After years of disappointment, the Kansas City Royals truly have a bright future
Alex Gordon is just one of many bright spots for the young Royals.
The Kansas City Royals haven’t contended since the late 1980s, when George Brett and Bo Jackson ruled Missouri. Fans have waited and waited for there to be light at the end of a seemingly never-ending tunnel. The team is approaching the cellar of the American League Central again this year, and might notched its 21st consecutive season without a playoff appearance. Yet, there is more than just a glimmer of hope for the future, with a promising quartet of hitters paving the way.
Alex Gordon, who has had a trying career up to this point, full of unfulfilled expectations and a position change, is finally starting to consistently play well. The 27-year-old was the second overall pick in the 2005 MLB Draft, and there was the thought he could be the 21st century version of George Brett.
Comparisons rarely come to fruition, and this was completely unfair. Brett was the heartbeat of Kansas City–the city and the team–for the better part of three decades, and one of the game’s greatest players. Gordon just happened to be similarly touted, play his position at third base, and have the chance to don the same baby blue.
In the years after his introduction to the major leagues, these similarities were still all Gordon had in common with Brett. He struggled at the plate, was dealt demotions, suffered injuries and was forced to move from Brett’s position to the outfield. Adjusting to the outfield and carrying an improved bat were his tickets back to the majors, and the Royals were far more patient than many other organizations would have been. He improved both offensively and defensively in Spring Training, and due to this success he was penciled in as Kansas City’s starting left-fielder.
For the first time with the Royals, the 27-year-old hasn’t disappointed. He is hitting .279 this season with seven homers, 29 rbi’s, 18 doubles, and 34 runs scored, as their leadoff hitter no less. It’s a strange spot in the lineup for him, but earlier this month the scuffling Royals were in need of a significant change. He adjusted well once more to a new environment, increasing his confidence and consistently setting up many other promising hitters.
Royals manager Ned Yost would ideally want Gordon in the three-spot, but why change when he’s flourishing? And there’s another reason not to make a move: Eric Hosmer.
“Putting that kid in the three hole, why not?” Gordon told the Kansas City Star. “That’s a pretty good spot for him. I just think a change of scenery might help some people. I think it’s helped me a little bit.”
The third-overall pick in the 2008 draft hit .439 with Triple-A Omaha earlier this season, compiling more walks than strikeouts. The wide-eyed Royals had seen enough, and instead of keeping him in the minors and delaying his arbitration-eligibility they brought him up and immediately reaped the benefits.
As highly touted as Gordon was four years ago, the 21-year-old has flourished in his first month, flashing the leather at first base while swinging a hot bat. He has at least a hit in 14 of his first 21 games, and is coming off a four-rbi performance against the Los Angeles Angels to give him 15 rbi’s thus far.
There are many solid first baseman in the American League, with Mark Texeira and Adrian Gonzalez anchoring the group, and Hosmer has shown he’s not far behind defensively.
“Oh, I love throwing to him, man,” shortstop Alcides Escobar said to the Kansas City Star. “Sometimes I throw the ball way off, and it’s not a problem for him. He’s unbelievable.”
Escobar isn’t the only one who isn’t scared to be inaccurate. “With the first baseman he is, you can’t even get mad,” added infielder Mike Aviles. “You don’t mind because you know what he brings to the table.”
Short-hops and high throws aren’t difficult for the 6’4″ Hosmer to corral, and overall he appears to be the player Royals fans are most excited about. It’s hard to see why not, considering it isn’t far-fetched to believe 40-plus homer seasons and a flurry of Gold Gloves are in his future.
There are plenty more Royals who fans have high hopes for. While Gordon was working out the kinks and while Hosmer was mashing in the minors, Billy Butler was Kansas City’s mainstay. Their lone threat, the 25-year-old has done nothing but hit in his four-plus seasons. He has hit over .300 the past two seasons, crushing 51 doubles in 2009 and 45 more in 2010 with 180-plus hits in each campaign. And he’s picked up where he left off, adding greater discipline to his repertoire, resulting in more walks, 30, than strikeouts, 25.
There is some criticism of Butler, which revolves around his power outage. Batting cleanup, he only has three home-runs this season, a total that is uncharacteristic of a player of his minor-league resume and strong 240-pound build. Yet, there is little reason to worry if he continues to lack the pop. After all, Mike Moustakas will soon get the call.
I predicted he would be the Rookie of the Year in the American League, thinking he would be in the lineup out of Spring Training. The numbers I said he would put up were difficult to believe, and certainly are out of the question now, but he should adjust quickly and immediately be a terrific player.
The 22-year-old stocky 5’11”, 230-pounder put together an unbelievable 2010 season split between Kansas City’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, crushing 36 homers and driving in 124 runs. The former second-overall pick isn’t on that pace this season, but he’s only one step from the majors. It is not known when the Royals will call him up, but when he is promoted the Royals home-run total will greatly increase.
So should their win total. The Royals are currently 23-30, having lost eight of their last 10 and fresh off a 10-8 defeat. As a result, they are nine games back of first-place Cleveland. Kansas City may be improve upon 2010′s 95-loss season, but may not creep over the .500 mark. Yet, success is in Kansas City’s near future. This has been said before, but, with the four aforementioned young sluggers on the rise, this time their anxious fan-base won’t have to wait long.
(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
