Farewell to Mitch Maier.

Frankly, I’m surprised it took this long.

The Royals designated Maier for assignment Thursday, stocking up on pitchers during the dog-days leading up to the All Star Game. It looks like this is the end of the road for Maier, who has spent most of the past six seasons with the big league team.

I actually thought this might happen a couple of years earlier, but Maier just kept hanging around. He played good defense, was a positive presence, and even pitched a few times when the team was in a pinch.

But he just wasn’t good enough. Not for a team that wants to contend.

I take this as a positive sign.

The fact that Maier was on the team at all the last several years told me that the Royals just weren’t any good. But Maier kept working his way onto the roster because the old guys who were supposed to start got hurt, or the young guys weren’t quite ready.

Something must be different now, because the Royals finally deem Maier expendable.

“We’ve got so many young outfielders we want to look at,” said manager Ned Yost about the decision to let Maier go. “He was a great guy to have on your team as your fourth or fifth outfielder. But being mostly left-handed in the outfield, we needed a right-handed bat in [Jason] Bourgeois and we’ve got [Jarrod] Dyson, [Lorenzo] Cain’s coming back soon and we’ve got [Wil] Myers on the horizon.”

The Royals carried just four outfielders into Thursday’s game in Toronto. But Bourgeois can play all three outfield spots, so they seem to be comfortable with a lighter bench. Bourgeois has a much higher ceiling than does Maier, and apparently Cain and Myers could be coming to KC shortly.

To improve as a team, you need to have a roster full of good players. Cain and Myers have more talent in their pinky than Maier has on his best day. To get better, the team has no room for someone like Maier.

I know that sounds harsh. I’ve talked to Mitch Maier, and he seems like a good guy. By all accounts he’s a great teammate. But when someone is described as “the consummate professional,” it’s like saying that a girl has a great personality. Maier was doing all he could with his limited skills, but that girl isn’t someone you invite to the prom.

Good luck Mitch. I hope you land somewhere and continue your career. I’m surprised how many other Royals are able to find a place in the league.

But this move can only be seen as a sign of progress, and it was high time for you to go.

The Kansas City Royals are, arguably, one of the most exciting franchises in the league today.  They are young, talented, and have proven they can win at various levels on their way to the Major Leagues.

Exciting as that may be, when those young guys arrive in “the bigs”, they need leadership.  They need someone to show them how to act like big leaguers.  They need a guide along this journey that can show them, for lack of a better phrase, “The Royal Way”.

During the off-season, Dayton Moore and company were faced with a tough decision.  They had a glutton of youth that was becoming ready for the next step and a solid group behind them that could be ready sooner than later.  In particular, this created a problem in the outfield where they had two veteran players that showed promise.  The decision needed to be made between Jeff Francoeur and Melky Cabrera.  Many fans point out the inequity of the choice that was made.

A quick look at Baseball-Reference, accurate through 6/26…

Statistically speaking, it is obvious the wrong choice was made.  Now, I know, hindsight is 20-20 and by no means do I feel that anyone could have predicted that Melky would have such a great year or that Frenchy would have such an average one.  What I am here to say is simply that the choice of Francoeur over Cabrera cannot be measured by the typical numbers.  Nor do I feel that it will be something we may ever be able to measure.

Jeff Francoeur was kept on this team for his ability to usher in a crop of young guys into the proper way of handling themselves.  The intangibles around him as a man, a clubhouse personality, and a mentor all lead to the real reasons that he has a two year deal with this club.

Will he stick around beyond the trading deadline this year?  That will rely largely on factors of the production of other players in the system and the maturity of the roster as a whole.  If he should leave, who assumes his role as leadership both on and off the field?

Eric Hosmer
Hos is a bit of a natural choice here.  He was, in a very big way, the beginning of the youth movement in Kansas City.  He has spent a large amount of time in the system with a lot of the young players that are beginning to surface.  He’s young…very young, but his composure, quiet attitude, and expectation of winning will serve him well in the future.

Mike Moustakas
Moose is a much different candidate for leader of this team.  Throughout his minor league career, he has been known as a fiery personality that expects to win and is not afraid to tell anyone that they need to step it up a notch.  He is a player that will be vocal and visible in a leadership role.  In addition, he has earned a lot of respect for toning that side of his personality and game way down as he learns the ropes in Kansas City.

