KC Royals: 5 Things KC Must Do To Sneak Into Post-Season

5. Get Increased Offensive Production From Second Base

Twenty-one year old rookie Raul Mondesi Jr. has flashed the impressive tools that made analysts rate him the top prospect in the KC Royals system. But, in 19 games in Kansas City, Mondesi still has an OPS of .550.

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No matter how good his defense and base-running skills might be, Mondesi is going to need to hit more to keep his job.

Aside from his own personal future in the big leagues, Mondesi will also need to contribute more offense for the KC Royals to make a playoff run. Yes, his bunting skills are useful. Mondesi also shows jaw-dropping range at second, and a shortstop quality arm.

But, as long as he keeps slashing .213/.238/.311 with an adjusted OPS of 45 (55% worse than a league average hitter), he’s a black hole in the lineup. Perhaps a team with a strong offense could tolerate that, but not the light hitting Kansas City Royals.

Two Offensive Black Holes

The biggest problem is that BOTH second baseman Raul Mondesi Jr. and shortstop Alcides Escobar are lineup black holes. If Escobar weren’t slashing a nearly-as-bad .250/.288/.320, the Royals might be able to absorb Mondesi’s weak bat.

As it is, the KC Royals rank 27th in runs scored in major league baseball. Kansas City averages only 3.91 runs per game on the season. Even in their hot August, in which the team has gone 10-5, the Kansas City Royals are only scoring 4.13 runs per game. As a result, they put the pitching staff in a position where any little mistake can lead to disaster.

That number needs to improve if the winning is going to continue. Their cause will be greatly enhanced if they don’t have to rely on the pitchers to dominate every game for the team to win. Hence, the bullpen and defense will have more room to make mistakes.

The good news is that Mondesi slammed his first career home run on Tuesday night against Tigers ace Justin Verlander. Mondesi showed good pop for a middle infielder in the minor-leagues this season. If he can slam more extra base knocks, and beat out a few infield hits, Mondesi could become playable down the stretch.

If not, the KC Royals had better hope that utility man Christian Colon or AAA prospect Whit Merrifield get hot in the finals weeks of the season.

Next: Thing No. 4

4. Find A No. 5 Pitcher

After Chris Young imploded as the no. 5 pitcher early this season, Dillon Gee has filled in at the bottom of the  KC Royals rotation. Gee has been decent, and a big improvement over Young. But, he’s only produced one quality start in nine outings as a member of the starting rotation.

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For the Kansas City Royals to go on an extended streak of close to .700 baseball, they can’t keep skating over the no. 5 spot in the rotation. They need to find someone who can give the team a better chance to win than Dillon Gee has given them in the last month-and-a-half.

The good news, however, is that help is on the way. Mike Minor pitched 6.0 innings in his rehab start in Omaha on August 12. Kris Medlen worked two scoreless innings for Surprise Tuesday night, and will pitch for Omaha on Saturday. Jason Vargas is scheduled to start for NW Arkansas on Wednesday (today). As a result, Ned Yost will soon have a lot more options to plug into the no. 5 hole.

Can One Returning Starter Get Hot?

Hopefully, one of these three veteran starters can get hot down the stretch and take over the no. 5 role for the KC Royals. If none of them catch fire, at least the added depth will help manager Ned Yost work around the no. 5 slot.

I suppose it’s possible that Dillon Gee could also get on a roll over the season’s final weeks. But, I’m not holding my breath. I think Gee is much better suited for a long relief role.

Here’s to hoping that the much-hyped Mike Minor is as good as advertised.

Next: Thing No. 3

3. The Bullpen Needs To Continue Their Bounce-Back

A big part of the KC Royals identity in the last two pennant-winning seasons has been a dominant bullpen. Teams were intimidated when faced with a deficit against Kansas City in the late innings. And, the dominant pen helped give the Royals the belief that they could come back against playoff opponents.

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However, after a so-so June (3.29 ERA) and brutal July (5.96 ERA), the KC Royals bullpen wasn’t so intimidating. The Royals have blown 7 games after holding leads to begin the sixth inning. They’re a mere coin flip in games that are tied in the late innings after dominating such situations in 2015.

The KC Royals lost both Luke Hochevar and Wade Davis to injury at the end of July. Hochevar is gone for the season after thoracic outlet surgery. However, the bullpen has rallied in August. In the last week, the re-worked relief corps has held opponents to a 0.47 ERA.  For the month, the bullpen has held opponents to 2.21 ERA. That’s the second-best mark in MLB, behind the Seattle Mariners at 1.94.

