Billy Butler's Emerging, Right?

I was looking at Billy Butler's Baseball Reference page and noticed that his number of at-bats this season, at age 23, are nearly identical to his total at-bats during his rookie campaign. Despite Billy's apparent emergence, the numbers are eerily, eerily similar.

------ -AB-runs-hits-2B--HR-RBI-BB--SO--BA----OBP--SLG---TB
2007:-329--38--96--23---8---52--27--55-.292-/.347/-.447-147

2009:-333--38--98--28---8---38--27--59-.294-/.346/-.450-150

Which stat stands out? RBI. Despite greater or equal production in nearly every offensive category, Butler has registered 14 less RBI in 2009 than in 2007. Why? I dug a little deeper.

Plate appearances with:-Bases empty-RISP-Bases loaded

Evan Longoria: -------------184 ------136 ------10

Jason Bay: -----------------187-------118-------15

Billy Butler:-----------------216-------88--------6

Billy Butler has come to the plate 32 more times with the bases empty than Evan Longoria. That’s roughly equivalent to 8 full games of hitting with no one on base. Butler has also batted with Runners in Scoring Position (RISP) 48 fewer times than Longoria, or about 12 full games less. It’s also worth noting that in the biggest RBI opportunity, with the bases loaded, Butler has had 4 fewer opportunities than Longoria and a whopping 9 fewer than Jason Bay. Bay leads the American League with 72 RBI and Longoria is 3^rd with 70 RBI.

-Butler, for what it’s worth, is tied for 5^th in the AL with 28 doubles, two off leader Brian Roberts’ 30 and one more than Longoria’s 27.

-He’s hit 17 doubles that didn’t result in an RBI, and 16 doubles in which he didn’t eventually score a run.

-7 of his 8 home runs have come with the bases empty.

Analysis: Despite a lack of home runs, Billy Butler is doing everything he should to be about a 100 RBI producer. With nearly identical production as his great rookie season, Butler is 14 RBI behind his 92 game total from 2007. Ladies and gentleman, your revamped 2009 Kansas City Royals offense!

There is Absolutely No Way This Can Get Worse

And so here we are. It's dark. It's depressing. I wouldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel with the Hubble telescope. The Royals have lost five straight games, three by the score of 12-5 (think about that), heading into the mericful off-day tonight. Gil Meche was tattooed Sunday at Kaufman stadium, giving up 9 earned runs in less than 4 innings of work. It was the worst start of his career, the kind of start you'd have nightmares about. Meche will likely check under his bed, in the basement, and the closet for Albert Pujols before falling asleep for some time.

Pujols TKO'd Gil Sunday on a monstrous, now orbiting home run with the bases loaded. It wasn't much of a shock. After all, Pujols is Pujols, and the Royals are The Royals. Meche could have thrown a 117 mph slider on the outside corner and it likely would have ended up lodged into the video board. Pujols is now 4-4 with three home runs and 14 RBI's with the bases loaded this year. I don't even have the heart to mention that he played his formative years at Kansas City's own Fort Osage High School and Maple Woods Community College.

What else is there to say about this team? Position players Jose Guillen, Alex Gordon, Coco Crisp, John Buck, Mike Aviles, and Tony Pena Jr. have all spent a significant amount of time on the DL. Pitchers Doug Waechter, Robinson Tejeda, Joakim Soria, John Bale, and Sidney Ponson have done the same. The offense is anemic, the bullpen provides little to no relief, and the fielding has been abysmal. There's only one more question left to ask: can things possibly get any worse?

I don't think so. First off, players are beginning to get healthy. Soria looks to be back in action. John Buck appears close to making his comeback from back spasms. Alex Gordon is only a couple of weeks away from returning after three months off with a torn hip muscle. Mike Aviles is resuming baseball activities this week. Coco Crisp, well Coco is pretty well screwed. But the rest of the guys could be back by the end of the All-Star break, and that can't be discounted: the returns of these players likely means demotions for cotton-soft hitters Luis Hernandez, Tony Pena Jr., and/or Tug Hulett. That in itself should win us 30-40 more games in the second half.

