Reality Bites: Royals Streak Lost Among Pennant Races.

The lost stories of starting pitching, Joakim Soria, Ryan Shealy, and Mike Aviles during the Royals’ last ditch effort to salvage the season.

The national media doesn’t care. Why should they? The Royals have shown no sign of improvement - at least not until lately- but very quietly the Royals have won 8 of their last 9 games moving past the Orioles, Pirates, Giants, and Braves. And passing their 2007 win total with their win Saturday night, they are on the heels of the Tigers (do tigers have heels?) possibly climbing out of the AL Central cellar for the first time in five years.

Starting Pitching

During their last nine games, the Royals have started six different pitchers including Brandon Duckworth and Robinson Tejeda. The starters have gone 7-1 with a 3.16 era, including a six run inning given up by Brian Bannister to the White Sox Friday night in the only loss in the streak.  This era is a run in a half better than their season era of 4.62, and the win improvement is very reflective of a their poor run production. They’re 54-27  when scoring more than three runs.

The starters have begun to pay heed to the philosophy of Pitching Coach Bob McClure- work fast and throw strikes. Without any complete games during the streak, the starters have averaged 6.3 innings per start and have struck out 37 while only walking 14.

Kyle Davies has been particularly impressive in his two starts logging 15 innings, striking out 11, walking only one, and giving up two runs on seven hits. His win Saturday against the White Sox, was especially sweet for the Royals management, since the player they traded to the Braves for him, Octavio Dotel, now pitches for Chicago. Dotel pitched only 7.7 innings for Atlanta last season after the trade.

Joakim Soria

The Mexicutioner has reanimated the flatlining fanbase of the fountain city. There have been two seperate Soria t-shirt giveaways, and a contest to give him his nickname.  Soria, a braces wearing, skinny, 24 year-old Rule V pick a season ago, has 58 saves in his season and a half as a closer, placing him behind only Dan Quisenberry and Jeff Montgomery on the all-time Royals list.  His 41 saves are 2nd most in the AL, and just four shy of the franchise record 45 (Quiz `83, Monty `93).  Quiz and Monty played on much better teams in those years, which makes Soria’s 41 saves out of 70 wins that much more impressive. This is one of the best save to win ratios in MLB history.

In the year of the closer in the AL, where Francisco Rodriguez sets the single season save record, Soria has been overlooked. He was the first legitimate Royals All-Star in years, and could be considered the team’s MVP as a closer. The Royals are 59-1 when leading after eight innings showing just how valuable he has been. Soria’s numbers look very good up next to Rodriguez’.

* win shares from The Hardball Times 9/7/09

Ryan Shealy

Shealy is 6.5 240 lb, 29 year-old first baseman, called up on September 2 when the team went to the 40 man roster. Since being called up, he has hit six homeruns in 49 at bats leading the AL in the month of September. He has hit .306 with a .333 OBP, and a .673 SLG.

Shealy’s story is not new to Kansas City fans. He was acquired at the trade deadline in 2006 from Colorado for pitchers Jeremy Affeldt and Denny Bautista. He proceeded to hit .280/.338/.451 in 51 games with seven homers and 36 RBI. But in 2007, when Shealy started the season as the everyday first baseman, he played only 52 games before being sent down to AAA Omaha hitting .221/.286/.308 with three homers and 21 RBI in 172 at bats perpetuating the long time knock by scouts that his bat was slow, and he couldn’t reach slow stuff away.

Shealy’s future with the franchise seems unknown, especially when two of the teams top propects are first baseman- Billy Butler, and Kila Ka’aihue. Shealy, a very slow runner and an average first baseman may not fit in to General Manager Dayton Moore’s long term plan of pitching, speed and defense.

Mike Aviles

Aviles is not a new story. He has played well ever since being called up May 29. He has not gone completely unrecognized (see Craig Brown’s article on The Hardball Times August 22 http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/meet-mike-aviles/). His story is not unsimilar to Shealy’s. At age 27, he’s pretty old to be a rookie, and has had similar knocks on him as Shealy has. Scouts have long said that he will never be an everyday player, and that he sure isn’t a big league shortstop in the big plan. I have personally heard his former AA manager Frank White, say things on the air along these lines. They thought he could be a Nick Punto/Miguel Cairo type of utility player if he even made the big leagues.

He has suprised them all with his bat. Looking at times like a young Craig Biggio spraying doubles to all fields and hustling face first into second. It’s funny that he won’t get very many rookie of the year votes for various reasons from he plays in Kansas City to he didn’t play a full year. But, a few years ago the Royals had a rookie of the year shortstop who never produced for them again, and is now a bandaid for the Playoff bound Dodgers. Comparing Aviles `08 season to Angel Berroa’s `03 season, and keeping into consideration they are both below average shortstops, you can see that in a less crowded rookie class Aviles might be more of a candidate:

Much talk has been made around the Royals about signing a leadoff hitter/shortstop in the off season and moving Aviles back to second base. Moore has an Atlanta connection with Rafael Furcal, who would fit that bill, so the search for a long term solution at shortstop in Kansas City could continue. It has been 29 years since Freddie Patek filed for free agency, and your Greg Gagnes, Jay Bells, UL Washingtons and Kurt Stillwells have filled in for a few seasons at a time, but that elusive franchise shortstop still seems out of reach.