Welcome back to “Judging the Royals.” Every Monday I’ll post a baseball-related column and the rest of the week we can use the web site as a chat room. I’ll check in daily and respond to comments. This allows us to keep a conversation going all winter. Of course, that assumes you want to keep a conversation going all winter, but what else are you going to do? The Chiefs only play once a week and, most of the time, we should be grateful it’s not more often.
So what’s happened in the offseason so far?
Frank White’s firing: I don’t know how much I can add to the subject, but that won’t keep me from talking about it. Frank was one of the first people to encourage what I was doing on this site and I appreciated the vote of confidence. As you’ve all heard, the supposed reason for Frank’s firing is that he was ‘too negative’. If that refers to what he was saying during broadcasts, I can’t agree.
If anyone covering a team is constantly positive, they’re not being honest. If anyone covering a team is constantly negative, they’re also not being honest. And I thought Frank was honest: He pointed out mistakes, but praised good play.
If being “too negative” refers to what Frank had to say about the organization off the air (a possibility the Star’s Sam Mellinger pointed out), I guess the Royals could make a case. Frank had some well-publicized differences with the front office. On the other hand, if The Kansas City Star fired every employee who said something negative about the organization, it wouldn’t have enough people left to put out a paper tomorrow morning. I think complaining about your employer ought to be a constitutional right.
I’ve read a variety of opinions on Frank’s dismissal. Someone complained about the way he read the promos. It never occurred to me to care. A lot of people can read promos. But there’s a shortage of people who can tell you that a batter wearing a shin guard tells the pitcher that he chases the down and in pitch.
Lost in all this is the firing of TV producer Kevin Shank. Kevin had produced Royals broadcasts for 17 years and was considered a good guy by everyone I know. Shank was the one who suggested I go on the pregame show (OK, so he made at least one bad decision). Kevin invited me to cover a game from inside the truck so I could watch what went on during a broadcast. I intended to take him up on the offer, but never did and now I’m sorry I missed the opportunity. Kevin would yell at me as I walked to my car after games and invite me over to the truck to talk about the game and what happened that night.
As always, I assume there’s stuff we don’t know, but I’m sorry to see them both go. I learned a lot of baseball from Frank and enjoyed hanging out with Kevin. These guys aren’t going to be easy to replace.
The new guys: Johnny Giavotella was making his debut at Kauffman Stadium last season and was surrounded by reporters. I was watching the scene from the other end of the clubhouse with Chris Getz and Mitch Maier when Chris wistfully said, “I remember when I was a prospect,” which made us all laugh. I then said, “I know I’m not supposed to have favorites, but I want you guys to play. I don’t want to have to get to know a bunch of new people.” Many a truth is told in jest. (Someone should write that down.) It takes a while to get to know players and it takes players a while to trust reporters. When I asked Mitch how long it had taken before he trusted me, he smiled and said, “I’m still working on it.” (Mitch is actually pretty funny.)
Getting to know new guys is a pain. I just wish the team would check with me before bringing in different players and coaches without regard for my personal convenience. Here’s a rundown of some of the new guys I’m going to have to deal with in 2012:
Lorenzo Cain: I prefer Melky Cabrera in center field. Not because I knew Melky all that well — he didn’t speak English. (Supposedly… there were rumors to the contrary, but if he got away with pretending he couldn’t speak English for an entire year, that’s brilliant.) So Cabrera didn’t speak English and mi espanol es muy malo. (See? I told you.) I prefer Melky simply because he’s shown he can perform at the big league level and Lorenzo is still in the process of proving that.
I don’t get how people who didn’t predict Melky’s outstanding performance in 2011 are now confidently predicting that he’s sure to fall off in 2012. Maybe, but nobody really knows. (More on playing GM in a future posting.)
Melky’s downside was lack of true center field speed, but outfield coach Doug Sisson thought Cabrera was making up for that with improved positioning and jumps. I haven’t seen Cain enough to have a worthwhile opinion and by the end of 2012 maybe I’ll think he’s terrific. Keep your eye on balls in the gap and over Lorenzo’s head. If he’s going to outplay Melky defensively, those are the balls he has to catch.
