Tales from the Central: Kansas City Royals

[Ted Schwerzler]

The 2021 Major League Baseball season is nearly upon us, and while the American League Central division looks like a two-horse race, there’s plenty of storylines to follow. What are those most engaged seeing?We’re more than well versed on the Minnesota Twins but what does the view of this club, and those it competes with, look like through the lens of invested influencers from around the division? One of my favorite sleepers this season is the Kansas City Royals. I think they’re clearly better than Detroit and wouldn’t be shocked if they outpace Cleveland.

 

Tales From the Central Series:

• Cleveland
• Detroit
• Chicago

This isn’t the World Series club of a few years ago, but MLB The Show Partner Movie Gaming TV is among the most vocal fans the organization has. Tuned into what the Royals are doing each year, his takes go well beyond the virtual mound. Here’s what he had to say about where things stand currently:

 

Twins Daily: What does your story look like with regards to baseball and the Kansas City Royals? How did that fandom start and what are some of your first memories?

 

Movie Gaming TV: Growing up I played backyard baseball, played travel ball, and loved playing all of the baseball video games. Royals games were always a treat even though they never really had that great of a team. I missed out on the hay days of the 1970’s and 1980’s that my folks’ generation had enjoyed. Seemed like it was such a relic into the past, that even to this day feels like opening up a time warp. Would have loved to see George Brett play, as his career was just ending as I was starting elementary school. Every year I knew ‘we’ really wouldn’t have that much of a shot during the 1990’s and 2000’s. Memorable players were Carlos Beltran, Johnny Damon, and Jermaine Dye. Mike Sweeney and Zach Greinke later on carried that mantle. I found myself almost being more of a fan of the league as a whole rather than specifically living and dying with whether or not the Royals were going to win that day. Such is the fate of the fan when you have been so conditioned to lose, and they weren’t exactly going to be able to compete financially with the big market squads by default. The stars we had got shipped out, and never were retained long term. Even in hindsight now just to answer this question, Carlos Beltran never should have played for any other franchise. Simply inexcusable that he was traded in a league with no salary cap.

 

With all that said, I feel like Kauffman Stadium is and was a magical place, where you can take a slice of Americana for only a few bucks. The warm summer heat and humidity, the smell of bar-be-que in the parking lot, the fountains in center field, and the fireworks after the game. One of my favorite memories was taking a ‘sick day’ my senior year of high school, grilling out with some friends, and going to Opening Day.

 

 

TD: Obviously, the pinnacle of the current Royals fan is back-to-back World Series trips with a championship in 2015. What was that run like and how great was it watching guys that had grown with the organization get their due?

 

MG: I think it really started in the 2014 season with the World Series appearance vs. the Giants. The team barely skated into the playoffs making the Wild Card. Keep in mind, this Wild Card game was the first playoff appearance in 28 years, ending one of the longest droughts in professional sports history. To even get to a .500 record was considered near impossible. Down deep in that Wild Card game to the A’s, the Royals improbably came back to win late. They were able to sweep a really good Angels team led by Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, and then also sweep a good Baltimore Orioles squad in the ALCS. Madison Bumgarner pitched his tail off to push the Giants past the Royals in 7 games, but the run was incredible.

 

2015 had the same vibe, except now there was ‘unfinished business’ as the confidence had been built the year before. A great team that benefitted from some of the major market clubs not being at the top of their game, so the timing was perfect. A contact and defense-built team that played to the cavernous aesthetic of their ballpark, a lights out bullpen, and a very close-knit squad that played for one another. A new generation of stars for the current generation of fans to look up to in Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez, Mike Moustakas, and Lorenzo Cain. Alex Gordon’s home run in Game 1 of the 2015 World Series is the biggest moment in the history of the franchise in my opinion. Both playoff runs were absolutely magical in the kind of way that makes sports romantic. Text chains with family and friends, civic pride, Royal blue jerseys, and sweatshirts on everyone at the gas station and at the supermarket.

 

TD: Following the World Series, the Royals have slipped back to a middle of the division team. I've often wondered if a consistent playoff run would be more fun than a one-and-done type stretch. Has your engagement level changed in recent seasons?

 

MG: The absolute improbability from a financial standpoint of the Royals to ever make the playoffs even, let alone win the World Series is why I am so glad they got it done when they did. I will probably never see it again in my lifetime. I distinctly remember in 2015 just knowing they had to win this thing now, we weren’t going to be back. Sure, I would love to make the playoffs more consistently, but I realize that consistency in baseball outside of really two teams, the Rays, and the A’s (which to be honest, haven’t ever won the World Series, with the A’s never even recently making the World Series let alone winning it) is near impossible without being able to spend like the big market clubs. When you see an absolute star and face of the franchise in Francisco Lindor, get traded to the Mets simply because the team cannot pay a maximum salary that he is worth to retain his services, that’s where I find that baseball is fundamentally flawed. People will point to the parity of the league (even though the Dodgers keep making the World Series over and over as of late or coming close) at the end as some kind of strength.

 

Dynasties and longevity should be built when organizations all have the same financial restraints. Let organizations win games with savvy moves and signings instead of their wallets. At the end of the day there would be no excuses. How can I be mad at the Royals when I know the deck is stacked against them? When they can’t re-sign players to 300- and 500-million-dollar deals? Imagine if the Rays brain trust were able to operate on the same level as the big markets. Then we would see true competition. It would give more fans in small markets optimism year in and year out. I still watch and listen to the games, but we are back in that reality of even a .500 season being something that would be an absolute miracle and isn’t a realistic expectation. By not trading away Hosmer, Cain and Moustakas the Royals chose loyalty over logic. I don’t blame them though, and no one around here in KC really does. If they were a big market club, they would have signed them all, but that’s just not a reality and that’s what sucks.

