Talking Kansas City Royals with Kings of Kauffman

The Cleveland Indians hold a slim lead over the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central, so we talked with Kings of Kauffman to learn more about the Royals.

While the Cleveland Indians have fans excited after winning six straight games, the lead in the American League Central remains at 1. 5 games as the Kansas City Royals have won eight straight.

The team that appeared to be headed toward a rebuild is now looking to make it back to the World Series for the third time in four years, with the Indians looking to stand in the way of that quest.

To learn more about this Royals team, we chatted with Eric Boston, who is the site expert over at Kings of Kauffman.

BB: With a lot of talent on the Royals about to hit free agency, are you fine with this team going all in for one final title chase?

Eric: If I was just listening to my head I would say the long-term picture needs to be a factor. I went most of my life without seeing the Royals be a good team and do not wish to go through that again any time soon. So moving some of those core up-coming free agents to help the team be competitive long-term is a logical move.

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That being said my heart says to go for it. Not everyone will be back next season so sending them out in style would be an appropriate “thank you” for turning the franchise around. Of course championships can make you overlook some things for a season, but the question is if they were to win it all could they retool quick enough before the euphoria wore off?

BB: Do you believe the Royals can win the AL Central over the Indians? If so, why?

Eric: Yes definitely. I do not think it will be easy, but being 1.5 games out on July 27 is a good place to be. I thought the Indians would run away with the division this year and one thing the Royals have proven is that if you give them a small glimmer of hope they can hurt you. I do expect you guys to make it very tough though. Its going to be a very interesting stretch run.

BB: Who are some under-the-radar players contributing to the Royals’ success in 2017?

Eric: The biggest one has to be Whit Merrifield. The guy can play all over the diamond and do so at a high level. The most pleasant surprise for Whit has been his offense. He is slashing .294/.336/.489 with 11 home runs.

Those are pretty good numbers for a primarily second baseman. Second has been a trouble spot for the Royals for quite a while and Whit appears to be bringing some stability.

The other person I would say is Mike Minor. He is revitalizing his career this season out of the KC bullpen. In 48 innings pitched he has a 2.23 ERA and a WHIP of 0.972. For a bullpen that has been one of the best in baseball the last few years it took a bit of a blow this season.

Minor has provided a reliable option to go to as well as lefty hurler to put with Soria and Herrera in the backend. They are not the dominant group they were the past handful of seasons, but they are better than people realize.

BB: Is going all in this year going to hurt the team in the future? And does it matter to you if that is the case, or do you just want another title?

Eric: I think there is no doubt. Kansas City does not have the deep system they once had. However, there have been some prospects like Richard Lovelady, Ryan O’Hearn and several much younger guys who have really raised their stock this season.

Still with prospects you just never know so the more you have the higher your chances on enough of them hitting. Going all-in is a bold move by Dayton Moore considering the return he could get for many of the core guys.

If you had asked me two weeks ago I would have told you that we should sell and think about the future. It’s amazing what a seven game winning streak will do to that kind of thinking though. If the next few seasons are going to be a transitional period then another championship flag at The K would certainly help to weather the storm.

BB: Your prediction for the final AL Central standings.

Eric: I think it really is a two-horse race with our two clubs. The Twins made a good effort, but are just not there. I’ll go with:
1. Royals
2. Indians
3. Twins
4. Tigers
5. White Sox

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Of course I have to go with my team, but its going to be quite a battle the last two months of the season.