Royals in Review: Despite ranking last place this season, Royals tell fans “Trust the Process”

“Trust the Process”                                              

 by Sam Kombrink                                                                                                                

Baseball fans in Kansas City will always be grateful for our two World Series titles.  In fact, there are seven MLB franchises who have yet to win a title.  They are the San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies, Tampa Bay Rays, and the Washington Nationals.  We all remember what it was like in 2014 and 2015, and those seven other cities probably won’t admit that they were jealous.

Despite winning it all in 2015, only three years later the Royals now sport one of the lowest markets in baseball.  They are worth $1.015 billion, with $245 million in revenue, and 17 million in operating income according to Forbes “The Business of Baseball.” And, in terms of market value, the Royals are only ranked 27th out of the 30 franchises in Major League Baseball. The Yankees top the list at $4 billion, with the Rays at the bottom at only $900 million.

Right after Wade Davis sealed the deal to close out the 2015 World Series, my buddy said, “Now we’ve got to wait another 30 years until we’re back in it.”  I always wanted to believe that we would stay contenders. The problem is that we don’t spend enough money on players. Instead, ownership puts money in our stadium, and I honestly don’t know what heck else.  The current average salary of every MLB position is indicated below.

1. FIRST BASE                              $ 7,870,959
2.  DESIGNATED HITTER              $ 7,330,828
3. STARTING PITCHER                 $ 5,757,086
4. RIGHT FIELD                            $ 5,588,652
5. CENTER FIELD                          $ 4,686,969
6. SECOND BASE                         $ 4,564,610
7. SHORT STOP                            $ 4,283,724
8. LEFT FIELD                               $ 4,001,986
9. THIRD BASE                             $ 3,893,751
10. CATCHER                                $ 2,333,354
11. RELIEF PITCHER                      $ 2,051,544

For the time being the Royals need to go out and bring in cheap players on one-two year deals, until we assemble our next core. We don’t expect the team to be in the post-season anytime soon, the current team is a perfect sign of that. Call it what you want, but the Royals tried to tank, up to the point where management called up all the youth, and the young players decided they wanted to start winning. I knew the team was trying to tank when I saw Alcides Escobar playing center field.  I mean, you can’t make this up. The reality is that we will end up in last place because it’s all part of the plan to assemble the next core to “keep the line moving” and drafting a potential all-star with a top 2 pick helps out.

Last April I attended a seminar at the “K” where Royals General Manager Dayton Moore and Manager Ned Yost answered the questions of future journalists and broadcasters.  The good news is that number six ranked prospect, first baseman Nick Pratto, “looks better than Hoz did at his age (19),” said Yost.  Dayton Moore had no trouble telling the audience to, “trust the process.”

As stated before, the Kansas City Royals franchise has shown that they are not interested in investing capital to acquire MLB players at the current time, and let’s be honest: why would they? Instead they look in-house first, aka the farm system.

Ned Yost said that he and Dayton Moore check in on the farm system, “…first thing every morning.”  Yost sounded to me like he truly wants to stay and develop the next group of young players, and I think they should keep him around.  Prospects include 2B/SS Nicky Lopez, 1B Nick Pratto, C M.J. Melendez, and outfielder Khalil Lee to name just four.  The Royals had a chance at the number 1 pick in June, and it’s looking like SS Bobby Witt, Jr. from Coffeeville Heritage High School in Coffeeville, Texas, will be drafted number one to the Baltimore Orioles.  I have also heard that they have expressed interest in college players, in hopes to speed up “The Process”. Top prospects according to mlb.com are listed below.

1. Brady Singer – Right Hand Pitcher

•  Drafted : 1st Round 2018 (18th pick) University of Florida
• 22 years old
• Look like a future number 2 pitcher
• Throws more Fastballs, Sliders, and changeups
• Estimated Time of Arrival : 2020

2. Khalil Lee – Center Field/Right Field

• Drafted : 3rd Round 2016 (103rd pick)
• 20 years old, Bats : L  Throws : L
• Career Stats : ( Minors AA : 100 Games, 346 At Bats, .263 AVG, 4 HR,  .382 OBP, .390 SLG, .772 OPS )
• ETA : 2020

3. Seuly Matias – Right Field/Center Field

• Signed : July 2, 2015
• 19 years old, Bats : R  Throws : R
• Career Stats : ( Minors A : 94 games, 338 At Bats, .231 AVG, 31 HR, .303 OBP, .550 SLG, .853 OPS )  – ETA : 2021

Others :

• Jackson Kowar – Right Handed Pitcher
•  MJ Melendez – Catcher
• Nick Pratto – First Base
• Nicky Lopez – SS/2B/3B/OF
• Daniel Lynch – Left Handed Pitcher

Before we can start spending on players we have to rebuild a new core. Starting with the young players the Royals have on their current roster, like Shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, and pitchers Heath Fillmyer and Brad Keller, as well as the players in the farm system. Let the players compete for starting spots in Surprise, AZ.  As for us fans… we just have to “trust the process“.