A Royal Pain in the AL Central

First off, I want to thank everyone who has been so kind and caring during the difficult ordeal I just went through with the passing of my father.

I was not in any mood to write last week and it’s been hard to get back into it. After all, this will be the first blog I write without my dad.

Nevertheless…

The Royals are a big deal again.

I’m not sure if any of you have looked at the AL Central standings yet, but it’s not how you’re used to seeing them.  The Kansas City Royals are no longer cellar-dwellers; they are currently in a three-way tie for first place with a record of 7-6.

I know it’s early and it won’t last, but get used to it—the Royals are on the rise.

It’s been 24 years since the Royals last sniffed the playoffs in 1985, and the feeling around Kansas City is that the drought is going to end in the near future.

It’s kind of ironic: As the Chiefs are going through a rebuilding phase, the Royals are emerging as the face of Kansas City sports.

The following is from a blog by Nick Sloan in the Kansas City Kansan's Web site:

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“Numerous sellouts occurred [at] Arrowhead [where the Chiefs play]—and although there were some playoff disappointments—Kansas City remains a strong football city.

That could change soon.

Meanwhile, Zack Greinke (25 years old) is off to a 3-0 start and Joakim Soria (24 years old) is close to becoming the best closer in baseball. Plus, if Alex Gordon and Billy Butler (25 and 23 respectively) are able to put it together like they are capable of, the Royals would have four stars under the age of 26 entering the 2010 season.”

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The Royals' turnaround starts with their pitching staff. They have two solid starters in Gil Meche and Kyle Davies, as well as a budding star in Zack Greinke.

With Greinke off to a terrific 3-0, many journalists around the country consider him to be emerging as the best pitcher in the AL this year. The Cy Young talk has already started.

Zack Greinke delivers a pitch.

What Greinke has done this year is even more remarkable when you consider that he almost walked away from the game.

As recently as two years ago, Greinke walked out of the Royals camp in spring training because he had been battling severe depression and social anxiety throughout his entire life and it finally caught up to him.

Greinke told the Kansas City Star:

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“It was always, once I got away from baseball, I was fine. So I didn’t think about it as (an emotional disorder). I just thought that, at the baseball field, I was unhappy.

“Usually with me, a month or even two months before the season is over, I’d be counting days. More than counting days. I’d be begging for it to be over. As soon as the last game was over, I’d be showered and gone.”

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If Greinke comes out of the game in the eighth inning with a one-run lead, he doesn’t have to worry about getting a no decision with 24-year-old closer Joakim Soria on the mound in the ninth.  

 

Over the past two years, Soria has gone from being relatively unheard of to an All-Star closer. That’s not too bad for a guy who was pitching in the Mexican league a few years ago and was a Rule 5 pick.

Royals catcher John Buck told the Lake Wylie Pilot:

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“For some reason, nothing gets to him. I don’t know how you explain it exactly. But I always know that if he gets beat or if he gets into trouble, he will not get away from his plan. He will be exactly the same.

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“That’s just an incredible thing that you don’t see. I don’t know this for sure, but I assume that’s what you see with Mariano (Rivera). I can only know what I see, but it seems like nothing ever shakes Mariano, and that’s how Joakim is, too.”

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Anoher reason the Royals are starting to turn it around is because of General Manager Dayton Moore.

Before coming to Kansas, Moore worked for 12 years in Atlanta under the tutelage of one of the games all-time best GM’s in John Schuerholz. While with the Braves, Moore was a key part in their success, which included winning 14-straight division titles.

With all due respect to former Royals GM Allan Baird, Moore is the right guy for the job.

He has drafted two very good players in his short tenure in Mitch Moustakas and Eric Hosmer, proving to Royals fans he is serious about winning. He has also went out and signed veterans like Jose Guillen and Gil Meche, as well as trading for Coco Crisp to help the young core of Royals.

The Kansas City Royals as cellar-dwellers? Those days are over. They are becoming a royal pain in the you-know-what to opposing teams.

'Till next time, grab your umbrella. It’s going to be a wet one today!

-Matt-