Also, Zack Greinke still leads the league in ERA, shutouts, and complete games. Moreover, he will have the chance to hit for the first time this year tomorrow night in Houston, which means a productive bat in the lineup to replace DH(Designated Hacker)/fielding black hole Mike Jacobs.

The Royals do lead the majors with an astounding 26 triples, a stat that can seem impressive, but also one that magnifies the team's frustrating propensity for hitting warning track fly balls.

There are several other untracked statistics which the team is likely excelling as well. Ones that I feel that Royals are around the league lead in include: 1. inherited runners scored- the bullpen has an incredible knack for allowing inherited runners to score before tightening things down when their runners are in scoring position. If you don't believe me on this one, ask Kyle Davies, Zack Greinke, and Sidney Ponson. 2. line drive outs- Tug Hulett alone had three of these in Sunday's drubbing to the Cardinals. Chances are if the Royals really need a hit, they will crush a laser right at the right fielder. What I wouldn't give to see that stat. 3. taking first base on strikeouts- Nothing more needs to be said than Miguel Olivo. I've seen Olivo advance to first twice on atrocious off-speed pitches either in the dirt, way outside, or in the dirt and way outside. I'd imagine that most teams have that happen maybe twice a season, but not the Royals. No, we have the Mighty Miguel Olivo.

So, yeah, things may look irreversible. And spirits may seem unliftable. And Trey Hillman may appear to be absolutely clueless, many times over, during the exhaustive season. But MLB history says that things cannot get any worse, that the Royals cannot get blown out in any more consecutive games without becoming terrible in an entirely original, historical sense. I don't think this team is that bad. Through it all, we can take solace in the fact that no matter how deep, and no matter how long, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Even if you can't see it with the Hubble telescope.

Shaking Things Up is Not a Long-Term Solution

Kansas City sports fans are angry. The Sprint Center is vacant. The Chiefs have yet to make their much anticipated splash in the free agent or trade market. And the Royals, well, the Royals just won't stop losing. It's quite a plight.

As it is whenever rock-bottom approaches, the fans are screaming for change. And it doesn't seem like a wild notion. The Royals have lost 5 of 6 and 12 of 16. They've dropped below .500 for the first time since opening week. They look, by all accounts, lost at the plate, totalling four runs in their last four games combined. It seems as if serious change is in order. But I say not so fast.

The Royals have already made some relatively major roster moves in the past couple of days that should eventually provide a spark for the team. First, they sent Luke Hochevar down to Omaha, a move that allows the team to transition to a four-man rotation for the next couple of weeks.

While I didn't feel Luke should have been given up on so quickly, all indications show that is not exactly the case. In fact, the demotion had more to do with the bullpen's horrendous showing in the past couple of weeks. Roman Colon takes Hochevar's spot on the roster, and figures to help patch up a bullpen with serious issues (especially after losing Robinson Tejeda). John Bale also returns to provide a solid lefty arm to a bullpen that is currently sending out the carcass of Horacio Ramirez to fill that lefty vacancy every couple of days. Mike Aviles has been demoted to the DL, a move which is becoming increasingly popular for teams looking to hide struggling regulars. So, all together we have two healthy new bullpen arms and another utilityman, the intriguing Tug Hulett. That constitutes a major shake-up in my book.

The arrival of Bale is the major addition. He will swiftly boot Ramirez from his role as a lefty specialist (finally), allowing the Royals to dismiss the faithful HoRam from the team once and for all. I'm not going to mince words here: Horacio Ramirez will be cut as soon as John Bale proves himself to be a far better option, a feat that should not be difficult to accomplish when compared with Ramirez's brutal efforts.

Once Ramirez is gone and stud closer Joakim Soria is back, the Royals will be freed up to add Hochevar to the big league squad once again. At this point, order will be restored to the universe and the Royals can once again resume winning ball games at their early-season rate.

