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Oak Grove, MO —
The Kansas City Royals baseball season began with great excitement for the fans.
The opening day crowd of 40,000-plus was bursting with optimism. You could feel the electricity during the pre-game festivities. The ceremonies did what they always do – make everyone proud to be an American and excited about baseball.
Unfortunately, the balloon quickly deflated. The first inning was about as ugly as it gets for any franchise. Luke Hochevar looked like a glorified batting practice pitcher as he gave up eight hits and seven runs. The young team of players battled throughout the entire game, but baseball is (first and foremost) all about pitching.
The following night the Royals gave up six runs early and were down 9-3. They did battle back once again only to lose 11-9 in 10 innings. Their third home game did at least start well with the Royals jumping ahead 3-0. Then starting pitcher Luis Mendoza gave up six runs in the third inning.
The team as a whole hit the ball well but always had to dig their way out of a huge hole just to be competitive.
OK – enough about the games.
It’s simple, the Royals can’t be highly competitive until they are able to develop or obtain a true stopper. The starting rotation is full of guys who would be No. 3, 4 or 5 starters on most major league teams. Jonathan Sanchez, Hochevar and Luis Mendoza are lower rotation pitchers. Bruce Chen has done a good job in his time with the Royals, but he would also be a No. 4 or 5 pitcher on most staffs. Danny Duffy, the young left-hander, is a new project at best.
The Royals have done an excellent job of collecting young top talent as position players. The bullpen also has some good young arms. They will all improve with time and experience, but the team is in desperate need of an ace. Zack Greinke was about the only great stopper the team had in two decades.
The team just can’t be a playoff contender until the pitching staff reaches major league standards. The organization is doing an excellent job of promoting the team and revving up the fans about the future. The everyday players really do have a chance to be special players. Add some great arms on the mound to that chemistry and we’re off to the races.
n I’m not sure the new broadcasting setup is going to make anyone bleed Royal blue!
The Kansas City Royals baseball season began with great excitement for the fans.
The opening day crowd of 40,000-plus was bursting with optimism. You could feel the electricity during the pre-game festivities. The ceremonies did what they always do – make everyone proud to be an American and excited about baseball.
Unfortunately, the balloon quickly deflated. The first inning was about as ugly as it gets for any franchise. Luke Hochevar looked like a glorified batting practice pitcher as he gave up eight hits and seven runs. The young team of players battled throughout the entire game, but baseball is (first and foremost) all about pitching.
The following night the Royals gave up six runs early and were down 9-3. They did battle back once again only to lose 11-9 in 10 innings. Their third home game did at least start well with the Royals jumping ahead 3-0. Then starting pitcher Luis Mendoza gave up six runs in the third inning.
The team as a whole hit the ball well but always had to dig their way out of a huge hole just to be competitive.
OK – enough about the games.
It’s simple, the Royals can’t be highly competitive until they are able to develop or obtain a true stopper. The starting rotation is full of guys who would be No. 3, 4 or 5 starters on most major league teams. Jonathan Sanchez, Hochevar and Luis Mendoza are lower rotation pitchers. Bruce Chen has done a good job in his time with the Royals, but he would also be a No. 4 or 5 pitcher on most staffs. Danny Duffy, the young left-hander, is a new project at best.
The Royals have done an excellent job of collecting young top talent as position players. The bullpen also has some good young arms. They will all improve with time and experience, but the team is in desperate need of an ace. Zack Greinke was about the only great stopper the team had in two decades.
The team just can’t be a playoff contender until the pitching staff reaches major league standards. The organization is doing an excellent job of promoting the team and revving up the fans about the future. The everyday players really do have a chance to be special players. Add some great arms on the mound to that chemistry and we’re off to the races.
n I’m not sure the new broadcasting setup is going to make anyone bleed Royal blue!
n The NBA playoff season is about here. Look for the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference and Oklahoma City Thunder in the West to be tough outs. They would be my picks to win it.
n The new Missouri football uniforms that will be make their debut in the SEC are smooth.
n My quote of the week is from NFL coach and broadcaster John Madden: “You have to hear things you really don’t want to hear; you must look at things you really don’t want to see. That’s a tough attitude, because honesty isn’t always saying things on the plus side; you’ve got to be able to say the negative things too.”
