For an expansion team, there are so many important steps. Assembling a front office, building and staffing a scouting department, and determining which farm teams to affiliate with are all vital processes. That leads up to the team’s first amateur draft, the first real chance to stock that farm system. But the step that gets […]
Tag: U.L.’s Toothpick
U.L.’s Toothpick: The Night Kevin Appier Threw A One-Hitter–And Lost
Twenty-five years ago this week, Kevin Appier pitched perhaps the most dominant game in Royals history. And lost. That’s a bold claim, you might respond. I answer with the Game Score stat. You’re familiar with Game Score, yes? Devised by Bill James, it is a stat to determine a starting pitcher’s effectiveness in a single […]
U.L.’s Toothpick: What If…The Royals Had Signed These Draft Picks?
There may be no greater source for “what-ifs” than the MLB amateur player draft. Every sport’s draft depends on luck to so some extent, but baseball’s luck is way more of a crapshoot than the others, even as teams pour increased money, personnel, and analysis into scouting. I don’t really like to say, “What if they […]
U.L.’s Toothpick: The Year Of The Card–Jim Sundberg, 1985
Nowadays, baseball fans (the more analytical ones anyway) tend to snicker at the idea of “veteran presence.” And they probably have a point. There are plenty of players right now in the majors who became stars early in their careers, and it makes sense that if you have the talent to do well at the […]
U.L.’s Toothpick: The Greatest Moments In Royals History (#5-1)
At last, we’re at the apex of our list of the greatest moments in Royals history. These are the crown jewels, so to speak; these are not just great but probably the most important moments in franchise history, at least on the field. I think rather than recapping these, as I’ve done up to now, […]
U.L.’s Toothpick: The 50 Greatest Moments In Royals History (#10-6)
Our countdown of the 50 greatest moments in Royals history continues. Missed some? Numbers 50-41 are here, 40-31 are here, 30-21 are here, 20-16 are here, and 15-11 are here. 10. October 11, 1985: Brett Saves The Series So the Royals lost the last two games of the 1980 World Series. Then they lost three […]
U.L.’s Toothpick: The 50 Greatest Moments In Royals History (#15-11)
Need a refresher on the previous moments in this series? Numbers 41-50 are here, numbers 31-40 are here, and numbers 21-30 are here. The most recent entry, numbers 16-20, is here. 15. October 18, 1980: Aikens hits two homers in Series game—again On this list, we also previously mentioned Willie Aikens’ heroics in Game Three of the 1980 World […]
U.L.’s Toothpick: The 50 Greatest Moments In Royals History (#20-16)
We’re going to stretch out the drama here by running the top 20 moments of this series in installments of five each. Check back later this week for more! Also, if you want or need a refresher on the previous moments, #41-50 are here. And #31-40 are here. And #21-30 are here. 20. October 2, […]
U.L.’s Toothpick: The 50 Greatest Moments In Royals History (#30-21)
It’s time for the next installment of our countdown of the 50 greatest moments in Royals history. If you missed them or just want a recap, you can find numbers 41-50 here and 31-40 here. Something of a spoiler alert: pretty much everything after this point involves the playoffs, or getting to them. 30. September […]
U.L.’s Toothpick: The 50 Greatest Moments In Royals History (#40-31)
Let’s continue our countdown of the 50 greatest moments in Royals history, honoring the franchise as its 50th season nears. You can find moments 50-41 here. By the way, if you’re wondering, these were determined by a committee of…me. Well, I showed the list to my wife, The Amazing Michelle, but I picked the moments […]