Jonathan Sanchez: The reports are “good stuff, doesn’t throw enough strikes,” which is kind of scary for a team that fired its last pitching coach because the staff didn’t throw enough strikes, enough low strikes and pitched behind in the count too often. Pay attention to whether Sanchez throws strikes early in the count and whether those strikes are low in the zone.
Jonathan Broxton: When he’s healthy, he’s a beast. It’ll be interesting to see where he fits in and who he shoves out. I know there was concern about lefty Tim Collins, another ‘good stuff, doesn’t throw enough strikes’ guy.
Last season there was a late-inning situation tailor-made for a left-handed reliever and Ned Yost skipped Collins and went right to Greg Holland. The next day Ned told me he made the move because he didn’t want Collins to come in and put the other team back into the game with a couple of walks.
Obviously, the right-handed Broxton doesn’t do anything to improve the bullpen from the left side, (although a relief pitcher doesn’t necessarily have to be left-handed to be effective against lefties). So keep an eye on the left-handed reliever situation.
Once again, Sam Mellinger had an interesting column (Sam, you need to start paying me for all this promotion) on finding more wins in the bullpen instead of the starting rotation. Blow 10 fewer saves last year and you’ve got a .500 club.
(Interesting that Broxton was lobbied to sign while on a hunting trip with Ned Yost and Jeff Francoeur. Somebody trusted Frenchy with a gun?)
Jason Kendall: He’s still around town. Nobody expects to see him on the field anytime soon (still rehabbing his shoulder), but that’s an awful lot of baseball knowledge just sitting on a couch drinking Bud Light. When I asked Yost if the team missed Jason’s presence, Ned said yes.
Here’s a story that explains what we’re talking about: The Royals were winning a game and brought in a reliever who pitched poorly. The reliever then went up to the clubhouse and trashed a chair. After the game, Kendall expressed admiration for the pitcher’s ability to beat up furniture and then told him he was being a jerk (and I’m pretty sure he didn’t say jerk). Jason pointed out that the Royals had won the game and the pitcher was sending the message that what happened to him was more important than what happened to the team. The pitcher apologized to Jason. Jason said he should apologize to the team.
So he did.
That’s what a guy like Jason Kendall can do for a baseball team. There aren’t a lot of players who command that kind of respect. There also aren’t a lot of guys who have the guts to confront an angry teammate and tell them that they’re out of line. You can’t measure the importance of this kind of leadership with numbers.
I wonder if the Royals will find some role for him.
Yamaico Navarro: I don’t know all the factors involved in his trade, but the Star’s Bob Dutton says part of it was his defense. Last season there was a play against the White Sox that seemed to irk Ned Yost. Alexi Rameriz was on first, a ball was hit to Alex Gordon in left and Mike Moustakas headed for the middle of the infield to act as the cutoff man.
Gordon came up ready to throw out Ramirez, who was going first to third, but Navarro had failed to cover third. It gave the Sox an extra out in the inning and they took advantage with a three-run home run. After the game I asked Ned about it and he said Yamaico’s mental lapse changed the whole game.
I doubt he got traded over one play, but it didn’t help. Fans love offense, but most pros think pitching and defense are more important. The Royals appear to be taking defense seriously, so don’t be surprised if that factors into whatever they decide about Johnny Giavotella.
The new media dress code: Media representatives can no longer wear muscle shirts to the ballpark. I wonder why they don’t tell us we can no longer distract players by bringing our hot super model girlfriends to work, because that isn’t happening either.
Really? No more muscle shirts? Who the hell is wearing muscle shirts in the press box? I know it’s not a media representative, because a muscle shirt requires muscles.
The funniest GM I know: The Angels’ new GM, Jerry Dipoto, is a buddy of mine — we met when he was a pitcher for the Indians. When Jerry lived here in KC, he’d spend the winter striking me out to get ready for spring training. Jerry is one of the smartest, funniest guys I know, but he’s definitely got a unique view of the world.
When he and mutual friend Tim Bogar both played for the Mets he told me he was mad at Bogie for playing too much: “Overexposure, fastest trip out of the big leagues.” Jerry believed that if you never played, you might be good. Why go on the field and ruin the illusion?
He was thrilled when he got traded from the Mets to the Rockies: “Do you know how lousy I can pitch and they’re still going to want me?”
He got mad at his agent for getting him too generous a contract: “Hey, for this kind of money they’re going to expect me to get someone out.”
