Royals Stadium, pre-waivers, what would you do??

[Minoso Express]

Waivers are tomorrow and I'd appreciate any comments you eagle-eyed vets might have. I wonder if I should upgrade D on SS or just stick with Franco for a while.

I have also been offered a trade and wonder if you any of you would take it or if, like I'm leaning at the moment, you'd stay put. The offer is Bob Welch and Willie Hernandez for Tom Henke and Lamarr Hoyt. I love Henke and like Hoyt for Royals, so in my limited experience here, I'm inclined to decline, but am curious about all opinions to the contrary.

Here's the team. Waivers are tomorrow afternoon. As always, thanks, guys. Oh, and I have 11th pick.

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/80s/team/team_other.html?user_id=72420

[bjs73]

Don't take that deal. Even though W. Hernandez might be a good fit for your ballpark, you will lose on the deal all the way around.

I'm not too fond of Reed and R. Davis in the bullpen.

The rest of the stuff looks ok. Witt is a calculated risk. Hoyt is decent but don't expect a Cy Young performance though he's a perfect fit for the back of the rotation.

When you say should you upgrade at SS, exactly who is available? If it is anyone worth while like Ripken, Trammel, Fernandez, you are not going to have a very good chance at getting him due to being 11th. Might as well make a stab at a different FA for now.

What SP is available since it looks like you're trying to build around pitching?

Also, I'm a little concerned about your overall OBP. Dewey might be your leader in that department unless his worst year shows up. That's not a good sign considering he's one of your RBI guys. Porter is hit or miss but keep him for now.

Armas is not a good fit for you unless the other three teams in your division are playing in HR ballparks. I'd try to trade him between now and waivers for anything of value. If no bites, I'd lose him.

Personally, I'd try to pick up a solid LH bat that hits for average and can get on base. As silly as it sounds, R. Carew usually goes undrafted and can be a monster, especially at Royals. He'd be your A typical leadoff guy. Keep Hrbek and lose Baylor-Armas and make him your DH.

Dwayne Murphy is hit or miss also. If you want to play the market, G. Pettis can be surprisingly solid in CF on a budget. His OBP is over .335 in most years, AA speed, and his lack of power doesn't hurt you in Royals. You can use the money saved on upgrading other needs.

Just my 2 cents.

[Semper Gumby]

[b:3a4bc550a9]SPs[/b:3a4bc550a9]

Orel
Soto
Bert Blyleven
Andujar

Gooden
Bosio

[b:3a4bc550a9]RPs[/b:3a4bc550a9]

D. Smith (for the money - drop Henke - and take Orel)
Farr
Brusstar


[b:3a4bc550a9]Defense[/b:3a4bc550a9]

Ozzie Smith
Larry Bowa
Harrah - 3B (not the best glove but a nice bat for your park)
Oberkfell - 3B (good glove and can hit once in awhile)
Decines

McGee (expensive for what you get but I didn't see much here)


[b:3a4bc550a9]Batters[/b:3a4bc550a9]

Brett (doubtful you'll get but someone will take him and drop a few players to do so)

Daniels / Greenwell / Easler (DH or LF) :D

[Minoso Express]

The other three parks in my division are Yankee Stadium, Exhibition Stadium and the Oakland Coliseum.

Wanted Fernandez, didn't get him. Trammel and Ripken already gone; a few others available as Semper's pointed out. I will put out some trade feelers on Armas and a couple of the others and see what shakes out post-waivers. I've had bad luck with Greenwell in the past, but maybe he's worth another shot. I doubt Daniels and most of the others will be around by the time I pick. Same with the remaining quality starting pitchers-- maybe the best thing to do there is wait to see what shakes out post waivers? I'm worried about the OBP, too.

bjs, you're right. Trying to build around pitching. Most of the parks in my division will suit my staff, I think, but I don't want Reed. I'm diffident about Davis, too, but again, let's see what I can pull-- if anything-- from waivers.

Thank you both for your solid insights and I'll keep you posted. If anything else occurs, let me know.

[KingLouie]

I think your team looks pretty darn good. High OBP, some power, reasonably decent gloves up the middle. And a park like yours has a way of bringing out the best in a pitching staff. For example, I had Pastore in Oakland, and the guy absolutely forced his way into the starting rotation, where he became one of my top guns.

I would grab Harrah if he's around.

[AdamKatz]

Dump Smalley. You want a "1" or "2" at SS. Some people sometimes go with a "3" and its sometimes Smalley, but not in Royals. If you want to go with a "3" anyway, go with Franco or Mullikins.

[FletchGriswold]

[quote:5cb895d325]If you want to go with a "3" anyway, go with Franco or [color=red:5cb895d325]Mullikins[/color:5cb895d325].
[/quote:5cb895d325]

Mullikins?..... :oops:

Just giving you a bad time, Katz!

[honestiago1]

Not too many speed (SB) guys for a turf park that favors high average. Double plays could be a problem for you. Quite a few L's and S's. Keep watch over your splits, for potential problems against LHP. Some guys who can crank out walks (Dewey, DwMurph, Hayes). Could produce some runs, though I worry about the whole station-to-station aspect of the slow guys (Hrbek, Gaetti, Presley, Smalley).

Great 1-2 combo in Clemens-Higuera (really great--what idiot let you get both of 'em?). Henke is automatic 35+ saves (probably 40). Donnie Moore is overlooked. He can be great. Kipper, too.

Very good D on the right side. Left side is obviously a little suspect (SS). Smalley better hit!

Think your pitching is going to carry you through, esp. if the Witt card is a good one. I'm not a Hoyt fan, but he has a couple of great years.

Good luck!

[Minoso Express]

... Clemens pitches 11 innings and loses a tough one; Witt blanks the opponents on 5 hits; Higuera strikes out 8, goes 8, Henke picks up his 1st. So far, so good on the pitching front.

As a lot of you have pointed out, there will be problems in various areas which I'll have to keep a close eye on. So far... Porter, Smalley, Murphy and Evans are my OBP and BA guys, but ridiculously early.

I tried to get a 1 SS; I know how crucial it's going to be in Royals. I wanted Fernandez, didn't get him and my 11 waiver pick... well, I was praying it would yield me Ozzie but no luck. Given the options in the FA pool by the time I could make some moves, Smalley was the best in terms of OBP and a reasonable bat. I also picked up Spike Owen. The guys left in the FA pool include Schofield, Gagne, Uribe and Dunston. They are the only "2" SS's left. Do you think it would be worth picking up one of those? None will get me anywhere with his bat, but...

I will post a link to the team after we play a few series. This might be a lonnnng season for us.

[AdamKatz]

If you dont pick them up, someone else will pick up scofield and uribe as backups soon (or as soon as injuries reveal bad years). I think its a toss up between them and the better hitting 3s. I think Franco is much better in Royals than Smalley and Id be surprised if he wasn't available.