The Fourth of July generally is regarded in baseball circles as the midseason evaluation point.
For the Kansas City Royals, who are just a handful of games shy of the halfway point of the season, it’s one that started with so much promise but has regressed into another summer of futility.
The Royals energized their fans early on, blazing to an 18-11 record and showing a penchant for winning close games.
It was at that point that supernova closer Joakim Soria went down with an injury and it all began to unravel.
The Royals’ pitching -- namely Zack Greinke -- and timely hitting carried them during the early surge. But when Soria went down, the Royals’ pitching pattern changed. The relievers were the first to blow, then the starting rotation crumbled. Greinke has won only two games since his hot start, while Kyle Davies, the No. 3 starter when the year opened, is toiling in Omaha.
But the Royals’ pitching woes don’t even begin to compare to the total offensive ineptitude the team has suffered from.
First, we have to qualify that injuries have been instrumental, but that’s something all teams can claim. But Alex Gordon, expected to provide 20 to 25 homers, went down after just seven games. Expected tablesetter Coco Crisp is gone for the year, his season over after 49 games. He gave KC excellent defense and a stolen-base threat. Last year’s outstanding rookie, Mike Aviles, was hurt from the beginning, though he kept quiet, before shutting it down for good after 36 games. And John Buck, who splits time at catcher, has played only 28 games because of a bad back.
That means nearly half the lineup is gone and their replacements haven’t come through.
The Royals basically give away two at-bats every time through the lineup. Shortstops Tony Pena Jr. and Luis Hernandez are offensive embarrassments and Mitch Maier, who has taken Crisp’s place, struggles mightily to get the ball out of the infield. There may be pitchers on the Royals who can hit better than those guys.
The expected cannons on the team also have misfired. Newcomer Mike Jacobs, expected to provide 25 to 30 homers, had a whopping two RBI in June. Two. And he hits anywhere from fourth to sixth in the order. He’s a butcher in the field, as he’s exclusively a DH now.
Jose Guillen, who is costing the Royals $12 million a year, is mailing it in. He looks to be going through the motions, basically stealing his paycheck. Hopefully some contender will take him off the Royals’ hands come the final month when teams make a pennant push.
David DeJesus has regressed and perhaps has peaked in his career. Billy Butler has been OK, but still isn’t quite the player the Royals have envisioned. Miguel Olivo hits the occasional homer -- he’s the team leader with a paltry 12 -- but makes a lot of mental errors on the basepaths and behind the plate. Mark Teahen strikes out way too much and looks to be nothing more than a journeyman. Alberto Callaspo has hit for average, but his fielding is forgettable as he’s a defensive liability. Willie Bloomquist, one of the stars early in the season, has worn down as the year’s gone along and is showing why he’s never been more than a utility player.
With the Royals’ TV network airing more games, we get to see the team’s Bad News Bears act and it’s getting more and more pitiful.
What strikes us most disturbing is how fundamentally poor the team is. The defense is among the worst in baseball and the ability to advance runners is atrocious. It makes you wonder what manager Trey Hillman is working on, as this team doesn’t seem to have a clue how to play the game.
You’d think at some point with the Royals being terrible year after year, they’d start stockpiling young talent through the draft since they pick so high every year. But this is an organization that seems to be spinning its wheels with no advancement in sight.
Oh for the days of George, Willie, Frank, Splitt, Sabes, Quiz and Whitey.