Now mostly that was just Jerry being funny, but for a guy who believed the key to a long major league career was not making too much money and avoiding playing time, he’s put a big target on his back with the Pujols and Wilson deals. More on Jerry in future posts.
OK, that’s it. This post was longer than normal — a lot’s happened in my absence.
But it’s nice to be back.
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Robert Sailler
5 months agoWelcome back, Lee. Good to hear from you. Keep your hands warm over the hot stove.
Lee Judge
5 months agoThanks, Robert, good to be back. After the last game of the season I was exhausted and needed the time off.
But after a while I was ready to get back to work and realized it was dumb to just let the people in the community we’ve created here go their separate ways and expect everyone to show up again in the spring.
I’ve made numerous mistakes while figuring out what to do with this web site and that was one.
I think fans that show up on this site are interested in a particular point of view: they want to know how the players and coaches think about the game.
I need to do my best to keep providing that information, even during the winter.
Larry Tindle
5 months agoWelcome back, from the length of this post I guess you missed the site. Look forward to future posts. You said it takes a lot of time to get to know and get the trust of the new guys. I wish they would leave the team the same because I’m tired of buying jerseys with a players name on it and then they are gone. Think Hosmer is safe for a few years. That’s my next jersey. Merry Christmas.
Antonio Cutolo-Ring
5 months agoYay! I’ve checked this site occasionally just in case. Then I saw in today’s Star you’d be writing here again. Glad to have you back.
Lee Judge
5 months agoLarry: Maybe that’s what’s behind some of the trades: they make money off the new jerseys! I’m pretty sure that’s why there’s a new cap every year or so.
You should be safe for a few years with Hosmer, but when he hits free agency, watch out. He’s probably going to be tough to keep.
And you’re right, I did miss the site. I didn’t want to write every day, but something would happen and I’d have the desire to put in my two cents worth. (Which might be overestimating my contributions.)
Lee Judge
5 months agoAntonio: Good to hear from you. Keep checking in, I’m hoping the comment section becomes a chat room and we can talk about current events.
Like synthetic testosterone and MVP awards.
I’d always assumed that performance enhacing drugs just meant bigger muscles and 50 home-run seasons from leadoff hitters.
Now I think some guys do it mainly for recovery. I was told off the record by one former player that as long as owners wanted a 162-game season, players were going to find a way to get through it.
And extending the playoffs doesn’t help.
Stu Morasch
5 months ago‘they want to know how the players and coaches think about the game.’
Perfect! The behind-the-scenes info is an absolute must-read for this lifetime Royals fan. Thank you for doing what you do!
Jim Brown
5 months agoHow great was it to open the Star and see your column. I’m looking forward to “pitchers and catchers” and another year of Judging the Royals.
Lee Judge
5 months agoStu: Thanks for the support. The web site doesn’t work without your participation.
Lee Judge
5 months agoJim: I’m looking forward to 2012 also, kind of. It’s just that the season is like a roller coaster: you can’t get off in the middle. Once it starts, that’s it.
This year it will seem even longer because they’re talking about sending me to spring training for all six weeks.
Which sounds great, but about three weeks too long. Picture going home and announcing that while my wife deals with winter in KC, I’ll be in Arizona for a month and a half.
Lee Judge
5 months agoAnother thought on the wisdom of Jerry Dipoto: his theory that getting on the field can ruin your career might be coming into play with Tyler Palko.
Palko had a good job holding a clipboard and wearing a headset. Actually playing may have dropped his stock in the NFL.
Jim Fetterolf
5 months agoLee, good to have you back. I pretty much agree with your post, so offer only a suggestion or two for future blogs:
Does the new pitching coach signal a change to a long-toss friendly environment in the organization for Luke Hochevar, Mike Montgomery, JaKKKe Odorizzi, and others who have had the training regime that made them stud prospects changed to their apparent detriment?
Do you think that doing a reverse-Greinke by trading a bunch of hot prospects for James Shields or Gio Gonzales makes any sense at this point within the Process of creating a home-grown, long-term contender in a small-market?
Been involved in a few discussions with Greg Schaum, Clint Scoles, and Mike Engel on those questions (name dropping:), and there is an emerging consensus that changing the training of some of our young pitchers has retarded their development, while there is little consensus on whether to “trade the farm” for another starter. I’m a “keep the farm” guy, rather grow my own Justin Verlander than trade hot prospects for a second tier starter like Gonzales or a third-tier one like Trevor Cahill.
Jim Fetterolf
5 months ago“You can’t measure the importance of this kind of leadership with numbers.”
I think it was you who pointed out that “Mr. Kendall” was somewhat taken aback during his rehab at Surprise with how little the new kids knew about “the Game”. That suggests a great place for Jason Kendall to put his experience and leadership abilities to good use for the team, get the kids when they are younger and more impressionable and teach them. If he didn’t mind the travel, a roving coach/scout through the system might be good, also.
Lee Judge
5 months agoJim: Nice to hear from you. Catching up with new pitching coach Dave Eiland is on my to-do list for Spring Training.
I’d like to know what he teaches and how it fits in with the Royals’ philosophy. I know you’ve got an interest in the issue of long-toss and I don’t know where the Royals stand on that. I’ll ask somebody once I’m down there.
I had a good relationship with Bob McClure and, especially coming from a media environment like New York, it may take a while before Eiland feels as comfortable speaking his mind.
I’ve always been under the impression long-toss was used to strengthen the arm (no clue if it works), but it does get you to lengthen your arm. It’s hard to short arm those distances, so you tend to use your entire body when throwing.
Although, Jason Kendall has told me he thinks conditioning (going deep in games) is a product of running and cardio work: the legs give out, not the arm.
The Royals pitching problems seemed to be control more than velocity or conditioning. They walked too many people and pitched up in the zone even when they threw strikes.
That seems to be more of a mechanical or mental issue (trying to be too fine) than a long-toss issue. But Dave Eiland and the pitchers know more than I do, so I’ll ask when I get the chance.
As for trades: I don’t know if the Royals can be a long-term contender in a small market. We’re only going to control the new guys for a while and there is a school of thought that they should empty the pipeline, get the pitching they need and take their shot in that window of opportunity before these guys become eligible for free agency.
As usual, I’ll try to avoid playing GM or giving my opinion on what they should do (it’s fairly worthless anyway) and concentrate on covering whatever guys Dayton Moore puts on the field.
Lee Judge
5 months agoJim: Yeah, you’re right. During rehab Jason was asked by some young teammates why he was hitting the ball to the right side with a runner on second and he pretty much said, “You’ve got to be (bleeping) kidding me.”
Jason knows a lot of baseball and has earned a lot of respect. Doug Sisson called Jason the ‘consumate professional.’
If he’s not going to play, and he’s told me the shoulder isn’t ready, finding a way for him to pass along some of that knowledge seems like a good idea.
Jim Fetterolf
5 months agoI’m thinking Kendall’s contract is up, so maybe the team can sign him to a minor-league contract and put him at Surprise on semi-permanent rehab? If the shoulder heals and he gets a chance to play in the Bigs again, fine, if not he draws a paycheck and mentors the kids.
Lee Judge
5 months agoI think you’re right, as I recall it was a two-year deal. I know Jason wants to try coming back as a player (or did the last time I talked to him about it), but seemed open to the idea of eventually coaching or managing.
Greg Tatro
5 months agoMuch like Matheny getting hired in St. Louis…I bet Kendall could end up being a manager someday. There’s something about catchers make them pretty good managers (for the most part).
Lee Judge
5 months agoGreg: Catchers are on the on-field managers. They call slide steps, pick offs, set the defense and, of course, call the pitch they think appropriate for the situation.
Probably why they make good managers: they have to think about the game strategically and consider all the positions, not just their own.
Jason Kendall has been around a long time, been up and down and commands respect from the other players. Some of what a manager does is selling a philosophy to players. Convincing them to play the game a certain way.
Jason would be a convincing salesman…and if that didn’t work, he could just beat the crap out of them.
Jim Fetterolf
5 months ago“I’ve always been under the impression long-toss was used to strengthen the arm”
You might email Jerry DiPito and ask him about long-toss and program training. He drafted Trevor Bauer, the poster child of advanced pitcher training, and, according to an SI story I just read, is a believer. I tried to email you the link, but slipped on wet grass or something.
Great to have you back in business.
