Joey Gathright is known for jumping over cars, in fact I'd say it's made him a You Tube legend...but pitchers? I missed it last night because I had a little league coaches meeting, and won't have access to You Tube until tonight, but according to sports talk radio and the Royals website, Gathright hurdled a 6 foot tall pitcher on his way to first base last night...oh yeah, he also had 3 hits, an RBI, a stolen base and a diving catch in center field. Why isn't this guy starting again? Gathright's Spring stats:
.354 Batting average
.404 On Base Percentage
15 runs
10/10 stolen bases
8 RBI
We don't have room for that in the lineup?
Showing posts with label Joey Gathright. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joey Gathright. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
The Case for Joey
First off, the Kool Aid Drinker would like to answer a couple of questions. It seems that everyone thinks that either A) Joey Gathright is on my fantasy baseball team B) He's my illegitimate half brother C) I spent my life's savings buying up all of his rookie cards or D) All of the above. When they find out that none of the above are true, the next obvious question is "Why in the world do you like him so much then? So, I thought I'd respond with the Top 5 reasons Joey Gathright should start in center for the Royals this season...
1. The "Joey Jumps Over a Car" bobblehead would be really awesome.
2. Potential
3. He had and OBP of .371 last year, best on the team
4. I hear he's bringing back the Brian McRae drag bunt
5. Otherwise, Ross "No need to" Gload is going to play 1st and bat 3rd
There are a lot more, but one major theory that I'd like to expand on. The Royals cannot afford power, as evidenced by the fact that we just "broke the bank" spending 12 million a year on a guy (Jose Guillen) that no one expects to hit more than 30 home runs in a year. Power has simply become too expensive, unless you develop it...which we may with Gordon and Butler. But the one thing we can still afford is speed, and that's what we should build this team on: Pitching, defense, and manufacturing runs. A lot of people say you can't win that way in the AL anymore, who's trying? Can we honestly try the same things the Yanks and Sox are with 1/3 the payroll and expect to compete? Absolutely not.
Even if you completely disagree with that theory, I'm not suggesting you give up power to play Gathright...Ross Gload would be the casualty. I like Gload, but as his nickname suggests, he's nothing special. He's a utility man...a pinch hitter...a defensive replacement...but an everyday first baseman batting 3rd? No way. Gload is an asset to the club, and I won't bad mouth him at all, but you can't build a good lineup with him as your 3 hitter. Can you say the same about Gathright at lead off? I don't know how you could. I know he has no pop...I know everyone hates how much he bunts...and he does dumb things sometimes...but he's inexperienced. Give him a full year in the lead off spot and watch how much better this offense is. Give him a full year in the outfield and watch how many times he makes web gems.
You see, Joey Gathright could be exciting. He could bunt his way on, steal second, move to third on a ground ball and score on a shallow fly ball. He can manufacture runs by himself. He can take away runs with his speed in the outfield. He's a raw talent with a ton of potential, which is exactly what this team is built around. It's the only reason for hope in Kansas City: potential. Let us hope Trey, at least for a while...start Joey Gathright.
1. The "Joey Jumps Over a Car" bobblehead would be really awesome.
2. Potential
3. He had and OBP of .371 last year, best on the team
4. I hear he's bringing back the Brian McRae drag bunt
5. Otherwise, Ross "No need to" Gload is going to play 1st and bat 3rd
There are a lot more, but one major theory that I'd like to expand on. The Royals cannot afford power, as evidenced by the fact that we just "broke the bank" spending 12 million a year on a guy (Jose Guillen) that no one expects to hit more than 30 home runs in a year. Power has simply become too expensive, unless you develop it...which we may with Gordon and Butler. But the one thing we can still afford is speed, and that's what we should build this team on: Pitching, defense, and manufacturing runs. A lot of people say you can't win that way in the AL anymore, who's trying? Can we honestly try the same things the Yanks and Sox are with 1/3 the payroll and expect to compete? Absolutely not.
Even if you completely disagree with that theory, I'm not suggesting you give up power to play Gathright...Ross Gload would be the casualty. I like Gload, but as his nickname suggests, he's nothing special. He's a utility man...a pinch hitter...a defensive replacement...but an everyday first baseman batting 3rd? No way. Gload is an asset to the club, and I won't bad mouth him at all, but you can't build a good lineup with him as your 3 hitter. Can you say the same about Gathright at lead off? I don't know how you could. I know he has no pop...I know everyone hates how much he bunts...and he does dumb things sometimes...but he's inexperienced. Give him a full year in the lead off spot and watch how much better this offense is. Give him a full year in the outfield and watch how many times he makes web gems.
