Kansas City Royals cornering market on fast outfielders that cannot hit

The Kansas City Royals outfield will be fast next season. But will any of them be able to hit?

When the Kansas City Royals overcame years of misery to return to contention, and ultimate win the 2015 World Series, they had a specific formula. The roster was built on speed, defense, and an impressive ability to just wear teams out by putting the ball into play. The starting rotation had to be decent, while the Royals bullpen would make certain that virtually any lead after five innings was safe.

On the offensive side, the Royals appear to be reverting back to that philosophy, at least to a degree. In signing Billy Hamilton to a one year deal, they improved the team speed and defense. On Tuesday, the Royals also signed noted speedster Terrance Gore to a major league contract, adding another speedster to the roster.

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Let’s see how the Royals outfield stacks up to the team from that impressive run in 2014 and 2015. Speed? Check. Defense? Check. The ability to hit? Well, as Meatloaf once sang, two out of three ain’t bad.

It is no longer fair to refer to Gore as a hitless wonder. With his improbable base hit against Max Scherzer of all pitchers, Gore has one hit in his 19 plate appearances. Of course, those plate appearances have come across 63 major league games, with Gore never seeing more than five appearances in a season. With his speed, he has a very specific function – one that is useful in September and October.

Yes, Gore can be a weapon, as he has stolen 27 bases and scored 19 runs as a player who is essentially the modern day Don Hopkins. However, Gore has also been anemic enough with the bat that he makes Hamilton look like the second coming of Rickey Henderson.

It is hard to imagine that getting more plate appearances in the majors would suddenly make Gore a viable offensive option. His career minor league batting line of .239/.333/.271 is not the type of production that would lead to getting much of a chance. However, Gore can draw a walk and get hit by a pitch – something he has combined to do three times in the majors – allowing him to get on base. And, his .333 on base percentage in the minors is not that far from Hamilton’s .351 on base percentage in the minors, for whatever that is worth.

Nonetheless, Gore seems to be a luxury item that the Royals have no need for. While his contract is split in regards to a major league or minor league deal, he is out of options and would need to clear waivers to be sent to AAA. Of course, given his production over the years, that may not be a difficult task. Maybe the Royals are hoping that some team will be desperate for a speedster come August, and they can once again send Gore elsewhere for the ever popular Cash Considerations, or, if he surprises everyone in the baseball world and gets his second career major league hit, another player.

The Kansas City Royals are bringing back Terrance Gore for some reason. At least the Royals track team will be the best in the majors.