The Kansas City Royals Ran Business as Usual Against the Texas Rangers
Through the first 29 games of this regular season, one thing has become very obvious about the Kansas City Royals organization: they are completely useless or they are insulting their fanbase intelligence of the moves they make ( or nothing can be done). This team, as it is formed today, is completely hopeless and has no future. Repeated series losses to the Texas Rangers and the Baltimore Orioles will back that up.
The Rangers, unlike the Orioles, are not actively trying to lose but have built a top-heavy team with plenty of holes to compete with a juggernaut like the Houston Astros. The Royals, on the other hand, have done nothing to address their issues from the past and now stand around puzzled about the lack of success.
Apr. 12, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals manager Mike Matheny (22) watches from the dugout before the game against St. Louis. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
One organization saw the problem with his offense and actively tried to fix it, while another considered his dear rookie to have been Mike Trout from the very beginning. Is there anything good in this series? Sure, but for the most part, it’s business as usual for the blue boys.
‘Good, Meh, Bad’ is a series that highlights the best and worst points of every Royals series, as well as any half-ground to be found. If there is a topic you would like to find discussed, contact Jeremiah or Inside the Royals on Twitter.
The good
May 8, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Kansas City Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield (15) hit a sacrificial fly ball to score a run against the Baltimore Orioles during the second inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Whit Merrifield has recorded one hit per game in this series, so it’s time to give him his flowers for this huge success. The flowers may be a bit withered and weak, but they are flowers anyway. It’s very clear that his ironman streak means so much to the Royals for the organization that will sit him down so if he joins the lineup this year, the least he can do is hit. If he can replicate this success in Colorado over the weekend, then we can have a serious conversation about his “return.”
Joel Payamps was the ‘man’ on Wednesday, making three innings of relief for the Royals ’bullpen effort while striking five batters and allowing only a couple of hits. As I predicted, the bullpen is generally back a step back, but Payamps is a nice addition after the start of the year in Omaha. The Royals desperately needed someone able to go three-more innings from the pen after Kris Bubic and Brady Singer were sent to the shadow kingdom in Triple-A.
The Meh
May 12, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Jonathan Heasley (49) reacted after leaving the game during the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
What, you’re surprised that the Royals ’offensive blast on Wednesday isn’t over GOOD section?
That’s because the Rangers did most of the work, made three errors and yet, the Royals couldn’t pay them because they went 1-for-13 with the runners in the scoring position until Emmanuel Rivera cleaned the bases with a triple. Take that two out fluke, and the Royals win an unimpressive 4-2 game and no one will pretend that the offense suddenly took a step in the right direction. But the fact that it got a base-clearing triple with two outs was enough to solidify the performance at this level.
Scroll to Continue
As far as Jonathan Heasley’s performance, the struggles are predictable enough to be put on ‘bad,’ but it’s intriguing enough to earn a spot in the ‘meh.’ Not coming out in the fourth inning while walking more than a batter per frame and just striking one has nothing to write home about, but just allowing one run at least I want to see if he can achieve something more than a broken long-reliever state.
The Evil
Apr. 28, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brad Keller (56) delivered against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Brad Keller isn’t that bad either, but the prediction of a constant collapse of two outs is far from surprising because it’s a common trait shared by the entire Royals staff this year. If five of the six runs allowed on Tuesday come with two outs, it’s just disappointing to watch.
It’s unfair to expect Keller to be an ace-caliber pitcher who constantly wiggles off the hook because he’s never been like that in his career. The Royals, however, desperately need an ace who can control the spin and consistently provide quality starting to the team. They have to spend a few coins to do this, because obviously the solution doesn’t exist for minors.
How about Asa Lacy, you might ask? Go check out his stats and get back to me because right now, his performances today against Single-A and Double-A competition are more indicative of him being the future ace of the Kansas City Monarchs rather than the Kansas City Royals.
Another burning question: what good is MJ Melendez to this roster?
May 9, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher MJ Melendez (1) singles during the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Sitting down to force the ABs down the throats of Ryan O’Hearn and Sebastian Rivero just speaks to how the Royals have handled top prospects and has clearly shown that they don’t want to elevate Melendez. Don’t be surprised if Nick Pratto or Vinnie Pasquantino are called upon to bench them for O’Hearn or Carlos Santana.
Obviously this team won’t be in the playoffs so after the trade deadline in July when the Royals have 20-plus games from the Wild Card race, there’s no logical reason why they should start anyone at that age. 30. except Salvador Perez. If the Royals are going to be bad, they can also reassure the youngsters and find out what they have instead of pretending that keeping up with the current, broken core around them can win anything.
Series Grade: D
It’s a business as usual for the Royals, as the unexpected (but predictable) tank work continues to move. It is inspired by the constant reliability and reusability source of fuel moral victories, with the team leading the league for many miles.