You see, Joey Gathright could be exciting. He could bunt his way on, steal second, move to third on a ground ball and score on a shallow fly ball. He can manufacture runs by himself. He can take away runs with his speed in the outfield. He's a raw talent with a ton of potential, which is exactly what this team is built around. It's the only reason for hope in Kansas City: potential. Let us hope Trey, at least for a while...start Joey Gathright.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Just sayin
Jivin Joey Gathright:
.444, 5 runs, 1 triple, 2 RBI, 6/6 stolen bases, 1.167 OPS
Will Mike Maroth ever pitch?
.444, 5 runs, 1 triple, 2 RBI, 6/6 stolen bases, 1.167 OPS
Will Mike Maroth ever pitch?
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Randomness
Some real quick random thoughts...
Has a team ever put up 109 with a lower high scorer than last night? The Jayhawks put up 109 on a hapless Texas Tech team, with Russell Robinson leading the way with 15 points. To me, that's incredible. What's more amazing? That Tech beat Texas on Saturday in the middle of a 44 point loss to A&M and a 58 point loss to Kansas. Regardless, Tech's season is done and the Jayhawks are still in the hunt for a #1 seed.
Joey Gathright had 3 stolen bases yesterday...John Bale threw three scoreless innings...and the Royals won. Bale has thrown a couple of early haymakers at De la Rosa in the battle for the lefty starting job. I'm just wondering if Mike Maroth is ever going to step into the ring. Gathright is doing exactly what I'd hoped he would, making it hard for the Royals to bench him. Seems to me that the odds of Teahan moving to first and Gathright moving to the outfield get better everyday...we can hope.
Has a team ever put up 109 with a lower high scorer than last night? The Jayhawks put up 109 on a hapless Texas Tech team, with Russell Robinson leading the way with 15 points. To me, that's incredible. What's more amazing? That Tech beat Texas on Saturday in the middle of a 44 point loss to A&M and a 58 point loss to Kansas. Regardless, Tech's season is done and the Jayhawks are still in the hunt for a #1 seed.
Joey Gathright had 3 stolen bases yesterday...John Bale threw three scoreless innings...and the Royals won. Bale has thrown a couple of early haymakers at De la Rosa in the battle for the lefty starting job. I'm just wondering if Mike Maroth is ever going to step into the ring. Gathright is doing exactly what I'd hoped he would, making it hard for the Royals to bench him. Seems to me that the odds of Teahan moving to first and Gathright moving to the outfield get better everyday...we can hope.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Finally, the lineup
All of the focus it seems is on the pitching with the Royals this year...
Who will win the last two spots in the rotation?
Will Meche and Bannister be as good as last year?
Will Greinke finally turn into the stud we think he can be?
Can Yasuhiko Yabuta be the next great Japanese set up man?
How will the sophomore season of closer Joakim Soria go?
All of these questions and more are important. Heck, I won't even debate that pitching wins championships. Nope, no questioning the importance of pitching but there is one other thing you can't debate; you have to score runs to win...especially in the American League. How is this team going to do that? Last year the Royals finished 27th in the majors in runs scored, no matter how good the pitching is, that won't cut it...but there's reason for hope:
- Jose Guillen. I should be able to stop at the period, but there are enough naysayers out there, I'll offer this: Guillen would have been the best bat on the Royals last year, there's no reason to expect anything different this year. He gives this lineup a sense of legitimacy it didn't have last year...much like Gil Meche did for the rotation last year. Guillen will make Gordon, Butler, and Teahan better.
- Billy Butler drove in 52 runs(5th on the team) in only 329 at bats. Not a great percentage, but assuming he's closer to 550 at bats this season he should be more productive than any bat the Royals had last year. I think .320/25 HRs/90 RBI is a very realistic projection of Butler's sophomore year.
- No way Alex Gordon starts as bad as he did last year. After the break he hit .264 with 9 homers and 32 RBI in 70 games. I think it's very possible that's we'll see him in the same 25 Homer 90 RBI ball park as Billy Butler.
- Trey Hillman has a new approach. I've heard this a lot, but I'm not sure exactly what it is. Regardless, it has to be better than Buddy Bell's approach...anything different is better. One thing I have heard is that he likes to manufacture runs and Joey Gathright could be a big part of that plan. Gathright's talent and speed is unquestionable, I just hope we've found someone who can hone it.
With that being said, here's the lineup I'd put out there 150 games a year:
CF Joey Gathright
LF David DeJesus
DH Billy Butler
RF Jose Guillen
3B Alex Gordon
C John Buck
1B Mark Teahan
2B Mark Grudzielanek
SS Tony Pena Jr
Now I know a lot of you are wondering why Teahan and Grudz are at the bottom...I think we know what we have in these guys, decent hitters...consistent...solid...but not legitimate 2 and 3 hitters. We're hoping that Gordon and Butler can develop into middle of the order guys right? Why not start them there with some protection? Won't they see a lot more fastballs there then if they're hitting in front of TPJ? My case for Gathright? He's the only legit leadoff hitter we have and he hit .307 last year. More important than that? He's a raw talent. Yeah, he still needs polishing, but so did Willie Wilson, we've got to take a chance on raw talents like this and give them a chance to turn into what they could.
