Results tagged ‘ Jason Bourgeois ’
Roster Shuffle
Fresh off the Ervin Santana trade, the Royals opted to continue shaking up the 40-man roster.
The team made a pair of waiver claims: RHP Guillermo Moscoso from the Rockies and catcher Brett Hayes from the Marlins. In order to make room on the 40-man, RHP Blake Wood was claimed off waivers by the Indians while OF Jason Bourgeois, LHP Tommy Hottovy, and RHP Jeremy Jeffress were each designated for assignment.
Guillermo Moscoso (age 29, 11-12, 4.16 ERA, 6.3 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 1.303 WHIP, 1.8 WAR in parts of 4 seasons) is somewhat of a journeyman. Originally signed out of Venezuela by the Tigers in 2001, then shipped to the Rangers in 2009 where he made his big league debut. Texas then sent him to Oakland in 2011 where he put together a solid season (21 starts: 8-10, 3.38 ERA, 5.2 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 1.094 WHIP, 1.6 WAR). The A’s then dealt him to the Rockies last winter where he floundered in the thin Denver air (23 games, 3 starts: 3-2, 6.12 ERA) before being demoted to the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate.
Moscoso, who could fill the role of either a starter or long-reliever/spot-starter, represents another fly-ball pitcher who got torched by the long ball in Colorado who the Royals believe will have better luck in a more pitcher-friendly park (which they’ve done twice: Felipe Paulino and Jeremy Guthrie). Moscoso adds competition for both the rotation and bullpen.
Brett Hayes (age 28, .217/.266/.361, 8 HR, 27 RBI, .992 Fld%, 26% caught stealing in parts of 4 seasons) is an insurance policy, much like how the team brought in Adam Moore last season. Hayes is defintely a defense-first catcher and was brought in so the Royals can avoid the awful mess they faced last spring when Sal Perez injured his knee. Purely a depth move here.
As for Bourgeois, Jeffress, and Hottovy, the Royals have 10 days to either release, trade, or place them on waivers.
The team also reinstated Felipe Paulino and Danny Duffy from the 60-day DL, bringing the 40-man roster to capacity.
A Flurry of Roster Moves
The Royals made a handful of roster moves after last night’s 8-2 victory over the Rays.
Teaford’s Turn
After dominating at Triple-A (4-0, 1.07 ERA), the Royals opted to shake up their starting rotation by promoting LHP Evrett Teaford to Kansas City. In turn, Vin Mazzaro was shifted to the bullpen where he’ll serve as the team’s long reliever.
This move has been in the works ever since the team’s starting rotation imploded during the Cardinals series where three starters (Chen, Mendoza, and Sanchez) combined to give up 17 runs in just 11 innings.
Everett will get the start tonight against the Rays as the Royals go for the series sweep.
Promoting Teaford required the team to make space on the 25-man roster. Keep reading, please.
Humerto Quintero: DFA’d
In order to make room on the team’s 25-man roster, the Royals opted to reduce it’s number of active catchers from three to two.
With Salvador Perez returning from the DL this past weekend, one of Brayan Pena and Humerto Quintero was bound to get the axe sooner rather than later. Given Pena’s ability to hit (he’s a switch-hitter), his improved defense, eternal optimism, and his history with the team’s pitching staff, the Royals opted to DFA Humberto Quintero.
Quintero, who is known for his catch-and-throw abilities, hit a mere .232/.257/.341 with 13 XBH (12 doubles, 1 HR) and had 19 RBI for the Royals in his 43 starts. His biggest weakness was his tendency of striking out (28 K, 4 BB). Pena was faring slightly better in his 40 games, hitting .268/.295/.358 with 9 XBH (8 doubles, 1 HR) and 13 RBI.
Being DFA’d (Designated for Assigment), means the team has removed him from the 40-man roster. Once removed from the 40-man, the team can do one of three things in a 10-day window with the afformentioned player: place the player on waivers (meaning any team can claim him – but only within the first 7 days of the 10-day period), trade him, or release him if he clears waivers.
I have no doubt that at least one team searching for catching depth at the big league level will take a flyer on Quintero. Happy trails, Q.
