A Royal Flush?
This could be the year for KC after a long dry spell
By John Fey
OK, Kansas City Royals fans, time to get excited. Come on, we know there are more than just a few of you in the Omaha area. It’s been awhile since you could think, “This could be the year.” Heading into Tuesday, K.C. was just 4½ games behind leader Cleveland in the AL Central Division.
Yes, the Royals have teased you fans many times in the past with solid first-half starts, only to falter after the All-Star break. And just about every year, club officials say they’re loaded with the talent to compete for a playoff run.
Most of the “experts” were picking Chicago, Detroit and Minnesota to battle for the division crown. But a glance at the standings after Sunday’s results revealed that Detroit, Minnesota and Chicago were bringing up the rear.
After losing six straight toward the end of April, the Royals ripped off a three-game home sweep over Minnesota, then took two out of three from Baltimore before stumbling against Oakland by dropping two of three at home over the weekend.
Still, the Royals could be a factor in the division. They appear to have decent starting pitching, respectable hitting and solid fielding.
I caught the last two innings of last Saturday’s game against the A’s and came away impressed with the resilience of the Royals. Clinging to a 3-0 lead in the eighth, reliever Aaron Crow served up a three run homer to Cliff Pennington.
No big deal. In the bottom of the ninth, speedy Jarrod Dyson sat on third watching a shallow fly ball to center off the bat of Mike Aviles. Dyson tagged and easily scored to give the Royals a thrilling 4-3 win.
Dyson is catching the eyes of a lot of Royals fans and opposing managers. He shocked the Twins by scoring from third on a popup not far behind third base.
“Usually if Dyson is running, most of the time it really isn’t close,” Aviles said after Saturday’s comeback. “He just has that world-class speed. It’s pretty interesting.”
So what effect, if any, has the success and talent of the Omaha Storm Chasers had on the early-season fortunes of the parent club down I-29? Before the season started, the Royals’ organization was hailed as having some of the top group of minor leaguers in all of baseball.
Omaha’s top prospect, Eric Hosmer, got the call-up to K.C. last Thursday at the ripe old age of 21. The promotion was well-deserved as he sported a .439 average, stroked three homers and had 15 RBIs.
“The kid is producing down there,” Royals manager Ned Yost told the Kansas City Star. “He’s in a league of his own. The time is right.”
So how long did it take Yost to insert the first baseman into the lineup? Less than 24 hours. And K.C. fans couldn’t wait. After Hosmer’s promotion was announced, the club sold 9,835 tickets, and more than 30,000 witnessed his debut.
Unfortunately, Hosmer excelled more in the field than at the plate. He started a 3-6-3 double play in the first inning but went 0 for 2 with his stick. The rookie didn’t waste the next opportunity for his first big-league hit.
In the bottom of the fifth of Saturday’s wild win, Hosmer singled sharply to right field. Then, in the ninth inning, Hosmer was intentionally walked to load the bases for Aviles. Was it a show of respect for the best hitter in the minor leagues or just playing the percentages?
Doesn’t matter. The Royals pulled out yet another close victory. Sunday was Hosmer’s next chance to show off his ability to swing the lumber.
With his team behind 3-0 in the sixth, Hosmer belted a double off the right-center wall that scored his team’s first run. He was hoping to will his first Major League extra-base hit into a homer.
“I thought it had a chance,” he said, “but the wind was blowing pretty hard right to left and I’m just glad it fell down, and we got the run in and started to make a little comeback there.”
Who might be the next Storm Chaser to get a chance to show his stuff with the Royals? Good question.
Clearly, the Storm Chasers have the tools to make some noise in the Pacific Coast League. Heading into this week, they held a four-game lead over rival Iowa in the American North Division.
You might want to check them out the next time they’re at Werner Park.