OK, well it may not be as easy as 1-2-3, or A-B-C for that matter, but the point is that the Royals do not necessarily need to look for help outside of their own organization. People in Kansas City are overreacting to what is commonplace in a 162 game baseball season: a stretch of bad baseball. The team is currently just a game under .500 and 4 games back of division leading Detroit. Relax. If they're this close after a prolonged streak of incessant losing, then a mild winning streak will likely put them right near the division lead. Fans need to remember that this team is not as bad as they look right now, I guarantee it. The offense will eventually start scoring more than one run per game and Coco Crisp and David DeJeseus will get their batting averages up past .250. Billy Butler and Jose Guillen will hit for more power, and Alex Gordon will infuse this lineup with energy when he returns at the end of next month. All these things will happen, as long as Dayton Moore and Trey Hillman keep the faith and don't panic.

It may be difficult to see right now (as the Royals are getting one-hit by Detroit starter Edwin Jackson through 5 innings), but this team will turn it around. I just hope there are still fans piling into the new ballpark by the time it happens.

A Look at my 2009 Official Royals Predictions

One month of baseball has already passed us by (where did all the days go?) and it is time to take a look at my Official Royals Predictions for 2009. These were made prior to the year and were admittedly seasoned with as much optimism as I could muster. Let's take a prediction-by-prediction look at exactly how badly my Royals blinders have been exposed so far.

Prediction No. 1: Alex Gordon or Billy Butler will be an (ahem) All-Star.

This was by far the most egregious example of my blatant homerism on this blog. What can I say?
Let's start with Alex Gordon, who went on the disabled list after two weeks and a 2 for 21 slump to begin the season. So my guess is that it's safe assume he won't be representing Major League Baseball in St. Louis this summer. While the early slump was troubling, it can be explained (somewhat) by the hip he initially injured on Opening Day. Being a gamer, Gordon attempted to play through the injury. It just didn't work out. The injury does nothing to take away from his enormous potential, but Gordon will be on the shelf until late June and can't be considered an All-star candidate (at least until 2010).
In Hindsight: Gordon will one day be a great player, but his injury makes this prediction a major failure.

Butler's case is at least slightly more compelling, if only for the recent signs of life his bat has shown. But all in all, things are not looking good. Butler began the season with on a 2 for 22 streak, not collecting his first home run until his two-dinger outburst Wednesday night against Toronto. The early slump mirrored the beginning of his 2008 season, and simultaneously shamed me (greatly) for guaranteeing that it would not happen again.

So it goes. The bright spot here is Butler's recent two-game "hot streak", which has raised his batting average from a deplorable .193 to a now reasonable .262. Still hopelessly searching for more bright spots, it's worth noting that Butler does sport a totally respectable .377 on base percentage. While he would certainly be a collossal underdog, considering he is not even on the ballot, at least he isn't out until July.
In Hindsight: This does not look good, But at least he is showing signs of life. If I'd written this post a week ago, I would literally have had nothing good to say.


Prediction No. 2: The Royals will have at least 3 representatives at this years All-Star game.

This whole prediction was essentially predicated on either Butler of Gordon catching fire in the season's first two months. Since that hasn't exactly happened (yet), things aren't looking especially rosy in that department.
But that doesn't mean that I've given up on the prediction. There are still some positives to glean from here. Zack Greinke does not even really need to be mentioned, as he is now a national media darling following his (literally) unhittable start to the season. Greinke is 5-0 with a 0.50 ERA, and leads the league in shutouts, complete games, ERA, strikeouts, and innings pitched. Besides that he's been rather pedestrian. The early season favorite for the American League Cy Young award, I'd say it's safe to say Greinke is an All-star lock.