Help On The Way

The good news is that Wade Davis threw a 25-pitch bullpen session without pain on Tuesday. According to CBS Sports, the Royals expect Davis to return before the beginning of September.

Aside from the return of Wade Davis, the KC Royals could also get help from Mike Minor, Jason Vargas, and Kris Medlen, who are all rehabbing in the minor leagues.  I presume that one of the three will replace Dillon Gee in the rotation, but the other two should help out the pen.

When rosters expand in September, Ned Yost will have plenty of veteran arms to match up against opposing hitters. He’ll especially have a load of middle relievers to take pressure off of his starters.

Next: Thing No. 2

2. Eric Hosmer And Salvador Perez Need To Bust Out Of Their Slumps

First baseman Eric Hosmer and catcher Salvador Perez carried the KC Royals offense in the first half of the season. Hosmer slashed .299/.355/.476 with 13 home runs before the All-Star break, while Perez chipped in with .283/.318/.500 with 14 dingers. Both players earned All-Star nods.

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And now, both have crashed in the second half.

Eric Hosmer is hitting a miserable .192/.246/.292 in the second half, despite Tuesday’s tape measure home run that flew and estimated 443 feet. Perez hasn’t been any better, hitting .183/.206/.298. Because Hosmer and Perez are two out the three hitters that form the meat of the KC Royals lineup (along with Kendrys Morales), that’s a big drag on the offense.

Hosmer And Perez Just Need To Hit Better

Hosmer has adjusted by moving away from home plate to prevent pitchers from jamming him on the inside. Meanwhile, Perez’s swoon looks more like his typical second-half slide due to fatigue. The fact is, Perez is still catching too many games. With back-up Drew Butera hitting .282/.333/.513, Ned Yost needs to find more off days for Perez.

In the end, this one is pretty simple. Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez simply need to hit better. The Kansas City Royals can’t expect to get repeated 0-fer’s from the heart of their order and continue to win.

Kansas City needs to boost their runs per game to well over 4.00, up from their current 3.91. But the hopeful news is that pitching staffs tend to wear down late in the season, which just might give the KC Royals offense the edge it needs.

Let’s hope we see more tape measure home runs from Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez in the final six weeks of the 2016 season.

Next: Thing No. 1

1. Starters Need To Keep Dominating

The biggest reason for the KC Royals winning eight of their last 10 games is their starting pitching. The rotation has strung together a series of strong starts that has fueled Kansas City recent hot streak.

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Since the beginning of August, Kansas City Royals starters have posted a 3.05 ERA. That’s the third best mark in MLB, and second in the American League.

Danny Duffy has been fabulous since the beginning of June. After building up his arm to take enough pitches to last past the fifth inning, Duffy has gone 10-1 with a 2.58 ERA—that’s called domination folks.

The best part is that Danny Duffy is getting even better. Over his last four starts, Duffy has racked up four straight wins with a 1.15 ERA. Even better is that he’s averaged more than 7.2 innings per start.

Ian Kennedy has been just as dominant as Danny Duffy in recent weeks. In his last four games, Kennedy has fashioned a sparkling 1.04 ERA, but is only eating 6.5 innings per game.

The Rest Of The Rotation

Yordano Ventura hasn’t been overpowering opponents like Duffy and Kennedy, but he’s been consistently lasting deep into games while holding opponents to three runs or less. Ventura has a 3.35 ERA over that span while averaging 6.5 innings per game.

Edinson Volquez got bombed for seven earned runs in 5.0 innings on August 3, but has held opponents to six earned runs over his last 12 innings (two starts). Meanwhile, Dillon Gee notched his first quality start of the season by going 6.0 innings while allowing three runs on August 5 against Toronto. He also pitched two scoreless innings in KC’s 14 inning win against Chicago on August 10. However, Gee struggled in his last start on August 13—giving up five runs in a loss to Minnesota.

Next: KC Royals Bullpen Adjusting To New Roles

If the KC Royals can get more production out of the bottom of their rotation, it might make up for Duffy and Kennedy cooling off from their recent surges. As a result, the impending return of Mike Minor, Jason Vargas, and Kris Medlen could be the key to the Royals hopes for a miracle playoff run.