Kansas City Royals: Jarrod Dyson And His Golden Ticket

Jul 7, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals center fielder Jarrod Dyson (1) safely steals second base before the tag of Tampa Bay Rays second baseman

(11) in the fifth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Jarrod Dyson’s future with the Kansas City Royals is limited by his age. At 30, Dyson does not have many years left to hold an outfield position, especially when you consider that speed and defense suffers a harsher aging curve than hitting skills.

Yet, Jarrod Dyson can be an iconic base-stealer reminiscent of 1980’s rabbits like Vince Coleman and Willie Wilson. Dyson doesn’t compare to the twin deities of leadoff hitters (Rickey Henderson and Tim Raines) because he lacks their power dimension. But Dr. Zoom can be disruptive in a way we haven’t seen in a generation.

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The combination of the Steroid Era, and pitchers learning the slide step, put an end to base-path anarchy in the 90’s. Players like Jarrod Dyson, Billy Hamilton in Cincinnati, and KC Royals prospect Terrance Gore could bring back the speed-bunny outfielder.

Dyson has stolen more than 30 bases each of the last three seasons for the Kansas City Royals, which is really impressive when you consider that he hasn’t compiled more than 290 plate appearances in any one year. If he can get on base enough to hold down a full-time job, Dyson could steal more than 70 bases in a season.

He might even threaten the century mark if you care to dream a little bit.

Jarrod Dyson brings more to the table than speed. If he formed a full-time trio with a healthy Alex Gordon and Lorenzo Cain, the KC Royals might field one of the great all-time outfield defenses. Such a unit helps Dayton Moore stretch the Kansas City Royals payroll by making mediocre fly ball pitchers viable starters.

Certainly, the KC Royals have already done this with Jason Vargas, Jeremy Guthrie, and now Chris Young. Those guys will improve with Jarrod Dyson playing full time. While defensive metrics will capture much of that improvement, some of the credit will appear in the pitching stat line.

Jarrod Dyson can have a significant impact on the entire Kansas City Royals team.

Finally, we’ll consider what kind of career Jarrod Dyson might enjoy if everything breaks just right:

Next: Finding A Career Comparable For Jarrod Dyson: Dreamer Edition