Royals Outlook

I'm tired of the Royals, I'm tired of the losing, but most of all I'm tired of the incompetence.  This is a new low for me.  In the past I could always look forward to seeing these prospects turn into stars, how much longer can we wait?

The Royals are on pace for about 75 wins this year. How much better will they be next year?  Here's a breakdown of each position looking at how many wins they can improve on next year.

First Base: Eric Hosmer:  What does Hosmer bring to the table?  Decent defense, decent average, decent power. I think he'll improve a little bit next year but from what I've seen he's not going to turn into the superstar we all hoped. +1 WIN

Second Base: HAHAHA: At this point it is pretty clear that the Royals don't like Johnny Giovatella.  After 40 PA's this year, Johnny G has been sent back down, and here comes Chris Getz again.  The odds are that Getz will be the second baseman going into next year, and that means. -0 WINS (I put the negative there to reinforce my feeling of Getz)

Shortstop:  Alcides Escobar:  After a breakout year where he almost hit .300, Escobar is back to his old ways.  He has been very bad at the plate this year with a slash line of .242/.272/.321.  Right now he's a replacement level player entering the prime of his career. I don't think he's as bad as he's shown this year, but I think even with his defense he's a below average to average shortstop. +1 WIN

Third Base: Mike Boooostakas:  He and Getz have been battling for the "I'm going to pee now, because I'd rather watch the commercials" award. I still think he can figure it out, but at this stage he's got a long ways to go to become an asset for this team.  Hopefully he can raise his average to a respectable .260 and hit 15-20 home runs a year. Oh that's right, you can't hit home runs in Kaufman Stadium (according to Dayton Moore), let's revise that number to 3-4. +2 WINS (mainly because he's been so bad)

Catcher: Salvador Perez:  This guy is a real joy to watch and is becoming a star.  The question is, has he peaked as player? Or is there still room to grow?  Right now he's worth 3-4 wins above a replacement level player, which is great.  To take the next step he needs to improve his walk rate, and slugging percentage which has quietly dropped 80 points this year.  I think he can improve a little bit next year, +1 WIN

Designated Hitter: Country Breakfast:  I didn't like the nickname at first but I'm becoming a fan of it. He has had a bit of a down year, but what he has lost in average he's gained in OBP. It's great having Butler in the lineup, I think he'll improve his power next year so... +1 WIN

Left Field: Alex Gordon:  Where would the Royals be if they gave up on Gordon (which nobody would of blamed them)? He's become a franchise player and one of the most valuable in the league. Though he's fallen off a little bit at the plate he's still the most valuable player on the team. I except the same out of Gordon next year. +0 WINS

Center Field: Lorenzo Cain:  He's never been somebody I've really liked.  I love watching him play defense, but at the plate I feel he's way too aggressive.  He's improved on that a little bit but after a hot start his average has dropped all the way to .258, with very little power.  He's not bad, but players like Cain aren't going to win you championships. +0 WINS

Right Field: Wil Myers:  Myers has been great taking over a dire need for the Royals. Jeff Francouer was so bad, but thankfully we had a top prospect waiting to take over. Since his call up Myers has hit .310 with 4 home runs and 3 steals.  He'll be a very valuable player for years to come, and at such a cheap price. I'M NOT GOING TO LET IT GO

Pitching:  It's so hard to predict pitching from year to year. The staff has been great this year with the exception of Wade Davis who has almost countered all the good production Shields has had.  Looking into next year, I see the pitching being worse. We're not going to have Santana, and Guthrie will be a year older (and he's been very lucky this year). The positives are that Shields should stay productive, Wade Davis will be out of the rotation, and prospects Kyle Zimmer and Yordona Ventura could be ready. Hopefully Glass will continue to invest money into the team this offseason, but relying on him to do so isn't a safe bet.

When I look into to next season I don't see much reason for hope and optimism, maybe a .500 team.  Another negative about this year is the lack of injuries holding the team back.  There's no excuses like, "Well... Salvy missed the first half" or "Shields has been dealing with a strained oblique." Ultimately this mess falls on Dayton Moore. Though Glass hasn't given him free reign, he has given him many resources and opportunities to build a contender, which he has failed to do.  I think this year may be his last as Royals General Manager.

This is my first post in a long time, hopefully everybody enjoys.  Also I've started tweeting, you can follow me here  https://twitter.com/johngrosdidier  or just search @johngrosdidier