KC Royals: The biggest triumphs of the 2019 season

2019 was not a year of bright spots for the Kansas City Royals. But as we go into 2020 it is worth remembering their successes.

I cannot lie. Finding accomplishments within the Royals 2019 season is not an easy task. The bottom of our batting order was mostly populated with guys who will not be in starting lineups in 2020.

The starting rotation was very bad. Bad enough that Glenn Sparkman started 23 games. And our bullpen began the season with guys like Wily Peralta playing an integral role.

So, yeah, that was rough. The Royals lost 103 games. They allowed nearly 200 more runs than they scored. They signed a free agent named Chris Owings as soon as they possibly could and he hit for an OPS of .415. Yeah, that number is real. And really bad.

Brian Goodwin would have led the Royals 2019 Opening Day outfield in OPS. But he was released in favor of Lucas Duda, even though there were already two other first basemen on the Opening Day roster.

There is no use in sugar-coating it. 2019 was a tough season for the Royals, in much the same way that Waterloo was a tough day for Napoleon. But in the same way that the aftermath of Waterloo brought about peace and prosperity for much of Europe, perhaps there were some reasons for optimism from the 2019 debacle that the Royals can build on and learn from.

A team that is losing 100 or more games per season should at least be willing to try some things outside of their comfort zone. Bring up some young players and give them a chance. Give some guys extended looks that may not have fully earned it. Move some pitchers around to new jobs where maybe they can find some success. And in some of these areas, perhaps 2019 was not a total waste of time in Kauffman Stadium.