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KC Royals: 3 big midseason underperformers revisited

By Batoul Hammoud |
(Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports)
(Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports)
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(Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)
(Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports) /

Back in July, Kings of Kauffman named the three biggest underperformers for the KC Royals at the season’s midpoint. Now that the 2021 regular season is over, it’s time to look back to see if that trio improved.

Jorge Soler isn’t with the KC Royals anymore, but deserves a mention.

Jorge Soler topped our midseason list of underperformers. Although he’s not a Royal anymore after being dealt to the Atlanta Braves at the trade deadline, it’s worth mentioning how he’s faring with his new team.

Soler slashed an abysmal .192/.288/.370 with the Royals and had 97 strikeouts, seemingly overswinging to compensate for a lack of pop since his 48 home run season in 2019. But he’s improved vastly since becoming a Brave. In 55 regular season games, he slashed .269/.358/.524 with a great .882 OPS, 14 home runs and 33 RBIs, and cut his strikeouts by over half to 45.

His  26.9 K% decreased to 18.6% with Atlanta. He also notched more opposite field hits, with his percentage nearly doubling from 9.8% with KC to 18.3% with the Braves. Soler’s .229 BABIP with the Royals increased to .278 with the Braves, and his -1.4 WAR improved to 1.0 with Atlanta.

Overall, it seems what Soler clearly needed to get back on track was a change of scenery. As he looks to continue his upward trend in the postseason, let’s hope he has nothing but the best of luck in the National League Division Series. (Through Monday’s victory over Milwaukee, Soler was 1-for-11 with a double).

(Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports)
(Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports) /

KC Royals pitchers made big improvements in the second half of the season.

The entire KC Royals pitching staff made our midseason underperformers list. It was understandable considering the staff’s 5.15 collective ERA, which was third to last in the majors at the time, and the rotation’s unpredictable composition.

What a difference a couple of months make—the staff lowered its ERA to 4.65, its WHIP decreased from 1.48 to 1.39, and the staff .269 OBA dropped to .254.

What helped most was the emergence of Carlos Hernandez, who now looks like a permanent fixture in the rotation.

Hernandez began the season in the bullpen. Once Danny Duffy was dealt to the Dodgers, Hernandez took his place in the starting rotation and pitched magnificently. He finished the season 6-2 with a 3.68 ERA, 74 strikeouts, a 1.28 WHIP, and a .223 OBA. His best month was August, when he notched an outstanding 2.08 ERA, 0.857 WHIP, and .192 OBA.

A couple of other young starters showed promise.

Daniel Lynch, who the KC Royals returned to Triple-A after he debuted with a 15.75 ERA in eight May innings, buckled down when the club recalled him in July, lowering his ERA to 5.69 and posting all four of his wins.

And Kris Bubic, who may become another Jason Vargas, had an excellent September with a 2.08 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and .170 OBA.

Wade Davis lowered his first half ERA to a second half 4.76, and Brad Keller improved from 5.97 in the first to 3.96 in the second. But that’s not to say every pitcher settled down after the All-Star Break—Brady Singer’s ERA rose from 4.52 to 5.70.

(Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports)
(Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports) /

Hunter Dozier is another KC Royals player who made changes to his game.

In July, things looked bleak for Hunter Dozier, who Kansas City signed before the season to a four-year, $25 million contract. His .174/ .242/.344 midseason slash line, .220 BABIP, and -2.1 WAR certainly reflected his struggles.

But whatever those number made Royals fans think of Dozier’s contract, and whether or not they believe the lucrative deal should have been made, his better second half numbers deserve a close look.

After the All-Star Break, Dozier posted a .261 batting average and .333 BABIP, hit eight home runs, and drove in 28 runs in 71 games. His strikeout rate decreased from 29.6% to 27.1% and his wRC+ increased from 56 to 109.

Overall, Dozier’s season slash line of .216/.285/.394 with a .680 OPS may cause Kansas City fans to doubt he will live up to his new contract. But keep in mind his first half troubles stemmed at least in part from an injury.

Dozier candidly admitted he’d played through a lingering thumb injury he didn’t fully recover from until July; to his credit, he recognized his mistake. Considering his second half stats, fans should wait to see how Dozier performs next season before making any further assessments on whether his play merits his contract.

Next. Late surge may not help this infielder. dark

Revisiting our midseason underperformers list proves Jorge Soler, Hunter Dozier, and the KC pitching staff all made significant improvements in the second half of the 2021 season.

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