Lost in the roasting of Kansas City over the booing of Robinson Can0 was the sentiment that fans around baseball would not want to see Billy Butler compete in the Home Run Derby because they don’t even know who he is. If nothing else, after the heroic performance of the fans, at least no one can say that anymore. What’s more, it is about time. Time that Billy Butler get the recognition he deserves.
While the chances of Butler breaking Steve Balboni’s embarrassing home run record seem to be fading, he is nonetheless on pace to put together his most impressive season as Royal. As of July 18, Butler was on pace for .300/32/100 while posting a career best 136 OPS in a lineup that has offered little in the way of protection. What’s more, Butler is well on his way to cementing his place as the best DH in Royals history and quite possibly the second best hitter in franchise history.
At 26 years old, Butler has already joined the Kansas City Royals all-time top ten in doubles (8th) and RBI (10th); he also has the fourth best career batting average (.297) and the fifth best OPS+ (121). Butler is under club control until 2015, and assuming he isn’t traded and maintains his pace of the last 2 ½ seasons, his totals will look something like this in October of 2015:
1510 hits- 6th
351 doubles- 5th
165 home runs- 5th
751 RBI- 6th
510 BB- 5th
Not overly impressive until you think about the fact that he would still only be 29 years old. Considering that Butler is limited to the American League in terms of value, he’s not the type of power hitter that demands a huge contract, and he seems to genuinely enjoy playing in Kansas City, he could very well be the type of player we didn’t think we would see again; a great hitter to play his whole career in Kansas City. It’s foolish to say you can accurately predict what is career would look like if he did, but it’s hard to imagine that he couldn’t play at at least the same level from 26-33 as he has from 23-26. Let’s take a look at those numbers again, assuming he does:
2254 hits- 2nd
527 doubles- 2nd
249 home runs- 2nd
1123 RBI- 2nd
770 BB- 5th
The point of this is not to project Butler’s stats over an entire career, but it is pretty easy to see that he could make a run at some incredible milestones. Ten years ago we were sure that the economics of baseball would keep us from ever having a member of the 3,000 hit club play their entire career for the Kansas City Royals, Butler could. Here are the hit totals of some of the more recent members of the 3,000 hit club at 26 years old:
Every player that has reached either one of those milestones, and is eligible for induction, is in the Hall of Fame except for Rafael Palmeiro. Billy could reach both, even without the expected surge in his performance over the next 3-5 years. I guess I am okay with the rest of baseball not realizing what a great hitter Billy Butler is, but it would sure be a shame if there was one baseball fan in Kansas City that didn’t.
While we sit around and worry about not being able to sign the Hosmer’s and Moustakas’ of the world, let’s make sure we are celebrating #Country Breakfast, and keeping him around. While we lament the loss of Carlos Beltran, Johnny Damon, and Jermaine Dye, let’s consider that Billy Butler is a better hitter than any of them were through age 26.
You can argue until you’re blue in the face about whether booing Can0 was classless or small-time. I really don’t care even if you’re right. In my eyes it showed an appreciation of Billy that is long overdue, and hopefully the beginning of a love affair that lasts the next 10-15 years.
Imagine yourself back in 1953 in Philadelphia. You are on the mound for your major league debut, and you walk out to a thunderous boo. You begin your warm ups, and the booing continues. The game wears on, and nothing changes. You look at the opposing pitcher, Don Larsen of the St. Louis Browns, and he is dealing out there, making your teammates work for every run. The game finishes, and the booing just will not wear down. You walk out of Connie Mack Stadium, and the people just will not stop annoying you with booing and threatening words. However, you continue on your path to the hotel room and realize that you set the standard for integration for the Athletics organization. This is the day that Bob Trice made history, on September 13, 1953.
Bob Trice broke the color barrier for the Philadelphia Athletics at Connie Mack Stadium, and set the precedent for future Athletics teams, which would later move to Kansas City. His impact on the organization was more than just a sideshow attraction. He made it possible for not only African-American players like Jarrod Dyson and Derrick Robinson, but for Latino players like Joakim Soria, Jonathan Sanchez, and Salvador Perez on the current 40-man roster. His numbers were not outstanding, and his minor league success did not carry over into the Major Leagues. He was a combined 9-9 with an ERA around 6.70 in his three seasons in Philadelphia and Kansas City. He also had 28 strikeouts and 60 walks in 152 innings pitched.
Trice will never be remembered in the same way as the greats, like Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, or Roberto Clemente for running into a lot of prejudice and playing exceptionally well, but the people of Philadelphia will always remember the day he stepped on the mound and showed his skills against Don Larson. The stadium at the intersection of Lehigh Avenue and North 21st Street was filled to see how Trice would perform for a struggling A’s team, and even though he did not earn the victory, he set the bar relatively high with his first start. He threw eight innings, letting up five earned runs, no walks, and two strikeouts.