 

TD: I've suggested a few times this offseason that Kansas City could be the surprise of the Central and overtake Cleveland for third. What signings have you liked thus far, and who do you think is bound to break out in 2021?

 

 

MG: The young pitching staff has a shot to do some damage for the club. Brad Keller has been one of the more under the radar consistent starters in baseball. Brady Singer seems to be progressing along nicely and should be a mainstay in the rotation. Kris Bubic competed last year. Danny Duffy and Mike Minor provide veteran arms that can hopefully be productive and show the young guns the ropes of the big leagues and provide wisdom in the clubhouse. The offense has some pieces. Whit Merrifield really deserves better. The guy has been a pro’s pro on a losing team the past few seasons. I feel like they have tried to trade him but have balked because teams haven’t quite made an offer that is juicy enough. But he deserves to play in the playoffs. Salvador Perez played as good of baseball as I have ever seen him play during the shortened season. He must stay on that track for the Royals to have any kind of a shot, and his hitting at the catcher position and guidance of the young pitching will be crucial. Adalberto Mondesi needs to find some consistency. Injuries have hampered his development and he just hasn’t ascended into the talent that the club has promised the fan base so far. He’s not on the Tatis Jr./Lindor/Seager type level and his trade value has plummeted. I hope he can put it together.

 

Carlos Santana is a welcome addition to play first base, which has been an absolute black hole from a roster perspective since Eric Hosmer departed for San Diego. His veteran presence, and plate discipline are going to be welcome additions to the club. If any of his plate discipline wears off on Perez or Mondesi, he will have done his job this season. Jorge Soler needs to continue to show off the power and continue to thrive in the DH position. Still a big believer in Hunter Dozier providing offense at the plate, just needs to keep himself healthy. Likewise, with Franchy Cordero, who will most likely start in left field. Nicky Lopez plays good defense at 2B but is an absolute minus offensively thus far at the big-league level. He also moves Whit Merrifield out to RF which diminishes Whit’s overall value in my opinion. Center Field is a big question mark. They brought in Michael A. Taylor who will probably get the first crack at starting because they paid him. This position must be addressed long term for the club in the future. The one call up offensively that they have is A+ prospect shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. who I believe is ready to play in the big leagues right now. It remains to be seen when that move is going to be made, but I would be shocked if he’s not getting playing time by at least July. If everything falls into place, it’s ‘possible’ that they could finish in 3rd place, but I don’t necessarily see it. I’d go 1. White Sox 2. Twins 3. Cleveland 4. Royals 5. Detroit if I had to set the betting lines.

 

TD:Needing to continue development and take another step forward, is there a prospect or two that you think can be a serious difference maker for Kansas City How far off do you see the Royals from coming for the top again?

 

 

MG: Bobby Witt Jr. will be a fun player to watch. Not sure if he will play at shortstop or third base when he comes up, but he’s the best prospect they have had in a long, long time. Taken 2nd overall in the 2019 draft he is poised to become the face of the franchise moving forward, and with the new Kansas City ownership group led by John Sherman, I hope he stays with the team throughout his career. I get the vibe that he will be an All-Star caliber player that hopefully the club can build around. He has the skill set to already be up in the MLB right now it’s simply a question of when to pull the trigger on that decision for the organization. Service time unfortunately plays a factor, but I would like to see him start to get experience at the big-league level. Asa Lacy is the other prospect of note that probably is still a year away from being up at the MLB level, but without question could potentially be the ace on the staff before too long. Selected 4th in last year's draft he has all the makings of being a major contributor moving forward. The two pitchers that could make an impact in the 2021 season are Daniel Lynch and Jackson Kowar, who could compete with Kris Bubic for the 5th spot in the rotation. Long term, a rotation of Keller, Singer, Lacy, and a combination of Bubic, Lynch and Kowar could prove to be effective. I hope with the new local ownership group they will be looking to potentially dip more into the free agent market like we saw with this year's signing of Carlos Santana. Getting to the top may require more tanking and draft picks. The major roadblock I see for the Royals and the Tigers respectively in their rebuilds is how good the Chicago White Sox are poised to be in the immediate future.

 

TD: As a fan of a fellow Central team, what's your take on the Twins in 2021 and beyond?

 

MG: The Twins are a first-class organization. They always compete year in and year out for the most part going back to the Mauer and Morneau days. Big fan of Jose Berrios. Kenta Maeda took his game to another level in the 2020 season. Taylor Rogers is a solid piece in the bullpen. Mitch Garver provides elite power from the catcher position which is huge. Josh Donaldson is always solid at 3rd base. I love watching Byron Buxton play CF, one of my favorite players in the league. Max Kepler remains extremely underrated, dude can mash. Miguel Sano brings massive power to the first base position as he continues to make that transition from 3B. Jorge Polanco and Luis Arraez provide stability and hitting up the middle. I like Rocco Baldelli a ton. Excellent manager and will provide a stable hand for the organization for years to come.

 

Interested to see Royce Lewis get his shot here soon with the big-league club, he will be an outstanding player. Also looking to see what Alex Kirilloff will do at the next level as well. I predict a 2nd place finish for the Twins this year in the central and another respectable season.

 

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[sdangus]

Sad to see someone say they don't expect to see their team back to the World Series in their lifetime.