Kansas City Royals Trade Deadline Overview
By David Hill
Over the past few years, Dayton Moore has sought to build the Kansas City Royals in the image of Kauffman Stadium. They have done exactly that, as the Royals have put together the best home record in baseball. However, at 13-25 away from Kansas City, the Royals have the third worst record in baseball on the road.
In a way, this makes sense. The Royals rely heavily on their speed and defense, two aspects which may not play well in the smaller ballparks around the American League. After all, just look at how they have played in Yankee Stadium over the past few years – smaller ballparks geared towards power hitting teams just are not their strength.
Statistically, these struggles are not a surprise. Heading into last night’s slate of action, the Royals ranked second with a .274 batting average and seventh with a .322 on base percentage. However, they have not been able to get those key hits, and the power has once again been lacking, as they rank last in runs and homers.
Those issues are exacerbated on the road. Away from Kauffman Stadium, the Royals are 21st in baseball with a .306 on base percentage and 24th with a .691 OPS. With that being the case, they are unsurprisingly next to last in runs scored on the road, leading only the woeful Atlanta Braves.
While this formula has worked in the past, Moore may have taken that strategy to an extreme this year. However, that split between the Royals success at home and on the road is not just due to their offensive woes away from Kansas City.
Next: A struggling pitching staff