Alex Gordon
This is not only the most logical choice, but may be a change that is already in motion.  Gordon has been the player that has possibly most benefited from the presence of Jeff Francoeur.  They locker near each other, they are seen frequently together on road trips, and they have been seen working together in the field during warm ups.  Gordon received a long term deal from the club, is a leader on the field offensively and defensively, and has shown a large amount of maturity over the last few seasons.

As this team grows and becomes more and more competitive, leadership will be needed to help culture a winning environment and teach the players how to keep their heads down, their noses clean, and their game on the field pristine.  The right guys are in place to do just that and Jeff Fracoeur is a big part of ushering in a whole new era of Royals baseball.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.
Follow him on Twitter here.

The Kansas City Royals failed at their pre-season pitch to their hometown faithful of the fact that this is truly the time the Royals will start winning.  Along with the rest of the fans around the midwest I drank the Kool-Aid and believed that this could be our year.  Now that being said this team is still going to win ballgames this season and at times will show glimpses of what could come in the future but the proof is in the pudding and the pudding is full of players that hav just not had enough time in the Major Leagues to succeed.  They have all the talent in the world they just need to settle down and take their time developing and learning how to win at this level.  The young guys on this team have won at every level that they have played, but just like everything in life it takes time to learn how to adjust to new challenges.  That being said why not bring up the rest of the guys and let them all learn together.

The Royals did show that they were willing to bring someone up and throw him out on the mound instead of continuing to throw the same spot starters out there.  Now Will Smith did not have the success that he probably wanted to have but that is part of the learning process.  He had to throw two pitches right down the middle to New York Yankees third basemen, Alex Rodriguez, to learn that at this level guys do not miss mistakes, they hit them over the fences.  Those are the tings that every young player learns though. Before this season is over fans will more than likely get to see the pitchers of the future in the Royals organization at Kauffman Stadium.  Players like Mike Montgomery, Chris Dwyer, maybe even a Jake Odorizzi if he gets hot and shows that he has the stuff now to pitch in this league.

Wil Myers will definately be a face that fans get to see play in front of the fountains sooner that later.  He will probably get a month to 6 weeks at AAA Omaha before he gets promoted to the big club.  Then they face a huge decision with what to do with him because he cannot take a starting spot away from Jeff Franceour in right field whether Frenchy is playing well or not.  The Royals needs the leadership from their right fielder to stay or things with the young guys could gets really out of hand.  That being said Mitch Maier may not have much time left with the team because he is simply not the direction that they Royals need to go.  They need to get all of the young players up here at the same time so that they can learn how to win together.

The problem with the Royals is the fact that they thought they were going to win this season and win with the players that they put on their roster.  But I am here to tell you that any team, I don’t care how good your offense is, is not going to make it to the playoffs with Bruce Chen and Luke Hochevar as your number 1 and 2 starters.  Now put them at the back of the rotation with some better arms up front and the 12 or so games that they win a year will mean something but if that is the win total that is leading your team at the end of the season you definately did not win enough ball games to make it to the playoffs year in and year out.

My question for the Royals organization is “Why Not?” Why wouldn’t you want to just give everyone a chance.  The product on the field right now is not showing anything so how much worse can a couple of 20 somethings be.  The core of the team in the field is set and yes outfielder Lorenzo Cain and catcher Salvador Perez are not playing right now but they will come back soon and by that time maybe they will be the final pieces of one of the yougnest teams to ever take the field.  But what could it truly hurt to have these guys develop up here.  Because by the time that they are developed they will be past all of the older teams because those teams have not prepared to their older aging players to be gone.  Playing baseball has a shelf life and if the Royals don’t take the bull by the horns soon they will find themselves in the backs of the minds of fans just waiting for football season to start.

Alex Gordon and his new contract have been the hot topic of the Kansas City Royals off season.  To pay or not to pay? But the Royals have to take into consideration that if they show they are willing to pay players now, the younger players, with future contract opportunities, will be shown the willingness of the Glass family to spend a little money.

Photo Courtesy of Minda Haas

Young talent can be both a blessing and a curse.  Yes the upside of young talent means that you will be able to have success at a reduced rate.  But, the other side of that is the fact that as the youth of your organization grow older they become arbitration eligible and ask for the big money. So will the Royals be willing to pay these younger generation of players in their organization?

