The Kansas City Royals became a Major League Baseball team in 1969 and they quickly rose to the top ranks in the American League. By 1971 the Royals had their first winning season and by 1976 they were ready to contend in the playoffs. From 1976 to 1978 the Royals won 284 regular season games as they won the AL West in each season, but they could never get past the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. By 1980 the Royals finally broke through as they made it to the World Series before falling to the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. The Royals returned to the World Series in 1985 and they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals for their only World Series Championship. During these years the Royals were led by Hall of Fame third baseman George Brett. From 1973-1993, Brett dazzled fans as he left the game as the most prolific player in Royals history.
Since Brett retired, the Royals have only produced one winning season while they have not yielded one trip to the postseason. In 1994, the Royals joined the newly formed American League Central Division and they have never won the division while each other team within the division has won it at least twice.
For the past several years we have had to sit by and listen to some baseball pundits that continuously talk about the “prospects” that the Royals have in their system. We have sat by and heard the “this is the year of the Royals” speech as well. 54 games into the 2013 MLB season the Royals once again find themselves in last place of the AL Central.
After starting the season with a record of 17-10, the Royals are only 6-21 since. The Royals only won one series for the entire month of May.
Royals general manager Dayton Moore has put a ton of stock into players such as infielders Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer along with outfielder Alex Gordon and designated hitter Billy Butler. This was expected to be the core that finally got things turned around in Kansas City. Instead the Royals are currently last in the American League is slugging percentage at .368. The Royals are 11th in hits with 477 and 14th in extra base hits with 133.
Gordon is currently 8th in the AL in batting average at .326, but the next closest Royals player is outfielder Lorenzo Cain at .287. Hosmer’s batting average is at .265 while Butler checks in at .254, but Moustakas is trying to hang on with a .186 batting average. As a team the Royals are last in the AL in home runs runs with only 29. The Minnesota Twins are the closest team to the Royals in home runs and they have 50.
The Royals hitting woes culminated last week with Brett returning as the team’s interim hitting coach. Moore was so confident in his young core of players that he traded outfielder Wil Myers who is one the top minor league prospects to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for starting pitcher James Shields.
The Royals starting pitching has improved from last season when the team’s earned run average was 4.30. This season the Royals team earned run average is 3.77 which is currently fifth in the AL. Shields’ 2.83 earned run average leads the team and is 12th overall in the American League, but due to a lack of run support is his starts he only has a record of 2-6.
In spite of their sub-.500 record the Royals are only 6.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers for first place in the AL Central. The Royals minus-9 run differential can give Moore and Royals manager Ned Yost hope that things can get turned around because it shows that the team has indeed been in most of their ballgames. Brett was brought back as a hitting coach, but he isn’t going to be batting cleanup in the batting order for the Royals. Kansas City has never replaced Brett’s bat, heart, and grit. Until they do the cellar of the AL Central will be the permanent home of the Royals.
Source:Baseball-reference.com
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