Brian Robinson
5 months agoHey Lee, just came across your website and enoyed reading the entry from Dec 10. I’m a lifelong Royals fan who graduated from high school in Leavenworth, KS and now live in Raleigh, NC.
I’d like your opinion on a few rookies. Do you think Clint Robinson will ever be given an opportunity to play? He’s reached the age where it’s put up or shut up as they say. The guy has been a beast in the minor’s and deserves a shot to see what he can do at the major league level.
Also, what’s you take on Brian Fletcher? I haven’t seen him play, but his numbers are pretty impressive. Like any young hitter he needs to show more discripline at the plate, but there seems to be plenty of pop in his bat. I remember that his father was a decent major leaguer, but don’t recall any pop in his bat.
You definitely have a new regular reader. I look forward to your knowledge and insight on everything Royals. I’m getting close to 40 years old and miss the glory days of my youth when the Royals were as well respected (and feared) as the dreaded Yankees.
Lee Judge
5 months agoJim: Actually, I’ve got an interview request in to Jerry Dipoto right now and just heard back from the Angels. He’s supposed to call, but when he lived here and made plans with me, the odds that he’d actually show up were about 1 in 3, so we’ll see.
Funny you should mention Dipoto and long toss: during the winter he’d call me and want to play long toss a couple times a week.
We’d do it on an indoor soccer field. Jerry would stand at one end and throw a BB with no apparent effort. I’d stand at the other, take about 3 crowhops, pop everything in my shoulder and throw a rainbow back.
The lighting was bad and nothing Jerry threw was straight. It was kind of scary since he threw so hard. I later found out the Cleveland Indians had to pay the bullpen catcher extra to play catch with Jerry because of all that velocity and movement. Nobody wanted to deal with it and I was doing it for free in the dark.
What an idiot.
If you can’t send me the link, I’d be interested in knowing what people are saying about long toss. Maybe I can sue the Angels if Dipoto ruined my arm.
Lee Judge
5 months agoBrian: Thank you very much and I’m glad to have you along. If you’re going to read this web site (and I sure hope you do) you’re going to have to get used to me saying “I don’t know.”
I don’t know much about GM issues (contracts, etc.) and whether a guy should be playing for the Royals. I try to confine myself, with some exceptions, to talking about guys I’ve actually seen play.
It’s tempting to look at some stats and spout opinions, but one of the running themes on this site is that numbers can’t tell you everything. I believe I can give a much better opinion if I’ve actually seen a guy play. Especially if I get to see him play for an extended period and have the chance to talk with that player and understand what he’s trying to accomplish.
So I don’t know about Clint Robinson or Brian Fletcher. I do know something about Eric Hosmer, Billy Butler, Alex Gordon and Jeff Francoeur, though.
As long as Hosmer plays the way he did in 2011, first base is sewn up. As long as Billy Butler hits like Billy Butler, so is DH. That doesn’t leave much room for Clint Robinson.
Same with left and right field. Francoeur signed a two-year deal and it seems likely they’ll resign Gordon. Both played very well last season, so that leaves center.
I’ve got no idea if Fletcher has the speed to play anywhere but the corners. Lorenzo Cain is about to get his shot in center and I know Ned Yost likes having Jarrod Dyson’s speed available.
Dice needs to hit though and, more specifically, hit the ball on the ground where his speed can make a difference. If you’re making fly ball outs it doesn’t matter how fast you are.
Ned also likes Mitch Maier as a 4th outfielder. If you look up Maier’s numbers nothing will be overly impressive, but he’s very versatile. He plays all three OF positions (not as easy as some might think), gives you a bat from the left side off the bench, is a good situational hitter and can get a bunt down. He can also run the bases pretty well (although I’ve given him a hard time about not stealing more bases).
Having some options in the last three innings is very desirable and Mitch gives Ned that.
And remember to knock those minor league numbers down when a guy comes to the majors. Hosmer was hitting over .400 when he got the call up. Some guys can make the adjustment to the big leagues and some of those guys with great minor league numbers never will.
Man, for a guy who knows nothing about Clint Robinson and Brian Fletcher I sure managed to be long-winded, didn’t I?
Welcome to the site, I hope to hear from you on a regular basis.
Daniel Wesley
5 months agoLee, just wanted to say I’m looking forward to adding your writings to my winter schedule of baseball reading!
