KC Royals: Five Biggest Weaknesses At The Break

Jul 12, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; The Kansas City Royals mascot “Sluggerrr” waves a Royals flag after the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won 11-10. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

With the KC Royals set to begin second-half play Friday in a double-header versus Chicago, I thought this might be a good time to take stock of the team headed into the July 31 trade deadline.

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The Kansas City Royals have enjoyed their best first half since 1976, when the Royals had a franchise-best .622 winning percentage and a 51-31 record. At 52-34 (.605 winning percentage), the 2015 KC Royals lead the Central Division by 4.5 games over the Minnesota Twins, and 9.0 games over 5-time defending Central champion Detroit.

The Kansas City Royals also have the best record in the American League.

The team is in position to win their first Central Division title in franchise history. According to Fangraphs.com’s projections, the  KC Royals have an 68.2% chance of winning the division, and an 83.8% chance to make the playoffs.

Despite their first-half success, the Kansas City Royals 2015 roster still has weaknesses that could cost them a Central Division title, or even a playoff bid. However, after the team’s run through the 2014 playoffs to the World Series, the organization has it’s sight set on the franchise’s first championship since 1985.

The Kansas City Royals need to seize this opportunity to win it all

Winning the division, or even the American League pennant isn’t enough. With the A.L.’s best record and a playoff-seasoned roster, the Kansas City Royals need to seize this opportunity to win it all.

KC Royals general manager Dayton Moore cannot afford to sit on his hands. Look for Dayton Moore to be more active than he ever has been at  the trade deadline in order to finish “The Process” he began when he took over as KC Royals general manger in 2006.

The following are the top five first-half shortcomings that Moore could possibly address in the next two weeks to prepare his team for the stretch run, and the 2015 playoffs:

Next: Power Off The Bench

May 3, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals second basemen Omar Infante (14) turns to make a throw to for first for an out against the Detroit Tigers during the seventh inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

4. Second Baseman Omar Infante

Let’s face it, second baseman Omar Infante just hasn’t cut it this season.

Infante is slashing a terrible .236/.247/.308 with 17 doubles, 2 triples, and 0 home runs. He’s the 4th worst qualified hitter in the major-leagues with a wRC+ (runs created) of 48. While Omar Infante’s defense makes his overall play slightly better (16th worst Wins Above Replacement Value in MLB at -0.3), he’s still not getting the job done.

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The issue, however, isn’t as simple as we fans would like to think.

Omar Infante has struggled with a bone spur on his right elbow all season. Infante, however, has heated up a bit in the last couple of weeks, slashing a more tolerable .270/.308/.297. He’s currently in the second year of a 4-year, $32 million dollar deal, with $17.75 million remaining on the contract.

That would be a lot of money for the KC Royals to eat.

Of course, not wanting to write off Infante’s contract doesn’t stop the Kansas City Royals from bringing in help for the stretch run. Dayton Moore could address the Infante situation by acquiring a utility player that can help out at multiple positions.

Oakland’s Ben Zobrist is the primary name that’s getting bandied about as such a solution, since he can play every defensive position except catcher. The 34-year-old Zobrist is also a switch hitter with a bit of pop (119 career home runs).

Zobrist is currently hitting .261/.346/.429 with 5 dingers. The best part is Ben Zobrist is a patient hitter (career 12.1% walk rate) who would help the free-swinging KC Royals wear down pitchers.

Next: Scoring Against Left-Handed Pitching

Oct 29, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner takes the field for the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals during game seven of the 2014 World Series at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

3. Scoring Against Left-Handed Pitching

The KC Royals lineup has a real problem against left-handed pitchers.

So far this season, the Kansas City Royals are only 15-15 versus left-handed starters compared to a 37-19 record against righty starters. Not surprisingly, the team’s batting splits echo this difference, with the Royals logging a .744 OPS (On Base Plus Slugging) against right-handed pitching versus .703 OPS against left-handers.

At a more primal level, it was the KC Royals inability to beat San Francisco Giants left-handed starter Madison Bumgarner that prevented them from winning the 2014 World Series.

That’s not an exaggeration. Bumgarner won both of his World Series starts, and pitched five shutout innings in relief in Game 7 to hold onto a one-run Giants’ lead.

In short, left-handed pitching is the Kansas City Royals Kryptonite.

Dayton Moore could attempt to balance his lineup at the trade deadline by bringing in hitters with a strong split against left-handed pitching. Moore will consider any potential deadline deal hitter with their ability to hit left-handed pitching in mind.

