The Fastest Player on the Royals

“That what speed do.” Those four words, first uttered by incumbent speedster Jarrod Dyson, have become a bit of a rallying cry for this year’s edition of the Royals. Built around the ability to put pressure on the opposition by making contact and being able to steal bases, the Royals have certainly lived up to that billing, as they have the fewest strikeouts in baseball, 128 fewer than the second lowest team. The speed element has also been in full force, as the Royals lead the major leagues with 130 stolen bases, 35 more than the second team in the American League.

A major part of that speed dynamic has been Dyson. Despite being a part time player, Dyson has stolen 30 or more bases in each of the past three seasons, ranking in the top ten in the American League each time. Even though both Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain also have over 20 stolen bases this season, Dyson has been the undisputed fastest player on the Royals over the past three years.

However, Jarrod Dyson‘s reign as the fastest player on the Royals may have come to an end. Newly promoted speedster Terrance Gore, the Royals designated pinch runner for the month of September, may be Dyson’s equal, if not superior, in the speed department. That speed was on display last night, as Gore swiped his first career base, and sprinted home after the throw got away from Adam Rosales.

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Naturally, when having two noted speedsters such as Dyson and Gore on the same team, everyone is going to wonder who is faster. Both runners claim to have run a 4.2 in the 40 yard dash, making it appear as though a hypothetical race between the two would end up in a virtual tie. However, even if both speedsters will not be squaring off on the track any time soon, that has not stopped other members of the Royals from having an opinion as to who is faster.

According to Ned Yost, Terrance Gore is faster than Jarrod Dyson, at least according to what the scouts have said.

"“All the scouts say Gore is faster from the right side down the line than Dyson is from the left,” Yost said. “That’s what they say.”"

Alex Gordon agreed with that assessment during his interview with Joel Goldberg last night, saying that Gore was faster than Dyson as well (watch the video in case you missed it last night). Even though neither Dyson nor Gore will say who they believe to be faster, you have to assume that they would be confident in themselves. Looks like we may have a friendly rivalry brewing int he Royals clubhouse.

So who is the fastest player on the Royals? It certainly does not appear as though Jarrod Dyson ad Terrance Gore will be finding out on the track any time soon. Just like the old advertisement where the kid tried to figure out how many licks it took to get to the center of the Tootsie Pop, the world may never know.