Bourgeois Up, Bueno Down
In their final move of the day, the Royals recalled OF/2B Jason Bourgeois from Omaha and sent left-handed reliever Francisely Bueno back to Omaha.
Bourgeois broke spring training with the Royals, seeing time in seven games for the Royals (.214/.267/.286, 1 double, 1 SB) before being sent down to Omaha. This is clearly just a depth move, given Jason’s ability to fill-in at multiple positions and has the ability to hit lefties well.
Francisely Bueno was called up back on June 23 after the Royals DFA’d Roman Colon. The lefty worked 2 innings in 2 appearances for the Royals, giving up 3 hits and 1 run.
Royals News and Notes From the Weekend
*UPDATE*
Given the rainout last night, the Royals and Tigers will play just a two game series. The game will be made up on Sept. 24, a mutual off-day.
Duane Below will lose his start and will shift back to the bullpen for the series.
Tuesday @ 6:05 CT: KC Luke Hochevar vs. DET Rick Porcello
Wednesday @ 12:05 CT: KC Jonathan Sanchez vs. DET Justin Verlander
* * *
At 6-15, the Royals are tied with Minnesota for 4th place in the Central, but are only 5.5 games behind the 1st place Cleveland Indians (11-9).
Here’s a quick recap of what happened this weekend:
- Before Friday night’s game, the Royals swapped centerfielders with the Storm Chasers by re-calling Jarrod Dyson and optioning Jason Bourgeois. Given the unfortunate Lorenzo Cain injury news, Yost figured that the team needed an infusion of speed. Dyson figures to get most of the playing time in center while Cain recovers from his hip injury. Mitch Maier will move back into his normal role as the fourth outfielder.
Alex Gordon robs Danny Valencia of a homerun. (Photo Credit: Hannah Foslien / Getty Images)
- During the bottom of the 2nd inning on Friday, Alex Gordon robbed Danny Valencia of a lead-off HR. Despite his Gold Glove season in 2011, this was the first time Alex has taken a homerun away from anyone.“I’ve always wanted to rob a guy on a catch since I started playing in the outfield. That was my first one. Just brought it down and threw it back in. I acted like I’d done it before.” – Gordon told Bob Dutton of The Star.
- After giving up four runs in four innings in Friday’s 8-7 win over the Twins, spot-starter Everett Teaford was optioned back to Tripole A Omaha, while right-hander Nate Adcock was summoned up from the same club. The move was made, not because of Teaford’s performance, but because the Royals’ bullpen needed a healthy arm who could fill the long-releif role. Given that starters generally get four days off between starts, shifting Teaford back to the bullpen after he replaced Duffy in the rotation would have put the Royals at a disadvantage. Therefore, Adcock was brought up from Omaha. Nate had been solid in Omaha before his call-up, going 3-1 in four starts with a 1.37 ERA.
- The Royals and Twins were rained out on Saturday, causing the game to be rescheduled for Saturday June 30th at Target Field in Minnesota. It will be a day-night double-header.
- Bruce Chen got lit up for six runs in 2.2 innings yesterday in the Royals’ 7-4 loss to the Twins. He may have been the victim of the small strike zone set by home plate umpire Larry Vanover, forcing him to use more of his pitches out and over the plate.
- Nate Adcock took over for Bruce in the middle of the third inning and gave the team exactly what they needed: he went the rest of the way (5.1 innings), giving the rest of the bullpen another day off, and kept the Royals in the game by only giving up one run.
- Mike Moustakas (3) hit his third homerun of this season yesterday off of Minnesota’s starter Jason Marquis. Moose has been one of the team’s hottest hitters over the past week, seeing his batting average go from .229 on April 21 to where it stands now at .315. He’s 12-for-27 (.444) during that stretch with 5 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K.
- Billy Butler has been maybe just as hot as Moose. After going hitless in the four games against Toronto, Country Breakfast has been on a tear – going 10-for-23 (.435) in the Royals last five games with 3 HR, 7 RBI, and 4 R. He’s currently on a five-game hitting streak.
- Alex Gordon has been on fire lately as well. He’s 8 for his last 21 (.381) with 2 HR, 5 RBI, and 7 R.
