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

Sep 10, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Kansas City Royals designated hitter Josh Willingham (7) hits a single in the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

5. Power Off The Bench

Late-season games down the stretch, or a playoff series, can be won with a key pinch hit. An ideal playoff team has a strong bench bat that can not only deliver a big hit, but also can erase a big lead with one swing.

In short, you need a bench bat with home run power.

Currently, the KC Royals bench consists of catcher Drew Butera, utility infielder Dusty Coleman, and outfielders Jarrod Dyson and Paulo Orlando.

Betsided

Butera is an excellent defensive catcher, but doesn’t help out much at the plate. Dusty Coleman is a rookie that can play every infield position, but isn’t a seasoned pinch hitter. Expect the Royals to call up Christian Colon for the utility infield role in September. Jarrod Dyson is a defensive wizard in the outfield and an impact pinch runner.

Among this group, Orlando is the closest to anything resembling a power bat off the bench. He slashed .248./.282/.424 in the first half with 3 doubles, 5 triples, and 2 home runs, including a dramatic walkoff grand slam on July 7.

While Orlando does have some extra-base pop, he’s hardly a proven hitter. Though 30-years-old, the Brazilian-born Paulo Orlando is in his rookie season. He’s not exactly the ideal pinch hitter you want at the plate under playoff pressure.

General manager Dayton Moore could seek a veteran bench bat to help out down the stretch like he did last season with Josh Willingham.

The switch-hitting Willingham was almost the ideal bench bat for a playoff team. He was a 35-year-old veteran, had hit more than 190 home runs in his career, and possessed the patience to draw walks.

Unfortunately, Josh Willingham retired after the 2014 season. That leaves Dayton Moore hoping he can land a similar player for the 2015 stretch run.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Marlon Byrd might be the idea candidate. He’s 37-years-old, has hit 14 home runs this season, and shouldn’t cost too much since he’s in the last year of his contract. The only problem with Byrd is that he lacks the patience that you’d like with only a 6.3% walk rate.

Next: Second Baseman Omar Infante

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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