So let's assume that Greinke will be the Royals "automatic selection". That doesn't mean that he will be the only Royal selected. Because all-star pitchers are selected by the managers, there is at least a decent shot that another pitcher will accompany Zack to St. Louis. Gil Meche has also started the season strong, although he has only one win to show for it due to some tough luck. The other candidate remains Joakim Soria, the outstanding young closer. I called Soria an all-star lock, and he would be exactly that if his recent bout of shoulder soreness dissipates quickly. Soria has still posted 5 saves and a 1.80 ERA despite the injury, so if it is as minor as Trey Hillman says, Soria could have a great chance at a second consecutive Summer Classic appearance.

Even with Soria and Greinke, the Royals will need at least one batter to make the squad. While Butler and Gordon were the two I pegged to grab that coveted third slot, a better candidate might be 3B-2B-RF-1B Mark Teahen. Teahen is batting .320 thus far with a .414 OBP, and if you don't understand those numbers, suffice it to say they are very good. When considering that said player has manned four different positions for the team thus far, his value rises even higher. Teahen has displayed excellent opposite-field power, taking all three of his home runs the other way. If we are finally seeing the late 2006 Teahen, he could be a sleeper all-star selection. Also going Teahen's way is the fact he's actually on the ballot, which is more than my man Billy Butler can say. I think he's got at least an outside shot.
In Hindsight: The non-factors Gordon and Butler hurt the prediction, but Greinke's emergence leaves the Royals with two pretty likely candidates (along with Soria). It is entirely feasible that Meche, Teahen, or someone else joins those two. Saying that, I'll need a few breaks to nail this prediction.

Prediction No. 3: The Royals will finish over .500 in 2009, with 83 wins.

Here we are at last, with a prediction that is not only possible, but (gulp) borderline likely. The Royals are currently 12-10, and stand atop the AL Central standings. Even the most critical of Royals fans are glowing with excitement now. With a strong 1-2-3 in the rotation, the Royals seem like a good bet to compete all season long. The Central has been lacking thus far, and Kansas City has a bit of momentum as they turn into the summer months. As well as they have played, things could easily be better for the division leaders. Without even considering the blown saves Kyle Farnsworth has graced us with, the Royals would be better off if any number of the following had happened in April: Alex Gordon had not been injured, Billy Butler had played to his expectations, Joakim Soria had avoided shoulder discomfort, Jose Guillen had not partially torn a muscle in his hip, Mike Aviles had bypassed the sophomore jinx, and (this week's sign of the apocalypse) Sidney Ponson had gotten some run support. So I think its safe to hope that things may actually improve for this squad. Now, if only Billy Butler can just erupt in May...
In Hindsight: I got a little help from Nostradamus with this one. It looks like the Royals could be even better than I thought, a missed prediction I could certainly live with.

Royals Season Underway (Technically)

Well its only spring training, but on the other hand, its SPRING TRAINING! Baseball is officially back, as the Royals hosted the Texas Rangers today in Surprise, Arizona. As for the results, they were a mixed bag. Being who I am, I'll start with the positives.

Billy Butler hit a home run in his first at bat, and ripped a single later in the game. He started at first and made a couple plays, a great sign early in camp. Newly acquired Mike Jacobs hit a three-run jack in the third inning, showing off the power that brought him here. Coco Crisp singled to lead off the game, Tony Pena Jr. actually took a walk, and light-hitting outfielder Mitch Maier hit a bomb in the ninth inning. I was more than happy to see them score 7 runs.

Unfortunately, the Rangers scored 12. Starting pitcher Horacio Ramirez, considered a likely candidate for the starting rotation, struck out the first batter he faced before getting shelled for 7 hits and 6 runs in 2/3 of an inning. To his credit, Ramirez was hindered by a heinous Mark Teahen error which rendered 3 of the runs unearned. This, the same Mark Teahen who was making his professional debut as a second basemen. It was the first of two errors on Teahen, who also hit into two double plays. Things did not go so well for Teahen.

Brandon Duckworth gave up back to back home runs, which he promptly redeemed himself for by surrending a mere triple to the next batter, Hank Blalock. The pitching staff gave up 20 hits. And Willie Bloomquist started in right field.

