The way that I see it, I'd like to see the Royals get rid of Emil Brown(OF), David DeJesus(OF), John Buck(C), Jason LaRue(C), Reggie Sanders(OF), Mike Sweeney(DH), Ryan Shealy(1B) and Jorge De La Rosa(LHP)....
As for those that I want to stick around: Joey Gathright(OF); Zack Greinke(RHP); Ross Gload(1B/OF); Mark Grudzielanek(2B); Alex Gordon(3B/1B); Gil Meche(RHP); Joakim Soria(RHP); Mark Teahen(RF); Billy Butler(DH/1B); Esteban German(IF/OF)....
Those that I'm uncertain about: John Bale(LHP); Ryan Braun(RHP); Billy Buckner(RHP); Kyle Davies(RHP); Brandon Duckworth(RHP); Jimmy Gobble(LHP); Luke Hochevar(RHP); Neal Musser(LHP); Leo Nunez(RHP); Joel Peralta(RHP); David Riske(RHP); Tony Pena Jr.(SS); Shane Costa(OF)....
Emil Brown was a vital part of our time 3 years ago because he was the best player that we had at the time....we were rebuilding and struggling with having any good players to compete against Major Leaguers....but now, we've got a new General Manager and Brown doesn't concentrate enough on the game, resulting in fielding mistakes and potential losses as the ending result....plus, we've got players who now outmatch him both at the plate and with the glove....he is in his mid 30's as well....and we need to move on and keep improving this team....
David DeJesus is injury prone....he also didn't hit as well this season....his fielding is good and he can make the key out in the outfield that can change the outcome of a game but he can also sometimes make a key mistake that leads to a loss....he is also our leadoff man, at least right now, but he's not a true leadoff man the way I see it....I see him doing better in the National League myself....
John Buck struggles to hit the ball....he seems to have one main swing and pitchers can pitch around that swing and get him out....he is better with the glove but still is only adequate....his arm strength improved this year just because he changed his form....this year, compared to previous years, he used the muscle from his legs up to his back and combined it with his arm and really increased the speed of his throws....the only problem is, he's inconsistent with his accuracy....
Jason LaRue is the better defensive catcher but hasn't hit as well as Buck has....I'm wondering if maybe moving from the National League to the American League might be the reason....he has a more accurate throwing arm than Buck....I wonder if he even calls a better game than Buck does....
Reggie Sanders is old and long past his prime....he's injury prone now as well....plus, the guy can make better contact with the ball by using his hands(the glove) than he can a stick(the bat), which leads to a lot of strikeouts and a low batting average....his throwing arm isn't very strong either but he still has some good speed and he's a veteran player who knows what to do in certain situations, but that doesn't mean that he can get the job done any more....
Mike Sweeney is very injury prone and his best years are over....he is also one of the highest paid players on the team and he plays fewer games than anyone else....it would be good to keep him around in the clubhouse and be a presence to the players of the future and help them grow in the game....
Ryan Shealy is injury prone and hasn't come around at all this year....he did good in the half-season stint that he had with the Royals last year but struggled to make it throughout a full season this year....the man is 27 or so years old as well....it's doubtful that he'll get any better by the time he's 30....after he's 30, his skills may decline....
Jorge De La Rosa is inconsistent with his picth location....his arm action has something to do with it....the angle that his arm throws will lead to an eratic location....plus, once he establishes his curveball, his fastball won't work....when he establishes his fastball, his curveball won't work....he's been struggling for the majority of his stint with us....
Ross Gload is a great contact hitter, a great fielder and he's a fierce competitor....his attitude is the future attitude of the team....
Joey Gathright is a speedster and arguably the fastest runner in the Majors....he can hit both left-handers and right-handers and keep his batting average around .300 also while keeping his on-base percentage up in the .400's....he can really add a momentum factor and a weapon for us both offensively and defensively....plus, he's a competitor....he's ready to kick your ass whenever the opportunity presents itself....just do something with his vision to help prevent his eye infections and improve his ability to see the ball while it's in the air....
Zack Greinke is a young pitcher with both speed and accuracy....it's just that he's up and down when it comes to being a starter but he's very dominating as a short reliever....he is a competitor and can't stand to fail....he is the hardest thrower on the team as well....he's the furturistic version of Bret Saberhagen minus the maturity....
Alex Gordon is the futuristic version of Royals Hall of Famer George Brett....Brett himself said that Gordon is better at his age than what he was....the Royals gave Gordon jersey #7, which means that he's something special....he's very competitive, tough, talented, athletic and gifted....the only thing I see negative about him is his lack of heigth....for a player with those kinds of characteristics, I'd like to see him be taller than what he is....
Gil Meche was one of our most consitent pitchers....he also led the league in the least amount of run support....he's the best pitcher the Royals have featured over the last 7 years or so....plus, he's signed for 4 more years....
Joakim Soria is a potential future star....just work on his consistency with his curveball and he's ready....he's young, very poised, very talented and gifted....who knows what future role he'll play for the Royals....
Mark Teahen is one of the fastest runners and best athletes on the entire team....his throwing arm is perhaps the strongest on the team....he has homerun power and can hit for average....he's very durable, tough, talented and gifted....he is 26 years old though....
Billy Butler is a potential future superstar....in his rookie season, he's already batted .290 or better....he's the most natural hitter the Royals have right now....he seems to be very durable....he's very poised, tough, talented and gifted.....he's only 21....
Esteban German can be our future utility player....he can come through in the clutch with the bat and he is the fastest runner on the team behind Gathright....
Kyle Davies has struggled nearly every time that he's pitched....he might get replaced by one of the Royals' high-round draft picks in the future....
John Bale is successful when he pitches inside to the hitters....he gets bombed when he doesn't pitch inside....
Ryan Braun can go out and do an effective job one time out and then not do so good on another time out....
Billy Buckner still needs to learn and develop at the Major League level....he has the potential to be a #4 or #5 starter in the future if he continues to grow and get better....
Brandon Duckworth does well more often than not....he is in his 30's as well....the question is where does he fit in?
Jimmy Gobble has become more effective against left-handed batters this season after learning how to throw sidearm....the question is how reliable and or consistent can he be, especially against the better ball clubs?
Luke Hochevar was the Royals first round draft pick of 2006....he has spent his time in the minors by learning to be a new pitcher....he has also struggled fairly well in doing so....the question is how close is he to being ready to pitch at the Major League level?
Neal Musser was extremely successful in AAA ball this year....he was good at the Major League level more often than not as well....he is also approaching 30 if he hasn't already got there....where does he fit in for the future?
Leo Nunez was effective as a starter in AAA ball but was only successful on a couple of starts in the Majors before he got bombed himself....where does he fit in for the future?
Joel Peralta is a converted shortstop....he struggled all year last year but was effective more often than not this year....the question with him is how reliable can he be out of the bullpen, especially against the better competition?
David Riske is a veteran pitcher who does well most of the time....he is in his 30's and did well as a setup man out of the bullpen....but what does the future hold for him with the Royals?
When I first saw Tony Pena, Jr. as the new Royals shortstop, I thought he was a good temporary replacement for Angel Berroa but I wanted somebody better and more experienced than Pena for the future....he still has to learn and develop both offensively and defensively....is he the future shortstop for the Royals?
Shane Costa was very successful at the AAA level but has struggled with getting consistent playing time at the Major League level....he has fairly good speed and glove but how well would he do as a starter at the Major League level?
