31 October 2007

Royals in the Fall -- Oct. 31 update

Hawaii -- West Oahu Canefires: The Canefires are 8-16.

IF Jeff Bianchi
last update (10/24) -- .305/.359/.749 OPS, 3 2B, 1 3B, 11 RS (tied team lead), 3 RBI, 5 BB/17 K, 4/4 SB in 14 games (59 AB)
now -- .290/.347/.709, 3 2B, 1 3B, 12 RS (still tied team lead), 3 RBI, 6 BB/20 K, 5/5 SB, 1 GIDP in 17 games (69 AB)
-- Numbers continue to slide for Jeff, as over the week his BA dipped below .300 and his OPS dropped 40 points....still putting up decent numbers but you'd like them to stabilize.

P Tyler Chambliss
last update --
0-1, 1 hold, 1 for 2 in saves, 3.29 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 6 BB/11 K, .212 OAV, 1 HRA in 13 2/3 IP of relief in 6 games
now -- 1-1, 1 hold, 1 for 2 in saves, 5.09 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 8 BB/18 K, .260 OAV, 2 HRA in 8 games and 17 2/3 IP of relief
-- what a difference a week makes as Chambliss got roughed up a little in his 4 IP over the week....BB/K ratio improved even though his other numbers sagged, and his K rate is still good....despite the rough outing(s), did pick up a win.

P Blake Wood
last update -- 0-1, 4.80 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, 8 BB/27 K, .302 OAV, 1 HRA in 4 starts and 15 IP
now -- 0-1, 0 for 1 in saves, 4.26 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, 11 BB/32 K, .300 OAV, 1 HRA in 5 starts and 19 IP
-- still racking up the Ks....HWB site indicates a save opportunity but no relief appearance, so may be a typo....still getting hit, but is also overpowering some, it seems.

Arizona -- Surprise Rafters: The Rafters are 12-6 and have the best record in the AFL.

2B Marc Maddox
last update -- .500/.571/1.253, 2 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, 5 BB/6 K, 1/2 SB, 1 E in 7 games (22 AB)
now -- .417/.476/1.087 OPS, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 8 RBI, 5 BB/9 K, 1/3 SB, 1 E in 10 G (36 AB)
-- the more he plays, the more his numbers come closer to human so that's to be expected....still doing great, however, as he leads the league in BA and OBP and is second in SLG....picked up his first homer over the last 7 days and also doubled his RBI total....tied for team lead with 15 hits despite not playing full-time.

OF Chris Lubanski
last update -- .189/.279/.630, 2B, 3B, HR, 7 RBI, 5 BB/5 K, 7 RS, 1 E in 10 G (37 AB)
now -- .208/.291/.645, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 9 RBI, 6 BB/7 K, 8 RS, 3 E in 13 G (48 AB)
-- numbers have moved from God-awful to just awful....in same boat with big Rangers prospect OF John Mayberry Jr., who is hitting .208 but putting up better OBP and SLG numbers....offensive improvement has been offset by tripling his error total over the last week....still disappointing.

1B Kila Kaaihue
last update --.350/.536/1.286, 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 8 BB/5 K, 6 RS in 6 G (20 AB)
now -- .273/.455/.970, 2 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 11 BB/9 K, 7 RS, 0 E in 10 G (33 AB)
-- still producing when played, and still ahead on walks per K....wish he could put up these numbers in a regular season.

OF Jose Duarte
last update -- .000/.125/.125, 2 RBI, RS, 2 BB/4 K in 4 G (13 AB)
now - .150/.250/.400, 3 RBI, 4 RS, 3 BB/6 K, 1/1 SB in 6 G (20 AB)
--as a reminder, Duarte's designated to play only on weekends....finally picked up his first hits of the season, as he was 3/7 on the week to boost his stats....also scored 3 runs over the week and stole a base.

P Dusty Hughes
last update -- 1-0, 1.64 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, 1 BB/7 K, 1 HRA in 3 starts and 11 IP
now -- no change
-- no action over the week, although Hughes was named starter for the West in the "Rising Stars Showcase" game.

P Tyler Lumsden
last update -- 1-0, 5.68 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 2 BB/7 K, 2 HRA in 3 games and 6 1/3 IP of relief
now -- 1-0, 4.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 3 BB/10 K, 2 HRA in 5 games and 9 IP of relief
-- continues to improve his numbers as he is now putting up respectable stats....we'll see if the trend holds.

P Nate Hoelscher
last update -- 1-0, 1 save, 1 hold, 1.80 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, BB/4 K, 0 HRA in 5 G and 5 IP of relief
now -- 1-0, 1 save, 1 hold, 1.50 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, BB/4 K, 0 HRA in 6 G and 6 IP of relief
-- again, still fairly solid work out of Nate.

P Greg Atencio
last update -- 0-0, 27.00 ERA, 4.00 WHIP, 3 BB/0 K, HRA in 1 G and 1 IP of relief
now -- no change
-- worked his way to bottom of deep bullpen in Surprise, so who knows how much action he'll see moving forward.

