Thursday, May 29, 2008

Breaking news: Aviles gets the callup

Mike Aviles is now a Kansas City Royal, and it's about damn time. His bat is way too good for AAA, and I (along with many others, like Clark Fosler) can't wait to see what happens with it in the Show. This is awesome.

I'm not expecting batting titles or for Aviles to be crowned MVP or RoY or anything spectacular. I'm just curious and excited to see someone who has been a joy to watch and to be around in the Minors get his turn. Mike's a smart hitter, a great guy, and admittedly I'll miss him while he's not in Omaha. But I mean it wholeheartedly when I say I wish him the best.

UPDATE: Sweet, now Billy Butler has been optioned to Omaha. I like this a lot; many people have been criticizing GMDM for being too stubbornly locked in to guys he likes, regardless of their struggles, but both the Aviles callup and the Butler option prove he is willing to budge if Plan A doesn't work smoothly. I really, really love these moves.

UPDATE II: I forgot this one earlier, too. Kyle Davies was called up and Brett Tomko was sent to the bullpen, so either Peralta or Yabuta will be sent down on Saturday when Davies is added to the active roster on Saturday. I give this one a nod of approval as well, as long as Davies isn't seen as a long-term fix in the rotation, because he isn't. Tomko really does have some nice pitches, so he can be quite useful in middle- to long relief. After last night, I'd be more than happy to see Peralta sent down, but that really isn't fair. Yabuta hasn't done anything to prove he belongs in a major league bullpen, so I'd guess he's the one who will be demoted.

All of these roster moves are crazy, but it's exactly what I was hoping would happen. We'll see, starting tonight with Aviles' inclusion in the lineup, how much of an effect they'll have on the stagnant Royals.

3 comments:

KB said...

Curious as to your reasoning about Davies not being rotation-worthy. I thought he was doing very well up there.

Minda said...

Rick, no question that Davies is gobbling up AAA hitters. But I don't think his stuff is enough to fool big league hitters for very long - his fastball doesn't move enough and his control isn't sharp enough.

I didn't mean to be as harsh as the post sounded; I really do like Davies, and I think this is a fine roster move. But I think Davies, or *anyone* the club plugs in at #5 is only going to be there until Carlos Rosa gets called up.

Unknown said...

Davies has also been given several shots in the major leagues and never put it together.