Mondi Back Guarantee

 

Adalberto Mondesi has played 21 games this season, thanks to injuries. Six of them were multi-hit games. Four of them were multi-RBI games.

However, in the last 10 games, he's batted a measly .118 with FOUR hits, compared to the 16 across his first eleven games. What happened? Well...he realized the team sucked and didn't wanna stand out too much.

And so sums up the Royals. When Mondesi got injured, the Royals were a 1st place team. When he came back, they were circling last, and all of the promise had gone away. Hell, when Mondesi got hurt, Kyle Isbel was still starting in the outfield. Remember Kyle Isbel? Remember how people thought him getting the job out of camp meant he'd be a mainstay in KC, then he fell off and got demoted for the rest of the year and people started comparing him to Frank Schwindel, then Schwindel became not-a-bust with the Cubs?

Hell of a year.

Like last year, one of the main takeaways for the Royals has to be the bullpen, and how it's pretty much stayed together. Scott Barlow, Jake Brentz, Josh Staumont, Domingo Tapia and somehow Ervin Santana, have been very strong in relief. It's been less of a return to form for Greg Holland and Wade Davis, but the unit that had come to prominence last year is still working, and is still pounding out great innings, while also having to mop up the messes after starts from Daniel Lynch, Brad Keller and Jackson Kowar. 

Also...wait, shit, KYLE ISBEL'S BACK? Did they call him back up in the time I started writing this post? When the hell did that happen? And now he's hitting .300? He had a 3-hit 2-RBI night the other night, now he's actually doing kinda well again? Shit, maybe he's not a bust after all! Maybe comparing him to Bubba Starling and Ryan McBroom is unfair. But again...this is only one season.

The biggest summation of this team is that the highlights were worthy, like Salvador Perez's mega home run season, Michael Taylor and Carlos Santana's impressive debut years, and Whit Merrifield and Nicky Lopez's strong years in the infield. But everything else sort of sunk into the normalcy of Royals baseball post-2016. Too many injuries, not enough good starting pitching, not enough depth and too many young options that clearly aren't ready.

Will 2022 be a competitive year? Maybe. But I won't think twice if they come strong out of camp again next year.

Coming Tomorrow- One of the last Opening Day starters remaining from a team I am seeing play my Phillies tonight. Recap forthcoming. 

Uncustomed Heroes of 2020: Royals

 

For a season without much to note for the Royals, I sure missed some big ones this year.

I only have six Royals for December, but three of them are ones I should have gotten to during the regular season. And that includes Brady Singer. This guy was a rookie that began the season in the rotation and acted like he'd been doing this for years. Singer started 12 games, had a 4.06 record, and led the team in strikeouts with 61. Brad Keller may have had more bang for his buck, but Singer was more consistent and a clear sign of the next few seasons of Royals baseball.

2021 Prediction: 200 strikeouts, not enough wins given this is a rebuilding Royals team, and an ASG nomination. 

I also should have done an Adalberto Mondesi custom during the season, on account of him LEADING THE LEAGUE IN STOLEN BASES. Who would have called that??? Mondi had a decent year, with .256 with 22 RBIs in 59 games for KC, and is still a crucial member of the core of this team. 

2021 Prediction: He'll be playing beautifully for the first two months before an injury sidelines him til September. 

Danny Duffy has been a consistent member of the Royals for a decade, even in weaker seasons. 2020 was a pretty neutral year for the Duffman- a 4-4 record in 11 starts, a 4.95 ERA and 57 Ks. He's not as sharp as he used to be, but he still had some strong games this year.

2021 Prediction: By July, there will be enough youth in the rotation that Duffy will be able to transition seamlessly to the bullpen.

Hunter Dozier came off the IL in August, and while he did his best to match his strong, ASG-caliber 2019, it wasn't much of a match. In 44 games, Dozier hit .228 with 12 RBIs. Not too great, despite some decent power numbers.

2021 Prediction: If he doesn't hit for average by June, he'll be DFA'd. 

The other rookie starting pitcher for KC was a crafty one named Kris Bubic. His 1-6 ERA and high WHIP hide the fact that he still had a 4.32 ERA and 49 Ks, and is a really interesting, clever pitcher just with some control issues.