Now here is the lineup I expect...(once Guillen's suspension is over)
CF David DeJesus
2B Mark Grudzielanek
LF Mark Teahan
RF Jose Guillen
DH Billy Butler
3B Alex Gordon
1B Ross Gload
C John Buck
SS Tony Pena Jr
To me, that lineup isn't near as exciting. But what would be exciting is if Hillman chose a lineup and stuck with it. I understand he may be a tinkerer, but Buddy Bell's 'experimenting' with the lineup got very old and in my opinion was a detriment to the team.
What do I expect either of those lineups to do? Score more runs than last year. It seems to me that top 20 would be a nice improvement, and with our pitching top 15 could get us into the playoff race. I think both of those are possible, with Gordon and Butler turning into borderline superstars.
Who will win the last two spots in the rotation?
Will Meche and Bannister be as good as last year?
Will Greinke finally turn into the stud we think he can be?
Can Yasuhiko Yabuta be the next great Japanese set up man?
How will the sophomore season of closer Joakim Soria go?
All of these questions and more are important. Heck, I won't even debate that pitching wins championships. Nope, no questioning the importance of pitching but there is one other thing you can't debate; you have to score runs to win...especially in the American League. How is this team going to do that? Last year the Royals finished 27th in the majors in runs scored, no matter how good the pitching is, that won't cut it...but there's reason for hope:
- Jose Guillen. I should be able to stop at the period, but there are enough naysayers out there, I'll offer this: Guillen would have been the best bat on the Royals last year, there's no reason to expect anything different this year. He gives this lineup a sense of legitimacy it didn't have last year...much like Gil Meche did for the rotation last year. Guillen will make Gordon, Butler, and Teahan better.
- Billy Butler drove in 52 runs(5th on the team) in only 329 at bats. Not a great percentage, but assuming he's closer to 550 at bats this season he should be more productive than any bat the Royals had last year. I think .320/25 HRs/90 RBI is a very realistic projection of Butler's sophomore year.
- No way Alex Gordon starts as bad as he did last year. After the break he hit .264 with 9 homers and 32 RBI in 70 games. I think it's very possible that's we'll see him in the same 25 Homer 90 RBI ball park as Billy Butler.
- Trey Hillman has a new approach. I've heard this a lot, but I'm not sure exactly what it is. Regardless, it has to be better than Buddy Bell's approach...anything different is better. One thing I have heard is that he likes to manufacture runs and Joey Gathright could be a big part of that plan. Gathright's talent and speed is unquestionable, I just hope we've found someone who can hone it.
With that being said, here's the lineup I'd put out there 150 games a year:
CF Joey Gathright
LF David DeJesus
DH Billy Butler
RF Jose Guillen
3B Alex Gordon
C John Buck
1B Mark Teahan
2B Mark Grudzielanek
SS Tony Pena Jr
Now I know a lot of you are wondering why Teahan and Grudz are at the bottom...I think we know what we have in these guys, decent hitters...consistent...solid...but not legitimate 2 and 3 hitters. We're hoping that Gordon and Butler can develop into middle of the order guys right? Why not start them there with some protection? Won't they see a lot more fastballs there then if they're hitting in front of TPJ? My case for Gathright? He's the only legit leadoff hitter we have and he hit .307 last year. More important than that? He's a raw talent. Yeah, he still needs polishing, but so did Willie Wilson, we've got to take a chance on raw talents like this and give them a chance to turn into what they could.
Now here is the lineup I expect...(once Guillen's suspension is over)
CF David DeJesus
2B Mark Grudzielanek
LF Mark Teahan
RF Jose Guillen
DH Billy Butler
3B Alex Gordon
1B Ross Gload
C John Buck
SS Tony Pena Jr
To me, that lineup isn't near as exciting. But what would be exciting is if Hillman chose a lineup and stuck with it. I understand he may be a tinkerer, but Buddy Bell's 'experimenting' with the lineup got very old and in my opinion was a detriment to the team.
What do I expect either of those lineups to do? Score more runs than last year. It seems to me that top 20 would be a nice improvement, and with our pitching top 15 could get us into the playoff race. I think both of those are possible, with Gordon and Butler turning into borderline superstars.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Big Blog News
Making the rest of us look like what we are (amateurs), Rany Jazayerli as started a new blog Rany on the Royals. Why is this significant?