- On the flip side, Eric Hosmer has seen his batting average drop below the Mendoza line (.188) and is hitless in his last 14 AB’s. He has no doubt seen a lot of hard luck this season, as many of the balls that he hit have just been at-him balls. Opposing infields have been putting shifts on when Hosmer steps in the box, forcing him to try to hit everything the other way, which is that much more difficult to do when you’re going through a slump.
- Hosmer and the Royals received a major scare last night when Hosmer took a Glen Perkins fastball off his right-hand when he check-swung at a pitch. He laid on the ground for a moment to collect himself before getting up and finishing the AB. Hos finished the game at first and didn’t show any signs of pain.
Eric Hosmer holds his hand after being hit by a Glen Perkins pitch in the eighth inning on April 29. (Photo Credit: Hannah Foslien / Getty Images)
Coming Up:
The Royals will travel to Detroit for a three-game series against the Tigers.
The Tigers (11-11) are in quite a funk right now, losing 8 of their last 10 games while being outscored 67-33.
They are also currenlty dealing with the Delmon Young hate crime issue.
The Tigers swept the Royals nearly two weeks ago in Kansas City, but they only outscored the Royals 10-6. The Royals had the tying and/or go ahead run on base in the bottom of the 9th in two of the three games.
Here are the matchups for the series:
@ 
Monday @ 6:05 CT: KC – Luke Hochevar (2-1, 4.98 ERA) vs. DET – Duane Below (2-0, 0.00 ERA)
Don’t let Duane Below’s numbers deceive you. He is making his first start of the season – in place of Doug Fister. He’s only appeared in 5 games this season for a total of 12 innings.
Tuesday @ 6:05 CT: KC – Jonathan Sanchez (1-1, 6.75 ERA) vs. DET Rick Porcello (1-2, 6.45 ERA)
Rick Porcello has combined for just 7.2 innings and has given up 17 hits and 14 runs (13 ER) in his last two starts.
Wednesday @ 12:05 CT: KC – Luis Mendoza (1-2, 6.00 ERA) vs. DET Justin Verlander (2-1, 2.45 ERA)
Verlander hasn’t gone less than 6.0 IP in any of his starts this year, is averaging nearly a K per inning (37.1 IP, 35 K) and has only surrendered 8 BB and 1 HBP. On the otherhand, he hasn’t trown less than 102 pitches in each of his 5 starts and is averaging 111 pitches per outing. Verlander has been in a bases-loaded situation only once this season, which was in the bottom of the 9th against the Royals. He struck out Alex Gordon with a 100 mph fastball at the knees. This guy is filthy.
Thoughts on Broxton’s Meltdown, LoCain’s Groin, Gordon’s Big Day, etc.
I sincerely apologize if anyone came by here yesterday or the day before looking for a post after the Royals gave away the series finale to the A’s. I was too gut-wrenched at the time. But I’ve had some time to think.
A 3-3 road trip – not too shabby. The mantra is “Go .500 on the road, win at home”.
The Royals could have easily been 6-0 coming into today if it weren’t for one bad inning (Angels – game 1 of the series), base running blunders in a 1-0 game (A’s – game 1 of the series), and an ugly bottom of the 12th (A’s – game 3 of the series).
But here we are.
Broxton’s Beans
Photo Credit: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images
After going up 4-3, Ned Yost brought Jonathan Broxton in to closeout the game in the 12th inning. Brox got off to a great start, striking out Daric Barton. Seth Smith then hit a groundball to the glove side of Alcides Escobar. Esky fumbled the ball initially, picked it up, and made an offline throw to Hosmer at first. Hosmer, at the time, made a game saving play by diving away from the bag to stop the ball from rolling into the limitless amount of foul territory. Smith was safe, one on and one-out.
Broxton then walked Jemile Weeks on four pitches. Then Eric Sogard on six pitches. Bases jacked, one-out. The situation is tense, but still manageable.
Coco Crisp hit a groudball to Yuni’s glove side, pulling him away from second base. Given Crisp’s speed, the double-play possibility was eliminated. Yuni threw to first for the out, but the tying run still scored. Two outs, 4-4 ball game, runners on second and third.