2021 Prediction: 10 wins, a low WHIP, and some external factor that limits him to 22 games.

Of course, 2020 was the final one for Alex Gordon, a guy that's been a Royal since the year I started collecting. Gordo had some great power years and defensive years in the 2010s, and while he didn't exactly live up to expectations, he was still a consistent player and a Royals HOFer for sure. His mediocre 2020 stats, like a .209 average and 11 RBIs, were an afterthought. Gordon will be missed, and the Royals will need to establish a new type of consistency to live up to.

Coming Tomorrow- I genuinely have a ton of Detroit Tigers for tomorrow.

Son of Raul

Fact: The Kansas City Royals beat the odds by winning their first two games of the year, against the White Sox.

Fact: They haven't won since.

Not that they haven't been trying. By the grace of Adalberto Mondesi, Whit Merrifield, Alex Gordon and Jorge Soler, the bats have been coming alive. But...there's no pitching, and no bullpen. Yes, Keller and Junis can strike people out, but they can't exactly block many runs. Of course...neither can Homer Bailey. But you knew that.

So...really, if this is the thing that's gonna happen in Kansas City for the next few months of baseball, how do the Royals keep things afloat. How do they not tank the remaining 151 games? How do they keep things fresh?

Well...I guess they have some fancy call-ups in mind. Really fancy. Glamorous people with glamorous names. Like...Frank Schwindel. That's a great name there, Frank Schwindel. And Glenn Sparkman. Which is either like a bad pseudonym or a porn name.

Hell, they even brought up a guy named Richard Lovelady. That is the guy's name. RICHARD...LOVELADY. You cannot possibly make up a name like that, even if you are Wes Anderson. That's the guy's name. It's not like he changed it to keep with the times, or because baseball already has a Raul Mondesi and needs another Adalberto. That's his name. Richard, or Dick if you're nasty, Lovelady.

It's at times like these that I wish SpastikMooss was still blogging. Because Richard Lovelady would go right up there with God Shamgod, Wonderful Terrific Mounds, Dick Pole and Rusty Kuntz.

...but I imagine he's a wonderful pitcher and a great guy, and if he or his parents or lawyer is reading this post for some strange reason, they'll go easy on the little guy who's just trying to make some funny on the internet. That name is awesome, though. I'm not making fun as much as I'm paying reverence.

...I'm supposed to be talking about Adalberto Mondesi, right? Shit.

Yeah, Royals have dropped a ton of games, they're not doing great, but they're not...awful. The lineup ain't bad. If they had a pitching staff to match, they'd be better off. Maybe all it takes is a little Lovelady.

Coming Tonight: If you think what I had to say was offensive, you should read this guy's old tweets...which he has apologized for. I think. Adversely, he's still an amazing reliever.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2018: Royals

 The 2018 Royals. As ho-hum as ya get, really.

One of three teams with 100 losses, and one of two teams in the AL Central with 100 losses. Their remaining stars from the 2016 run either stuck around in injury-shortened years, or left in July. The few remaining veterans, such as Ian Kennedy, came up with paltry numbers like a 3-9 record and a 4.55 ERA. Far from the D-Backs runs, are we Ian?

 A bright spot in this roster was Adalberto Mondesi, or Raul Jr. Mondesi proved to be vastly different from his dad by relying less on power and more on defense and little hits. Though...his 14 home runs were the third-most on the team, and second-most of people who actually stuck around to September, MOOSE...

 Ryan O'Hearn was the usual choice for DH in 2018, and in 44 games he did fairly well, with a .262 record and 30 RBIs. I'm interested to see what he'll do with a full season.

And after Kelvin Herrera left for Washington, the closing job went to former Milwaukee starter Wily Peralta, who managed to give a decent enough run at the job, with 14 saves in 14 opportunities, and a 3.67 ERA. Not bad at all for a last place team.

Coming Tomorrow- Another AL Central squad, and a marginally better one at that, with some signs of a future.