Well, Alex Gordon for example, had a career defining year last year.  Which for his was great timing because not only was it his last chance to show fans that he is the player everyone thought he was but also his last chance for the Royals to keep him on the team.  The one thing that the Royals do not want to do now is lose Gordon.  But they may have to dip deep into their pockets to keep him.  Paying Gordon now will kill two birds with one stone. Not only will the Royals be able to lock up a solid leadoff hitter, who plays great defense, and also is a leader for this team. But they will also show the young guys that the checkbook is open and that they are willing to win.

The problem with the Royals of recent past, i.e. Glass family regime, is that they were all about making money.  While everyone on Earth would love to be able to make money in every venture they are involved in sometimes you have to take risks to get the bigger rewards.  The one thing that every Royals fan wants is to win.  The fact that the organization has been in the green amidst having a team that is a perennial loser should show how loyal this city is to their team.  Now if you make money by losing how could you not think that you will make more money with a winning team.  This city would go bonkers to have a winner at the Truman Sports Complex.  The stadium would be filled every night.  The merchandise flying off the shelves.  The money just rolling in. So making a little they have accomplished by spending a little.  But spending a lot will make them a lot more money in return.

If the Royals are willing to show the Hosmers and Moustakas’ of the world that they money will be their when their time comes, not only will this allow them to keep players in house but also the word will spread and free agents will want to come play in Kansas City.

For example, the 2003 Detroit Tigers lost 119 games.  They spent nearly 46 million dollars on payroll that season.  Over the last nine years they have gone from worst to perennial best in the Central Division. Not only did they do this by developing their young talent that they acquired through high draft slots but also by showing the willingness to pay free agents the big money to play in Motown, i.e. Victor Martinez, Maglio Ordonez, and most recently Prince Fielder. By showing some players that they will pay them whatever it takes, others have come along with them.

This is what the Royals should model themselves after.  Yes everyone want them to win within the next two years and that is a very good possibility but what happens after that. How does this team become a dynasty and perennial contender not only for the division but also for the American League pennant.

They achieve this by spending money now to show potential future Royals that they will spend the money on them as well.

Kansas City Royals fans are excited for the coming baseball season. I’m not sure if they’re excited to have any kind of baseball back, or they think the Royals have a legitimate shot at winning games during the 2012 season. Like most either-or situations the truth is most likely in the middle. I’m excited too, and I have been since the end of the regular season.

I have not been this excited during a Royals off-season since the winter of 2003-2004. Remember that? I do, and it has me slightly worried. The Royals finished the 2003 Season 83-79. While the 2003 Royals faded down the stretch, and dropping their last three to White Sox there was lot to be excited about that fall. The Royals had a collection of young guys. Angel Berrora was the 2003 AL Rookie of the Year. He flashed some leather in the field, and was surprise at the plate. Surely Berrora would get better during the off-season? Ken Harvey had a good first half of the season and became an All-Star. Even though he faded during the second half of 2003, surely he would figure some things out and get better? Mike MacDougal would learn some control. Jose Lima had eliminated his demons and was back to being a productive starter. Mike Sweeney will get healthy over the winter. Runelvys Hernandez, Brian Anderson, Jeremy Affeldt, DJ Carrasco, Jimmy Gobble, would all come back in 2004 and be better. Because that’s what young ball players do. They get better. They don’t ever regress? Do they?

Not only was the current roster going to improve but Allard Baird signed veteran free agents Benito Santiago and Juan Gonzales. Zack Greinke was waiting in the minors. Some national media prognosticators even picked the 2004 Royals to win the division! The Royals future was bright, and the Royals fans had to wear shades to even look at it. How could anything go wrong?

You're looking at the best moment of the Royals 2004 Season.

The 2004 Off-Season concluded with one of the most exciting Opening Day’s in franchise history with Mendy Lopez hitting a home run off Damaso Marte in the bottom of the 9th. I was at that game, and it’s one of my favorite Royals memories. The Royals march to October was underway. I went to two more games that opening week. The Royals finished up the opening home stand 4-2. Of Course, we don’t need Paul Harvey to tell us what happened to Ken Harvey and learn the rest of this story. The Royals only won three more games the rest of April, finishing 7-14. This included a six game losing streak. May got even weirder with Tony Pena fleeing the country and the wheels officially coming off the wagon. Thus began even darker days for the franchise and it’s fans, and truthfully I don’t know if we’ve ever fully recovered.

