Famous Last Words
Two months to go in the 2016 MLB season…
Unfortunately our Kansas City Royals have fallen on tough times. For the first time in three years this late in the season they’re under .500 and it’s going to be a tough run.
For starters there are nine teams with better records than KC’s.
More to the point, KC needs to have at least be the 5th best record to make the playoffs.
There are three teams in second place or third have records over or at 10 games over .500. Boston, the Blue Jays and the Astros are all well ahead of KC right now. The Royals would first have to jump over teams like the Tigers, Seattle and even the Yankees. And the clock is ticking.
Right now we can talk about injuries to Moose, Lorenzo Cain, and losing guys like Wade Davis and Alex Gordon earlier in the season. However other than Cain, it’s really not about the injuries, is it?
Right now the best hitter on this team is Moose replacement, Cheslor Cuthbert with a .297 batting average and nine home runs. So you can’t make that argument, plus his fielding is outstanding. In fact, he may well replace Moose next year. Who knows?
The rest of team, save Paulo Orlando is just not hitting at all. Even Eric Hosmer has fallen to .291 and has but one home run in going on two months. And he looked like a guy who would easily hit 25 maybe 30 homers at the end of May but he’s stuck at 13.
Kendrys Morales has 16 and leads the team but has been up and down with a .257 average. As of late he has been our second best weapon. Even Sal Perez has slowed down with both homers and timely hits. Timing is everything and both Perez and Hosmer have been cold when it counts. And Alex Gordon looks more and more like a big mistake in the big money signing. Great guy, good hitter and was a tremendous arm but injuries have slowed him down and he may not ever be the same.
Our pitching staff has been off and on, but other than Danny Duffy, our ace at 6-1, every other starter is north of a 4.00 ERA. The bullpen has also been shaky other than Wade Davis, who we can’t use much because we have trailed in most games the last couple months.
This home stand after the All Star break was supposed to be a make it or break it before the trade deadline, but so far we are 2-4 losing both series to Texas and Cleveland.
Is there hope? Who do we trade? Do we go after a name starter, another bat? Who?
Do we consider trading Eric Hosmer who will play his last season for KC next year? Eric has to battle his issues to get that ten year $200 million contract after next season. If he falls down to .280’s and just 20-ish homers and 80 RBI’s next season, the money will fall as will the length of his deal. Still he will get very rich no matter.
Attendance has been excellent – over 30,000 a game – but mostly just to see the world champs and that will continue all season regardless of the record.
It’s a family event and tix are more available now and cheaper. Especially if you know someone who doesn’t want to sit in the 100 degree heat these days.
I think next year is the real test.
Fans will be loyal but if the team doesn’t compete early that may get the Royals attendance back to nearly what it had been in the bad days.
This organization needs to find a way to compete for the next few seasons to make 2014 and 2015 World Series seasons have an impact.
Hey, it was great.
This team was amazing and fun, but it just doesn’t last every season.
Did the Royals play a bit over their heads last year? Are they really just a good team but not great? They were great, but sometimes it just doesn’t continue as long as the fans would like to see which is FOREVER.
I think this team has too many issues right now to make the post season.
The talent is and was there, but players are off their game right now and have been for two months. And that’s too long. Hey, maybe they still have a run in them. Maybe they can do it one more time. The next few weeks will answer those questions.
Give them credit they had two great years. Unforgettable years.
Time to sell, I think. Particularly Wade Davis.
The market for quality closers has never been better. Davis can bring a top-ten prospect who is major league ready. It might be time to pull the switch. Herrera has already proven himself capable as a late-inning stopper.
While it’s true that Paulo Orlando is hitting over .300, have you ever seen less production from such a high average? Why isn’t he batting leadoff or second?
In the end, this team will be done in by inconsistency. Inconsistent starting pitching, inconsistent middle-relievers, inconsistent hitting, and inconsistent outfield defense. That said, there’s no reason to believe they can’t recover in 2017. Moose, Cain, Hos, and Salvy are back. Gordon’s history shows that he’s better than we’re seeing. Starting pitching is a concern, but it’s been a concern for several years.
I’m not so sure bout next year…I fear falling back into our pre playoff type team losing 90 games a year..Eric is playing himself out of the 200million dollar payday and into a 7 year deal here at 100 million if he doesn’t pick it up next year..so we’ll see.
Harley knows hosmer gets 10 year/min. 150 million dollar
deal. That’sa fact jack! Hemay not even be with royals
in 2017 if Boras has his way.
Like I said: * 2015 fraud-royals; man, Kerouac hates being right all the time…
🙂
K they were good now well not so good, a bit shocking how far they have fallen…I’m afraid they won’t be good in the future….as they lose players who will replace them?
Said it before, will say it again: reality modern day sports ‘fixing’ (compromising a system to make more money) is Chiefs needed a one-time wild card format 1969 even get to post season, while ditto ’85 Royals same who even needed a blown call WS beyond to survive.
The 2015 version (like the aforementioned teams) played the watered-down era ’69 to date, which involves too many teams and too little talent, resulting hollow results. All records, teams & Championships are NOT created – NOR do they measure up same aft the fact.
See recent SF GIANTS 3 Championships in 5 years something closer legitimacy winners MLB/AFL/NFL pre 1969. This is also why things being relative (they always are), be lunacy compare (for example) NE Patriots with GB Packers same 1960s. By any measure, GB’s 5 Championships in 7 years far more impressive than NE’s 4 Championships – which took them 19 years and (oh by the way) also saw them lose 3 more x in the Championship Games.
“Yeah well they got there’? If we use that argument, thwen the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings are better than several the Championship winners (including the one-time winner Chiefs) , because those two teams ‘got there’ 4x each/8 combined, while winning 0 Championship games.
7 tries to get 4 wins (NE) in 19 years or 5 tries to get 5 (GB) 9? Or even 5 in 6 if we include CG’s lone Championship loss 1960. The Packers, as the Celtics in basketball, Canadians in hockey & Yankees in baseball were true legits – dynasties each of them.
Today’s teams – any them – are frauds by most every measure, comparison.