I really tought we’d look back at the 2007 Royals as kind of a turning point in the franchise. Yeah, I figured they’d loss a 100, but I figured they’d finally know what they had and then plan accordingly. But it looks like I was wrong and the Royals have as many questions as they do answers this year.
We can start with Gil Meche, who is actually looking like he was worth the five year, $55 million price tage the Royals paid for him. He has a solid 3.21 ERA and all of the other numbers are there. He might not be a future ace, but he could be a productive pitcher for years to come. Of course he’s only 4-6 but that’s just as much because of the poor hitting. He had lost five starts in a row and in those five, he had given up three or less in three of them.
David DeJesus is another guy who’s hard to figure out. He’s scoring runs this year, but after a red hot start his batting average has been in the .260s for a while. He has stayed relatively healthy, which is more you can say then seasons past but a .744 OPS only gets you so far.
And then there’s Alex Gordon. He has a .365 slugging percentage, which is pretty much enough said. Still one season does not a Hall of Famer make and Gordon could still be the stud everyone thought he was going to be. We’re just probably going to have to wait until next year to find out.
One good thing about the season is, the Royals have as many wins as the White Sox. Yeah, it’s in fewer games but it’s still something to look at as a positive. Maybe the Royals can put together some wins, have a decent second half, and push the White Sox into the cellar.
Odalis Perez and his 6.00+ ERA takes the mound tomorrow and he’ll try to end the Royals skid. Hopefully the Royals will make a better showing then the 7-1 loss tonight.