This season does look promising. But years, and years of disappointment have dulled my optimist’s blade a little. After all, the 2003 Royals won twelve more games than the 2011 Royals. I claim to not be a very big statistics person. But one statistic that came to my attention during the 2003 season was the Pythagorean Win-Loss Formula. You use total runs scored and total runs allowed for a team to determine what a team’s record should be. The 2003 Royals had a better record than their Pythagorean W-L: 78-84. Their actual W-L was 83-79. In other words, the 2003 Royals were lucky. Any team that got to play the 2003 Tigers 19 times was lucky. The 2011 Royals Pythagorean W-L: 78-84. Their actual W-L was 71-91. The 2011 Royals were more unlucky than the 2003 Royals were lucky. This tells me that last season’s Royals weren’t all that far off from being a .500 team.

Knowing that last season’s team was better than perceived sort of eases my mind. However, a lot of assumptions on 2012 being a good season for the Royals are dependent on the same things that made us think 2004 was going to be a good season. Youth taking a step forward, no major regressions from the established roster, and new additions being as advertised or better. I’ve been this excited before only to see the worst team in franchise history trotted onto the field. There are always a lot of ifs for a baseball team this time of year. Too many times the answer to those ifs has been wrong for the Royals. That’s what has me worried. If this group of players doesn’t turn things around for the organization the only thing we’ll have to look forward to is another GM and another process. For once it would be fun to be excited about the Royals, and not worry that the wheels might fall off. Of course, like a lot of Royals fans problems only consistent winning will take care of that.

Once again our roommates here at I70 Baseball are headed off to the post season after a wild month of September. We Royals fans once again get to watch the playoffs with mild detachment. If they’re anything like Wednesday’s epic finale to the regular season we’re in for a treat. However, we may not see a night of baseball like Wednesday for several years. There will be a lot written about that night, and there are not enough superlatives to describe it’s awesomeness.

The season finale was kind of disappointing for the Royals, losing 1-0 to the Wounded Critters err Twins. Putting that game aside I think this Royals team was the most entertaining bad baseball team I’ve watched. Before I switch gears into off-season mode I’d like to highlight what are my most memorable parts of the 2011 Royals season. Notice I said memorable, that doesn’t exactly mean good.

Spring Training: Coming into spring training the Royals were deemed to have the best minor league system in baseball. They didn’t disappoint. The young guys played well in spring training. The Royals won the Cactus League. It was a nice break from losing even if the games didn’t count. Unfortunately, they started the regular season with the only the young guys in the bullpen.

Saturday, April 2nd: This was the only Royals game I attended this year. I live 3 hours from Kauffman Stadium and clearing my schedule enough to get up there becomes difficult. But the games I do attend are big deals. We bought tickets to this game in early March because it also included the Futures Game. Those were the guys we wanted to see anyway, not Hiram Davies. Just so happens the Royals beat the Angels 5-4, and the Futures Game displayed a Mike Montgomery mowing down batters. On that day I was sure he’d have been in the rotation by July. Even though that didn’t happen it was still an awesome day.

The Next Day, April 3rd: Matt Treanor wins the game with a walk off HR in extra innings. The Royals take 3 of 4 from the Angels. The #smallsamplesizebutstill appears on Twitter.

Perfect Game, Perfect Meltdown, April 20th: Luke Hochaver is dealing. You know? He takes a perfect game into the 6th inning. You know? And the 6th inning goes like this for Hochaver: Single, Balk, Double, 5-3 ground out, 4-3 ground out, Balk, single, double, walk, double, and finally a strike out to ends the inning. You know? It becomes a microcosm of Hochaver’s season. You know? Awesome for most of the game, but is susceptible to what becomes known as a “Hochaver Inning”. You know?

The “That’s What Speed Do” Game, April 29th: With the game tied 3-3 in the 8th, Alcides Escobar hits a shallow fly ball to deep short/shallow left. Caught by shortstop Alexi Casilla, Jerrod Dyson tags up at third and is safe at the plate. Royals take the lead 4-3, and eventually win by that score. When asked about the play in the post game interview, Dyson said “that’s what speed do.” Unfortunately, Dyson couldn’t hit well enough to stay with the Royals for the rest of the season. I question weather he remains in the organization for the 2012 campaign.

