It's time to look back at every team from around the MLB and what they showed us during the 60 game sprint! We are going to explore a few things for each team: Review in-season transactions, what we learned, what we loved, what we didn't love, the most significant need(s), and lastly, the biggest takeaways.
Let's jump over the AL with the Kansas City Royals today. We talked about the Padres, A's, Marlins, Yankee's, Cardinals, Whitesox, Cubs, Twins, Reds, BlueJays, Brewers, Indians, Giants, Phillies, Mariners, Rockies, Nationals, and Mets thus far; you can find all posts on the homepage https://www.theballboyblog.com/.
Thank you for reading today; I hope you enjoy the news. Please come on over to Facebook and help me get my Great-Great-Grandfather Fay Young into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Read the full post here: https://www.facebook.com/ballboyblog/posts/209075940746617.
What moves did the 2020 Royals make?
Kansas City Royals traded RHP Trevor Rosenthal to San Diego Padres for CF Edward Olivares and Player To Be Named Later.- Over 62AB for Olivares, he showed well, hitting 2HR, 7RBI, .274BA, .292OBP, and .419SLG; none of these are great numbers 62AB shows you there is upside to be had possibly.
Kansas City Royals traded RF Brett Phillips to Tampa Bay Rays for SS Lucius Fox.- Fox was just a depth piece addition to the 9th ranked Farm System.
What did we love about the 2020 Royals?
I loved that the Royals proved me wrong in 2020 as they finished 26-34 to my projected 20-40. Great job Royals
We loved the season we saw from Alex Gordon, and we didn't love it at the same time because he called it a career. Now, Gordon is a Gold Glove Finalist as well as 2B Nicky Lopez; both of those are great for the Royals.
We saw plus and above-average seasons from: Whit Merrifield(.282BA, 70H, .325OBP and a .440SLG), Maikel Franco(.278BA, 8HR, 38RBI, .321OBP, .457SLG), Hunter Dozier(.344OBP), and of course Salvador Perez(11HR, .333BA, .353OBP, .633SLG, 1.9WAR) who missed time to an injury but still put up good numbers. Bradley Singer(1.17WHIP, 1.1WAR) and Brad Keller(2.47ERA, 1.02WHIP, 5.8K/9 over 54.2IP) both showed well as the 1/2 in the rotation. Greg Holland, Jesse Hahn, and Kyle Zimmer all showed well out of the bullpen. These guys were the players who helped this team play to near .500 baseball this season.
I don't love that you're treating your skin like a rookie would. Stop showering like a rookie; Dr. Squatch has you covered. With natural, chemical-free soaps, shampoos, conditions, and now deodorant. You can shower and smell like an MVP. Use my link here http://fbuy.me/qsa3S to let them know that I sent you; you will not regret it. Gift yourself or a loved one a better shower now.
What did we not love about the 2020 Royals?
Danny Duffy had a rough year as the "ace" of the club as he pitched to a 4-4 record over 56.1IP. He had a 4.95ERA, 1.33WHIP, that was slightly above average. This performance, as well as others, lead this pitching staff to a team 4.30ERA and 1.38WHIP. Neither of those will get you close to where you want to be as a unit. The offense as a unit hit to an awful slash line of .244BA/.309OBP/.402SLG and a team .711OBP. These numbers are all well below average for an MLB team.
What was the biggest takeaway from the 2020 Royals?
The numbers surprise me; a team that got on base only 30% of the time was able to win 26 games in the tough Central division as one of the biggest takeaways of the season. Next, the team is loaded with talent in the minors and high upside at the MLB level.
What is next for the 2020 Royals in 2021?.
The contracts of Jorge Soler, Salvador Perez, and Danny Duffy are all under team control through 2021, and each had a season that could fetch a good return. The Royals have a tough choice, to go and spend and retool enough to win OR sell these players, build that 9th ranked farm system up, and build from there. If they stay on their course of a build-it-back-up style, they have been on. They could lose a ton of value on those players if they didn't resign them.
Thanks for reading today, I am so grateful for your time reading, and I hope you enjoyed reviewing the winners as much as I have. I also want to thank my partners over at Repp Sports for RAZE Energy. Thanks to this clean and sufficient energy, I can have the intense focus to deliver content to you guys consistently. Click here to save 15% right now with the code "BALL BOY" at check out.