From: camden@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu (Rany Jazayerli)
Subject: Re: Royals 15-Man Protected List
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: The Johns Hopkins University - HCF
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1992 02:53:00 GMT

In article <yzfq#3c@lynx.unm.edu>, kbos@carina.unm.edu (Kurt "Some Guy" Bose) writes...
>In article <13NOV199200044481@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu> camden@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu (Rany Jazayerli) writes:
>>	I hope I wouldn't be troubling anyone who has a Chicago Tribune (or
>>another newspaper with the protected lists of all 26 teams) to post the 
>>protected list for the Royals?
>>
>>	I've already seen one list which contained David Howard (he of the .220
>>career average) and not Jeff Conine (widely considered to be the organization's
>best prospect, at least in the high minors).  I'm hoping that Royals' management
>>has more intelligence than that, but given their recent track record (Davis &
>>Davis) I'm skeptical.  So if someone could post this list, I would really 
>>appreciate it.
>>
>Well, from the "official" list (I'll believe it when I read about the fine):
> 
>Appier, Gordon, Haney, Meacham, Montgomery, Pichardo
>Macfarlane, Mayne
>Brett, Hiatt, Howard, Jefferies, Joyner, Miller
>McRae
> 
>Before you slam Royals management, two points:
> 
>a) Conine has been literally plagued by injuries recently.  He's probably 
>  going to slip through.
> 
>b) Who else do the Royals have at short?  According to some sources, they're
>  so poorly stocked that if Howard were picked, they'd jump a guy from A or
>  AA ball to start.  And there ain't any good SSs at A or AA ball in the 
>  Royals chain.  Look at the lists (or think about them, I don't know...)  
>  Who's going to get drafted at SS?  Well, to be perfectly honest, I see
>  Elster and Eddie Zosky as likely draftees.  If Howard were available, he
>  might very well be the best SS out in the draft.  Scary, huh?

	Conine has had a total of one major injury since he signed with the 
Royals: in the winter of 1990-91, after a mammoth AA season in which he was
awarded the Southern League MVP (over Frank Thomas, among others), he broke his
wrist in winter ball when he was hit by a pitch.  It was apparently a fairly
severe injury - he was only able to play for about 150 at-bats in 1991, and 
after hitting poorly was shut down and sent home for the rest of the year.  He
came back this year with a vengeance, hitting .302 with 20 homers in under 400
at-bats in AAA Omaha before being called up at the end of the year.  If Conine
were to slip through, I would be absolutely shocked (and delighted).  If this
were the Braves or the Indians, then yes, he might slip through.  But the Royals
have NO good prospects in the high minors (i.e. draft-eligible), except for 
Conine.  Kevin Koslofski and Bob Hamelin are both good hitters who are eligible
for the draft, but I don't think either of them are nearly as good as Conine.

	It's true, the Royals have virtually no one at short.  But even WITH
David Howard, we have no one at short.  Howard hit .224 with an OBP of .271 and
a slugging average of .283 this year - and those were improvements from his
rookie campaign.  He turns 26 in February, so his future potential is minimal.
If I were in the Royals' front office, I'd use Rico Rossy and Curtis Wilkerson
at shortstop, unless I could trade for or sign a better shortstop - even Dick
Schofield would be an improvement over Howard.  The Royals have a lot of
problems - this is going to be a long rebuilding process.  Protecting a no-
talent like Howard doesn't help our situation any.

> 
>-- 
>Kurt Bose (as in Daisy, not Rose) * kbos@carina.unm.edu * Make outs, not walks!
>TONIGHT-In "Ryecatcher", Holden Caulfield foils a plot to turn his old prep
>school into a right-wing military acadamy run by Neo-Nazis. 8PM(7PM C/M) Ch. 7
>                                                        -The Book of Sequels...


	Rany Jazayerli			camden@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu
	---------------------------------------------------------
	Kevin Appier: Cy Young 1993!
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball