Royals Hot Play Has Them Back in Contention

Two weeks ago, the fans of Kansas City were calling for Dayton Moore to blow up the team, and start building for the 2015 season. Fast forward two weeks, and the Royals have control of the AL Central while the Tigers are sputtering and losing pitchers to injury. With the sudden offensive surges of Alex Gordon and Billy Butler, the team has won eight straight, but how long can their success continue?

If you had told me two weeks ago that the Kansas City Royals would be in playoff contention after making no moves on Trade Deadline day, I would have laughed in your face. Dayton Moore said, “If we are going to improve offensively, we’ve got to do it internally.” They did just that, but also traded for Josh Willingham last night.

After Eric Hosmer (who may have been handicapping the team with his less than stellar offensive season) went down with a fractured hand, it gave way for Billy Butler to take over as the team’s starting first baseman. There were concerns about having Butler in the field, but he has not disappointed. Sure, he doesn’t have the defensive prowess that Eric Hosmer has, but offensively, Butler has made a complete 180.

It may be a small sample size, but Billy Butler has performed exceptionally well since being moved from DH to first base.

Butler isn’t the only one that has stepped up since the horrible sweep the Royals suffered in Boston following the All Star Break. Left Fielder Alex Gordon has stepped up offensively about as much as Butler. Of course, Gordon can’t step up defensively, as he is already great with a dWAR of 1.9.

Aside from the offensive outbreak, the Royals have gotten a boost to their starting rotation. Jason Vargas returned two weeks ago after suffering a ruptured appendix in Tampa Bay earlier this season. Bruce Chen filled in for Vargas while he was out, but he underperformed again as a starter this year.

Though Kansas City is hot right now, they have a number of holes that don’t make me optimistic about their playoff chances. In particular, right field and third base are still problem areas for the Royals. Mike Moustakas is a tick below the Mendoza Line at .199, and Nori Aoki, the club’s leadoff hitter, is hitting .267/.339/.336.

Trading away Danny Valencia all but guaranteed Moustakas the starting role, and against lefties it is a huge problem.

Though neither split looks appealing, Moustakas is slightly better against right-handed pitching. The other option for third base is rookie utility infielder Christian Colon. Colon is on his second stint with the team this season after hitting .311/.323/.458 down in Triple-A Omaha.

If they make the playoffs, it would mark the first time in twenty-nine years that the Royals have done so. A playoff run would be just what the exhausted Kansas City fan base needs after twenty-nine years of futility, although it would secure a Dayton Moore contract extension, and that is not what the Royals or their fans need. With a month and a half of the season left, it looks promising for the Royals ball club, but the question is: can the Royals keep up their winning ways?

They may not even have to continue at their current pace to walk away with the division. The Tigers are reeling from the losses of Anibal Sanchez, Justin Verlander, and Joakim Soria to injury. Sanchez has been stellar this year, and Soria seemed likely to assume closing duties from the beleaguered Joe Nathan at some point. And while Verlander hasn’t been, well, Verlander, he’s still a semi-reliable candidate to eat innings. The Tigers are nearing crisis mode, and all the Royals may have to do is simply keep themselves afloat.

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