April 30th: The Royals beat the Twins 11-2, and finish the month of April one game above .500 at 14-13. Good start. Too bad it didn’t mean much

Hosmas, May 6th: Finally, the long awaited MLB Debut of one Eric John Hosmer. Royals fans are excited. Hosmer goes 0 for 2, with 2 walks. Royals lose to the A’s 3-2. But this wasn’t about one game it was about the future.

Royals Visit Yankee Stadium, May 10th-12th: Royals Drop the first game 3-1. In game two Eric Hosmer hits his first home run, and the Royals win in 11 innings. In the third game the Royals take Ivan Nova behind the woodshed in the 2nd inning by putting up a 6 spot. And oh yeah, Eric Hosmer hits his 2nd home run. Royals win 11-5 and take 2 of 3 from the Yankees at the Stadium. I consider this to be the highlight of the season.

More Historical Futility, May 16th: Vin Mazzaro solidifies the David DeJesus trade as terrible by giving up 14 runs in 2.1 IP. Royals lose to surging Cleveland by 18 runs.

Danny Duffy MLB Debut, May 18th: With injuries to Bruce Chen and Sean O’Sullivan; Vin Mazzaro sent to Omaha; Danny Duffy gets his shot at the rotation. Duffy has an OK start: 4IP, 4H, 2ER, 6BB, 4K. He does not factor into the decision. Royals lose to the Rangers 5-4. Danny Duffy will stay with the Royals rest of the season.

Gold Glove Escobar, June 1st: It’s the top of the 8th in a scoreless ball game. The Angels have two outs and the base loaded. Alcides Escobar robs Alberto Callaspo of a base hit in shallow left and throws across the diamond for the put out at first. Escobar had tons of defensive highlights this season, but for some reason this play sticks out to me. Good pick up, that guy. This was also the same game Billy Butler hit a double…until it was reviewed and determined it was a walk-off home run. Royals win 2-0.

Mike Moustakas MLB Debut, June 10th: Mike Moustakas makes his much anticipated MLB debut in Anaheim. Moustakas goes 1 for 3 with a walk. He homers in his next game. He won’t homer again until September. There was a six week stretch that Moustakas looked over matched and lost at the plate. But he worked his way through it, and will be a major league contributor going forward.

#countrybreakfast, July 25th-28th The Royals roll into Fenway Park for a four game set with eventual AL Wild Card, Boston Red Sox. The first game goes 14 innings, but also includes a long rain delay. The Royals win 3-1. This game ended in the wee hours of the morning. This is when the Twittersphere gave Billy Butler the nickname; Country Breakfast. It is thought to be the first time fans on twitter gave a player a nickname and it stuck. It was even mention on Sports Center.

The Royals get throttled in the middle two games of the series. But Luke Hochaver pitches 7 strong in the series finale. Royals win 4-3 and get out of Boston with a split.

Johnny Giavotella MLB Debut, Aug 5th: Johnny Giavotella was on no ones radar in spring training. In August he replaces the much criticized Chris Getz. He immediately begins hitting. His first game batting line is 2 for 3, 1B, 2B, BB, RBI. We have ourselves a 2nd Baseman.

The Gangs All Here, Aug 10th: I’m not sure what is in store for the 2012 Royals. We know this group of position players is together for several years barring a trade or injury. If they go on to win a World Series I will remember this day as the turning point. Salvador Perez makes his MLB debut. To make room on the roster the Royals make the anticipated release of Kyle Davies. Just so happens the Royals played the Rays on this day. An organization the Royals should try and emulate. Aaron Crow and Joakim Soria combine to give up 5 runs in the bottom of the 9th. Rays win 8-7. This line up stays together for the rest of the season and suddenly the Royals have a potent offense.

Francoeur’s 9-3 Put Out, Sept 7th: There have been over 200,000 major league baseball games played. Most of them are pretty normal. But there are so many of games that a something extraordinary happens often. This was one of those plays. I originally heard this play on the radio. As soon as I got near a computer I looked for the video. Jeff Francoeur has made some spectacular plays in the outfield this year. Whatever his shortcomings at the plate, he entertaining to watch in the field. I’m glad he’s been signed to a two-year deal. Royals mailed in this game, lost 7-0 to the A’s.

