(Had to. Had to.)
The 2018 Kansas City Royals. Or 'uuuurrrghhhhh'
This team is just a cavalcade of guys who either aren't experienced enough or are past their prime. Anybody who proves they can play well is promptly traded, like Jon Jay and Kelvin Herrera have been. Everybody else who's still here and doing well...like Whit Merrifield, Alex Gordon, Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez...shan't unpack.
The pitching is the most atrocious part. Jason Hammel has a record of 2-11. That's pretty hard to do if you're not trying. Ian Kennedy and Danny Duffy aren't doing much better. Everyone else is injured. Brad Keller has been trying some starting innings, and it has been working well for him, but the bullpen is now lacking a bit, as usual standout Brandon Maurer is tanking, and the bullpen ERA is feeling a bit bloated.
Still, the veterans are saving the day, or at least trying to. After an atrocious season at the plate, Alex Gordon is finally hitting above average, and still is a pretty good defensive outfielder as well. This has always been his team to lead, and even this dire moment is no exception. He's still a standout, and is working on boosting the youth by example, knowing that he may not have much time left as a Royal. Meanwhile, I'm guessing Whit Merrifield will be the new anchor of the team, if he stays around that long.
The sad part is that just 5 or so years ago we were talking about this Royals team as the next great young team, and we were expecting a dynasty to last a number of years. Who knew it'd be from World Champions to last place in the span of 3 years?
Coming Tonight: Versatile veteran hitter for a team I do not enjoy posting about.
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