Kansas City Royals: So you’re telling me there’s a chance?
By David Hill
The Kansas City Royals may have the fourth worst record in baseball, but amazingly, they may still have a chance at the postseason.
Remember back when Jim Carrey was actually an entertaining actor, back when he was making films like Dumb and Dumber? In that movie, as his character Lloyd asks Mary Swanson what the chances are of his getting together with her, he is told that his odds are one in a million. After mulling those words over for a couple of seconds, Carrey uttered the infamous line of “So you’re telling me there’s a chance?”
Right now, the Kansas City Royals are Lloyd Christmas talking to Mary. Heading into Wednesday, they have a 12-23 record, the fourth worst in the majors this season. However, they find themselves with the fortunate draw of playing in the AL Central, a division that has defined mediocre this year. The White Sox are one of the teams worse than the Royals. The Indians are the only team in the division that does not have a losing record, and they are right at .500. The Central has been an abject disaster in the early going.
It is that startling mediocrity that gives the Royals the same type of chance that Lloyd had in that movie. Even with their horrific start to the season, and their inability to defeat the third worst team in baseball in the White Sox, the Royals are just 5.5 games out of first. It is enough to make one hopeful, dreaming on those improbable odds.
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There are even reasons for such hope. Alex Gordon has, amazingly, returned to the Alex Gordon of old, playing Gold Glove defense and being useful at the plate. Jorge Soler has been an on base machine, ranking second in the American League while giving the Royals hope that they could win the Wade Davis trade. Jakob Junis has looked like a top of the rotation starter, and Ian Kennedy has bounced back with an excellent start to the year.
Likewise, the fixes for the Royals are obvious. Brandon Maurer has already been banished to Omaha, and Blaine Boyer may follow him shortly. Danny Duffy should return to form soon enough. If Whit Merrifield can continue to hit, and the Royals find some viable options for the bullpen, they could climb up the division. And maybe, just maybe, they could find themselves in contention.
Of course, this is the dream scenario. The exact opposite could, and may well be far more likely to happen. Gordon, at any moment, could fall apart. Salvador Perez could decide to carry his luggage up some stairs. The Regression Gods could attack Junis and Kennedy in full force. Good teams do not usually go through 13-24 stretches. And yet…
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And yet, the Kansas City Royals have that chance. Just like Lloyd Christmas, they can dream, no matter how improbable it may be.