Sunday Sermon: The Top Five Qualities in the 2008 Kansas City Royals, So Far

Sunday baseball before the All-Star break is always a strange feeling, especially for myself, a Royals fan. As every sports fan knows, July baseball means that the hockey and basketball seasons are over, NFL training camp is still a ways away (and ultimately not that exciting until it's almost over), leaving baseball fans pools of precious time to focus on the successes (or lack thereof) of their favorite club. It's no secret that Royals baseball has been barely shy of (and occasionally more so than) awful for many seasons. Though there have been bitter marks through the first half of this 2008 campaign, I still feel differently about the Kansas City organization this year. I remain logically optimistic of the good things to come, and honestly claim that there is a different ambience associated with watching games in restaurants and bars this year than there has been since I moved back to Kansas City eight years ago.

The last four series have been about as painful to watch as any so far this year. At this point, I feel like they've hurt more than the late-May 12-game losing streak that included sweeps at the hands of Boston, Toronto and Minnesota, and a loss to the Indians. Coming off a pleasing two weeks of inter-league play, the Royals scraped together two wins against Baltimore, barely stole one of four against the Rays, coughed up consecutive eighth-inning leads against the White Sox before winning the finale of that series, and have since taken two in a row from Seattle, one of the worst three teams in baseball.

Normally, I loathe the All-Star break because of the lapse in regular-season play. I hunger for each Royals game, constantly taking mental notes regarding signs of improvement in any direction. Though we're still today's contest shy of technically being halfway through, I feel great about a lot of things the Royals have accomplished, or at least made strides on in these 95 games. They are:

5) The rotation: It's had its ups and downs, no doubt, and it's technically not even the five (all potential injuries aside) that will take us through the second half. If they are the guys, though, then Brian Bannister, Zack Greinke, Gil Meche, Luke Hochevar, and Kyle Davies are a better quintet than any I've seen in a decade-plus. Season after season, skipper after skipper, the rotation has been filled with "Whos," "Oh, brothers," and outright clowns. For most of the last 10 years, there's been maybe, maybe one guy that gets the nod that's made me feel semi-confident that we had a shot at a win. And the best of that batch might've been Paul Byrd.

4) Runs scored: I'm not going to dig up stats and compare how many runs have crossed the plate in this half versus the first half of seasons x and y. Thus, I could be totally wrong here, but it seems as if, regardless of many a run-drought stretch, that the Royals are scoring more frequently, and at a more varied time throughout each game. Last night they scored two in the first, another in the second, and two more in the ninth. In recent games, they've tended to favor the middle of the game, seldom scoring early or late. The hunch that they can score in a wider span of innings, to me, indicates that there's always hope.

3) The lineup: KC managers are frequently scrutinized in the press for not identifying the best option for the nine-hitter rotation and sticking with it. Trey Hillman has been no exception through one half of a season. And it doesn't bother me at all. It seems that John Buck and Miguel Olivo have split (roughly) starts behind home, and, for the most part, they've hit fairly well when called upon. Buck's hitting .251/5/28, while Olivo sits at .260/9/29. They have 223, 196 at bats, respectively. That's only part of the mix-up, though. Hillman has plugged in Esteban German, Joey Gathright, and when not in jail, Alberto Callaspo, all of whom have had a moment or two worth noting. He's also used the designated hitter spot shrewdly, plugging in Ross Gload, Billy Butler, and Olivo, on occasion. And of course, even though I'm a Tony Pena, Jr. apologist, the insertion of Mike Aviles has been phenomenal.

(Update: Several hours have passed since I started this post, and the Royals failed to complete the sweep of Seattle, and ninth-inning error giving the Mariners the 4-3 victory.)

2) The bullpen: Again, without researching, it would appear that the Kansas City squad of middle relievers, setup men and closers have been better in this partial season, than any many of the most recent campaigns in their entirety. The late-game pitching staff of the Royals has tended to include guys that can't make it (for various reasons) as starters, and guys that give up close games and/or late-game leads, inevitably resulting in more losses. This year, Royals All-Star Joakim Soria has been by far the best KC has seen in many years. Early in the year, Leo Nunez was healthy and served as a phenomenal setup man for Soria, and his replacements while injured have been decent.

1) The X-factors: Tired as this term has become, it has been clutch pieces of this club that has left them only 10 games out of first in the Central entering the All-Star break, which, sadly, is a great improvement upon recent seasons. And there've been a few token miscellaneous items responsible for some of their success. The early-season batting tear by Billy Butler gave the Royals numerous scoring chances. The mid-season surge at the plate from Jose Guillen helped make the off-season acquistion seem more worthwhile. Mark Teahen's hitting has developed more consistency to it, rather than his peaks-and-valleys tendencies of the past two seasons. In the field, Tony Pena, Jr. has been a wizard at short, albeit miserable at the plate, while Alex Gordon's third-base defense has been all but perfect. And last but not least, the play of David DeJesus has been widely admired.

His league-leading average with runners in scoring position, lengthier at bats, and general maturation has proved to the Royals that he has developed into what was hoped of him, if not more. Last night's game-winning, walk-off homerun (the first by KC in over two years) came on the heels of his game-winning RsBI in Friday night's contest, and his presence in the outfield/aggressiveness on the base path have become quite the valuable asset to a club in need of many.

Ultimately, the Royals are still a work in progress, but their performance this season, in the face of many adversities, has been one of which I've approved. One I feel certain is an indicator of better things ahead.