Kansas City's Poor Year Due to Shabby Trade and Broke Bats, Not Injury Wealth

(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Over the past few months, we have been treated to a number of interestingcomments from within the Royals' organization.   The team's best hitter, Billy Butler, has been publicly criticized for a perceived lack of proficiency in turning the rare 3-6-3 double play.  

The General Manager has said, outloud mind you, that he neither understands nor believes in any of the current defensive statistical measures.

After his team traded for a center fielder, the Royals' manager spent the bulk of said player's first few weeks with the team playing him in right field due to the size of center field in Kaufmann Stadium.

Through it all, fans of the team, and especially those who dare to criticize any aspect of the organization, have been told to "trust the process" and, on more than one occasion, dismissed as simply not understanding what is happening to the Royals. 

A recurring theme from the hypersensitive, it's-not-our-fault, Royals is that injuries have derailed what was otherwise set up to be a promising season.

Well, to be fair, the Royals have suffered a number of injuries to key players and unlike a big market organization like the Angels (who have had more injuries to better players and are still going to make the playoffs), Kansas City simply cannot create the kind of depth to absorb an infestation of the injury bug.  

There is some validity to that argument.  Had the Royals stayed healthy this season, they would not be the second worst team in the league.  However, they probably still would not be contending in even the weak American League Central, either, as the organization would lead you to believe.

Let's take a look at how this team shaped up on the first day of April this season, using runs created as our measuring stick.

Without delving into the nuances of playing time, the opening day roster had created 681 runs in 2008.  That is actually 10 runs less than the 2008 Royals scored. Now, without questions, there were expectations to do better than that.  The question is: Were those logical expectations?  

Let's start with the catching position.  

In 2008, John Buck and Miguel Olivo essentially split time behind the plate (although Olivo did DH some) and between the two created 77 runs.  The Royals handed Olivo the starting job, along with millions of dollars, in the offseason and has created 42 runs so far in 2009. 

That pace is right in line with what Olivo has done throughout his career: 37 runs in 317 plate appearances in 2008, 43 in 469 in 2007 and 51 in 452 in 2006. Expecting Olivo to do anything more than he had done in the past would have been illogical: The Royals knew or should have known what they were getting from Miguel.   

Although his playing time has been greatly reduced, John Buck has chipped in 19 runs this season, creating runs at the second highest rate of his career.  That is not to say that Buck deserves more playing time, but simply to point out that he too has pretty much been exactly the player the team should have expected.

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