The next pitch: a 95 mph fastball. Right into Yoenis Cespedes’ ribs, loading the bases.
Yost came out for a mound visit, but left Brox in the game. Hindsight is 20/20.
Photo Credit: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images
Johnny Gomes takes a Broxton fastball in the hip. Game over.
Back to back walks. Two pitches, two hit batters.
If Broxton were in any other position in this bullpen, he would have been yanked right after he loaded the bases, if not before. But it’s that closer title he’s been given that made Ned think that he should stay in there and stick it out. If any other reliever had given up three straight free passes like that, don’t you think Ned would made the switch?
Now it all wasn’t Broxton’s fault. The usual sure-handed Escobar made a costly error too. He makes that play 95% of the time. If he makes the play properly, it’s nobody on and two outs. And, more importantly, no pressure.
But in the end, Broxton deservedly took the loss.
Cain to the DL
Lorezno Cain made a terrific play on Tuesday, crashing into the wall in deep center while robbing the A’s of an RBI and extra bases. Cain hurt his groin when he hit the wall and was pulled from the game an inning later. It was a Grade 1 groin strain, the least severe. Cain got Wednesday’s game off, as well as Thursday due to the team’s day off. He planned to be ready for the home opener.
Lorenzo was placed on the 15-day DL yesterday due to a strained left groin.
It’s more of a precautionary move, due to the fact that Cain’s biggest asset is his speed and range in the outfield. The Royals want to take care of this issue now to make sure it won’t become a lingering issue. Jarrod Dyson was called up from Triple A Omaha to take Cain’s spot on the roster. Dyson was hitting .364 in Omaha thus far (12 for 33) with 6 SB.
The Royals have a plethora of options to fill the center field void left by Cain: left-handed hitters Mitch Maier and Jarrod Dyson, and right-handed hitting Jason Bourgeois.
Gordon Gets Off the Schneid
Photo Credit: Eric Risberg / AP
Alex Gordon broke his season-long hitless streak on Wednesday in a big way.
In his second AB of the game, Alex hit a RBI single into center field – hit first hit of the season. But Alex didn’t let up much after that.
Gordon (1) sent a Brian Fuentes sinker over the wall in center field, which tied the game at 3-3.
Alex ended the game going 2 for 5 with a single, HR, BB, 0 K, and 2 RBI.
He also made a great diving catch to end the bottom of the 5th, robbing Josh Reddick of a base hit and possible RBI – keeping the game at 3-2 Oakland.
Recovery Updates
Catcher Salvador Perez is making progress on the road to recovery. After a sucessful surgery four weeks ago, Sal was able to ditch the crutches and walk freely through the Royals clubhouse.
Felipe Paulino, who was sent to the DL because of a strained right forearm, is progressing as well. He began throwing off of a mound in a bullpen workout a few days ago. He was able to throw live batting practice on Thursday, stating, “I feel good, strong, I want to help this team now.” He should be sent out on a few minor league rehab assignments some time soon.
Home Opener
Weather permitting, the Royals will play their first game at The K in 2012 today at 3:10 CT against the division rival Cleveland Indians. The Indians are 1-4 thus far on the season, being outscored 31-20 through five games. The Royals (3-3) have outscored their opponents 18-16.
The starters will be Cleveland’s Derek Lowe (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Kansas City’s Luke Hochevar (1-0, 2.84 ERA).
The forecast for today’s game is mostly cloudy, mid-60′s, with about a 20% chance of rain.
Damon Lands in Cleveland
Speaking of the Tribe, they have struck a one-year deal with 38 year old outfielder, and former Royal, Johnny Damon. After he’s added to the team’s 40-man roster, the left-handed Damon figures to platoon with right-handed Shelley Duncan in left field.
Johnny, who is coming off a good season with Tampa (.261/.326, 29 2B, 19 HR, 73 RBI, 19 SB), is only 277 hits away from 3,000 for his career. He figures to reduce that number greatly this season in Cleveland.
Given the absence of Grady Sizemore for another 8-12 weeks (what else is new?), the Indians found themselves needing more offense production from their outfield; hence the Damon deal.