As we watch Royals baseball this spring, we will see a newly transformed team, with all sorts of different players from different parts of the world. From Mike Moustakos to Jarrod Dyson, Bruce Chen to Jonathan Sanchez, we see many different colors and ethnicities, and we should be thankful to the man that helped them be a part of the team. Thank you Bob Trice, for helping to make Baseball the game it is today.
Last week, I was fortunate enough to be in Houston, and was able to attend each of the Cards/Astros games. A few weeks ago, when I learned that I’d be in town for that series, it dawned on me that I was going to be able to be there for Lance Berkman’s Minute Maid Park debut as a visitor. There are some fan bases that have earned reputations across the game–mostly on the coasts. But, I can’t say I’ve really heard much about the good folks in Houston–at least not to the point where I could infer any kind of behavior or mentality if a person said to me, “You know, just like an Astros fan would do/say”.
In fact, my only experience at Minute Maid Park prior to last week was Memorial Day last year. It was a wild one! That 14-4 final you see doesn’t tell the whole story…it wasn’t nearly as close as the final score makes it sound. I saw things that I’d not seen since little league. (catcher’s return throw to the pitcher gets away, shortstop picks it up in shallow left and throws it back to the pitcher…who misses THAT throw too) Saw two different fans run out on the field (4th, 8th) during the game. One young man climbed Taul’s hill & jumped the fence before being brought back (not quite the same way Jim Edmonds would) and escorted out by the authorities. Saw Roy Oswalt get ejected for only the 2nd time in his career, after going 2 ⅓ IP he’d take the loss.
So, I didn’t quite know what to expect when I headed to the game Tuesday night. All I knew is that I wanted to be there when Berkman was announced to the crowd. And I was. An impressive 40-second standing ovation for him was a pretty special thing to witness! Here, see for yourself. (Warning: Amatuer video skills)
An impressive reception, and a showing of true class by the 25,526 on hand that night. (Well, you know…paid, not turnstiles) What was NOT impressive that night was…(wait for it)…the Cardinals bullpen. I knew when Boggs misplayed a bunt in the bottom of the 9th, and Bourne reached, that the redbirds were in deep trouble. Later that inning, Hunter Pence would single sharply to CF, and the crowd would actually boo as Houston’s 3B coach held Bourne up for what would’ve been the winning run. Two batters later, Bourne would easily cross the plate, completing the Astros come-from-behind win in their last at-bat in the 9th. It’s hard to win ballgames when you take a 1-run lead into the bottom of the 9th, then give up four hits, add in a wild pitch and a passed ball.
Wednesday night, Kyle Lohse looked great. He didn’t give up a single run, scattering 4 hits over 7IP. After 97 pitches, he appeared to be in a comfortable position for his 4th win of the season, as the Cards were taking a “serious number” into the 8th. What made this game really interesting though, was…(wait for it)…the bullpen. Ryan Franklin came in to start the bottom of the 8th, and promptly gave up a double, then a single. TLR pulled Franklin & brought in Trever Miller, who is usually pretty effective. Miller walked the only batter he faced, and LaRussa headed back to the mound once again. So, here we are in the bottom of the 8th. The Cards had a comfortable 6-run lead mere moments ago, and now the bases are loaded with nobody out. Fernando Salas comes in on mop-up duty, and though 3 runs crossed the plate (2 courtesy of Franklin, and 1 via Miller), he put out the fire. In the bottom of the 9th, it was 6-3 Cardinals when Eduardo Sanchez came in to close it out. He gave up 3 hits, and surrendered 2 earned runs before finally striking out Hunter Pence (he K’ed 2 of the 6 batters he faced) to end the game. Final score, 6-5 Cardinals. Astros bats are quiet for the first 7 innings, then score 5 runs in the 8th & 9th. “Concerning” isn’t the word.
Berkman at the plate, holding his WMD from the left side
Thursday night was much better for the Cardinals, and those of us in that had supported them from the stands throughout this series. Let’s be honest, you really shouldn’t lose any game in which you score 9 runs in a single inning. But McClellan’s pitch count wasn’t going to allow him to throw a complete game, so we’d have to rely on…(wait for it)…the bullpen. As aforementioned, the redbirds exploded for 9 runs in the 6th inning, including a 3-run homerun by hometown favori….oh wait, they’re booing him now…by Lance Berkman. It would be his first of two hits that inning, and first of two homeruns that night. Fortunately, the committee of Motte, Batista, Miller, & Salas got the job done. No earned runs between them, and they nailed down a solid Cardinals victory, to win the series.
All in all, it’s hard to argue with winning a series, but the ulcers & heart palpitations along the way, I can do without. Granted, that’s what makes for exciting games sometimes, but I prefer a bullpen that can be trusted to get outs. 22 runs of offense is an encouraging sign, though, and presumably all those “end of the world” outcries from the first week of the season are distant memories. Berkman’s numbers from the series: 8-for-14 (.571 Avg) with 2 doubles, 3 runs scored, and 7 RBI. Think he’s comfortable at Minute Maid Park? All I know is that I’m really looking forward to June 7th, 8th, & 9th!
