The Orioles have already wrapped up the title of the Worst Team in Baseball for 2018. But that doesn't mean the Kansas City Royals can't notch 100 losses along with Baltimore's current tally of 104.
Looking at this team's baseball reference page, you can see why: everyone who made a positive impact on this team in the last few years (save for Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez) is gone. And the replacements really aren't worth it. A ton of inexperienced, just-plain-pathetic players are being trusted with trying to lead this team, and it's not...really working? I dunno. Some guy named Ryan O'Hearn has 10 home runs as DH in 33 games, but...again, it's unknowns doing all the work. The best pitcher on this team is Brad Keller, and the best hitter is Whit Merrifield. Household names they are not.
Like with the Marlins, the veterans are dragging this team down, as well. Alcides Escobar is lagging at short, Jason Hammel has squandered his Chicago graces, and even Ian Kennedy and Danny Duffy are being dragged down by the weight of this unenthusiastic team. It's a full mess, and with 96 losses under their belt, the only accolade the Royals can hope for at this point is the 100 losses marker.
I also have to ask how long it's going to be until the Royals can compete again, and...it's hazy. Because there's still a chance that something could come around, and there could be a complete farm system refurbishment that could save this team...but unless they clean all the unspectacular veterans off the roster and just start relatively fresh, I can't see this happening in the next two years.
Coming Tonight: A guy who bopped around a bit too much over the past few seasons, but seems to have found a niche as a starter in a surging, NL Wild Card-ready team.
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