Thus brings us to the long cold off-season. It’s been a fun year and I can hardly wait till March when spring training get into full swing. With any luck and some excellent moves by the Royals front office the 2012 season review will take me twice as long, and I’ll have to break it up into two articles.

nobody on the road, nobody on the beach.

By the time you read this, the 2010-2011 Kansas City Royals will have played their last game of the season on their home turf. It’s six-thirty pm as I start writing this, so I can’t declare a winner lest I want to have a “Dewey Wins!” situation on my hands, but based on Tuesday night’s game play, my outlook is optimistic in terms of a home team victory. On Wednesday afternoon, team manager Ned Yost (not to confused with the ever-interesting @fakenedyost on Twitter) said, ““We wanted to improve our defense beginning of the year and we feel like we’ve done that to a great degree. We wanted to get these young guys up here, we wanted to give them experience and we’ve done that.” In other words, to quote a well-known slogan, you’ve come a long way, baby.

Brothers don't shake hands, brothers gotta hug.

In Yost’s first full year coaching for the Royals, we saw a lot of rookies playing. A lot. The bullpen, with Louis Coleman, Tim Collins, Aaron Crow, Nathan Adcock, and Everett Teaford has performed well above any reasonable expectations. And after Eric Hosmer was brought up on 6 May (a day now known to many as Hosmas), Dayton Moore seemed to decide to make it his mission to win the title of youngest team in the Major League Baseball, which has been a tremendous amount of fun, though, granted, it stings a bit that only two regular players are older than I am. Give me a six-pack of an underseasoned Salvador Perez and Johnny Giavotella when my previous alternative was a leftover and microwaved Mike Jacobs. In particular, the callup of Perez, who had been in AA just weeks before, signaled the Royals’ present commitment to their farm system. The fact that he has hit almost .340 since gives me warm feelings in special places.

Permit me to completely delude myself, but until pitchers and catchers report and we’re forced to construct hypothetical starting rotations, I am utterly sold on what is happening with this team. For the first time since I was wearing days of the week underpants, this team will return almost its entire starting lineup from the last game of this year to the first game next year. Perhaps Lorenzo Cain substitutes for Melky Caberera in center field, but almost everyone else will be back. And that’s something I’m actually happy about.

What is sad is that my family is sitting here watching the last home game. This sucks. We’ve watched the Royals on TV or in person for months and months because that’s what we like to do for fun. We holler at Chris Getz, debate whether Hosmer will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this offseason or next, and root unabashedly for the ball-throwing Lilliputian Tim Collins. Even my misdirected Cardinals-loving stepson has thrown himself into the fortunes of the Royals.

Which is good, because not only does he recognize a burgeoning success story, but also because it means he gets to continue to live here.

It’s been said that the Major League Baseball season is a grind. Night-in, night-out, day-after-day. I’m sure it gets old for the players and the ancillary support employees. But I’m not feeling sorry for them, not even the ancillary non millionaire employees. Would you rather have a real job? Or a real job that involves baseball on some level? I know which one I would choose.

Since I committed to blogging about the Royals once I week I’ve done a good job of coming up with stuff to write about. But now almost a third into the season it’s starting to feel like a grind. I’ve got some serious writers block, or if I’ve offended some of the formally educated writers, bloggers block. I have a few ideas marinating, but not enough time to do the necessary research before the deadline.

I have a few thoughts on this past weeks Royal’s action that I have not seen expressed by others. However, by themselves aren’t enough to write an entire blog entry worth anyone’s time. So I’ll just combine them like a potpourri:

-The Royals are 2-7 against the Indians this season. This is highly troubling to me as a Royals fan. The Royals are the second youngest team in the majors. The only team that’s younger is the Indians. It maybe true the Indians are a little ahead of the Royals in their development, and there are still pieces of the future down in Omaha. Strategically these teams are in the same place. These games haven’t been close. The Indians have throttled the Royals. If the Royals are to ever win this division they’re going to have to beat the current Indians team. They’re not going any where, and they will get better. The fact that the Royals young guys are getting beat by the Indians young guys is cause for concern. Look for this rivalry to develop a little more over the years.