Besides that, I was just happy to have baseball back, however I could get it.

Royals Will Contend in '09

I come back this afternoon to deliver the last of my three Royals predictions for 2009. With this prediction, I pack a blog which gets down to the essence of why this year feels different for the Royals faithful.

Prediction #3: The Royals will win at least 83 games this year, climbing above .500 for the first times since 2003.


Hope is a wonderful thing. And there is no better for a Royals fan time to be hopeful than during the first fleeting weeks of Spring Training. These are the glory days, before injuries inevitably derail the perfect lineup, before the temperature hits triple digits, and before one can ever fully grasp the horrible repercussions of the position battle of the century.

But this year, spring training has a completely different vibe. There is a clearly established core of players that any major league club would gladly take off our hands. Meche, Greinke, Gordon, Aviles, Soria, DeJesus, Crisp, Guillen...even less heralded guys have a legitimate chance to make something of themselves this year. I'm looking at you, Butler, Jacobs, Davies, and Hochevar.

Those eight players (and potentially the latter four) are a better core group than any they've had in a decade. Billy Butler and Luke Hochevar are in real danger of beginning the season in the minor leagues. That is astounding to me. Two years ago, a prospect of Butler's potential would have been forced up to the big leagues out of necessity. Actually, two years ago, Butler was rushed up as a rosy-cheeked twenty one year old. I know hindsight is 20/20, but foresight isn't so blurry either. He simply was not ready mentally.

Luke Hochever is an interesting story as well. A former no. 1 overall pick, Hochevar was supposed to be proof that the Royals were done being doormats and were going to start making draft picks based on talent instead of salary demands. And it all seemed like peaches and cream. Hochevar signed a Major League contract, and began his career as the Royals Next Great Hope. It was all about hope back then.

At the end of 2007's 93 loss campaign, Hochevar made his first appearance in the big leagues. Brian Bannister and Ryan Braun had been shelled through six innings, and the Royals were down 11-2. A noticably juiced A-Rod had already slammed two home runs, and the Royals were just hoping to make it out of the game in one piece. While it was an underwhelming moment to make a big debut, Hochevar made the most of it, going three solid innings and allowing no runs.

So he began the next season in the rotation, and there was a lot of reason for hope. But it quickly faded away as Hochevar regressed, going 6-12 with a 5.51 ERA in an injury shortened season. Now, his rotation spot is in doubt, and he will be fighting for a spot along with Bannister, Horacio Ramirez, and Kyle Davies. And this, perhaps, is the best sign I've seen in the Royals development into a winning organization. Unlike in years past, Hochevar will have to earn his spot on the club, will have to beat out another qualified candidate for the job. And so I give a cheers to the new Royals spring training environment, where even a #1 overall pick has to work hard, perform to expectations, and hope.

Wild Royals Predictions: Phase 2

It's time for phase 2 of my offical 2009 Royals Predictions. Remember, that all predictions come packaged and delivered with a Paul Thompson 100% guarantee. Batteries sold seperately.

Prediction #2: The Royals will have three or more representatives at this years All-Star game.

I've already outlined the cases for Alex Gordon and Billy Butler in the first part of this series, and that was the hard part. Assuming that one of those two makes the cut, albeit a large leap of faith, I only need to two more Royals to make the squad to fulfill my prediction of three on the AL team. Those two will almost assuredly come from the following group:

Joakim Soria: Kansas City's 2008 all-star, Soria is the closest thing to a lock on the team. A bona fide star closer, Soria posted a 1.60 ERA last season with 66 strikeouts in 67 1/3 innings pitched. His 42 saves last year left him second in the American League behind record-setting former Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez. With Rodriguez now in a Mets uniform, Soria could easily step up and become the best closer in the league. Barring a serious injury, Soria will be at the game.

