Season is Over

Not long ago I blogged on the anemic Kansas City Royals and how they will never win with David Glass (Walmart CEO) as the owner. It did not take much talent to see this future vision accurately. The Kansas City Royals are the worst franchise in Major League baseball. The ownership has squandered the rabid fan base it enjoyed since entering the American League in the early 70's and continued into the dismal 90's and 2000's. There really isn't a single aspect of the baseball operations that is working.

Why? Money! David Glass runs the franchise like he runs Walmart. He squeezes the supplier side (the talent, farm system, etc.) so that he can show a profit. Running a baseball team like a business has not worked for years. Ever since the NY Yankees changed the sport by overpaying for talent and developed the "win at any cost" strategy, baseball stopped being a business. It is a hobby for rich owners. If the cost is too great for the current ownership, they need to sell to a billionaire looking for a hobby.

So we find ourselves 32 games into the season with a record of 11 wins and 21 losses. We are 10 games out of first place and its not even June. Only Houston and Baltimore have worse records. This season is starting to look very familiar. It looks curiously like the past 10 or so.

There is not much hope the Royals can turn it around. Hitting has been anemic. The opponents has scored 42 runs more than their own offense. They stand 22nd in hitting out of the 30 Major League teams. But it gets worse. They are 27 out of 30 in pitching. The bullpen has been repeatedly rocked. The closer has been inconsistent at best.

Trivia question: What Cy Young award winner hasn't won a single game since winning the award for best pitcher? That would be the Royals lone star, Zach Grienke. Zach is 10th in overall ERA, but has a record of 0-4.

Expect this performance to continue. There is nothing the manager or general manager can do to turn this season around. The only notable aspect of the 2010 season is the players seem to be packing it in early - resigned to their 90-100 loss fate. This is very early to give up, but if correct, the 2010 season may be the worst season in KC Royals history. Thank you Mr. Glass.