By David Gibb
Last week, The Chronicle’s own Nick Bond (my boss, for the record) referred to the Kansas City Royals as “the most depressing team between Baltimore and the Grand Canyon.” Well, a week and a half into the season, I’m going to go out on a limb and call them April’s feel-good story.
Most players and management folks don’t like to judge a team before they’ve played a full month worth of games, but the Royals have jumped out to a 5-2 start, putting them ahead of Cleveland, Minnesota, and Detroit in the AL Central standings.
Before you burn me at the stake, let me say this: it won’t stay this way. Despite their current pace, Detroit is absolutely not going to lose 100 games, and the Indians are far too talented to continue to play poorly. However, the Royals have showed that they have the talent and tenacity to pull out a solid third place finish in a very, very tough division.
Recall for a moment the fine film “Mr. 3000” starring Bernie Mac. If any of you somehow missed it, the premise of the film is that an aging former superstar (Mac) comes out of retirement to reach the 3000 hit plateau, playing for a cellar-dwelling Brewers team. With a few weeks left in the season and the team far out of playoff contention, Mac begins to march the Brewers toward a seemingly insurmountable goal: a third place finish.
Third place doesn’t seem like much to the casual observer. It does not represent supremacy, or for that matter much more than competence. Even in the strongest division, third place is by definition mediocre. No third place teams go to the playoffs. To a team that has finished last multiple years in a row, though, third place is hope; a light at the end of the tunnel.
In 2003, the Detroit Tigers famously set a Major League record by losing 119 games, and Kansas City shortstop Angel Berroa won the American League Rookie of the Year Award. Every year since then, the Royals have finished in last place and almost all of the players who looked so exciting that year, including Berroa, have turned out to be busts at the Major League level.
This year, however, the Royals have a solid chance at finishing third, and much like Bernie Mac’s Brewers, they would be overjoyed to do so.
The Royals boast a young, exciting roster, headlined by second-year third baseman Alex Gordon, who throughout his journey up the Royals chain has elicited comparisons to Hall of Famer George Brett. First baseman/designated hitter Billy Butler (who will turn 22 on April 20th) is hitting above .400 with an OPS of over .900, and should anchor the corners of Kauffman Stadium’s infield for years to come alongside Gordon.
Kansas City also possesses a solid rotation, cemented by last year’s free agent signing Gil Meche, Mets castoff Brian Bannister, and the phoenix-like Zack Greinke on the comeback trail.
The back end of their bullpen is also very promising with closer Joakim Soria reminding many of a young Mariano Rivera. Beyond Soria and lefty Ron Mahay, the cupboard is a bit bare in the Kauffman Stadium bullpen, but Rome was not built in a day.
The Royals’ prospective return to respectability is a very exciting proposition for a number of reasons.
First of all, the Royals being even fundamentally sound would make the AL Central one of the strongest and most interesting regions in the history of divisional play. Perhaps more importantly, from a sentimental perspective, it is hard not to wish success to a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since they won the World Series in 1985.
In short, you’d have to be a true sadist to root against the Kansas City Royals this year. But then again, most sports fans are.