Kansas City Royals Mike Moustakas: His Journey

Mike Moustakas’ first three and a half seasons in Kansas City were riddled with failure and disappointment. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

"“There are very few organizations that wouldn’t want Mike Moustakas as their third baseman” – Dayton Moore"

From 2011-2014, Moustakas stepped into the box as a member of the Kansas City Royals 1,993 times.

Those 1,993 plate appearances resulted in a .238/.291/.376 slash line which, for those doing the math at home, a paltry .667 OPS.

During this time, Moustakas compiled a -44.1 offensive fWAR, an 82 wRC+, and a .293 wOBA.

For reference, Carlos Febles career as a Royal spanned 1,892 plate appearances, and resulted in a .250/.328/.354 slash, good for a .682 OPS, as well as a similar -56.9 offensive fWAR, a 75 wRC+ and a .308 wOBA

Moustakas’ first few seasons in Kansas City were not pretty, to say the least.

Among hitters with at least 1,993 plate appearances from 2011 to 2014, only Gordon Beckham and our good friend Alcides Escobar had a worse wRC+.

However, through all his struggles, Dayton Moore and company stuck with Moustakas.

Keep in mind that this is the same organization that were in such a desperate state over the struggles of a young Alex Gordon, that they moved him to left field after just two full seasons at third base. In those two seasons, Gordon had compiled a .754 OPS.

This is what agitated the vast majority of Royals fans, me included.

The lack of accountability within the organization was frustrating, as fans watched Moustakas struggle over a healthy lump sum of at bats while guys like Johnny Giavotella struggled to gain traction due to a lack of at bats.

The frustration was legitimate, and even after a big postseason from Moustakas and an American League Pennant for the Royals, fans still questioned Moustakas.

Manager Ned Yost just tossed fuel onto the fire, when he announced that Moustakas would begin the 2015 season hitting second.

However, despite what many Royals fans, quite honestly, rightfully believed, Moustakas wasn’t done just yet.

Next: Success despite a heavy heart