One name that came up frequently during the off-season, who might help the KC Royals address their problems against lefties, is Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Scott Van Slyke. Van Slyke has a career .270/.378/.528 triple slash against southpaws in his career, for an outstanding .906 OPS.

Of course the problem with Scott Van Slyke is that he plays for a contender who very well knows his platoon slits.

Another possible solution would be to bring back former Kansas City Royals utility infielder Danny Valencia, who is hitting a robust .299/.331/.526 this season for Toronto. Though righty-hitting Valencia has a reverse platoon split this season, he’s a career .325/.366/.497 batter against lefties.

Jun 27, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Kansas City Royals right fielder Alex Rios (15) questions umpire Fieldin Culbreth (25) on a called third strike in the second inning of a MLB baseball game with the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports

2. Right Fielder Alex Rios

The Kansas City Royals signed 34-year-old Alex Rios to fill their right field vacancy in place of free-agent Nori Aoki. The team hoped that Rios would provide power that the slap-hitting Aoki lacked.

Instead, Rios has been a complete bust.

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After hitting well in spring-training and the first week of the season, Rios has wallowed after returning from a broken hand. He’s slashing a horrific .238/.266/.288 with a grand total of 1 home run in 168 plate appearances.

He’s making Nori Aoki look like Paul Bunyon in retrospect.

Alex Rios defensive metrics are mixed. He’s posted a -4 Defensive Runs Saved in 2015, a -0.5 DEF, but comes in with a favorable 1.5 Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR). By the eye test, however, Rios has looked limited in the field. Of course, he suffers by comparison on a team with defensive superstars like Lorenzo Cain, Alex Gordon, and Jarrod Dyson.

Don’t be at all surprised if Dayton Moore brings in help to address his right field problem. Right now, the KC Royals have what amount to two, right-handed black holes in the lineup in Omar Infante and Alex Rios. That’s one too many for an offense, and team, that has World Series aspirations.

Possible solutions include the above-mentioned Marlon Byrd, Milwaukee outfielders Gerardo Parra and Carlos Gomez, and—if you’d like to dream a bit—Justin Upton, or Oakland super-utility player Ben Zobrist.

Next: Ace Starter

Oct 20, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher James Shields (33) talks with members of the media during a press conference the day before the start of the 2014 World Series at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

1. Ace Starter

By far the most glaring weakness of the 2015 Kansas City Royals is the lack of a true ace.

While Edinson Volquez (8-4, 3.31 ERA) and Chris Young (7-5, 3.00) have performed better than expected, none of the KC Royals starts really qualifies as an “ace”. Overall, the Kansas City Royals starters remain a dismal 12th best in the American League with a 4.32 ERA.

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Even that number doesn’t tell the whole story.

KC Royals starters have struggled despite pitching the fewest innings among any American League starting staff, while being backed up by the best bullpen—and best defense—in baseball. In short, the Kansas City Royals starters have failed despite receiving better peripheral support than ANY starting rotation in baseball.

That’s sad.

Rumor indicates that Dayton Moore is chasing Red’s starter Johnny Cueto, and have expressed interest in Jeff Samardzija and Clay Buchholz. Pundits have connected the KC Royals to pretty much every arm thought to be available, including Scott Kazmir, Mike Leake, and even Cole Hamels.

I even suggested the team seek a reunion with James Shields.

While the Kansas City Royals are better able to protect weak starters better than any team in MLB, Madison Bumgarner showed that the “ace” starter can still dominate a short series. A dominant starter that’s “on” can dominate like no other player in the post-season.

The KC Royals still have internal options to help out their rotation in the recovering Kris Medlen, (who should join the Royals from his AAA rehab assignment any time now), John Lamb, and a return to health from fireballing sophomore Yordano Ventura. But, all of those options carry questions.

The Kansas City Royals need a guy they KNOW can dominate in October.

The worst thing that I, or any Kansas KC Royals fan, can imagine is to lose the 2015 World Series to a team with a dominant starter Max Scherzer or Zack Greinke. That’s the fate that Dayton Moore is seeking to avoid.

There are many things that the Kansas City Royals can do to help their club going into the second half. Look for Dayton Moore to do something more significant than anything in his past with his team on the cusp of a title.

Next: Royals Pursuing Johnny Cueto

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• KC Royals Winter Meetings Tracker: Expectations met
• KC Royals Winter Meetings Tracker: Day 3 update
• KC Royals Winter Meetings Tracker: Day 2 update
• Winter Meetings: Any blockbusters for the KC Royals?