I don’t know how small of a minority I’m in, but I’m not a football fan and I can’t even pretend to be one anymore to pass the time in the cold months. Back in the dark ages of the late 80s (pre Internet!) I had no choice and would watch some games, but in this age of MLB Network, FanGraphs, MLB Trade Rumors, and sites like yours I can while away the time reading and thinking about the greatest sport on earth!
Rick Langtry
5 months agoAgree with you on the Melky Sanchez trade. Melky more likely to produce Melky 2011 numbers than Cain will and Sanchez 2011 and career records and BB per IP don’t get me excited at all. Also thought Melky was fine in CF. Like the GM approach to build the bullpen up even more. We got a lot of SPs that are good for 5 IP then tail off, not much different than Yankees sans CC.
Lee Judge
5 months agoDaniel: Too bad we can’t afford to head south, they’re still playing in Latin America. I had a couple buddies play down there and everybody said it was worth the trip.
Bands playing the entire time, you can get a margarita or pina colada and, in some stadiums, gamble on anything that comes to mind: like will the next pitch be a strike?
Until the Royals institute those improvements at Kauffman, you’ll have to make do with reading about the sport.
Glad I can help.
Lee Judge
5 months agoRick: There’s a great saying in baseball, “Perfect is the enemy of good.” A player is hitting well going the other way, but wants to be perfect and also hit for power. He screws up his swing in the attempt.
I’ve noticed the same trend with fans: ‘the guy we’ve got is pretty good, but maybe that guy in the minors would be great’ kind of thinking. It’s the ‘grass is always greener’ syndrome.
Once a guy gets here and plays for a while, we’re aware of his faults. We look at good numbers from a player we haven’t seen every day and get excited precisely because he’s unfamiliar.
(I think I’m also describing why some people get divorced.)
Anyway, Melky had his limitations, all players do. But his upside was tremendous and to me, outweighed his negatives.
Still, I understand the club’s desire to upgrade the rotation and, with Lorenzo Cain waiting in the wings, Cabrera became available. Cain might be terrific, but we know Melky was. For me, that’s the difference.
I’m also interested in how the bullpen moves will work out. If Soria returns to form and Holland and Broxton become shutdown guys, that’s a huge advantage. (And we haven’t even mentioned Crow yet.)
Jason Kendall told me the best pen he ever faced was the Astros when they had Lidge, Dotel and Wagner going. If you weren’t ahead after 6 innings, you probably weren’t going to be. Maybe the Royals can do the same thing here.
Of course, you’ve got to HAVE a lead or you won’t see those relievers. It might mean they play for one in the middle of a game so they can get into the good part of their bullpen.
I’ll have to ask Ned that question in Surprise.
Lee Judge
5 months agoOK, so I make my Jerry Dipoto interview request to the Angels and got an email back last night.
Apparently, when Jerry heard my name, he told a story about a game I managed back in the 90s that featured him as a pitcher.
I was playing in the KC Men’s Senior League and the major leagues were on strike that year. Several players asked if they could play, but the league had a rule that said you had to be out of pro ball for a couple years before you were eligible.
At the end of the season another manager asked if our team would be willing to play a practice game. He had a team headed to a national tournament and they needed the work. He then said the magic words, “You can bring anybody you want.”
Jerry was a reliever for the Cleveland Indians and pitched. My first baseman was Russ Morman from the Marlins. My shortstop was Rick Parker from the Dodgers. My centerfielder was from the Rangers system and I had two more guys who had pitched in the Orioles system.
Most of my guys were pretty good and had played at the college level, but once we got on the field wiht them, you could see how much faster the pros were playing the game.
A ball hit in the gap (off one of my pitchers) that would’ve been an easy double on any other night had two outfielders waiting underneath it.
Rick Parker could fly and I told him he had the green light. He took off for second with Russ Morman at the plate. Russ took a funky swing in which he forced his top hand to rollover which pulled the ball through the vacated shortstop hole.
I asked later if he’d done that on purpose and he looked at me like I was a moron (I was) and informed me that the shortstop had broken too soon to cover second (why they had short cover second with Russ at the plate remains a mystery)so he intentionally pulled the ball through the hole.
The kicker to this is we did a bad job coaching third and Rick stopped there. He later apologized and said if he’d seen the left fielder’s arm in warm ups, he would’ve scored.
From first.
