Royals: Where the team led the way in the 2019 season

As the rebuild continues, some Kansas City Royals players led the way in certain categories showing promise and giving fans hope.

For many fans of the Kansas City Royals, the years following the 2015 World Series run have been fairly dark. Beloved players have left the team, the race to the playoffs have turned into attempts to not lose 100 games, and the organization and fans have fully accepted that the Royals are in the midst of a full-blown rebuild.

While a rebuild for a small market team after going all-in for a World Series is no surprise to most, many would have hoped for a few more years of decent baseball. It’s difficult to be a fan sometimes during rebuilds. It’s not that one’s love for the team has disappeared, but when a team continues to lose, the games become dull and repetitive.

Thankfully for Royals fans, there were some reasons during the 2019 regular season to keep turning the games on. While the losses continued to pile up, the Royals started doing some things right. Offensively, the players were hitting well, and doing what they could to stay in games. The pitching, on the other hand, struggled greatly and kept them out of games.

The Royals offense, though, should be proud of how far they have come in the rebuild. While there are still areas where they struggle, as a team they are starting to grow and drive in runs, allowing them to be more competitive.

This article will go through some of the areas where the Royals really shined in 2019. Some of the categories will be well known to fans, while others might be just a little less conventional. Either way, a Royal on top is the way it should be.

Home runs became a regular sight for Kansas City Royals fans who welcomed the power-hitting with open arms.

It can be assumed that most Kansas City Royals fans know about the power and hope that Jorge Soler brought to the team in 2019. Soler was almost automatic at the plate and he soon became a legitimate candidate to make history for the Royals.

Soler was an interesting case to begin the year. He had struggled to remain healthy in his previous seasons and was hoping to show Royals fans that he was well worth the trade. He started off the season fairly slow, causing fans to wonder if it was worth playing him so often, or if another player should be given a chance.

The one consistent number Soler was able to carry through the year, though, was his slugging percentage. Rarely did he dip below .450, and through much of the season, he kept his slugging above .500, ending with a .569.

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Soler definitely showed fans why he was worth it and as the year went on, he began to improve in all of his numbers at the plate. Soler was able to show why he was picked up in a trade that saw the Royals send off Wade Davis.

Soler led the way for the Royals in 2019 by not only breaking the Royals single-season home run record of 38 but in leading the American League with 48 home runs in the regular season, becoming the first Royals to accomplish this feat.

The Kansas City Royals don’t need to worry about bad umpire calls when they have the best call-turnover rate in baseball.

When someone thinks of a way the Kansas City Royals can lead in baseball, it’s likey hits, home runs, doubles or similar stats that first come to mind. With the Royals, though, fans should always remember there are a lot of difference-makers in the organization, and they aren’t always on the field.

One important member of the Royals that fans might not first think of is Bill Duplissea. While he might not immediately come to mind, it is likely that fans have heard his name during a couple of games when watching on TV.

That’s because any time there is a call by an umpire that might not be correct, Bill Duplissea is the deciding factor on whether the Royals will challenge the call. The Royals are lucky to have a man like Duplissea on their side, because not only is he great at spotting mistakes made by the umpires, but he is one of the best in the major leagues.

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In 2019, Dupissea led the majors in overturn percentage for the second straight year, and he has the best success rate for calls in the majors since 2016. While it may not change every game for the Royals, having someone like Duplissea in their corner is something the organization should really be thankful for.

A superman in left field, the veteran Kansas City Royal must be made of steel to take the heat from the opposing pitchers.

Kansas City Royals fans know that when a ball is hit into left field, magic is about to happen. It’s easy to say that, though, when the team has one of the best active defensive left fielders. To back this up, Alex Gordon again won the Gold Glove for left field in 2019, making it his seventh time winning the award.

For this portion of the article, though, another feat by the veteran Royal will be the focus. Over the past couple of years, while his defense has been stellar, Gordon has seen a decline in his offensive production. Luckily for Gordon, 2019 proved to be a much better year at the plate.

Gordon saw an increase in almost every offensive stat and proved that at 35 he still has something to give the team. Gordon did well to increase his stats, but one stat in particular that put him on this list comes in the form of hits. Instead of hitting the ball with his bat, though, Gordon hit the ball with his body and he did it more than anyone else in the American League.

During the 2019 regular season, Gordon was hit by 19 pitches, putting him at the top of the list and allowing him to lead the way for the American League, giving Gordon the honor of receiving the most painful award in baseball.

The Kansas City Royals have a triple threat of triples hitting players leading off in their lineup.

Continuing with the theme of hits, it could be said the Kansas City Royals were doing something right this year offensively. While the season may not have ended the way many fans would hope, the offense has definitely shown improvement and that it is on the upside of the rebuild.

To help justify this further, fans can look to a trio of Royals triples hitters. Whit Merrifield, Hunter Dozier, and Adalberto Mondesi all tied for the most triples in Major League Baseball at 10 triples (along with Eduardo Escobar of the Arizona Diamondbacks).

All three of these players saw great years offensively, and Mondesi was able to keep up with the other two after playing in only 102 games. No other team in the history of the MLB has had three players tie for the lead in triples and the Royals hope to continue this trend with all three players returning for the 2020 season.

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While the season as a whole may have had its negatives, it can be seen from this article that the Royals are starting to show some life again and are moving forward quickly with their offense. The next couple of years could be a very trying time for Royals fans, but the direction the team is moving in is positive and they are showing no signs of slowing down.