Kansas City Royals: What to Watch For in the Second Half

Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Here we are, about to enter the second half of the 2015 season, and the Kansas City Royals currently have the best record in the American League. At 52-34, 4.5 games better than the Minnesota Twins, the Royals control their playoff destiny at this point.

Yet, despite being tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the second best record in baseball, not everything has gone the way that the Royals had hoped. They have dealt with numerous injuries to their starting rotation, as Danny Duffy, Jason Vargas and Yordano Ventura have all missed time. Joe Blanton was forced into the rotation. Alex Rios missed almost two months, and has been a shadow of himself since returning. Omar Infante, until recently, was not hitting. And let us not forget the injury to Alex Gordon just before the All-Star Break.

Even with all of those hurdles, and players who have underperformed thus far, the Royals are still in quite the enviable position. For as bad as some of these outings may have been, they are still in the driver’s seat when it comes to the American League. Things could be much worse.

As we head forward into the second half of the season, and with two weeks exactly before the trading deadline, let us take a look at a few storylines to keep an eye on as the Kansas City Royals seek to make a return trek to the World Series.

Next: Can the offense hold up?