On a single.
Later we sat in the parking lot having a beer and Rick said, “Man, this is a tough league to hit in” which made us all fall over laughing.
“No, really. In the big leagues you look inside or outside and the pitcher’s around the zone. Here, one pitch is under your chin and the next one’s a foot outside and that one’s called a strike. I didn’t know what to swing at.”
The moral of this story is the pros play the game faster than anyobody else: they run faster, throw faster and swing faster…but that’s hard to detect until you put a slow guy next to them.
So if you’re sitting in the stands at a major league game thinking, “I used to be pretty good in high school, I wonder if I could play with them?” trust me, you can’t.
But you probably faced tougher umpires.
Jon Worley
5 months agoLee, glad you’re back! While I have my sports plate full here in DC with hockey season, I’ve been pining for spring training since, well, Oct. 1 or so. It’s been a long time since my wintry optimism may not be as misplaced as my wife believes.
What are your thoughts on Royals starters actually getting through the sixth next year? I watched Duffy pitch in Baltimore last season, and his curve was working so well that batters were leaving the box (assuming a strikeout) before the ball got to the plate. But every batter seemed to be able to work a 3-2 count out of him, particularly when he jumped out 0-2. He got into the 6th, striking out six in 5.1 innings, but he was already at 97 pitches when he came out. Hochevar and Chen are veterans and seem to understand how less can be more, but how do pitching coaches (and catchers, and managers and…) work to get the message through to younger pitchers that it doesn’t matter how good your stuff is if you run out of gas after four or five innings?
Fred Bracken
5 months agoWow! I just learned you’re back.
Since we last talked, I’ve moved from KC to Arizona. What I miss the most are the restaurants and your column. Got no barbecue here, but at least we got Lee Judge again. Just like the old days.
Jason Everett
5 months agoWelcome back Lee!
So, have any wild or crazy stunts your planning to pull again this year? You know, leaning into a fastball maybe?
Please don’t. We need you here! Look forward to future posts.
Darral VanGoethem
5 months agoAT LAST!! You are back. I have yearned for this blog to resume. I am very excited for the forthcoming season although I have questions about their thinking in the Sanchez trade as well, not from a perspective of whether they should have traded Melky but from the perspective that you mentioned about Sanchez, can’t throw strikes. It will be an interesting year and I can’t wait to see your daily breakdowns of the games as well as the insight, not to mention comedy, from the players, esp Frenchy!!
Lee Judge
5 months agoJon: Others may disagree, but for me going deep in games usually mean pitchers forcing contact.
This can be a hard concept for young pitchers. They’ve spent their entire lives making people miss the ball and finally arrive in a league where they can no longer do that.
Orel Hershiser was talking about Stephen Strasburg and all the strikeouts Strasburg had recorded in college. Hershiser pointed out that a lot of those strikeouts had come on pitches out of the zone. He said college hitters would chase pitches major leaguers wouldn’t and Strasburg was going to have to figure out how to get hitters out while staying in the zone.
As you mentioned, Danny Duffy has terrific stuff, but may start to nibble once he gets to 0-2. Danny may be used to minor league hitters chasing 0-2 pitches out of the zone and can’t get major leaguers to do the same thing.
The ex-Royal Danny Jackson pitched for me and asked him what his 0-2 philosophy was and he said, “Throw another strike.” He was going to make it a quality strike, but wasn’t going to back off and start nibbling. He also didn’t care how he got you out, he just wanted you out in as few pitches as possible.
That’s a veteran’s attitude.
Duffy’s got great stuff and everybody thinks he’s going to be a top-of-the-line pitcher someday. He’s a smart kid and knows he’s got things to learn. He told me he was impressed by Justin Verlander and how he saved something for later in the game and thought he should try something like that.
My guess is Danny will figure it out, but all managers and coaches can do is show the way. The players then have to go out and execute.
Lee Judge
5 months agoFred: Good to hear from you. I’m supposed to be in Arizona for Spring Training (sorry, I probably won’t bring BBQ), but if you’re anywhere near Surprise please come by and say hello.
Lee Judge
5 months agoJason: I think I’ve taken my last fastball to the ribs. I saw the doctor this winter to see about fixing my torn ACL and he said I was 50-50 for a future knee replacement anyway, so what was the point?