P Devon Lowery
last update -- 0-0, 0.00 ERA, hold, K in 1 G and 1 IP of relief
now -- 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, hold, BB/2 K in 2 G and 2 IP of relief
-- so far, so good.

AFL -- Team USA: 2-2 in tune up for international tourney in Taiwan

P Matt Wright
now -- 0-0, 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, BB/2 K, HRA in 2 starts and 7 IP
-- added to team roster because of an injury to another player and has been all right thus far.

P Neal Musser
now -- 1-0, 3.38 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, BB/3 K in 3 games and 2 2/3 IP of relief
-- got a win out of pen and has been OK thus far...only allowed 1 hit and a walk.

Dominican Winter League -- various teams: I'm not gonna do full rundowns on each guy, but several Royals are playing in the Dominican this offseason

Billy Butler is batting .276 with a .323 OBP, 2 2B and 4 RBI with 5 Ks in 8 games for the Azucareros del Este, while Angel Berroa is hitting .273 with a .385 OBP, 1 HR and 3 RBI with 3 walks and 2 Ks in 7 games, which frightens me that he's arguably outhitting Butler. On the same team, Kyle Davies is 0-0 with a 2.25 ERA and .207 OAV, 3 BB and 7 Ks in 2 games and 8 IP, so that's nice to see. Julio Pimentel isn't faring as well with an 0-1 record, 7.73 ERA but a .222 OAV, 3 BB and 2 Ks in 2 games and 2 1/3 IP.

Matt Tupman is hitting .150 with a .150 OBP, 1 RBI and 3 K in 6 games for the Tigres del Licey.

Mitch Maier is hitting .190 with a .320 OBP, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 BB/1 K in 7 games for the Gigantes del Cibao.



24 October 2007

Royals in the Fall -- Oct. 24 update

Hawaii -- West Oahu Canefires: The Canefires are 6-12 and still have the worst record in HWB.

IF Jeff Bianchi
last update (10/14) -- .371/.421/.850 OPS, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 3 BB/11 K in 8 games (35 AB)
now -- .305/.359/.749, 3 2B, 1 3B, 11 RS (tied team lead), 3 RBI, 5 BB/17 K, 4/4 SB in 14 games (59 AB)
-- Bianchi is getting playing time but his numbers have fallen off somewhat....he's dropped to fifth in the league in batting, which still isn't bad....he is scoring runs and is perfect in SB, but hopefully these numbers stabilize rather than continuing to drop.

P Tyler Chambliss
last update -- 0-1,
1 hold, 4.00 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 6 BB/8 K, .222 OAV, 1 HRA in 9 IP of relief in 4 games
now -- 0-1, 1 hold, 1 for 2 in saves, 3.29 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 6 BB/11 K, .212 OAV, 1 HRA in 13 2/3 IP of relief in 6 games
-- Chambliss has picked it up over his last two games to decrease his WHIP, ERA and opponents' batting average while picking up a save....his ERA is fourth best on the team and both his ERA and WHIP are second best out of the pen.

P Blake Wood
last update -- 0-1, 4.91 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, 7 BB/20 K, .261 OAV, 0 HRA in 3 starts and 11 IP
now -- 0-1, 4.80 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, 8 BB/27 K, .302 OAV, 1 HRA in 4 starts and 15 IP
-- still tied for league lead in Ks, and his K/IP and K/BB are still pretty good....his K/IP and K/BB have actually improved after getting 7 Ks with 1 BB in his last start....he's getting hit even harder than before as his WHIP has declined but his ERA has improved slightly.

Arizona -- Surprise Rafters: The Rafters are 10-3 and have the best record in the AFL.

2B Marc Maddox
last update -- .571/.625/1.482 OPS, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, SB in 2 G (7 AB)
now -- .500/.571/1.253, 2 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, 5 BB/6 K, 1/2 SB, 1 E in 7 games (22 AB)
-- has deserved and gotten more playing time and is still producing very well....leads team in batting and OBP....also leads team with 11 hits.....we'll see if this lasts, but he could be the team's best story coming out of the AFL.

OF Chris Lubanski
last update -- .200/.250/.650 OPS, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB/2 K in 4 G (15 AB)
now -- .189/.279/.630, 2B, 3B, HR, 7 RBI, 5 BB/5 K, 7 RS, 1 E in 10 G (37 AB)
-- his poor start hasn't gotten any better....he is hitting for some power with 3 XBH out of 7 hits....it's disappointing to see him do this everywhere he goes.

1B Kila Kaaihue
last update --.143/.333/.905 OPS, 1 HR (only hit), 3 RBI, 2 BB/3 K in 2 G (7 AB)
now -- .350/.536/1.286, 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 8 BB/5 K, 6 RS in 6 G (20 AB)
-- has picked up the offensive pace nicely since last update....leads team in OPS and SLG (.750) as a part-timer at 1B....also has been able to take some walks at the plate....4 XBH out of 7 hits.

