Tuesday, June 24, 2014

How Good Are The Kansas City Royals?

If you look at the current MLB standings, there are a number of surprising divisional leaders. However, perhaps the most surprising right now is none other than the Kansas City Royals. They have really taken off in recent weeks, and they are currently just slightly behind of the Detroit Tigers. With a lot of the season still left, can this team actually keep things up?

When you look at the team statistics, Kansas City is not really dominating in any one category. The only major category the team is in the top 10 in is batting average. They have a solid group of hitters headlined by Alcides Escobar, Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez. Fittingly, those three are all solid options for the defense as well.

On the pitching side of things, they might not be super impressive, but the staff is getting things done. James Shields is technically the ace, but Jeremy Guthrie, Jason Vargas and youngster Yordano Ventura have all pitched well in the rotation in 2014. People in fantasy baseball like the promise of Ventura, and he balances things with three veterans being mainstays in the rotation as well. Danny Duffy looks to be settling into that #5 slot.

The bullpen they have right now is what is allowing them to close out games. Wade Davis and Greg Holland are just two guys putting up great numbers on the mound. Their ERAs are under 1.30 right now, and they are both young enough to be around for a while.


The Royals might not be World Series contenders or anything like that just yet, but they are showing the Detroit Tigers that they can compete. Look for them to be a playoff contender the rest of the season with a well-rounded squad.



Guest post by Franklin Canton

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