Leftridge: The Royals Are Going to the World Series Again

As easy as it is to pick apart the meaningless failings and triumphs of spring training, it’s just as easy to get irrationally emotional about the first three (or five, or twelve) games of the regular season.

Spring training means nothing because it’s just that—training. People are getting their limbs loose and hitters are working on different approaches at the plate and pitchers are working on locating specific pitches in specific locations. So while it’s fun to see a newcomer like Alex Rios tear the cover off the ball—once again making you wonder how you ever questioned any of Dayton Moore’s moves—it’s just as discouraging to see a starting rotation whose collective ERA rivals the cost of a ballpark beer.

Similarly, in the grand scheme of things, the first three games of the season mean very little. Oh sure, they go on the permanent record, set a tone, and maybe serve to build a little momentum, but when it comes right down to it, it is an infinitesimally small sample size, a singular peanut swimming in an industrial-sized barrel of Costco Party-Pack-O’-Nuts.

But it’s our God-given, inalienable right as Americans to jump to conclusions.

Long ago, we as a nation gave up the pretense of patience; instead, we are the residents of Springfield when confronted with a rogue bear. We will pay whatever it takes for constant bear patrols, regardless of necessity.

Anyway, no pundits who ooze stats and spit out words for mass consumption picked the Royals to win the division in 2015. I’ve probably only seen a handful (if that, at best) who picked them to grab a Wild Card spot. Despite last year’s miraculous run, almost nobody thinks that such a bizarre brand of pre-WWII ball is a sustainable model for success.

And maybe they’re right.

Personally, I haven’t decided where I think the Royals will end up this year. That said, they’ve given me no reason to believe they’ll be out of contention by the All Star break. This is a team that played in game seven of the World Series less than half a year ago, remember, and other than a relatively small number of personnel changes, they are putting a majority of the same folks back out on the field.

Despite a peculiar thumb cramp late in the game, Yordano Ventura was electric on opening day, going six while surrendering a single run. Lorenzo Cain has picked up right where he left off in October, and Eric Hosmer has, too. The Most Magical Bullpen Ever hasn’t yielded a run in eight innings. Salvador Perez has been terrific, as has Alcides Escobar.

Here’s a fun fact, and feel free to stop me if you’ve heard it: The Royals currently have five home runs through three games played. Last year, they didn’t hit their FIRST until the eighth game of the season—April 9^th—and didn’t hit their fifth until April 18th, aka the FIFTEENTH GAME OF THE SEASON. It’s hilarious and horrifying, like watching someone trip while going up the stairs, only to discover they landed on a butcher knife.

But what about the new guys?

Alex Rios took Nori Aoki’s spot in right field. In his first three games, he’s had five hits in 12 at bats, including a three-run blast on opening day. He’s also stolen two bases because, why not?

Kendrys Morales—Cuban Breakfast, if you will—has three hits (two doubles) in 11 at bats and he’s walked three times for good measure.

And Edinson Volquez—who looked like absolute garbage when it didn’t matter in Arizona—only went eight innings yesterday while walking one, striking out five and giving up one run.

So while it’s easy—and obviously ridiculous—to overreact after three games, some of the early signs are encouraging. The Royals probably won’t go undefeated—seems pretty hard to do in 162 games—Escobar won’t hit .500 (or even .400, probably) and ol’ Eddie Volquez probably won’t win the Cy Young, but it’s still a team that could make the playoffs and then some, despite what the experts think.

In any case, it figures to be a fun season.