Kansas City Royals Week Six Review: Who’s Hot, Who’s Not

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

It was an interesting week for the Kansas City Royals. While they went 4-3, they were interestingly consistent, with a two game winning streak their best for Week Six. Fortunately, they followed each lose with a victory, as the Royals managed to remain a game ahead of the Detroit Tigers.

Perhaps it was simply a matter of catching certain teams at the wrong time. The Rangers had been playing well as of late, and continued their better performance against the Royals. The Yankees have just hammered Danny Duffy during his career, and given his struggles this season, there was no reason to expect otherwise (more on him later). Still, a 4-3 record is solid, especially when it keeps the Royals in first.

This was a week where we saw the Kansas City Royals finally have their full bullpen, as Kelvin Herrera came back. Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland are reunited again, making the final three innings a nightmare for the opposition. This week also featured the Royals debut of Joe Blanton, who did his part to save the bullpen after another short outing from the rotation.

And so, let us look back on Week Six for the Kansas City Royals, and see which players truly contributed, one way or another, to the Royals 4-3 record this past week. We will begin once again by looking at the players who struggled.

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2. Jarrod Dyson

Jarrod Dyson is never going to be an extra base threat, unless he hits one into the gaps at Kauffman Stadium and sprints around the bases. We all know that his speed is his calling card, and that Mr. Zoombiya thrives on causing havoc upon the basepaths.

However, in order for Dyson to be what he is, he needs to get on base. Well, that was quite the struggle this week, as Dyson posted a .000/.071/.000 batting line, striking out four times in 13 at bats. If not for the ever popular hit by pitch, Dyson would have put zeros up across the board. That’s just not something that one wants to see from the Kansas City Royals speedster.

Since he has been getting more playing time than usual with Alex Rios being injured, it may now be fair to say that Dyson has been exposed. While he is quite the excellent fourth outfielder/pinch runner/defensive replacement, Dyson is only hitting at a .185/.226/.271 batting line this season. While patience has never really been a part of his game, the two walks that Dyson has is a rather disappointing total.

Perhaps, when Rios returns and Jarrod Dyson can get back to being the Royals fourth outfielder, he will find his groove once again. Until then, Dyson may well continue to struggle.

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1. Danny Duffy

Yes, it likely seems as though we are picking on Danny Duffy over the last few weeks. There have been a number of articles about his struggles, and the difficulties that the Kansas City Royals rotation has had as a whole. Through his own struggles, Duffy seems to have become the poster child for these issues.

Last week, Duffy did absolutely nothing to assuage concerns about his effectiveness. He lasted only 8.2 innings in his two starts, allowing ten runs on nine hits and ten walks. Yes, Duffy struck out seven batters, but that is certainly not enough to overcome his recent bout of wildness.

If we are looking for positives, at least Danny Duffy was able to last five innings against the Yankees on Saturday. And he was only one out away from avoiding disaster, despite being generally ineffective all game. Hopefully, he can get his confidence back up and look like the pitcher that the Royals had last season.

Danny Duffy is an important part of the Kansas City Royals rotation. They are going to need him to get himself back on track. With any luck, this will happen sooner rather than later.

Now, on to the Hot List.

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Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

3. Eric Hosmer

Eric Hosmer’s breakout performance has truly been a joy to behold over the first six weeks of this season. He had displayed flashes before, but this feels different. Perhaps it is due to his run of success in the postseason, but we now have a Hosmer how looks confident at the plate, and has been driving the ball consistently.

This past week was no exception. Hosmer produced a .346/.452/.615 batting line, hitting two home runs and a double. He continued to get on base at an excellent clip, drawing five walks. Even though it was broken up on Saturday, Hosmer had also put together a twelve game hitting streak.

Hosmer, along with Mike Moustakas and a reborn Kendrys Morales, may be the among the biggest reasons why the Kansas City Royals are in the position they are right now. In what is a strange turn of events, especially given last season, the Royals offense is carrying the team, and the performance of Eric Hosmer has been a big part of why.

While Hosmer may not be that consistent power hitter we hoped for, he could be a solid Mark Grace type with an excellent glove. That is really all the Royals need.

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2. Chris Young

When the Kansas City Royals signed Chris Young this offseason, it did not make much sense at first. The rotation was pretty much set, and having Young in the bullpen seemed like an unnecessary luxury. Fortunately, I’m not the one making the decisions for the Royals.

All Chris Young has done is possibly become the savior of the Royals rotation. Stepping in since Jason Vargas has been injured, Young has been one of the Royals best starters thus far. Last week, he allowed only one run on four hits and two walks, striking out two in his 5.2 innings of work. Even though that was a solid start, it is actually the worst one he has had this season.

If this is what passes as a “bad start” for Young, the Royals would certainly take it every time out. Even if Young is not quite stretched out to the point where he can pitch into the seventh, he has given the Royals a solid outing each time out, and has been more than they could have ever hoped for.

Chris Young revitalized his career after having surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, and was the American League Comeback Player of the Year last season. This year, Young may end up as an important part of the Royals postseason hopes.

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1. Edinson Volquez

Earlier today, John Viril wrote an article suggesting that Edinson Volquez may be the ace of the Kansas City Royals starting rotation. Given his performance during the early going, this may prove to be quite accurate.

Volquez continued his strong start to the season last week. While his start against the Rangers was not exactly one for the highlight reel, he shut down the New York Yankees yesterday, holding them to three hits over seven shutout innings. It was the type of start that the Royals definitely needed from the pitcher who has taken over as their stopper.

For the week, Volquez allowed four runs on nine hits and four walks over twelve innings, striking out eight. Even more importantly, his excellent outing yesterday allowed the Royals to give their bullpen an extra day of rest, so that everyone will be at full strength heading into their series against the Reds starting on Tuesday.

The Kansas City Royals signed Edinson Volquez to replace James Shields in the rotation. Right now, Volquez has replaced Shields in every way possible.

Next: Royals Week Five Review: Who's Hot, Who's Not