give them a chance and see what happens. That’s not out there? Oh, he’s on the roster. Give Brayan Pena a chance. I tend to agree with Joe that he is a backup, but so is Jason Kendall.
The poster above who said that it is about all the little flaws is right on. Guillen is a huge mistake, but so are all of the 2 and 3 million dollar errors. If you just pay 400K instead of paying for Juan Cruz, or Farnsworth, or Olivo, or Bloomquist, or Chen, or Ponson, or Thompson where are you at? What is Moore’s aversion to finding someone at 400K? He always seems to plug someone in who is 2 to 4 MM when a replacement player would be better and make more sense for the “process.”
It is all incredibly frustrating. We have an owner, a general manager and a manager who are learning on the job.
I despise Glass, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt that he might spend more money if he had more confidence that it would matter. He is doing that with the Cuban.
Moore seems to be setting up a decent farm system will failing miserably at putting together a major league roster. Give him enough time and he might learn.
And Hillman seems like he is a deer in the headlights most of the time. But with some experience it would seem that he could learn to manage.
Each person in and of themselves has some likable qualities, (Ok maybe not Glass, a Mr. Burns wannabe) but when you put the three of them together at the same time you have the disaster that we are witnessing.
Cue the Benny Hill music!
I like to think that Jason Kendall was KC’s Plan B. Unfortunately, that means that Plan A was luring Ed Hearn out of retirement.
This is really bad. Dayton Moore is naughty but it’s the fans that get coal in their stockings.
Where is the freaking pride? A once proud franchise completely off the rails.
Does anyone out at the K truly give a….. This projected lineup is a complete joke.
Don’t kid yourselves that the Royals are playing for the future. Moore will continue to screw this up and will ultimately end up making poor trades when Greinke, Meche, Soria, and DeJesus are eventually dispatched in order to salvage something in return.
Are we sure that Glass isn’t pulling a “Major League” on the Royals? That lineup is atrocious and I’m sure at least a couple of them were brought up from Tijuana.
But hey, on the bright side, look how that turned out! Royals win the pennant in 2010!
*sigh* and I thought I was so clever with the Major League analogy…only to see in your next post that someone beat me to it.
What’s Moore’s GM+ rating? 23?
[...] hey, he also wrote that Kansas City would win the division in 2010, despite the fact that 7 of their 9 projected starters posted an OPS+ of under 90 last [...]
[...] But now, yes, it is finally time for my predictions. My pick for Cactus League champion is the Kansas City Royals, behind Zack Greinke’s pitching, Alex Gordon’s untapped potential, and Jason Kendall’s $6 million dollar intangibles. This will bring joy to Royals fans everywhere before they can go back to their comfortable regular season place in the AL Central basement. [...]