Kansas City Royals Dynasty Hopes Have a Setback
By David Hill
What went wrong in 2016?
Where to begin? The Kansas City Royals found themselves hammered by the injury bug, just a season after remaining relatively healthy. Mike Moustakas, who appeared set to build off of his excellent 2015 campaign, lasted 27 games before tearing a ligament in his knee during a collision with Alex Gordon. Gordon, meanwhile, missed a month of action due to injures that he suffered as well.
Speaking of Gordon, his 2016 campaign was one to forget. Signed to a four year contract this offseason, the Royals took the first step to locking up one of their all time best players to make certain that he remained Forever Royal. That contract looked to be a mistake in the first season, as he struggled with injuries en route to a career worst .220/.312/.380 batting line. Even his defense suffered, as Gordon was essentially league average in left.
those injuries extended to the pitching staff. Wade Davis made only five appearances from the end of June through the beginning of September. Chris Young and Kris Medlen, who were expected to fill out the rotation, were both injured, and were generally awful when they were able to make it to the mound. At least Jason Vargas was able to come back at the end of the season, providing three solid outings.
And let us not forget Joakim Soria. After being one of the few bright spots on the Royals at the end of the 2000’s and the beginning of the 2010’s, he returned to be Davis’ setup man. Instead, he imploded, with seven blown saves and eight losses. Quite a few Royals fans pin their inability to make the postseason on his struggles, which may be an accurate statement.
The Kansas City Royals will have quite a few decisions to make heading into the 2017 season.