Rany is a Royals fan whose optimism comes as close to the Kool Aid Drinker's as any legitimate journalist does. It used to be I could only find his opinions on Rob Neyer's site which was updated far too infrequently. He's also a regular guy with a regular job which means he's much more entertaining than someone who has to muzzle his opinion to keep his paycheck. Finally, if you're like me and you love stats, Rany was one of the original founders of the Baseball Prospectus. It's only the most comprehensive baseball book on the planet.
I became a bigger fan of Rany's when I heard him on 810 today telling Kevin Keitzman how much he expected Trey Hillman to use Joey Gathright. The Kool Aid Drinker loves Joey Gathright, and likes Hillman more already.
So welcome, Rany to the world blogging, we're lucky to have you.
Rany is a Royals fan whose optimism comes as close to the Kool Aid Drinker's as any legitimate journalist does. It used to be I could only find his opinions on Rob Neyer's site which was updated far too infrequently. He's also a regular guy with a regular job which means he's much more entertaining than someone who has to muzzle his opinion to keep his paycheck. Finally, if you're like me and you love stats, Rany was one of the original founders of the Baseball Prospectus. It's only the most comprehensive baseball book on the planet.
I became a bigger fan of Rany's when I heard him on 810 today telling Kevin Keitzman how much he expected Trey Hillman to use Joey Gathright. The Kool Aid Drinker loves Joey Gathright, and likes Hillman more already.
So welcome, Rany to the world blogging, we're lucky to have you.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
8 days left
Okay, technically there are 8 days left until Spring Training, but according to the Royals website, we're getting a head start. The most exciting part of that article for the Kool Aid Drinker? The big three (Gil Meche, Brian Bannister, and Zack Greinke) are all expected in early. It's one thing for the guys trying to earn a spot in the rotation to get there early, quite another for the aces of the staff to do it.
Yeah, I said aces...plural...that's what this team will need if we're going to compete this year, three aces, 45 wins out of the Big 3, a sub 4.00 ERA...now don't go writing that down as a prediction, the Kool Aid Drinker will wait until late March for the official predictions. Okay, okay I'll give you one...Meche(9), Bannister(12) and Greinke(7) will all win more games than they did last year...you can write that down...in pen.
So, the head start got me excited, but not near as excited as the email I recieved today telling me that I need to register for the right to buy Opening Day tickets...Two months and two days until the Evil Empire invades the K and gets shut down by Gil Meche...until Bad Ass Billy Butler and Awesome Alex Gordon begin their assault on the 22 year old home run record of Steve "Bye Bye" Balboni...until chili cheese fries and beer...short of MU/KU at Arrowhead this will be the hottest ticket in a long time in Kansas City, a hey day for scalpers and... okay, prediction #2- Royals 7, Yankees 2.
Other musings before the Boys in Blue get started...
- John "Don't give a Buck" if you bring in Johnny Bench, he's the starting catcher and that's not going to change
- The last two spots in the rotation have Jorge De La Rosa and Brett Tomko pencilled in. The Kool Aid Drinker likes Kyle Davies to replace Tomko spot by May.
- Joey Gathright should start on Opening Day...and make it hard to yank him when Guillen's suspension is over.
- I'm saving the official prediction for later, but right now I'm thinking between 85-95 wins sounds about right
- ...so does 2 million in attendance for the year
That's all for now, I don't want to get too carried away in February...
Yeah, I said aces...plural...that's what this team will need if we're going to compete this year, three aces, 45 wins out of the Big 3, a sub 4.00 ERA...now don't go writing that down as a prediction, the Kool Aid Drinker will wait until late March for the official predictions. Okay, okay I'll give you one...Meche(9), Bannister(12) and Greinke(7) will all win more games than they did last year...you can write that down...in pen.
So, the head start got me excited, but not near as excited as the email I recieved today telling me that I need to register for the right to buy Opening Day tickets...Two months and two days until the Evil Empire invades the K and gets shut down by Gil Meche...until Bad Ass Billy Butler and Awesome Alex Gordon begin their assault on the 22 year old home run record of Steve "Bye Bye" Balboni...until chili cheese fries and beer...short of MU/KU at Arrowhead this will be the hottest ticket in a long time in Kansas City, a hey day for scalpers and... okay, prediction #2- Royals 7, Yankees 2.
Other musings before the Boys in Blue get started...
- John "Don't give a Buck" if you bring in Johnny Bench, he's the starting catcher and that's not going to change
- The last two spots in the rotation have Jorge De La Rosa and Brett Tomko pencilled in. The Kool Aid Drinker likes Kyle Davies to replace Tomko spot by May.
- Joey Gathright should start on Opening Day...and make it hard to yank him when Guillen's suspension is over.
- I'm saving the official prediction for later, but right now I'm thinking between 85-95 wins sounds about right
- ...so does 2 million in attendance for the year
That's all for now, I don't want to get too carried away in February...
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