I do plan on more videos this coming season. Mike Moustakas wanted me to try fielding bunts on the run at third, Brayan Pena wanted me to come to the bullpen and catch Bruce Chen and the trainers offered to put me through this therapy where you go from a whirlpool to a tub of ice water.
My son, Paul, has been helping me on the site and I’m thinking of using him as my stunt double.
Lee Judge
5 months agoDarral: The Sanchez situation should be interesting. I know they were frustrated by the staff’s inability to pitch ahead in the count and down in the zone so we’ll see how Sanchez fits in.
The player insight and comedy shouldn’t be a problem: when Frenchy found out I was coming to spring training he said he’d take me along on a golf excursion.
The last time I played golf was with Clint Hurdle and I had an opposite field swing. Clint could drive the crap out of the ball, but it didn’t always end up on the same hole we were playing.
I’m sure we’ll figure out a way to get in trouble.
Brian Robinson
5 months agoLee, I appreciate the reply and even more your honesty. I’ve followed (from afar) Billy Butler, Alex Gordon, Luke Hochevar, Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer and now Bubba Starling since they were drafted. The Royals organization has made giant leaps since drafting since the dark ages of the 1990’s.
It reminds me of another team that I’m very familiar with considering its Triple-A team plays in my backyard. The Tampa Bay Rays are world class in how they drafted and developed an annually competive team (in the AL East no less). Like all great teams you need the key free agent acquisitions, but the core of the team is homegrown. Tampa Bay took the blueprint from the Atlanta Braves (of the 90’s) and rewrote it. Both teams are amazing in how they refused to sign the big ticket FA and instead heavily invest in their scouting and coaches to draft and develop. They real key to success is locking up that young talent early in their career. You don’t have to look very far back in history to get an example. On 12/9/11 Tampa Bay locked up their prized minor league pitcher, Matt Moore, to an 8-year contract extension. KC needs to continue on the same path by starting to lock up the Gordon’s & Butler’s to a long term contract extension and I’m sure it will happen.
I guess real credit comes full circle since John Schuerholz is the true genius behind it all.
Jim Rowland
5 months agoWelcome back though I know you weren’t gone.
Thank God MLB stepped in to save baseball by not allowing members of the media to wear muscle shirts. That issue was certainly a pressing one and one that had to be dealt with swiftly!
Happy holidays.
Lee Judge
5 months agoBrian: It took me a while to figure out what I should be doing and, even more importantly, what I shouldn’t be doing. I decided to focus on the guys I actually watch play and get to talk to.
Having said that, it does seem like the Royals are on the right track in the minors. And I agree, it would be nice to see the Royals sign their home-grown products to long-term deals.
Lee Judge
5 months agoJim: I haven’t heard anything about the new media dress code limiting thongs, so maybe I can still stir things up in the press box.
(OK, that mental image even made ME a little sick.)
Lee Judge
5 months agoBy the way, if you’re waiting to see something new posted, I’ll have a column each Monday.
This coming week I’ll write about playing GM, Eric Hosmer and defensive ratings and the new rule on scorekeeping.
Lee Judge
5 months agoIf you’ve been having trouble posting comments, it’s probably us, not you. We’ve had some web site issues and are working to resolve them.
Larry Tindle
4 months, 4 weeks agoLee,, had an old timer tell me that the best pitchers in the minors are probably a #5 on most major league teams. That is why it is dangerous to try and go strictly by minor league stats. A lot of batters with good stats in the minors are mistake hitters. Major league pitchers make fewer mistakes. Kila seemed to be one of those to me. Groove a fast ball and he will hit it a country mile. He also had way to many holes in his swing. Major league pitchers will find your weak spot and you better be able to adjust. I agree with you, lot easier to judge a player if you actually see them play. I guess I subscribe to the a player in the hand is worth 2 in the bush league.
Lee Judge
4 months, 4 weeks agoLarry: I absolutely agree with you. People see those minor league numbers and get excited, but they don’t always translate into major league success. And they rarely translate into success right away.
Francoeur and Getz told me something along the same lines: if a reliever is good, he’s already in the majors because everybody needs help in their pen. And you might see a major league-level starter every fifth night.
Moustakas said the same thing: EVERY at-bat in the majors is hard. Everybody you face is throwing 95 and there’s rarely a break.