Zack Greinke: The recently inked 38 million dollar man has a lot to prove this season. First and foremost, he needs to prove that last year was no fluke. While widely considered one of the best young arms in the game, Greinke has really only had two productive seasons as a starter, one of which came in his rookie campaign as a 20 year old. Now 25, Greinke is blossoming into the pitcher we all knew he could be. He posted a 3.47 ERA last year and recorded 183 strikeouts. Another year in the same range should give Greinke the street cred he deserves. I see Greinke winning 15-17 games this year behind a much improved offense. Because his numbers are already superb, the few extra victories should be enough to catch the attention of the east and west coast media, even if it is only in speculating when the Royals will trade him to their teams.

Gil Meche: Now here is a guy who deserved to be an all-star in each of the past two seasons. He posted stellar ERA's in both years but was (seriously) hindered by his run support, finishing 97th(3.92 runs a game to back him up) and 79th(4.42) in the league in '07 and '08. It's refreshing to know he was still rewarded in 2007 but it can be argued his better year was 2008. While he had a bit higher ERA, he also struck out more batters and had more victories. I was also very impressed with his ability to bounce back from the worst month of his Royals career and have a stellar season. Meche was 1-4 with a 7.22 ERA last April yet was still able to turn in a great year. At this point it is clear that his signing was a home run, and he deserves to be treated like the staff leader that he is. If Greinke is not recognized this year, then Meche almost certainly will be.

I fell that I've discussed five players now that have legitimate chances at making the squad in this summer's all-star game. I haven't even mentioned newcomers Mike Jacobs and Coco Crisp, or last years breakout star Mike Aviles. A shortstop, Aviles has a real chance to make some noise if he continues to produce as he did last season.

So there are my candidates for all-star glory. Stay tuned for the last part of my Royals predictions, which could very well concern the teams overall record this season. Is there any doubt that I'm optimistic?

Wild Royals Predictions I'll be Sure to Regret

Groundhogs predict weather, the value of college football's finest players plummet and skyrocket without playing a down, and I make my annual Spring Training Royals Predictions. Ah, I love this time of year.

Every mid-Februrary, Spring Training rolls around and the part of my brain in charge of memory short circuits. Nothing the Kansas City Royals have done in the previous 365 days has any power to temper my excitement for the upcoming season. Their lousy play is ultimately replaced with the hope of another opportunity to make things right. I'm THAT guy. Alas, this unwavering optimism even led me to believe in the unforgettable "long names, veterans, and defense" era, featuring Mark Grudzielanek, Doug Mientkiewicz, and Tony Graffanino, respectively. To be fair, that team almost avoided losing 100 games. Please, I urge you to check that link. That team was so bad(Our All-Star that year, Mark Redman, posted a 5.71 ERA), I think you can make an argument for Buddy Bell as Manager of the Year.

Let that be a warning to everyone (me) about setting the bar a couple of notches high. But I also have to say, for traditions sake, that this year feels different.

So here is the first(of three) Offical 2009 Royals Predictions, to be released throughout this week. Naturally, these predictions come packaged with a Paul Thompson 100% guarantee:


Prediction #1: Alex Gordon or Billy Butler will be an All-Star.

This was too tough a decision for me to call, because I think both of these guys are capable of becoming All-Stars this year. But being so early in the year, and especially with Butler entrenched in the five-man DH/1B Battle Royale, I thought I would take the (relatively) safe pick and just predict that one of the two will make it.

Both players are coming off underrated second halves to last season after stumbling under enormous expectations. With Gordon, the path to star caliber is slightly clearer. He posted an on base percentage of .392 in the second half of last year, and slammed 13 doubles in only 41 games. Averaged out over a full 162 game slate, that would mean 52 doubles for Gordon. While that may be tough to reach, 40 two-baggers is definitely within his grasp. Keep in mind also that although Gordon is entering his third season in the majors, it is only his fourth professional season. That means he only played one year of minor league ball, virtually nothing in today's game. Gordon is also helped by the lack of other options at third base. Miguel Cabrera's switch to first base last season left a wide gap between de facto #1 and #2 AL third basemen, Alex Rodriguez and Evan Longoria. Gordon could be that third guy with a faster start in 2009.