Oakland Blanks KC 1-0
On a particularly cold night in Oakland, Tommy Milone looked more like Tommy Glavine. The rookie, making his 1st start as an A (made 5 starts with the Nationals in 2011), went 8 scoreless (93 pitches) and surrendered only 3 hits and 3 walks and had 0 Ks. Needless to say, the Royals’ hitters just couldn’t figure him out.
The Royals’ 3 hits all came in the first three innings of the game:
Photo Credit: Ben Margot / AP
- Jason Bourgeois lead the game off (inplace of Alex Gordon) with a double to deep center which would have been a triple if not for a hustling Yoenis Cespedes. His leadoff double was quickly erased. Lorenzo Cain hit a flyball to right that normally would have been difficult enough for a runner to advance to third, but A’s right fielder Josh Reddick threw a laser to third and nailed Bourgeois with a perfect throw.
- Yuniesky Betancourt doubled to left field with 2 outs in the top of the 2nd. Brayan Pena proceeded to groundout to end the inning.
- Alcides Escobar hit a double down the right field line to leadoff the 3rd, but never was able to advance past second thanks to a Chris Getz infield pop-up, a Bourgeois grouder to short, and a Lorenzo Cain fly ball to center.
- Chris Getz’s at-bat was probably the biggest missed opportunity of the night. He had Escobar on second with nobody out. He tried to lay down a SAC bunt and failed. In turn, he hit a harmless pop-up. All he needed to do was move Escobar over to third, and he would have likely scored on Bourgeois groundball. Situational hitting is probably the biggest asset that Getz brings to the roster and he failed to come through last night.
The only other baserunners the Royals had on the evening were the product of walks - 3 by Milone and 1 by Grant Balfour.
- Eric Hosmer walked to leadoff the 4th and moved to second base on a Billy Butler groundball out. With Jeff Francoeur at the plate, just as Ryan Lefebvre and Rex Hudler were discussing Hosmer’s speed, Hosmer took off for third base and was thrown out by catcher Kurt Suzuki. Frenchy would go on to draw a walk from Milone as well. So instead of having two-on with one out and a runner on scoring position, the Royals had Frenchy on first with two down. Until Frenchy was caught trying to steal second. Inning over, threat neutralized.
- Hoz drew another walk in the 7th, but nothing came of it. Pinch-hitter Mitch Maier walked in the 9th.
Poor basrunning just killed the Royals last night. Three times (!) a scoring threat was killed on the basepaths. But if we have to lose the game, we lost it our way: being aggressive baserunners. The offense wasn’t doing much, so Ned Yost tried to get the team to manufacture runs. It just didn’t workout this time. The Royals also went down in order four times – innings 1, 5, 6, and 8.
Photo Credit: Ben Margot / AP
On the other side of the ball, Luis Mendoza had an impressive season debut. He did struggle a little with his command, as it seemed like his sinker was floating too far inside to every A’s left-handed hitter. He ended up going 5.2 innings, giving up just 1 earned run on 5 hits and 2 Ks. But he also had 4 BBs.
The A’s one run against Mendoza came in the bottom of the 2nd. With 2-out and runners on the corners, third baseman Josh Dolnaldson hit a sharp grounder to right field, bring home the runner from third base. Other than that, aside from a few walks, Mendoza didn’t run into much trouble against the Athletics lineup.
Lefties Tim Collins and Jose Mijares pitched 2.1 innings collectively to finish the game for KC, each giving up one hit, and recording one K (Collins also walked one).
Too Much Tinkering?
Manager Ned Yost threw out a unique lineup last night in Oakland. He decided to give Gordon and Moustakas – both left-handed hitters- the night off against LHP Tommy Milone. In place of Gordon and Moose were Jason Bourgeois in LF and Yuni at 3B. On top of that, Chris Getz was in the lineup at 2B – meaning that all three of the Royals’ super-utility players were on the field at the same time. So this is what the lineup looked like last night:
1. Jason Bourgeois LF
2. Lorenzo Cain CF
3. Eric Hosmer 1B
4. Billy Butler DH
5. Jeff Francoeur RF
6. Yuniesky Betancourt 3B
7. Brayan Pena C
8. Alcides Escobar SS
9. Chris Getz 2B
It’s game number four, and already Ned is giving two guys – who probably weren’t too happy about it – the game off. And, not to mention, this was the Royals’ fourth different lineup in four days. The end result: 0 runs, 3 hits. Yost may be playing around with this lineup a little too much. Just let Gordon and Moose go out there and take their hacks.
