Kansas City Royals: Dayton Moore has high hopes for 2019

According to a report by Vahe Gregorian of The Kansas City Star, Dayton Moore says he expects the Kansas City Royals to compete for the division in 2019.

The term “rebuild” is not being used to describe the state of the Kansas City Royals. Dayton Moore has prohibited it from talks. The use of the word would almost serve as an excuse if the 2019 season is not one to remember. There should be high expectations either way, even if it does lead to disappointment in the end.

He is quoted as saying this about his hopes for the 2019 season:

"“Major league players are paid to win baseball games. We’re going to expect this team to play well and win a lot of baseball games, so hopefully in July there’s pressure on us as a front office to really improve the team for the final two months of the season.”"

Spring Training is quickly approaching, and there is excitement in the air surrounding Royals baseball returning. There is plenty of young talent either already ready or just about ready to hit the major leagues and make an impact. The main question for the 2019 season surrounds pitching, but the optimism from the front office is refreshing to hear.

Vahe Gregorian of The Kansas City Star took an in depth look back at 2018 and how things could change going into 2019.  A lot is expected of Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez, who have both proven to be solid in the field and at the plate.

They also recently added veteran pitcher Brad Boxberger, which should help with the pitching question. The bullpen will have to further develop on the fly, but four of the five starting slots are fairly set in stone already.

Moore said:

"“A lot of people say the Royals aren’t ready to take this step. But we’re not going to put limitations on this team. Expectations drive results. Our expectations are to win the division.”"

Obviously, we will not know how the season will shake out for a while. It is unclear if the Kansas City Royals are truly as close to prosperity and competing for the division title as Dayton Moore is so confidently claiming they may be, but we would sure love to see them make a run for it as quickly as possible.

The optimism that is being displayed from the top of the chain will likely flow all the way through the organization, promoting the idea of having high hopes. The idea of expectations driving results is a great mindset to have, and though it may seem like a long shot, it will hopefully translate into positive results on the field.