-As Royals fans we’ve seen our share of losing. Not just losing, but embarrassing, comical, historically bad losing. The list of bloopers is so long I could probably write a whole post about it. But I’m not. And my favorite you can’t even quantify in a highlight real. I have a favorite blooper. Mainly because I was in attendance. On July 1st, 2005 against the LAA Angels David DeJesus and Angel Berroa batted out of order in the first inning. 2005 was also the year of the 19 game losing streak. Historical, pathetic, and embarrassing. I thought the dark days of 2005 were behind us. But this week the Royals brought us two more Yackety Sax moments in one week:

Vin Mazzaro’s 14 run performance against the Indians was the first. So bad it made not just national sports headlines, but national news headlines. You can blame Ned Yost for keeping him out there. You can blame Vin Mazzaro for being terrible. Either way it was an organizational failure that resulted in something so bad it had not been done before. However, there was some good news. Vin Mazzaro got Danny Duffy’s Nexrad Laptop, Mesonet, and barometer.

Photo Courtesy of Minda Haas

But the Royals weren’t done with the goofyness. During Wednesday’s game Jerod Dyson and Mike Aviles got picked off first as pinch runners in the 9th inning. Think about that. They were brought in to run bases, and got picked off. Two pinch runners being picked off in the same inning not happened since 1896. At least it’s happened before.

I can deal with some losing. After all, I still care enough about the Royals to watch, listen, and write. But is it too much to ask to not be historically terrible along the way?

-Finally, This weekend is the first round of the 2011 I70 Series. I kind of feel obligated to mention it…since it’s the title of the site and all. I have to admit. I vaguely remember the 1985 World Series as I was too young. All of my memories of that would be second hand, or after the fact. I did not catch on to the full ramifications of the Kansas City – St Louis rivalry until I moved to Kansas City in 2003. Growing up in Wichita I thought it was OK to root for the Cardinals as an NL Team. I quickly learned that liking both the Royals and Cardinals is sort of bad form in either city. In 2003 the Royals had their swagger back, and I attended 2 of 3 games at Kauffman Stadium. My brother and I ran our mouths to the St Louis fans and had a good time even though the Royals lost two of three in that series. I also remember the return series in St Louis ending with Mike MacDougal, yes that Mike MacDougal striking out the Great Pujols looking with a nasty 12-6 curve ball. Royals and Cards split the 2003 I70 Series. Since the Royals have been so bad since then I really haven’t taken notice of the series since then. But since leaving Kansas City…I still kind of root for the Cardinals, but don’t tell anyone.

The Royals were supposed to be the whipping children of the American League. The team, the fans, and every expert around the country stressed that this would be a team to watch in 2012 and 2013. The farm system was the most exciting thing about the entire franchise and it would be the youth movement in the next few years that would lead the Royals back to glory.

Then the season started and the rag-tag bunch of players showed they were fit to play now. They got production from players that the rest of the league laughed at when the Royals announced them as acquisitions. Pitchers threw far beyond their expectations. And the team won.

Jeff Francoeur has emerged as a leader of this team. Most thought that Frenchy was brought in as a stop gap veteran to help the young guys adjust. Francoeur stepped up in April and showed that he was brought in to help a team win. He leads the team with five home runs and twenty runs batted in and his .314 average has shown that he is ready to be the veteran leader that this team needs.

Alex Gordon had dominated. Gordon himself said that this would be the year he dominated. Fans everywhere rolled their eyes at a young player that was overstepping his bounds without anything to base the claim off of. Then the calendar flipped to opening day and Alex Gordon started playing baseball. When April came to a close, Gordon would lead the team with a .339 batting average and would start to realize his gap power potential as he leads the team with twelve doubles. He finds himself among the league leaders in runs scored (3rd, 20), hits (3rd, 27), doubles (2nd) and batting average (5th).

Before the season we looked at what the team needed to do in each month to ensure a solid season. Let’s take a look at what we said they needed to do and what they accomplished.

April Breakdown:

Total Games: 27 (14 – 13 record)

Home: 16 (11 – 5)

Road: 11 (3 – 8)

Vs teams with winning records in 2010: 15 (10 – 5)

Vs teams with losing records in 2010: 12 (4 – 8)

Vs teams in the AL Central: 16 (8 – 8)

Key Series:

March 31-April 3 vs Los Angeles –

What we said going in: The Angels are being picked by many experts to win the AL West this year and will provide an immediate test for the Royals this season. That being said, the subtext that everyone in Kansas City is talking about revolves around the “Double Header” being billed on April 2nd. That night, following the game with the Angels, the Royals top two farm teams will do battle at Kauffman Stadium, allowing the fans in Kansas City to get a glimpse of the future that lays ahead of the franchise.