Tonight’s Matchup
- Royals (2-2) @ A’s (2-3)
- Royals LHP Danny Duffy vs. A’s RHP Graham Godfrey
- 9:05 pm CT
2012 Spring Training Recap
With a 7-6 victory over the Padres last night, the Royals wrapped up Spring Training at 16-15. Hey, take it for what it is. Yeah, it’s only Spring Training. But you have to start somewhere, right?
The Royals 2012 Spring Training was… interesting. We saw injuries (both significant and not), position battles/tinkering, rotation and bullpen shuffles, promotions, demotions, trades, off-the-chart performances, contract extensions, etc.
So here’s a quick recap of it all:
- Significant Injuries
- Manny Pina C: Feb. 22 - torn right meniscus (knee), 60 Day DL
- Salvador Perez C: Mar. 14 – torn left meniscus (knee), 60 Day DL
- Joakim Soria RHP: Mar. 19 – Tommy John surgery (right elbow), 15 Day DL – will miss 2012
- Slightly Less Significant Injuries
- Blake Wood RHP: Mar. 26 – sore right elbow (ulner nerve), 15 Day DL
- Felipe Paulino RHP: Mar. 26 – sore right elbow/forearm, 15 Day DL
Each one of the injuries required reactionary moves from the club. The injuries to Pina and Perez forced the Royals to look for a veteran, defense-first catcher; leading to the acquisition of Humberto Quintero. Soria’s injury opened up the closer role to one or all of Holland, Broxton, and Crow. It also opened up a full-time spot in the bullpen for a fresh face. Blake Wood’s spot became up for grabs, but he was a fringe bullpen guy to begin with. The loss of Felipe opened up two rotation spots for Mendoza and Duffy, as well as the long-relief spot for Everett Teaford.
- Position Battles
- Second base
Photo Credit: Rob Tringali / Getty Images
- Injuries aside, the combo of Chris Getz and Yuniesky Betancourt winning the 2B job over Johnny Giavotella was the biggest shock of the Spring. Virtually everyone, myself included, basically gave Gio the job before the Royals arrived in Surprise. But, to their credit, Getz and Yuni outperformed Gio and currently present better options defensively for KC.
- Fifth Starter
- The first three rotation spots were a given: Chen, Hochevar, and Sanchez. The last two spots were up for grabs, but Paulno and Duffy basically had dibs on the spots. But the performance of Luis Mendoza changed all of that. He was without a dout the best pitcher in Royals camp, forcing the Royals to give him a rotation spot. And once Paulino went to the DL, Duffy had the fifth spot locked up.
- Lefty Relievers
- No lefty had a bullpen spot given to them coming into Sporing Training, although Jose Mijares was close. Every bullpen should have at least one lefty, but two would be more ideal, and three would be perfect; and that’s what the Royals wound up with. Jose Mijares, Tim Collins, and Everett Teaford comprise the left-side of the bullpen – beating out other lefties Tommy Hottovy and Francisely Bueno. Mijares and Collins will serve as middle relief/situational lefties, while Teaford will be the swing-man/spot-starter
- Second base
- Eric Hosmer: Right Fielder
Photo Credit: John Sleezer
- Say what? That can’t be right, can it? Yep. It happened. A few times, actually. In order to maximize offense against NL teams, the Royals tinkered around with Eric Hosmer in RF (and Jeff Francoeur in CF) so they could have both Hoz and Billy Butler in the lineup. Hosmer is a good enough athlete that playing RF shouldn’t be difficult at all for him. He has a terrific arm and good enough speed that I thought he could have been an everyday right fielder in the minors (this was all before we had Frenchy, Wil Myers was still a catcher, and Kila Ka’aihue was mashing in Omaha).
