AL Central
Kansas City Royals – 21-12
League Rankings, Batting – 3rd in runs scored, 1st in hits,
2nd in doubles, 1st in triples, Tied-4th in
SB, 1st in fewest SO, 1st in BA, 1st in OBP, 2nd
in SLG, 1st in OPS…oh, and 1st in HBP (shocker).
Well, where does one begin? This is what we’ve come to expect from the
Royals: getting on base, swiping bags, and scoring runs. That’s pretty much as
simple as it gets. Numerous suspensions and poorly-handled and/or misdirected
anger aside, the 2015 model is humming along at a sustainable pace, and
suddenly fans all over the country are taking the Royals seriously as a
legitimate contender and possible heir-apparent to the AL crown, once more.
There are a lot of hitters on this roster who are firing on all cylinders. For
starters, 1B Eric Hosmer
(.326, 21 runs scored, 9 doubles, 6 HR, 27 RBI) is killing it, as evidenced
further by his .967 OPS. There’s a confidence in Hosmer that isn’t exactly new,
but it’s definitely reached a new level. Shortstop Alcides
Escobar (.307, 7 doubles, 11 RBI) is picking up the pace in
recent games, batting .364 over the past 7 days (22 AB), scoring four and
driving in three. Third sacker Mike Moustakas
(.322, 22 runs scored, 6 doubles, 4 HR, 11 RBI) is continuing to fulfill the
promise the Royals saw in him when they made him their 1st round
pick in 2007 (finally, right?), and while his numbers in each of the past three
seasons were far from All-Star caliber, he is showing signs that 2015 will be
the year that it all comes together. In left, Alex Gordon
is, well, Alex Gordon (he is what we thought he was!), batting .295 with nine
doubles, four homers and 17 RBI. His .913 OPS is second only to Hosmer’s .967
for the team lead. Centerfielder Lorenzo Cain
(.314, 23 runs scored, 7 doubles, 14 RBI, 6 SB) is ripping up turf in the field
and digging trenches on the base-paths. Yeah, that’s what speed do. Kendrys
Morales (.299, 26 runs scored, 11 doubles, 4 HR, 25 RBI) is
producing runs at a significant pace, which is what was expected of him. Don’t
let the paltry homer total concern you; all that matters, especially on this
team, is scoring runs. Of course, the Royals have proven that they can
manufacture runs the old-fashioned way as well as crush wayward fastballs. And
even though they’re near the bottom in homers, they’re at the top in extra-base
hits and on-base percentage. On that note, enter Paulo
Orlando. The 29 year-old rookie spent a whopping 1,017 games in
the minors before making his debut in right field, this year. Overall, he has
not disappointed. How many players can you name who hit five triples before
they recorded their first double? Strange, right? He’s slowed down a bit,
batting-wise, but even if he is pushing 30 he’s still a rookie. It’s a safe bet
that he’ll be established as a significant part of their offense by year’s end.
League Rankings, Pitching – 2nd in ERA, 3rd in SV, 3rd
in fewest hits allowed, 2nd in HR allowed, 1st in ER
allowed
OK, those rankings look pretty good, right? Well, they’re not. What I mean
is that the rotation is, to be polite, struggling (Jeremy Guthrie, Danny Duffy,
Yordano Ventura all have ERAs over 5.00), and while Chris Young has picked up
some of the slack (0.78 ERA, 8 games, 2 starts, 23 IP, 19 K), it’s going to
take a bit more than the brilliance of Wade Davis (15 appearances, 6 hits
allowed, 2 BB, 14 K), Kelvin Hererra (13 appearances, 12 1/3 IP, 14 K) and
Yohan Pino (6 appearances, 14 IP, 13 K) to offset that deficiency. Greg Holland
is, of course, dominating (8 appearances, 9 IP, 6 K, 6 SV), but that rotation
is still a glaring issue. Edinson Volquez is doing his part, to be sure (2-3,
3.19 ERA, 42 1/3 IP, 17 BB, 33 K), but Duffy needs to get it together and
Ventura needs to chill the heck out (sorry; can’t measure anger with a stat) if
this rotation is going to survive, let alone thrive. The offense is doing all
it can do, but the starting pitching makes 1st place a precarious
position for the Boys In Blue.
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