Last season Aaron Crow showed up to spring training with big time expectations by Royals fans. He did everything in his power to meet those expectations during the spring even causing some to think he should be given a job in the bullpen. Last season that would've been too much to ask for Aaron in my opinion as a guy who sat out over a year of baseball but now I think it's time to give him a shot.
Crow's change up didn't do much progressing last season and while I don't have anything against the minor league staff I would like to see how Crow's change developed after working with Bob McClure for a full season. Aaron definitely has the two pitch combo to succeed out of the bullpen. His fastball according to pitchf/x versus Oakland this spring was 94-96 with plenty of movement (4-6 degrees) while his slider was 86-89 with 6 to 8 degrees in movement. That's plenty of velocity and enough movement that if Crow throws strikes he'll succeed in the pen and give the Royals a swing and miss power who can also create groundballs, something they don't have in their other bullpen talents.
The biggest part of this scenario is working with McClure who I think is a above average pitching coach and has done wonders with the pitchers he's had in the pen so far. McClure on multiple occassions (Tejeda, Greinke and Farnsworth) has taken failed or struggling starters and turned them into effective relievers who have at least entered the conversation as possible rotation guys while also helping one become a Cy Young winner. I'm quite confident a year with Bob in the pen would do as much for Crow's career as a starter as anything he would learn this year in AA or AAA.
Couple other notes the Royals released Aaron Hartsock, Scott Kelley, Justin Figueroa and Tom Zebroski this weekend after trading Gaby Hernandez and Alex Caldera earlier. The Royals also picked up John Whittleman from the Rangers.
Whittleman isn't much of a prospect as a 25 year old heading to High A after not posting much of a line last season in AA but I assume he is a great guy and will help fill roster at High A Wilmington.
Cut day is coming soon I think we are gonna see some interesting decisions by the Royals as they decided to send Lorenzo Cain down today.
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Is it too hopeful that Crow follow the path that Greinke followed? Possibly he can spend a year or maybe a little longer working in the pen and then slowly move to becoming a starter.
ReplyDeleteI understand what they are doing with Cain, but I still don't like it. Yost said in the Star something to the effect that you could make the argument that Cain should have made the team. But you can't make the argument that he should have made the team as a starter. What??
I can and will make that argument. With Cain the defense is far superior. As a fan I would rather give Cain the chance than get to watch a retread. There is really no argument worthy of keeping Cain down, other than the GM make an assinine promise to two washed up guys. I guess I should calm down, it's not the end of the world, but I am tired of waiting. Let's get this train started.
If it was up to me, and obviously it's not and nobody is really asking, but anyway, I would like to see Moose and Hosmer soon after June 1. Hopefully Cain about the same time.
I hope we see Perez, Colon and Myers in September.
I hope we see Monty around July 1. Duffy soon after. And Lamb and Dwyer in September.
Next year we have an opening day lineup of:
Cain
Colon
Butler
Moose
Hosmer
Gordon
Myers
Perez
Escobar
With a starting rotation of
Montgomery
Lamb
Hochevar
Francis
Crow
Is this wishful thinking?
I think that's a little too wishful just considering what they did with Cain. I always thought Cain would get sent down just as a guy who hasn't has many at bats at AAA or at the ML level. Should he? Prob not but you've got Melky and Frenchy and Gordon who has struggled find out what you have in all three and see if there is a tradeable commodity if Gordon bounces back.
ReplyDeleteThe thing most are forgetting is that if Melky hits at a decent level and improves his defense while Gordon sucks wind again you might want to move Melky over to LF when you bring Cain up. We are assuming alot in that Melky is going to stink and Gordon is gonna bounce back.
This likely is a lost season and the prospects above would all have to have great seasons to force those scenarios. That's not likely nor should they do it unless they all are destroying the AA and AAA levels.
I realize everything has to fall right for this to happen.
ReplyDeleteAnd I also realize that damn near everything fell right for the Royals last year.
To expect two years in a row of everything falling right is expecting a bit much.
And the rational side of me says I know it won't happen, but there is a possibility and I don't think it is all that far fetched.
For one these are all real players. This isn't hope piled upon potential. These guys are real. I think of Moose, Hosmer, Perez, Colon and Myers the one that has the biggest chance of not making it is Moose. And I would rate him very high. Perez will make it because of his defense, but all of these guys are very real.
Pitching is such a crapshoot, but the way to fight the crapshoot is with numbers and that is what has been done.
I am not normally this optimistic, I am a fan and I am being optimistic, but don't we as Royals fan deserve this to break right. We have had everything and I mean everything break wrong for the last 25 years. Especially with the ownership situation. It is about time we got some sun to shine.
I need to let all of this go and just get tot work, but they have now picked up Treanor.
ReplyDeleteI don't for the life of me understand this move.
I like Pena. He has a bat. He plays the game with life and emotion. Apparently he is horrible defensively behind the plate, but I don't see it.
They go and get Treanor for what purpose? Are they trying to say that we want to compete this year. Why in the hell do you have Melky Cabrera playing in center when you have a viable option.
Are they trying to say that defense is so all important that they can't fathom putting someone like Pena behind the plate? Then again, why the hell are you playing Melky Cabrera.
I don't understand this. This year is about finding out who we have and giving a few guys a chance. That was supposed to include Pena. Now we are going to have to watch another retread who can't hit his way out of a paper bag.
I hope for Pena's sake they go ahead and cut him so he can get a legit shot with someone else.
They are extremely high on Salvador Perez and I believe they think that this year is nothing more than a stop gap at that position.
ReplyDeleteThey obviously are extremely high on Salvador Perez and his defense and I believe they think he'll be able to hold his own on offense.
Look for him to be a starter in 2012 with a veteran backup behind him.
As for the other guys I think they are talented enough to push their way but KC would be doing the wrong thing to play them all in a lost season. That extra year of service time is huge.