Write On Sports LLC - "Soon, A Royal Resurgence" by Anthony Tao

Soon, A Royal Resurgence

2006-09-14 23:49:45 | By: Anthony Tao

MEMO FROM THE ASYLUM: The Royals will return to their glory days sooner than you think. Like, in two years.

Tell me that's crazy. Go ahead. Heap on your snorts and snobbery, your indignant guffaws or haughty indifference. Tell me the Royals are just like the Devil Rays, only without an ace. Kindly inform me they'll never beat the Twins, White Sox or Tigers … not to mention the teams in the other divisions. Or do that thing where you politely amuse me, then roll your eyes and forget I uttered a peep.

It'll be all the better for my last laugh.

The Royals, lest we forget, were once a proud franchise, supported by one of the best baseball towns in America. Their collapse, unlike the dramatic fall of other proud franchises – the Chicago Bulls in the years following MJ's penultimate retirement or the Yankees of the mid-60s post-Mantle – was not an event that could be foreseen. There might be one obvious parallel – the impending retirement of a sure Hall of Famer (George Brett, in KC's case) – but the signs weren't telltale. KC wasn't squandering draft picks on the likes of Dragan Tarlac, Keith Booth and Corey Benjamin (is it possible to have a worse eight-year stretch of draft picks than the Bulls had from 1991-98?) or rejecting talent out of ignorance (the Yankees were among the last teams to sign a black player). On the contrary, the Royals were both developing talent (Kevin Appier, Jeff Conine) and (re)acquiring winners (David Cone, Gary Gaetti). The franchise, however, was dealt a devastating blow in 1993 with the death of owner Ewing Kauffman. Coupled with the departure of GM John Schuerholz in 1990, the loss was simply too much to overcome.

Allow me a brief detour to explain how difficult it's been.

It's hard to overstate exactly what the loss of Kauffman and Schuerholz meant to the franchise, but since I wasn't following the team back then, I'll try to limit my speculation. What is known, however, is that without a competent GM at the helm, the Royals engaged in a series of hasty free agent signings that accelerated the organization's demise. And without a dedicated owner – certainly one with the immense class and clout of Kauffman – the organization began tightening its pursestrings, selling talent while bargain basement-hunting for Major League scraps. Somehow, the idea that Kansas City was a "small market" became the front office's excuse for its perennial lowballing of the fan base.

The Royals – need I say it? – have been bad. I can rattle off the statistics and anecdotes (though I'll resist from telling you about Allard Baird's trades of Jermaine Dye and Johnny Damon), but maybe the best indicator is a simple 10-year performance chart. (Note: this will hut me more than it'll hurt you.)

2005: 56-106 (last in AL Central)

2004: 58-104 (last)

2003: 83-79 (3rd)

2002: 62-100 (second to last)

2001: 65-97 (last)

2000: 77-85 (second to last)

1999: 64-97 (second to last)

1998: 72-89 (3rd)

1997: 67-94 (last)

1996: 75-86 (last)

The 2003 season is a freak of statistics, enough of an outlier to get itself stricken from any scientific data chart. If not for that magical season, Kansas City's four-year stretch of futility would be historic.

But I don't want to dwell on the negatives. The team is home after sweeping the Cleveland Indians and nearly sweeping the Boston Red Sox for the second time this season. Starting May 26, the day they snapped a 13-game losing streak (at that time, it was already their second losing streak of at least 10 games, which is amazing considering they had played only 45 total), the Royals have gone 46-55. Granted, 46-55 isn't cause for celebration, but maybe, considering their 10-year record of 679-937, this 101-game stretch might merit a candle and cake.

Here's the best part: this town is ready to rally around its baseball team. Oh, sure, it's still chic to make fun of the franchise and lament baseball's economic system (which I actually believe is now the best among the major sports), but there are enough people who remember the glory days to hoist the team back onto its shoulders. This is what Tampa Bay does not have. Heck, this is what all of Florida doesn't have: people who care about their professional teams, who have integrated them into their community and their lives. Fans can be a powerful force.

Technically, my column ends here. But since I'm feeling the pride, I'll go ahead and list eight reasons why the Royals will hover around .500 next year, with playoff contention soon after.

Call me crazy…

1. The second overall pick in the 2005 draft, Alex Gordon, has just been named the best prospect in the country. Baseball America picked Gordon, a slick-fielding third baseman who's batting .325 with 29 home runs and 100 RBIs for AA Wichita, as its minor league player of the year. Gordon, by the way, has great plate discipline and runs the bases well; he grew up rooting for the Royals and his brother is named after George Brett; by some goof, he also has his own Major League baseball card. Basically, he's pretty much Kansas City's second coming.

