Midseason Update
The Royals were no surprise so far. Everyone expected them to be a bad, but young team and that's exactly what we've seen. The Royals have been pretty much bad at everything. They are only better than the Seattle Mariners in OPS. The Royals are pretty much in the bottom 5 in every other offensive category. They are also second-to-last in SB%. The Royals are also in the bottom 5 in ERA, WHIP, and K/BB ratio. In summary, the Royals have been bad at everything, and it's translated into the second-worst record in baseball. Hard to win games when you don't have any team speed, can't hit, and can't pitch.
So, is there hope? I would cautiously say yes. The Royals basically have enough players to fill the roster next year with mostly young pre-arbitration players. This will give the Royals plenty of room to sign some free agents to fix some weaknesses and add more talent in general. The Royals have a lot of young players. But, will they be any good? The core of position players (Costa, DeJesus, Berroa, Teahan, Gotay, Buck) already here aren't going to fill the lineup with future All-Stars, but should give the Royals a solid foundation of players to build upon. If Gordon signs soon and the Royals send him to AA, the Royals could have 3 impact bats at AA with Butler, Huber, and Gordon. The Royals will also have Murphy, Maier, and Aviles who should be ready for next year and profile as solid major leaguers as well. It'll be interesting to see how the Royals approach the offseason and how they balance the "youth movement" with some proven veteran talent.
The Royals' pitching hasn't performed well this year. The starting rotation has been awful. The Royals' future ace, Zack Greinke, got off to a good start, but has really struggled for the past month. Jose Lima has been terrible. The Royals' promoted JP Howell out of desperation for another starter and he has pitched well, except for a great debut. Brian Anderson and Denny Bautista both have been sidelined by season-ending injuries. The rotation did have a couple of pleasant surprises though. Runelvys Hernandez is having a solid season and has turned out to be the "innings-eater" that Baird was seeking. DJ Carrasco has become the Royals' best starter, with 8 quality-starts in 11 outings.
The bullpen has been inconsistent, but may be the Royals' strength. Mike MacDougal has pitched well as the closer, saving 11 of 13 games. MacDougal's control and poise has been much better this year. But, hard to be convinced he'll keep it up. Affeldt spent a good chunk of the first half on the DL, but pitched well in relief. The Royals' Rule V Pick Andrew Sisco has been the Royals' biggest surprise in the bullpen. Sisco is averaging over 1 K/IP and has a 2.72 ERA. Burgos and Nunez both throw in the upper 90s and have shown flashes of potential. Mike Wood has been solid in the middle relief role. Overall, the bullpen looks like it should become a strength for the Royals over the next few years. Too bad the rotation doesn't have many good arms.
Overall, the Royals' first half has gone about expected. The young players are getting experience and hopefully they will be better for it. It will be tough for the Royals to improve in the second half. If Sweeney stays healthy and Greinke pitches like he's capable, the Royals could be a lot better. If the Royals have 3 league-average or better starters (Carrasco, Greinke, Hernandez), they'll win a lot more games. I'll breakdown each player's first half performances tomorrow.
So, is there hope? I would cautiously say yes. The Royals basically have enough players to fill the roster next year with mostly young pre-arbitration players. This will give the Royals plenty of room to sign some free agents to fix some weaknesses and add more talent in general. The Royals have a lot of young players. But, will they be any good? The core of position players (Costa, DeJesus, Berroa, Teahan, Gotay, Buck) already here aren't going to fill the lineup with future All-Stars, but should give the Royals a solid foundation of players to build upon. If Gordon signs soon and the Royals send him to AA, the Royals could have 3 impact bats at AA with Butler, Huber, and Gordon. The Royals will also have Murphy, Maier, and Aviles who should be ready for next year and profile as solid major leaguers as well. It'll be interesting to see how the Royals approach the offseason and how they balance the "youth movement" with some proven veteran talent.
The Royals' pitching hasn't performed well this year. The starting rotation has been awful. The Royals' future ace, Zack Greinke, got off to a good start, but has really struggled for the past month. Jose Lima has been terrible. The Royals' promoted JP Howell out of desperation for another starter and he has pitched well, except for a great debut. Brian Anderson and Denny Bautista both have been sidelined by season-ending injuries. The rotation did have a couple of pleasant surprises though. Runelvys Hernandez is having a solid season and has turned out to be the "innings-eater" that Baird was seeking. DJ Carrasco has become the Royals' best starter, with 8 quality-starts in 11 outings.
The bullpen has been inconsistent, but may be the Royals' strength. Mike MacDougal has pitched well as the closer, saving 11 of 13 games. MacDougal's control and poise has been much better this year. But, hard to be convinced he'll keep it up. Affeldt spent a good chunk of the first half on the DL, but pitched well in relief. The Royals' Rule V Pick Andrew Sisco has been the Royals' biggest surprise in the bullpen. Sisco is averaging over 1 K/IP and has a 2.72 ERA. Burgos and Nunez both throw in the upper 90s and have shown flashes of potential. Mike Wood has been solid in the middle relief role. Overall, the bullpen looks like it should become a strength for the Royals over the next few years. Too bad the rotation doesn't have many good arms.
Overall, the Royals' first half has gone about expected. The young players are getting experience and hopefully they will be better for it. It will be tough for the Royals to improve in the second half. If Sweeney stays healthy and Greinke pitches like he's capable, the Royals could be a lot better. If the Royals have 3 league-average or better starters (Carrasco, Greinke, Hernandez), they'll win a lot more games. I'll breakdown each player's first half performances tomorrow.
posted by SoonerRoyal at 9:11 PM
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