If you were one of the baseball fans clamoring to see new teams in the American League Championship Series then you got your wish. Your Baltimore Orioles will be facing off against the Kansas City Royals.
Head on over to the BSL forums to discuss the Royals Hitters and the ALCS.
This marks the first time since 1997 that the Orioles played in an ALCS game and the first time since 1985 that the Royals did. Both teams, and their fan base, have been looking forward to a championship series for a very long time.
The Kansas City Royals got here largely thanks to pitching, defense, and speed. Their bats, well, let the numbers tell that story.
The 2014 Royals Hitters as a Team
The Royals ranked dead last in the major leagues in home runs with a mere 95 and their ISO was also dead last at a paltry .113, nearly the same career mark as Marco Scutaro. Not exactly the model of power you want to emulate.
Not only do the Royals not hit for any power, but they do not take walks either. They own a league-worst 6.3% walk rate but they do make a lot of contact, owning the majors best strikeout rate and the second best swinging-strike rate, helping lead the fourth best batting average in the majors at .263.
The Royals also lead the league in stolen bases with 153, 15 more than the second place Dodgers. But that won’t scare the Orioles who have Caleb Joseph behind the plate throwing out 40.4% of base runners.
The 2014 Royals hitters actually held their own against left-handed pitching, posting a 100 wRC+ (exactly league-average) while they struggled against right-handed pitching with a 92 wRC+.
Enough about the Royals hitters as a whole, let’s take a look at them individually.
The Royals Hitters vs. LHP Career
It is well-known that Danny Valencia is a destroyer of left-handed pitching (just ask David Price) and Salvador Perez shows great numbers here but the surprise is Nori Aoki with a major reverse-split.
Mike Moustakas and Jarrod Dyson have no business facing southpaws. None.
The Royals Hitters vs RHP Career
And now you can see why Danny Valencia never remained as an everyday player. Eric Hosmer is much improved, as is Mike Moustakas, but no one really stands out as a stud hitter versus right-handed pitching.
Royals Hitters at Camden Yards Career
Just like with the Tigers hitters, many of the Royals hitters have better numbers in Camden Yards, albeit in a small sample size. Heck, even Mike Moustakas sees in increase in his slugging percentage. The only hitters who really do not perform here are Eric Hosmer, Alcides Escobar, and Lorenzo Cain.
Billy Butler, Salvador Perez, Alex Gordon, Danny Valencia, and, get this , Omar Infante, all have slugging percentages over .500 in Camden Yards.
The Royals are kind of a mess with the bat. They swing at everything, have no power, and rely on too many platoons and stolen bases. On paper, this looks like it should be an easy match up for the Baltimore Orioles pitchers not-to-mention Buck Showalter who is a far better tactical manager than Ned Yost will ever be. But, as we all know, you can’t predict baseball and anything can happen in a seven game series.
Jonathan C. Mitchell is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Florida Post and has had articles featured on ESPN and FanGraphs, among others. He is a former contributor to DRaysBay and Marlins Daily (formerly part of ESPN’s SweetSpot Network) and currently resides in Tampa with his beautiful wife and daughter. In his spare time you are likely to catch him at a local coffee roaster talking about sports, espresso, or single-origin coffees.