It takes a certain kind of person to get a ball thrown at upwards of 90 mph to the face, then get back up the next day and go right back into the line of fire. You have to be tough, resilient, determined and, ultimately, you have to have a sense of humor about yourself. Jonathan India was on the 2020 Reds, so we certainly can tell he can have a laugh at himself, but he's also extremely tough. So him going 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs against the Brewers a day after getting decked by an Emmanuel Clase pitch shouldn't shock you. This might be only the beginning.
I initially questioned the Royals' motive in trading for Jonathan India, especially giving up Brady Singer for him. The Royals had a perfectly fine infield, Massey and Witt at the center, Garcia and Pasquantino at the corners. Complicating things with India seemed excessive. But India can also play left field, which he's been doing more and more this season, and to be honest defensively it may be the better place for him. I stand firm in my belief that they shouldn't have given up Singer, and seeing how well he did yesterday I think that goes without saying. But considering that the Royals still had several OF spots up in the air, and filled by passable defenders like M.J. Melendez and Hunter Renfroe, getting a surefire guy like India definitely works, and his offensive production has only vindicated this decision.
So that already defines the Royals. One of their best hitters right now is a guy who literally refuses to back down, even from injury. They're 2-2, losing two against a tough division rival but absolutely crushing the Brewers, themselves still reeling from being embarrassed by the Yankees. This is a team where Pasquantino, Perez, Witt and even Michael Massey can be responsible for crucial RBIs. Yes, Pasquantino is DHing predominantly at the moment after the injury, and the starts at 1st have been going to Mark Canha and Cavan Biggio, but this is why you have depth guys like that.
But again...so far the starting pitching is the worrying detail. Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans, two of their horses from last year, gave up 3 runs each, Michael Wacha allowed less runs but still got the loss, and Kris Bubic, the guy who came back from an injury and conserved his innings as a bullpen piece last year, looked incredible, and seems to be the only starter doing so thus far. Which goes to show you, if you want to be a great starter, try to avoid doing really well for 33 games the previous year. It'll even out, especially with starters this talented, but it, again, points towards the idea that maybe trading Singer was a bad call. At least the 'pen looks better.
The Royals have a lot of pros so far, but against some truly great teams they've been mostly passable. I have a feeling this team will eventually break even, and considering the presence of peak Bobby Witt it's really a matter of when, but without Jonathan 'unsinkable' India I don't know if they'd have as many highlights.
Coming Tonight: Probably a member of the [sigh] first place St. Louis Cardinals.
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