- 12 Man Shuffle
- Rotation (5)
- Chen L, Hochevar R, Sanchez L, Mendoza R, Duffy L
- No, Montgomery won’t be opening the season in Kansas City. Neither will Felipe Paulino, but not for the same reasons. Monty didn’t perform well in his few outings, and Paulino was sent to the DL, which opened up spots for Mendoza and Duffy.
- Chen L, Hochevar R, Sanchez L, Mendoza R, Duffy L
- Bullpen (7)
- Holland R, Broxton R, Crow R, Herrera R, Mijares L, Collins L, Teaford L
- Without Soria, the roles in back-end of the bullpen are up in the air. Holland and Broxton are the clear front-runners for the closing position, with Aaron Crow not far behind.
- The most notable surprise here was Kelvin Herrera taking a spot away from Louis Coleman. Herrera had a great Spring, and Coleman scuffed a bit as roster cuts loomed. Herrera has the potential to be a closer someday. Luckily for him, someday may come soon.
- Holland R, Broxton R, Crow R, Herrera R, Mijares L, Collins L, Teaford L
- Rotation (5)
- Notable Promotions
- Kelvin Herrera RHP, Everett Teaford LHP
- See above.
- Kelvin Herrera RHP, Everett Teaford LHP
- Notable Demotions
- Johnny Giavotella 2B, Louis Coleman RHP, Jarrod Dyson OF, Sean O’Sullivan RHP
- If you’ve been reading, you already know why Gio and Sweet Lou were demoted to Omaha.
- Jarrod Dyson became expendable with the acquistion of OF/U Jason Bourgeois. Dyson has the speed and defensive tools down, but he really needs to learn how to keep his flyball rates down so he can appropriately use his speed (similar to Juan pierre). Afterall, you can’t hustle out a pop-up.
- The demotion of Sean O’Sullivan is no surprise. But in order to do so (since SOS was out of minor league options), the Royals had to place him on waivers – making him available to the rest of the league. Since nobody placed a claim on him, the Royals were able to send him to Triple A.
- Johnny Giavotella 2B, Louis Coleman RHP, Jarrod Dyson OF, Sean O’Sullivan RHP
- Trades
- LHP Kevin Chapman and a PTBNL (KC) for C Humberto Quintero and OF/U Jason Bourgeois (HOU)
- Chapman is a solid C+ to B- lefty reliever who would have been a welcome addition to the Royals in the future, but he (along with an unknown) helped the Royals land two veterans who can help the team this season.
- Quintero is a career backup, but has seen enough playing time throughout his career that you pretty much know what you’llget out of him. Solid defense, below-average-but-acceptable offense. He’ll compliment Brayan Pena, as they’ll likely be splitting time at the catcher position until Sal Perez returns.
- Jason Bourgeois is capable of playing all three OF positions, as well as some 2B and 3B. So, needless to say, his versatility is his biggest tool. And although he isn’t as fast as Dyson, he provides extra speed off the bench.
- OF Greg Golson (KC) for cash considerations (CWS)
- The Royals made an inter-divisional trade by shipping Golson to the White Sox for cash. Golson is a quick OF capable of filling in at each spot, but his bat has never really been there. He was a non-roster invitee this Spring, so nothing was really lost. He never really had a shot to make the roster anyway.
- LHP Kevin Chapman and a PTBNL (KC) for C Humberto Quintero and OF/U Jason Bourgeois (HOU)
- Performance Reviews
Mark Kartozian - US Presswire
- Alex Gordon, Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, and Billy Butler each hit over .360 this Spring, with Hosmer leading the league in RBI. If they can carry their performances into the season, the Royals may have one of the best 1-4 hitters in baseball in 2012.
- Hopefully, since Mike Moustakas is a notorious “slow starter”, he got all of that out of the way this Spring. He only his .240, but came around a little bit as ST came to an end.
- Bruce Chen and Jonathan Sanchez had rough Springs, as did Danny Duffy (even though he did show flashes of dominance).
- Luke Hochevar showed that he may have gotten his career on the right track, and Luis Mendoza made Royals fans, scouts, and coaches a believer.
