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After ending a 30-year World Series championship drought in 2015, the Royals looked like a shell of that team in 2016. Between injuries, listless play and an improved division, they never seriously pushed for a division title or wild-card berth. They weren’t exactly bad either. They were royally just, as their 81-81 record would indicate.
Like we’ll do with every eliminated team in our Game Over series, we’re about to examine what went wrong for the Royals, what went right, what’s the best 2016 memory, what they need to fix and what the future might hold.
WHAT WENT WRONG
The Royals lacked balance on offense, finishing fifth in the AL in batting average (.261) but only 13th in runs (675) and dead last in home runs (147). Their collective .712 OPS was 26th in MLB, highlighting an offense that simply couldn’t consistently produce scoring opportunities. It was a far cry from last season, when Kansas City finished top ten in runs and .OPS in MLB. It didn’t help that core members of their lineup, including Alex Gordon, Salavdor Perez and Eric Hosmer, all went through extended rough patches. Mike Moustakas was also limited to 27 games because of a torn ACL. As for the starting rotation, it wasn’t good. Aside from Danny Duffy and Ian Kennedy, there was little consistency, which led to dismal numbers across the board. (Mark Townsend)
WHAT WENT RIGHT
TOP OF THE FLAGPOLE (aka THEIR BEST MOMENT)
Defending a World Series title is tough, especially considering the injuries the Royals dealt with this season. But you can’t knock their effort, as evidence by their gutty August. Kansas City really kicked into high gear in a 5-4 win over the Twins on*Aug. 19*when Eric Hosmer delivered a walk-off single in the 11th to lift the Royals to their sixth straight win, part of a 20-9 month, as they fought to keep their slim wild-card hopes alive. Kansas City’s great August, with*help from the Rally Mantis, wasn’t enough to do that and they won’t repeat as champs, but they sure grinded it out until the end. (Israel Fehr)
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CHANGES THEY NEED TO MAKE
General manager Dayton Moore has some honest evaluating to do. Though his team still has a solid core, he must figure out if the championship window is still open following their letdown this season. If he decides his core can still win, he must find a way to stabilize an inconsistent starting rotation and an offense that ranks bottom ten in runs despite an increase in home runs hit. If it’s getting too close to closing, he’ll have to figure out which of his many assets make the most sense to move. Needless to say, it’s an important winter for Moore. (Mark Townsend)
WARP INTO THE FUTURE
Outfielder Hunter Dozier got a brief taste of the majors in 2016, but should be in for a larger role next season. After two years of stagnant performance at Double-A, Dozier’s bat came alive again, leading to an appearance in the Futures Game. He should be joined by outfielder Jorge Bonifacio, who slugged 19 home runs in Triple-A.
On the pitching side, Matt Strahm looked like the Royals newest bullpen ace at the end of the year. He was a starter*in the minors, but the Royals might keep him in the pen after he posted a 1.31 ERA with an excellent 34.9 percent strikeout rate. (Chris Cwik)
PREVIOUSLY IN THIS SERIES: Minnesota Twins, Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays,*Los Angeles Angels, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!