Asking a Kansas City Royals fan to just sit back and be patient with the decision to start yet another rebuilding mode, approximately the 73rd attempt in the past three years, is a just about as effective nowadays as giving a diabetic a hot fudge sundae with a side of Betty Crocker icing for a mid-day snack(and I can say that, because I am diabetic). I suppose what I'm trying to convey to you is that it just isn't going to go over well in either situation, just incase you needed that further bit of explanation. However, in this situation, patience may just be the extra boost that this club and its fans need to get over this 30 year post-seasonless hump that they're in the midst of.
While the frustration of the fans continues to mount as each season drags on to an early conclusion like clockwork, the real patience that needs to be shown in this latest installment of the Kansas City Rebuilding Game is from the front office higher-ups themselves, namely Royals' General Manager Dayton Moore. Moore, already coming under fire from the fan base after a number of terrible free agent signings and trades (obtaining Kyle Davies, trading J.P. Howell, signing Jason Kendall, and my personal favorite, signing "great player at a significant value" Rick Ankiel), needs to show that he isn't afraid to continue through with the entire rebuilding process this time around, a process that former General Manager Allard Baird failed to do on several occasions.
It amazes me that fans continue to complain about the fact that "can't miss" prospect Mike Moustakas, who led the Texas League in first half season play in average (.347) home runs (21) and runs batted in (76) while only compiling 259 at bats, was promoted to AAA Omaha rather than straight to the parent club after tearing up AA opposition in Northwest Arkansas. For whatever reason, Kansas City fans, be it their growing frustration or their lack of knowledge about the game, couldn't comprehend the fact that Moustakas was still in need of additional seasoning in the minor leagues. The proof is in in the numbers, you don't have to take this guy's word for it.
In 172 at bats so far this season in Omaha, Moustakas is hitting a mediocre .273 while going yard seven times and driving in 23 runs to help push the Royals to within 1.5 games of first place Iowa. Moustakas against right handed pitching in Omaha, is batting a whopping .315 with six HRs and 18 RBIs. Those numbers are enough to get any Kansas City fan's attention, and rightfully so. However, be that how it is, there are always two sides to every story
Against left handed pitching while with the AAA affiliate, Moustakas is hitting a measly .203 with one HR and five RBIs. The good news in that bit of sour information is that Moustakas has struck out only seven times in 64 at bats against southpaws, which shows that he is at least making contact when he steps into the box against lefties. With this being said, there is no reason, in my mind anyway, to "mean mug" the television every time Fox Sports Kansas City shows Moore in the midst of a disaster of a game being played at The 'K'. The decision to leave Moustakas in the minors to this point was a legitimate one, and should not be viewed as another idiotic move by the man upstairs.
Another name constantly being mentioned in the rebuilding phase is that of Omaha outfielder David Lough. Lough, an 11th round pick out of Mercyhurst College in the 2007 draft, has spent all season in an O-Royals uniform. In his first season at the AAA level, Lough has compiled a .279 average in 448 ABs, hitting 11 HRs while driving in 56 RBIs. Lough has also managed to have success on the base path, collecting 14 swipes in 19 attempts. Lough, who in closest comparison could be matched to Royals' OF David DeJesus, split time last season between single A Wilmington and AA Northwest Arkansas putting together an impressive collection of stats, batting .325 with 14 HRs and 61 RBIs. 2009 marked Lough's second full season in professional baseball, and was easily his most successful.
While Lough doesn't have the "can't miss" tag already applied to Moustakas and Northwest Arkansas first baseman Eric Hosmer, his upside is most certainly something to get Royals' fans excited about. Much like Moustakas though, Lough is still in the learning curve of AAA baseball, and could benefit from seeing additional time at that level before being rushed to the majors in an effort to please an already... well... less than happy fan base. Lough has already shown improvement in his short time with Omaha, batting a stellar .390 so far in the month of August as opposed to .200, .271, and .291 in the three months prior. With Lough already showing this sort of promise and improvement as his time with the AAA affiliate continues to mount, logic would tell you to let the kid develop his talents to the fullest of his ability before giving him the free ticket to Kansas City, wouldn't you think? Well, have you met your average Royals' fan?
I've also heard talk amongst Royals' fans that they expect single A pitcher Aaron Crow and AA hotshot Hosmer to be called up when the rosters expand to 40 in September, and the only thing I can say to that is you are all absolutely out of your minds. Crow, while toeing the slab for the Naturals, put together a 7-7 record with a bloated 5.56 ERA. Crow also had a hard time keeping runners off of the base path in Springdale, issuing 59 free passes in only 119.1 innings. Crow's 59 walks is still to this day second most on the team only behind that of fellow starter Eduardo Paulino. With Crow showing slow progress at the AA level, he was demoted to the Carolina League to regain his composure against a lower level of competition. Crow's former teammate Hosmer, on the other hand, has been a completely different story.
Hosmer continues to tear the cover off of the ball against AA pitching, collecting a .314 average with 11 HRs and 29 RBIs in only 159 at bats. Hosmer earned the call to AA after smashing opposing pitching in the Carolina League with Wilmington. In 87 games with the Blue Rocks, Hosmer hit .354 with seven HRs and 51 RBIs. Hosmer, the Royals' first overall draft pick in the 2008 draft, is still only in his second full season in professional baseball.
Rushing prospects is a game that the Royals have been a top tier team in throughout the past several years (Alex Gordon, Blake Stein, Dan Reichert, etc), and it never turns out well for the parent club when a rush decision like that is made. I realize how painful it must be for Royals' fans to read this, but the plain and simple fact is, Kansas City has several prospects that potentially could mesh well with the pieces to the puzzle that are already in place at the major league level. Picture a lineup with Moustakas, Hosmer, Aviles, DeJesus, Butler, and if he continues to pan out the way he has this season, Blanco. Those player alone could help pave the road out of this mess that the Royals have found themselves in since the magical 1985 season. As long as Moore keeps his head on straight and plays his cards the right way, which includes not signing "spot filler" free agents like Ankiel, Kendall, Farnsworth, Betemit (even though he has shown new found life at the plate) etc. to block the path of promising prospects in the farm system, this team could have a legitimate shot at success in the upcoming years... I'll be the first one to tell you though, that's a BIG if.
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