KC Royals: What About Billy Butler?

The KC Royals need some type of spark to ignite them back into reality. As of right now, the Royals sit in dead last in batting average and in runs scored in the MLB. The offense is dead; Billy Butler is the key to their awakening.

As crazy as this idea might seem at first, listen to the facts. At only 31 years old, Butler is not far off from his prime years and if last year showed anything, he still has it. Butler excelled with the Yankees at the end of the 2016 season. In 12 games with the team, Butler hit .345 with a homer and four RBI’s. Should the KC Royals give him a shot?

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Even with the small sample size Butler had last season, through 12 games this season, no KC Royals player had a better average than Butler did with the Yankees. In fact, one of the biggest reasons why Butler would not be welcomed back to Kansas City would be his dreadful sin of grounding into double plays. However, through 29 at-bats last season with the Yankees, Butler hit into a grand total of zero. Not one. A great sign.

As of right now, Butler sits as a free agent which could be blamed for by his clubhouse troubles with Danny Valencia last season. No team wants to take a risk on a potential trouble maker, but the Royals are the perfect team for his comeback story.

Not only did Butler spend eight years in the Kansas City organization, but he was also an All-Star with the KC Royals and was one of the contributors to the first World Series run. Butler has been with this team through the good, bad, and very bad. A veteran player like Butler could be exactly what the KC Royals need to get out of this slump; especially a player with such a deep background pedigree of the Royals as Butler.

Billy Butler was the KC Royals 1st round selection of the 2004 Amateur Draft. He made his debut in 2007 while he was only 21 years old, and posted a .292 average for the year. In 2012, Butler had his career high in home runs with 29, while driving in 107 RBI’s. In Butler’s final year with the Royals in 2014, he sported a .271 average, which would be leading this Royals team right now.

With Butler’s previous success and well-known affiliation with the KC Royals, this could be a great sign for the team. The Royals should at least try to work out a minor league deal that would be low risk, but it could prove out to be a high reward contract. By sitting still and not making any moves, the Royals risk letting their last year of relevance slip out of their fingers.

The KC Royals should reward one of their best players that started the KC Royals transformation, and sign him to a minor league deal. The offense is so bad right now that this move could not hurt the team whatsoever. The move would not only draw a ton of attention, but it could potentially be a very successful move for both parties.

With the right amount of at-bats in Triple A, Butler could even replace Brandon Moss if he continues to struggle. This is obviously a huge stretch, but Moss is currently hitting 8th in the lineup as an everyday DH and his average has dropped to .167. Butler would perform better than that, I can almost guarantee that.

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The Royals need to make a big move to stay in the playoff race for at least a Wild-Card spot before the core of the team leaves at the end of the season. At only 6 games back of the division with 135 to go, anything is possible. Signing one of the most successful KC Royals players in the past decade cannot hurt this team that much. Maybe Billy’s BBQ sauce is exactly what this team needs to rally.