Kansas City Royals: Ned Yost and mediocre middle infielders

Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost loves himself some mediocre middle infielders. Chris Owings is just the latest of the bunch.

Ned Yost has created an interesting legacy during his time with the Kansas City Royals. He has brought the team to consecutive World Series appearances in 2014 and 2015, winning the latter. Yost has been the longest tenured manager in Royals history, and will likely find himself in the Royals Hall of Fame once his time on the bench is over.

Yet, for all of that success, there have been plenty of criticisms of Yost. Those teams are considered to have won in spite of his presence, particularly since the bullpen was so dominant. Yost has also been criticized for his loyalty to certain players, keeping them in the lineup when there is simply no reason to.

That latter critique is seemingly valid, especially given his fondness for mediocre middle infielders. Every year, the Royals have one player who is in the lineup daily, yet provides virtually nothing other than girt. Chris Owings is the latest of that line, a player that contributes nothing on offense, yet finds himself in the lineup every day. However, he is not the first, and likely will not be the last, at least as long as Yost remains on the bench.

Let us go back through Ned Yost’s time with the Kansas City Royals, and look back at those mediocre middle infielders who played far more than they deserved.

Yuniesky Betancourt

Although Ned Yost did not take over as the Kansas City Royals manager until part way through the 2010 season, Yuniesky Betancourt is still a part of his legacy.

Betancourt had been acquired for two pitching prospects back in 2009, but did not have a regular spot in the lineup until the following year. He could hit for some power, but was also seemingly allergic to taking a walk and was atrocious defensively. Nonetheless, in 2010, he appeared in 151 games, hitting 16 homers, but providing a mediocre .259/.288/.405 batting line. Defensively, he cost the Royals three runs, and committed 18 errors.

Sent away as part of the Zack Greinke trade, it was hoped that Royals fans had seen the last of Betancourt. However, after a year in Milwaukee, he was back, signed as a free agent to play second base. Splitting time with Chris Getz (he’s next), Betancourt appeared in 57 games, producing a .228/.256/.400 batting line before being released.

Even though Betancourt made his last major league appearance in 2013 when he returned to the Brewers, he remains active. Since then, Betancourt has played in Japan and Mexico, the latter of which is where he has spent most of his post MLB career.

Yuniesky Betancourt was just the start. His teammate in 2012 continued the pattern.

Alcides Escobar

Unlike the other names on this list, Alcides Escobar is beloved by Kansas City Royals fans.

Escobar was a good luck charm for the Royals in 2015. He became the team’s leadoff hitter, and had a habit of swiging at the first pitch of the game. Almost every time that happened, the Royals won, leading Ned Yost to keep him in that spot. When Escobar led off the 2015 World Series with an inside the park homer on the first pitch, his place in Royals history was secured.

However, that run through the postseason obscures the fact that Escobar simply was mediocre at best with the bat. During his time with the Royals, he produced a .259/.292/.344 batting line, hitting 207 doubles and stealing 160 bases. That speed would have been excellent if Escobar knew how to take a walk, but he only drew a free pass 191 times in 5012 plate appearances.

Despite his excellent defensive reputation, Escobar is considered to have actually hurt the Royals in the field as well. He cost the Royals 30 runs at short over his tenure, yet he was out on the diamond virtually every day. In his eight seasons, Escobar played no fewer than 140 games, even seeing time at short when Adalberto Mondesi was brought up last season.

Alcides Escobar will always be appreciated for what he meant during the Royals World Series run in 2015. However, that cannot disguise the fact that he was in the lineup far too often.

Chris Owings

This brings us to today. Amazingly, the Kansas City Royals allowed Alcides Escobar to leave as a free agent. Then, they signed his replacement in Chris Owings.

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At times, Owings has been a useful utility player, capable of playing virtually anywhere while providing plenty of speed. He also has a bit of pop, leading the National League with 11 triples in 2016 during his time with the Diamondbacks. In theory, he could be a valuable piece on a winning team, or a trade chip for the Royals.

Except, Owings simply is not providing anything on offense for Kansas City. Heading into Saturday’s game against the Indians, Owings had produced a .170/.204/.277 batting line, striking out 18 times in 49 plate appearances. He has taken over that mantle as the player that draws the ire of Royals fans everywhere.

Even with that lack of production, Owings is in the lineup nearly every day. He has appeared in 13 of the Royals 14 games, spending time at second, center, and third. In a year that should be dedicated to finding pieces for the future, the insistence that Owings is in the lineup is frustrating.

Yet, it should not be a surprise. Chris Owings is, after all, a mediocre middle infielder when it comes to the bat. He fits the preferred profile for Ned Yost to a T.