OF Jose Duarte
last update -- .000/.143/.143, 1 RBI, RS, 1 BB/1 K in 2 G (5 AB)
now -- .000/.125/.125, 2 RBI, RS, 2 BB/4 K in 4 G (13 AB)
--as a reminder, Duarte's designated to play only on weekends....still no hits in the league, but does have a couple ribbies.

P Dusty Hughes
last update -- 0-0, 3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 0 BB/2 K, 0 HRA in 1 start and 3 IP
now -- 1-0, 1.64 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, 1 BB/7 K, 1 HRA in 3 starts and 11 IP
-- Hughes is pitching well as he's tied for the team lead in IP and also ERA and WHIP for those with more than 5 IP....nothing much to point out as a weakness thus far....after a solid year at Wichita, he's continuing to put himself on the prospect map....surely he can take Dan Christensen's 40-man spot.

P Tyler Lumsden
last update -- 1-0, 13.50 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 0 BB/3 K, 2 HRA in 1 G and 2 IP of relief
now -- 1-0, 5.68 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 2 BB/7 K, 2 HRA in 3 games and 6 1/3 IP of relief
-- an improvement from before, but still not much to brag about out of Tyler....K/BB is good in small sample size....right now is a wait-and-see situation.

P Nate Hoelscher
last update -- 0-0, 1 hold, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, BB/2 K, 0 HRA in 2 G and 2 IP of relief
now -- 1-0, 1 save, 1 hold, 1.80 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, BB/4 K, 0 HRA in 5 G and 5 IP of relief
-- still fairly solid work out of Nate.

P Greg Atencio
last update -- 0-0, 27.00 ERA, 4.00 WHIP, 3 BB/0 K, HRA in 1 G and 1 IP of relief
now -- 0-0, 27.00 ERA, 3.50 WHIP, 3 BB/2 K, 2 HRA in 2 G and 2 IP of relief
-- I guess it went sideways from last time, but now I'll say again... it can only go up from here, hopefully.

P Devon Lowery
last update -- no stats
now -- 0-0, 0.00 ERA, hold, K in 1 G and 1 IP of relief
-- Devon makes his AFL debut....we'll see how much work he gets from here.

14 October 2007

Royals in the Fall -- Oct. 14 update

Hawaii -- West Oahu Canefires: The Canefires are 2-8 with the worst record in HWB.

IF Jeff Bianchi .371/.421/.850 OPS, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 3 BB/11 K in 8 games (35 AB) -- Bianchi's BA is third in the league but he isn't hitting for much power, and leads the team in Ks.

P Tyler Chambliss 0-1,
1 hold, 4.00 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 6 BB/8 K, .222 OAV, 1 HRA in 9 IP of relief in 4 games -- Chambliss followed up a promising year at A-ball with a middling start in Hawaii thus far. Other than the opponent's BA, his peripherals aren't especially good, other than 8 Ks in 9 IP.

P Blake Wood 0-1, 4.91 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, 7 BB/20 K, .261 OAV, 0 HRA in 3 starts and 11 IP -- At the point these stats were finalized, he led the league in Ks, and his K/IP and K/BB are good. He's getting hit, though, but maybe HWB is a hitter's league.

Arizona -- Surprise Rafters: The Rafters are 4-1 and tied with the Peoria Javelinas for the best record in the AFL.

2B Marc Maddox .571/.625/1.482 OPS, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, SB in 2 G (7 AB) -- isn't getting to start regularly, but is performing when given the chance thus far. He looks promising, but the sample size is VERY small here.

OF Chris Lubanski .200/.250/.650 OPS, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB/2 K in 4 G (15 AB) -- so much for Lubanski getting off to a good start, but he's a notorious slow starter. His homer is one of 3 hits for him.

1B Kila Kaaihue .143/.333/.905 OPS, 1 HR (only hit), 3 RBI, 2 BB/3 K in 2 G (7 AB) -- Kila's in Maddox's boat. His only hit is a longball but he is getting on base with 2 BB. We'll see how much he plays from here.

OF Jose Duarte .000/.143/.143, 1 RBI, RS, 1 BB/1 K in 2 G (5 AB) -- Duarte's designated to play only on weekends, which explains his lesser showing to some extent.

P Dusty Hughes 0-0, 3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 0 BB/2 K, 0 HRA in 1 start and 3 IP -- not enough work to evaluate Dusty at this point, but so far so good after a solid season in Wichita

P Tyler Lumsden 1-0, 13.50 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 0 BB/3 K, 2 HRA in 1 G and 2 IP of relief -- same ol' same ol' for Tyler, 3 ER and 2 longballs served up in 2 IP.

P Nate Hoelscher 0-0, 1 hold, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, BB/2 K, 0 HRA in 2 G and 2 IP of relief -- so far, so good for Nate

P Greg Atencio 0-0, 27.00 ERA, 4.00 WHIP, 3 BB/0 K, HRA in 1 G and 1 IP of relief -- can only go up from here, hopefully.