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.

Ian Kennedy appeared to be at the end of his baseball career. Then the Royals moved him to the bullpen.

Ian Kennedy started 52 games between 2017 and 2018. He had 8 wins to show for it. To his credit, he continued to strike out almost 8 per 9 innings. But he was getting hit. And he was getting hit hard. He was issuing over 3 walks per 9 innings. And he was giving up more than 1.5 home runs per 9 innings.

Going into 2019 it was doubtful he could find a starting spot even in the pathetic Royals rotation. So, the Royals did the right thing. They moved him to the bullpen.

There can be no argument that Kennedy’s move to the bullpen was anything but a success. His home runs allowed per 9 innings went under 1 for the first time since 2014. His walks per 9 innings were his lowest since 2012. And he struck out over 10 guys per 9 innings for the first time in his career.

Ian Kennedy had 30 saves in 2019 for a team that did not even win 60 games. His FIP was under 3. He struck out more than 4 batters for every walk he gave up. Over 63 innings he showed himself to be a consistent and dependable arm in the back of the bullpen.

Do not misunderstand me. I still think the Royals should have traded Ian Kennedy in 2019. And I think the Royals would be fools not to trade Kennedy in 2020. He is now 35 years old and still gives up more than a hit per inning. But there is no denying that his move to the bullpen was a triumphant one.

Brad Keller showed us in 2019 that 2018 was no flash in the pan. He can handle major league hitters.

Brad Keller was a Rule 5 pick in 2018. There was no reason to think the 22-year-old could stick in the majors considering he only had 26 games of experience at even the AA level. But he did stick. And he even excelled.

Going into 2019 Keller needed to show that his 20 starts in 2018 were only a beginning and that he could continue to improve and make the adjustments necessary to keep big league batters from figuring him out. And he did just that.

Brad Keller has now thrown over 283 innings as a starter. His ERA is 3.81. His FIP is 4.02. His groundball percentage is over 50 percent. He is also only 24 years old.

I have said this before, but it is worth repeating: Brad Keller is not an ace and never will be. He is not a shutdown starter that can go out and run roughshod over the best offenses in the game. But he is very talented. He has good control and he locates his pitches when he needs to.

It is also very possible that Keller will still get better. He is never going to strike out a batter per inning, but he does appear to still be learning how to set up his slider. And he has become more confident when using it. As he learns when to mix up his sinker and his slider behind his fastball he will gain even more confidence. Brad Keller should be in the middle of our rotation for several years to come.

Jorge Soler had a coming-out party in 2019 and the whole world was impressed.

Going into 2019 Jorge Soler had only made it through 96 games for the Royals in his 2 years with the team. And, even though his 2018 season had shown some real promise before ending with an injury, there were some real doubts about whether he could ever become a true slugger in the big leagues or if he was just another powerful Quad-A type hitter.

Soler’s power was always respected. That is why he was traded for Wade Davis. He has even always shown a willingness to take a walk. The issue was making consistent contact. His first season in Kansas City, in 2017, he struck out in more than 32 percent of his at-bats. You can only hit so many extra-base hits when you are striking out in a third of your plate appearances.

In 2019, Soler was finally healthy. And he was hungry. And, boy, did he eat. He slugged .570. He hit 82 extra-base hits. He hit 48 home runs. 48! Those are the numbers of an elite slugger.

https://twitter.com/Royals/status/991524310618525703

The most promising aspect of Soler in 2019 is that his full season with an OPS+ of 138 looks for real and sustainable. His strikeout percentage, his walk percentage, his batting average, his hard-hit percentage were almost all identical to 2018. The only difference in 2019 was that he stayed healthy and was able to get more at-bats.

Jorge Soler will be 28 years old in 2020. And anyone who watched him bat over the second half of the season knows just how big league pitchers feel facing this monster right now. He is a powerful and confident homerun hitting machine in his prime. We may have never seen a better power hitter in his prime in a Royals uniform. Let us be sure to enjoy this one while it lasts.