Kansas City Royals: Five Most Disappointing Players in 2017

Brandon Moss

When the Kansas City Royals signed Brandon Moss during the offseason, they knew he wasn’t the same player that almost single-handedly beat them in the American League Wild Card Game in 2014. But they definitely thought he would be better than this.

Moss signed a two-year deal worth $12 million prior to the season, but he is only earning $3.5 million this year. That makes him the cheapest player on this list. However, that alone is not enough to absolve a designated hitter from not hitting well.

His power has been fairly consistent throughout the season. (He has at least three home runs in every month except June when he had none.) But even his counting stats (22 home runs and 49 RBI) lag well behind what he did in St. Louis last year (28 home runs and 67 RBI). The main problem with Moss, though, is his triple-slash line. His batting average and on-base percentage have each dropped 15 points from last season, while his slugging percentage is down 40.

Moss is ending far more rallies than he is starting.

His batting average is the same as Gordon’s, but at least Gordon has had a true hot stretch. Moss has hit no higher than .284 in a single month. He did that in July. His next highest is .255 in September.

As this list clearly shows, Moss is far from the only Kansas City Royals player to struggle in 2017. It begs the question, though, if any one of these players had even a mediocre season, would the Royals be holding a Wild Card spot, right now?

Next: An Early Look at the 2018 Schedule

What do you think? Are these the five players you would have chosen? If not, let us know your picks in the comments and on social media.