KC Royals All-Star Game Heroics Show Moore Needs To Be A Buyer

KC Royals Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez drove in all four runs scored by the American League in their 4-2 All-Star Game victory on Tuesday night. KC players show once again they thrive under big game conditions.

Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer came home with the All-Star MVP trophy for helping the AL win 4-2, the first time a KC player has won the award since Bo Jackson in 1989. Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez both hit home runs against former teammate Johnny Cueto in the second inning, with Hosmer connecting for a two-run shot.

KC Royals reliever Kelvin Herrera also appeared in the game, pitching a scoreless inning in the sixth with one strikeout without allowing a base-runner. Wade Davis was named to the team but was not available to play in the game due to his injured forearm.

While many could dismiss Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez taking control in yet another big game, the KC Royals consistent ability to play well on the biggest stages is becoming too frequent to deny. Hosmer has the best CLUTCH rating of any player since 2011, while the team has won two consecutive AL pennants. That run includes overcoming two four-run, eighth-inning deficits in elimination games against the A’s in the 2014 Wild Card game and the Astros in Game 4 of the 2015 ALDS.

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By the way, no team in baseball history had overcome a four run deficit in an elimination game before Kansas City did it in 2014, and they pulled off the feat in consecutive seasons. Add in a record eight comeback wins in one post-season, along with seven multi-run comebacks, and you have a team that doesn’t wilt under pressure.

Both Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez are no strangers to performing under pressure. Hosmer’s mad dash to score the tying run in Game 5 of the 2015 World Series is an iconic play, while Perez won the MVP award for his play against the Mets. Driving the AL to an All-Star win is simply more of the same from the pair.

Oh, and for those that want to say the All-Star game isn’t a big game, consider that for Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez that simply isn’t true. When your team has represented the American League in the World Series the last two years, you’re going to think that home field advantage matters.

The KC Royals ability to perform on the big stage is why general manager Dayton Moore needs to pull the trigger on a trade to help out his team as the trade deadline approaches. While a 45-43 record and seven games behind the Indians in the AL Central represent an iffy first half-performance, the Kansas City Royals proven habit of upping their game when finding themselves on the big stage makes them a dangerous playoff opponent.

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Also, playoff baseball favors the KC Royals strong bullpen since the frequent travel breaks means the pen’s full compliment of arms are always available to bail out a struggling starter. Add it all up, and Dayton Moore should not allow the trade deadline to pass without enhancing his club.