The Result: After dropping the home opener, the Royals ripped off three straight wins and showed the league very early on that they planned on being competitive. The futures game on April 2nd was all it was billed to be, but was overshadowed by a major league club that was fighting to be seen as the main attraction.

April 14-21 vs Seattle and Cleveland –

What we said going in: This may be the key week to the early season for the Royals. Some people are wondering if the Royals are not as bad as many are predicting them. If the Royals are to put together a successful season in the win-loss column, it will have to be solidified with wins over teams that are honestly worse than they are. This week projects as a battle between three teams that many pick to be the worst in the American League and will give the Royals an opportunity to prove that they are more than just going through the motions in 2011.

The Result: If the Royals are one of the surprise teams in April, Cleveland is the top of that heap. We said the team needed to win against teams that were worse than them, but we had no idea just how good Cleveland would be to open the season. A split with the Indians in a four game set and taking three of four from the Mariners was just what we thought the team needed.

Key To a Hot Start:

What we said: The Royals do not need a hot start. The team needs to be patient and develop their young players. If they are to separate themselves from the lower half of the American League, they need to take advantage of games against Cleveland, Seattle, and Detroit. They will be tested early by the likes of Minnesota and Chicago and coming away with a .500 record against those teams will go a long way in to convincing fans that the team has improved.

The Result: This team finished the month above .500 but finished at 7-7 against the teams we said they needed to provide winning records against.

At the end of April:

What we said: If the Royals have 14+ wins… they have stepped up and shown that they are not to be considered with the worst teams. Fourteen wins is not out of reach in April, looking at the schedule. If they win each series with Cleveland, Seattle, and Detroit they will have won ten games. A single win against the Angels, White Sox, Twins, and Rangers will get them to fourteen wins and a record that is above .500.

What we’re saying now: Looks like a step in the right direction for the rebuilding Royals. A focus on patience with the farm system will go a long way into turning April 2011 into a successful 2012.

The Royals have surprised everyone and now will be judged on whether or not they can keep up. The team put a target on themselves by winning long before anyone expected them to. They finished the month on a down turn, but still are well within striking distance of making this a solid season.

Only time will tell.

September brings playoff hopes to many teams. It has cities across the country getting ready for deep runs and World Series dreams. In Kansas City in 2011, it brings something much more important. The rosters expand.

The team will bring to the Major League level some of the best talent the area has seen and people might just flock down to the ballpark. They may not be playing winning baseball and it may be a bit early to anoint any of these players the next George Brett, but they will be exciting, and with the NFL Lockout, they may be the only game in town.

Anthony Lerew by Erika Lynn

September Breakdown:

Total Games: 24

Home: 11

Road: 13

Vs teams with winning records in 2010: 15

Vs teams with losing records in 2010: 11

Vs teams in the AL Central: 17

Key Series:

September 15-18 vs Chicago – the White Sox will come to The K for a four game set that will bring a buzz to the city. The rivalry will be revisited, the team will have play off hopes and the young guns of the Royals will look to prove themselves. Add this in with no football and Kansas City may be a volatile place to visit.

September 26-28 @ Minnesota – the final series of the year sees the young Royals take on the perennial contenders in the Minnesota Twins. The Twins will be making a playoff push and the Royals will be looking to end 2011 on a high note. The Royals may benefit from a division race that may be decided before this date, giving them the opportunity to play the Twins while they are not at their best.

Key To a Hot September:

Let the kids play. The young guys will put butts in the seats and score some runs. It could be the most exciting baseball that Kansas City has seen in quite sometime.

At the end of September:

If the Royals have 15+ wins… then the farm system is all it is promoted to be and then some. It is a lofty goal, but with some big bats and big arms on the way, the Royals need to start dreaming and start dreaming big.

If the Royals are above .500… they will have, honestly, proven enough. This team does not need to over-achieve right now, they simply need to prove they can compete. This is not about win now, it’s about proving to the division and the league that 2012 will see the Royals no longer being American League whipping boys.

If the Royals are below .500… most people would expect this outcome, but I would think it would be slightly disappointing. It could also mean that the team did not jump on the youth movement this year and chose to keep the kids in the minors and under wraps.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.