- Extensions
- Dayton Moore was hard at work this offseason, signing three key Royals to long-term contract extensions.
- Salvador Perez through 2016 with club options for ’17, ’18, and ’19
- Alcides Escobar through 2015 with club options for ’16 and ’17
- Alex Gordon through 2015 with a player option for 2016
- Dayton Moore was hard at work this offseason, signing three key Royals to long-term contract extensions.
The season begins tomorrow night in Anaheim against Prince Albert and the Angels at 9:05 CT. It’ll be Bruce Chen vs. Jered Weaver.
Here’s to hoping the Royals can make this a fun, interesting, and competitive season! Do your part and get out to The K!
KC Acquires Humberto Quintero and Jason Bourgeois
Dayton Moore’s search for a catcher to tandem with Brayan Pena to start the season has ended today. The Royals acquired veterans Humberto Quintero (catcher) and Jason Bourgeois (OF) from the Houston Astros in exchange for left-handed relief prospect Kevin Chapman and a PTBNL.
In order to make roster space for both players, the Royals moved Perez and Pina to the 60-day DL.
The Royals have been on the prowl lately, looking for someone to help the team out while both Salvador Perez and Manny Pina recover from their respective injuries. Dayton was seeking a veteran catcher with a good glove and a quick catch-release. It was said that he was considering the likes of Ivan Rodriguez, Corky Miller, and Wil Nieves. But all along, Humberto Quintero apparently was his #1 target. The addition of Quintero fills the team’s most glaring and obvious hole. Jason Bourgeois is an interesting piece in this trade, as the Royals already have a guy with a similar skill set in Jarrod Dyson. But the one advantage that Bourgeois has over Dyson is his versatility. He is capable of playing all 3 OF positions, as well as 2B and possibly 3B.
Here’s a quick look at both Quintero and Bourgeois:
Humberto Quintero – Catcher (age 32)
Photo Credit: Bob Levey / Getty Images
9 seasons
Career (offense): 379 games, .234/.268/.321, 15 HR, 44 2B, 94 RBI, 6.35:1 K:BB rate, -2.1 oWAR
Career (defense): 2732 innings, 139 SB against, 66 CS (32% CS), .992 Fld%, 17 passed balls, 20 errors, 8.01 Range Factor, 2.2 dWAR
Just as his numbers show you, Quintero is clearly a defense-first catcher, which is exactly what Dayton Moore was wanting to team up with offense-first catcher Brayan Pena. At 32, he’s got 9 big league seasons under his belt, so he’ll bring along with him a veteran presence that I’m sure the pitching staff will greatly appreciate.
He’s never been a full-time catcher (career high 88 games played in 2010), so he’s already very familiar with the role he’ll be filling in KC. Dayton went as far to say that Quintero may stay on board even after Sal Perez returns from his injury, possibly hinting at the fate of Brayan Pena.
Jason Bourgeois – OF/U (age 30)
Photo Source: mysanantonio.com
4 seasons
Career (offense): 192 games, .262/.307/.324, 52 R, 2 HR, 13 2B, 3 3B, 22 RBI, 46 SB, 1.8:1 K:BB rate, 0.7 oWAR
Career (defense): 753 innings, .995 Fld%, 1 error, 5 assists, 3.86 Range Factor, 1.4 dWAR
Jason Bourgeois has spent the past 2 seasons as a part-time/fill-in player for Houston, but managed to play in 93 games in 2011 due to the Michael Bourn trade. He made the most of his opportunity, hitting .294/.323/.357 and had 31 SB (6 CS), while making appearances at all 3 OF positions and 2B.
While he’s not as fast as Dyson (and who is…), Bourgeois offers up the defensive versatility that could ultimately be the deciding factor this Spring when it comes down to the two for one roster spot.
Kevin Chapman is a 24-year old LHP reliever who was the Royals’ 4th round pick out of the U of Florida in 2010. He has a career ERA over 5 in 2 minor league seasons.
The PTNBL is unknown at this time, although it won’t be much more than a mid-to-lower level prospect.
According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, Royals will continue to seek catching help – most likely for depth at the Triple A level.