Butler's case is a bit different. As mentioned above, he is not even guaranteed to start the season on the big league club. He still has options, which in a crowded position battle is a detriment. Especially when the people he's up against would have to be released outright if they don't make the cut. But the other guys he's up against aren't hitting prodigies like Billy Butler.

Butler has done nothing but demolish minor league pitching. He bats .336 with a .416 on base percentage in the minors, and has hit 73 home runs and 333 RBI's in his 395 games on the farm. But really, that in itself has been the problem with Butler. He can't stop getting demoted. Whether its attitude or performance, Butler has not been able to stay productive and in the Royals lineup. This winter, he has slimmed down considerably, and looks ready to devote himself fully to becoming the baseball player he's supposed to be. Look for him to mirror his second half (.305 BA, 9 HR's, 36 RBI's in 57 games) as opposed to his first (.249 BA 2 HR's, 19 RBI's in 67 games). He will not start off slow this year as he did in 2008. I guarantee it.

Give Glass Credit for Greinke Deal

It looks like Dayton Moore and Dan Glass decided their offseason was not quite done yet. Recently, The Royals announced that budding star Zack Greinke has been signed to a four year contract extension, for a reported 38 million dollars. In signing Greinke, the Royals have bought out two of his free agency years, a feat few expected as Greinke trade rumors swirled throughout the offseason.

It is almost impossible to explain how important this signing is for the Royals organization. Only months from the signing of stud closer Joakim Soria to a three year (with three option years) contract extension, the Greinke deal represents a new era of management for the organization. There was a time when extensions for hot Royals prospects were as likely as a meteor shower raining down on the K.

Consider the cases of Kevin Appier, Carlos Beltran, Jermaine Dye, Johnny Damon, and Raul Ibanez. All were players whose great productivity all but ensured a one-way ticket out of town. During much of that time, there was no owner to give final say-so on a large, guaranteed contract. Thus large, guaranteed contracts were non-existent, their void filled with large, depressing, hope crushing trades.

In 2000, David Glass bought the Royals for $96 million. In sports ownership terms, this was a purchase from the 75% off rack at Marshall’s. It was a Dollar Menu cheeseburger. And Glass treated it like the bargain it was.

His only major signing during this period was of Mike Sweeney, the slugging first baseman with a golden reputation around town. This virtually signaled the end for emerging super-duper star Carlos Beltran, who was eventually traded in midseason 2004 for a bag of potatoes and some eye black. Of course, Sweeney was almost immediately incapacitated by a nagging, well, everything. During the course of his 5 year, 55 million dollar contract, he never played more than 122 games, bottoming out with a combined 134 games between 2006-2007.

Rookie of the Year Angel Berroa flamed out tremendously. The can’t miss shortstop acquired in the Dye trade, Neifi Perez, proved to be among the least-liked Royals during his tumultuous time here. All-Everything prospect Alex Gordon developed more slowly than expected, and hitting machine Billy Butler stalled when faced with major league pitching. And, well, this seemed about right for the Royals.

But then something happened. Amid a disappointing 2008 season, the Royals announced that they had signed phenom Joakim Soria to an extension, a deal that would keep him in a Royals uniform for the foreseeable future. While having Soria signed was wonderful, it was the philosophical shift in management’s thinking which really got me excited.

It got me excited because for the first time in years it allowed me to think about a time and place where the Greinke signing was possible, where I could grow attached to my favorite players and envision them in Royals gear for years to come. And today, it has happened. Zack Greinke has forfeited a chance at mega-millions in free agency to stay with the Kansas City Royals. Fans should rejoice, should thank Zack Greinke for staying loyal, should thank GM Dayton Moore for convincing our best prospect in years that the Royals can contend. But most of all, fans should thank owner David Glass for doing what it takes to build a winner. He, more than anyone, deserves credit for making us believe again. Congratulations, Mr. Glass.