Goose's Tuesday Take -- Royals claim Shuster, DFA Peguero

As I begin to write, it struck me that this is the last Tuesday Take I will write until the Royals begin playing real baseball. It has been a long offseason, and we are less than a week away from Aoki standing in against Justin Verlander to begin the 2014 campaign. I remain cautiously optimistic, a term that has been widely used in regard to the Kansas City Royals by many who follow them. It seems all to familiar to begin another year with thoughts that maybe this is the one where they are able to break the decades of futility and once again grace the postseason with shades of Royals Blue. While in years past, the overriding theme that has kept hope afloat was the expectation of the Royals young players to step up, this year is different in that we merely need a helping hand from a select few while expecting others to simply maintain. The question marks from the conclusion of 2013 still remain, and spring training has brought on a few others, but for the most part, this is a team that is set with very few glaring holes (subject to change without notice).

Mike Moustakas was one of the question marks entering into the offseason, and while his status as such hasn’t changed at the moment, he has seemingly done all he can do by talking the talk, being in the clichéd “best shape of his career” and flat out mashing in spring training to the tune of a .467 batting average and 1.428 OPS. While spring training numbers generally come with the caveat of “meaningless,” the one thing that I was most impressed with was Moose’s 10 walks in 57 plate appearances. It is most likely a mirage at this point, but I would like to believe this could be an indication of a new approach in which Moose will look to hit his pitches instead of simply trying to play defense at the plate. This is a big year for him and new hitting coach Pedro Grifol to showcase what, if any, lessons were learned this offseason in winterball and again at spring training. The giant asterisk next to any stats Moose has produced is one with a note stating he also raked in spring training last year, only to wind up being one of the worst statistical hitters in all of Major League Baseball.

Speaking of worst hitters, much to the chagrin of the Royals faithful, Alcides Escobar has given cause for even more worry this offseason than simply being tagged with the dubious distinction of lowest OPS amongst qualifying hitters in 2013. He arrived to spring training late, left for the birth of his child, and then upon returning has continually nursed nagging injuries that the Royals brass maintain is nothing serious. For quite some time, Esky has looked like the kind of player who’s primary downfall is that he lacks focus and ability to accept coaching in overcoming his shortfalls. He has an undeniable talent, and even at the plate has shown an uncanny ability to make contact with the ball, but it is most often the wrong kind of contact leading to weak hit outs.

There were several things that Escobar needed most in the offseason, repetition, time with his new hitting coach, and play in spring training to build confidence at the plate, as well as with the newest member of his double play turning machine, Omar Infante. He has failed miserably at obtaining these necessities to alleviate worries by Kansas City fans heading into opening day. While the missed time at learning defensive timing is nothing to dismiss, my biggest fear is his offensive production which was already so poor it can not weather any setbacks.

The Royals made several moves today. Of note, they have Designated outfielder Carlos Peguero for assignment. Peguero was, at best, a long shot to make the roster coming out of spring training, but did flash some of the hard hitting he was known for upon being picked up by the Royals. In the end, however, his ability to tattoo a fastball was not enough for Ned or Dayton to supplant the 2013 late season darling Justin Maxwell. Maxwell also had a good spring, and had been tabbed as being on the roster previously by Yost, so the move to DFA Peguero seemed nothing more than a formality at this time. I expect he will either be dealt for some minor pieces in the next week, or simply outrighted to AAA Omaha awaiting the possibility of an injury by a Royals outfielder.

The Royals also traded backup catcher Adam Moore (according to Andy McCullough of the KC Star) to the Padres for cash considerations. Moore was facing an uphill battle in trying to overtake Brett Hayes as the backup catcher. He had seen time at the big league level in each of the last 5 seasons, posting a .200 batting average in 271 plate appearances.

In a corresponding move with the Peguero DFA, the Royals have claimed Rule 5 pick Patrick Shuster. Shuster pitched in A+ ball last year to the tune of a 1.83 ERA and could be used as a left handed specialist out of the pen for the Royals. This seems to show that the powers that be may not have a great amount of confidence in left handed reliever Franisley Bueno, who up until this point seemed to have the upper hand on rounding out the relief corp. Bueno has seen limited action at the big league level the last 2 years for the Royals, but has been fantastic in his small sample size allowing only 3 earned runs in 25 innings of work.

The last bit of interesting news to come out of spring training is that the Royals have decided to send pitcher Danny Duffy back to AAA Omaha to work in the rotation there as opposed to in the bullpen in Kansas City. Duffy has struggled at times during spring training, (by at times, I mean he has allowed 14 runs in 11 innings, but lets not kick a man while he is down) and this seems to be the best move for everyone involved. Duffy still has a tremendous upside, and would best serve the Royals as a member of the starting rotation, something that would best be obtained by continuing to hone his craft in multiple innings of work.

While he potentially could have been an asset to the Royals out of the bullpen, the benefit would have been at the expense of perfecting his work as a starter, something he still doesn’t seem to have the ability to properly do. With his command issues, and inability to get out of his own head, a stint of confidence building at the AAA level may be just what the doctor ordered. This will be the first full year back after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and the next few months should provide Royals fans with a definitive glimpse into what the future may hold for Duffy.

Here is to hoping that the next time I write a Tuesday Take, it will be with the Royals atop the Central Division and undefeated! –Goose

photo credit: Keith Allison via photopin cc