Not The Worst

The Kansas City Royals scored ten (10) runs on Monday night. All the world’s problems are now solved.

Well, not really, and certainly not when it comes to the Royals’ offense. This is still a collection of bats that managed just nine runs in the six games leading up to Tuesday’s explosion and is still a team that has yet to win a game when the other team scores a run.  That early season performance – and it was admittedly pretty awful hitting weather for all of the games with a good team like Cleveland scoring just six runs in three games with two of those coming against Brandon Maurer (if you score runs against Maurer do they really count?) – led some to call this current Kansas City unit possibly one of the worst offensive groups in history.   If not the history of baseball, at least in franchise history.

Sure, the Royals batting Ryan Goins sixth in back to back games, but was it really as bad as this?

• August 30, 2004 versus Detroit (a 9-1 loss):  David DeJesus CF, Desi Relaford LF, Joe Randa 3B, Abraham Nunez RF, Calvin Pickering 1B, Angel Berroa SS, John Buck C, Aaron Guiel DH, Ruben Gotay 2B

or

• August 14, 2004 at Oakland (a 6-1 loss): Desi Relaford SS, Joe Randa 3B, Mike Sweeney 1B, Ken Harvey DH, Abraham Nunez CF, Aaron Guiel LF, Ruben Mateo RF, Ruben Gotay 2B, John Buck C

Yes, in a 1-0 Royals win earlier this year, Cheslor Cuthbert batted cleanup, protected in the lineup by Paulo Orlando in the five spot. That is not a recipe for success, but is that as bad as this?

• April 26, 2005 versus Minnesota (a 2-1 loss): Joe McEwing 3B, Tony Graffanino 2B, Mike Sweeney DH, Eli Marrero 1B, Angel Berroa SS, Emil Brown RF, Terrance Long CF, Alberto Castillo C, Matt Diaz LF

or

• August 29, 2005 versus Minnesota (a 3-1 loss): Aaron Guiel RF, Chip Ambres CF, Terrance Long LF, Emil Brown DH, Mark Teahen 3B, Angel Berroa SS, John Buck C, Denny Hocking 2B, Joe McEwing 1B

With certainty, the Royals will be putting some ‘interesting’ players in ‘interesting’ spots in the order this season. When posted, the Kansas City lineup will not cause rampant angst among opposing starting pitchers, but will it be worse than this?

• Doug Mientkiewicz batting third FIFTY-TWO times in 2006
• Tony Graffanino leading off 31 times in 2004 (and Angel Berroa another 28)
• Can anything that happens this year really get much worse than batting Willie Bloomquist third in 2010, even if it was just once?  Other than batting him second SEVENTY-FOUR times the year before?

Listen, in no way do I think the 2018 Royals are going to emerge as an offensive juggernaut when the temperature rises. They have a chance to maybe, just maybe, approach being a little below average. More likely, the Royals will be among the lower third in offensive production this season, but be careful when you start with the ‘worst ever’ or ‘worst in Royals’ history’ talk, or we will be forced to remind you of this final beauty:

• September 20, 2009 at Chicago (a 2-1 win!): Willie Bloomquist RF, Mitch Maier LF, Billy Butler 1B, Mike Jacobs DH, Alberto Callaspo 3B, John Buck C, Luis Hernandez 2B, Yuniesky Betancourt SS, Josh Anderson CF

Sweet dreams, fans.