Kansas City Royals: Third-Place Finish for the First Time Since '03?

The last time the Kansas City Royals finished in third-place, Carlos Beltran hit .307 with 26 home runs, 100 RBI, 102 runs and 41 stolen bases.  The year was 2003.

In 2012, it looks as though the Royals may reach that plateau again.  Going into Sunday’s game against the Chicago White Sox, they sit in fourth-place with a record of 53-66, a half game behind the fading Cleveland Indians.

While third place is not necessarily what fans dream of coming out of spring training, it is nothing to scoff at.  The Royals have overcome some very poor starting pitching for most of the season and remain competitive.  The Royals play the Indians, last place Minnesota Twins and the first place White Sox six more times this season, so they control their own destiny.   

Led by Billy Butler, Alcides Escobar and Alex Gordon, the Royals have plenty of offense.  In fact, Butler may be one of best clutch hitters in the game and Gordon appears to be responding to the shuffle in the batting order which now has him batting third. 

The starting pitching has had a quality run as of late.  They had five quality starts in a row as they took the field Sunday.  That bodes well for the rest of the season.  The newly acquired Jeremy Guthrie looks like a different pitcher than he was with the Colorado Rockies and Luis Mendoza has been exceptional lately.  Coupled with a strong bullpen, they may have enough pitching to finish this season on a positive note.

Third-place is well within reach for the Royals, and unlike seasons past, they have the opportunity to take it.  The importance of finishing this season strong cannot be overstated as the Royals have time and again faded down the stretch to 100-loss seasons.   

Positive steps K.C., positive steps.