Kansas City Royals: Mike Moustakas Talks World Series, Royals Baseball
By Josh Sippie
Kansas City Royals’ World Series winning third baseman Mike Moustakas took some time to discuss Bourbon Steak, the road to the World Series glory and what makes his team so special.
The Kansas City Royals used to be the farm club of the MLB. Every talented player that emerged from their coffers was sent off for a handful of prospects. Those prospects would then turn into talented players and they were shipped off for another handful of prospects. It was the circle of the small budget baseball team.
However, that same small budget baseball team successfully returned to the World Series after losing it the previous year by 90 feet. As if returning was not impressive enough, they won it.
Mike Moustaks is one of those key guys that forms the heart and soul of this Kansas City Royals team and he is very outspoken about what makes this Royals club so special. While this small market mantra has been a thorn in the Kansas City Royals’ side for years, the Moose acknowledged that it has now become a boon:
“We all came up through the minors together. We’ve gone through struggles and triumphs together,” he said.
But that does not mean that the Royals are immune to the comings and goings of baseball. It is still a business and while being a small market team can have its benefits, it has the same drawbacks as always. Two seasons ago they lost Billy Butler and this season they came dangerously close to losing Alex Gordon.
“It always hurts to lose guys like Billy but you have to try to move quickly and recover. Kendrys Morales did an excellent job. He helped push us over the edge,” Moustakas noted. His sentiments were multiplied when pressed about the prospect of losing Alex Gordon. “You can’t replace someone like Alex Gordon. He is the Captain of this team.”
Luckily for the Kansas City Royals, there will be no loss of Alex Gordon.
Along with all of the small market, homegrown labels, the Kansas City Royals also grew into their ever-growing ‘bad boys’ label as well. When asked if there was a sense of ‘we’re better than you’ attitude in the clubhouse, the Moose remarked:
“Funny you should say that. We felt like no one gave us the credit we deserved. So we always went into games with a chip on our shoulder ready to prove that we deserved where we were at. We didn’t think that people felt we deserved it. It’s interesting to hear it that way.”
The Kansas City Royals were also synonymous with brawls throughout the year, yet Moustakas was less than convinced that it was a byproduct of their new-found mentality.
“It is moreso coincidence. We had a lot of negative publicity from the brawls. We just wanted to go out and win the game. But we were not going to back down if something happened.”
Not backing down on the field became the calling card of the Kansas City Royals, as they took their run all the way to World Series glory, beating so many up-and-coming teams in the process. Moustakas admitted that “no one was easy. The Astros were hungry, the Blue Jays added a lot to become a powerhouse and the Mets pitching staff is fantastic.”
The series against the Astros was one of the most entertaining series in recent memory. Numerous times the Astros seemed to have the series in the bag but the Kansas City Royals dug in and made a habit out of dismantling late leads.
“We never felt like we were down and out. We always found a way to win. We were not concerned with the score and we just believed in each other to get the job done,” he said. He went on to praise what the Astros are doing in Houston: “The Astros had a lot to prove. No one expected them to be where they were. They reminded me a lot of us last year.”
No doubt the fans in Kansas City have a lot to cheer about. It is no surprise that even the players are taking notice of how the fans of the Royals have seemed to crawl out of every nook and cranny in the greater Midwest.
The Kansas City Royal’s attendance has risen 12,000 fans between 2011, when Moustakas arrived and 2015, when they won the World Series. The Moose was keen to point out just how highly the club thought of the fan base.
“You definitely notice. Now you go to a game and it is jampacked. We play for each other just as much as we play for the people of Kansas City. We feel we have a connection with the public.”
With a busy off season in the works and Spring Training just two months away, moves are still ever in the works. With that theme in mind, the Moose wasted no time picking the one man in the world of baseball that he would choose to join the Kansas City Royals. “Mike Trout. We have a great center fielder already but we’d find somewhere to put him.”
Hard to imagine an outfield being patrolled by Lorenzo Cain, Alex Gordon and Mike Trout. Not many dogs would be hunting.
With Mike Trout the choice of player, the questioning turned to his choice of meals from Stouffer’s Fit Kitchen. Again, there was very little hesitation. Bourbon Steak is apparently the Mike Trout of the microwaveable meal world.
The Kansas City Royals are keeping their core of talent together and it looks like it will be another hearty, healthy season for Midwestern baseball.