2. But consider this: Gordon's not even the best player on his team. That distinction goes to Zach Greinke, a right-handed pitcher who charmed scouts several years ago with a cornucopia of pitches, including a fastball that registered in the mid-90s, a 65-mph overhand curve and a changeup that ranges from the mid-70s to 80s. The sixth overall pick of the 2002 draft, Greinke was about the only reason to watch the Royals in 2004 as the season turned from one of hope to just another hell. As a rookie, Greinke threw 145 innings, allowing just 143 hits. More impressively, he had a 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Unfortunately, personal issues forced him out of baseball for a stint, though he returned and has been solid in Wichita, learning again how to win (8-3, 4.34 ERA, 94 Ks, 27 BBs).

3. Okay, so Greinke's "better" only in the sense that pitchers are more valuable to Major League teams. But consider this: Gordon's not even the best hitter on his team. That distinction goes to outfielder Billy Butler, who you might recall went 2-for-3 with a home run in the 2006 Futures Game and was named the MVP (Gordon also went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs). Butler led the Texas League this year with a .331 batting average. Also remember these names: Chris Lubanski and Mitch Maier.

4. The Royals may not have the deepest farm system, but they have one of the best farm teams. That would be the AA Wichita Wranglers, who have Gordon, Greinke and Butler, plus RHP Billy Buckner, who pitched seven innings of one-run ball on Tuesday as the Wranglers beat Corpus Christi 2-1 to even the best-of-five championship series at one game apiece. You have to love that the youngsters are being weaned amid a winning atmosphere. Wichita is also home to this year's No. 1 pick, RHP Luke Hochevar, and RHP Tyler Lumsden, who has a sub-3.00 ERA in over 20 starts this year in AA. (An uplifting story from the KC Star: "KC may have something special .")

5. Now let's talk about the big leaguers. David DeJesus, Mark Teahen(who came over from Oakland in the Carlos Beltran deal and just recently underwent successful shoulder surgery) and Ryan Shealy (a first baseman who every baseball executive in America liked; Shealy would have been in the Majors long ago had he not been stuck behind Todd Helton) have all shown they can play. Starter Luke Hudson has also flashed potential, recently turning in a one-run, 10-strikeout effort against the Yankees. And Runelvys Hernandez, if he can stay healthy, has given us reason to hope he can be an everyday starter. Remember, it wasn't long ago that Detroit's Mike Maroth and Jeremy Bonderman were 21- and 19-game losers.

6. GM Dayton Moore, former assistant to John Schuerholz, is the man with a plan. His first move to bring in speedy Joey Gathright from Tampa was met with instant approval. Gathright, billed as "one of the fastest players in baseball" (many say he's No. 2, behind Carl Crawford), gave fans a reason to go to the ballpark. Moore has kept busy exchanging the Royals' many draft flops – most of them pitchers – for players who can contribute in the future. He's identified guys we know will falter – Mike Macdougal, for instance, with his helter-skelter delivery – and pushed them onto teams who are willing to overpay for their services (thank you White Sox, for Tyler Lumsden; and thank you Colorado, for Shealy). Moore's philosophy of pitching, defense, power on the corners and patience at the plate is hardly unique, though it's the stuff of winners. And, more than anything, it's something. Moore has a plan, which is more than you could say for former GM Allard Baird.

7. Karma. Probability. Reward for faith. Whatever you want to call it, you simply can't expect things to get worse after you lose nearly 400 games in four years. With apologies to Murphy, things are bound to improve.

8. Rest assured, the fans will get behind this team in due time. With the Chiefs struggling (their window, sadly, appears to have closed yet again) and the Wizards still irrelevant to all but a niche fan base, the Royals really have the opportunity to step in and seize a new generation of fans, or at least win back a previous generation. In their magical 2003 season, I remember sitting at Kauffman Stadium in the cheap seats, which anyone can tell you are among the best cheap seats in the country, watching the fountains and the vendors and the thousands upon thousands of happy-going Midwesterners and thinking, Wouldn't it be great if it were like this every day? It can be, because at one time it was. And it will be again.

So with this lineup next year, the Royals are going to make a push for .500:

C: John Buck/Paul Bako

1B: Ryan Shealy/Doug Mientkiewicz

2B: Mark Grudzielanek

SS: Esteban German

3B: Alex Gordon

LF: David DeJesus

RF: Mark Teahen/Billy Butler

OF: Joey Gathright/Chris Lubanski/Shane Costa

DH: Mike Sweeney/Emil Brown

SP: Mark Redman, Luke Hudson, Runelvys Hernandez, Odalis Perez, Zach Greinke/Jorge de la Rosa/Scott Elarton

Go ahead, don't listen to me. Tell me this is more ridiculous than the saga of Suri. Say Angel Berroa was a flash in the pan, Mark Teahen will be playing for the Red Sox in three years, Zach Greinke is more fragile than a 13-year-old girl and Mike Sweeney is a glass doll. (Actually, I'll grant you the point about Berroa.) But I say, let the crazy bandwagon roll – it might be a bumpy ride, but you have no idea how fun it'll be.

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