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Worst baseball team in this decade - ladies and gentlemen, meet the Kansas City Royals

Just a snippet from Rany on the Royals, a KC blog: (as of last Sunday)

The Royals are 47-76 after today’s debacle, which puts them on pace to lose exactly 100 games this season. Less famously but perhaps more tellingly, if the Royals lose 100 games, they will tie an American League record for the most losses by a single franchise over the span of an intact decade.


The Royals have lost 927 games and counting during the 2000s*. They have blown past the Pirates (903 losses) and the Rays (901) as the losingest franchise of the decade. In the history of baseball, only six teams have lost more than 927 games in a decade, and the Royals are almost certain to pass at least three of them by the end of the year. Here they are:


Philadelphia Phillies, 1920s: 962

St. Louis Browns, 1930s: 951

Philadelphia Phillies, 1940s: 951

Philadelphia Phillies, 1930s: 943

San Diego Padres, 1970s: 942

Boston Red Sox, 1920s: 938

Kansas City Royals, 2000s: 927 and counting


(*: Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the 2000s is this: the decade is now about 96% complete, and there is still no consensus as to what call it. A hundred years ago they called the 1900s the “aughts”, but that’s not going to fly in the 21st century. I call it the “2Ks”, personally, but that’s hardly a consensus term. I would have thought we’d have a word in place by 2002 or 2003.)

When it comes to major league futility, no team can hold a candle to the Phillies, who from 1918 to 1948 had one winning season – 1932, when they went 78-76. The Royals would need to suck for another 16 or 17 years to match that. But within the confines of the American League, the Royals have a chance to stand alone. If the Royals lose 100 games exactly, they will finish the decade with 951 losses, tying the 1930s Browns as the losingest team of a decade; if they lose 101 games, they will have the AL record all their own. Trust the Process.


(The all-time record for losses over any 10-year stretch is safe; the Phillies lost 1016 games between 1936 and 1945. But the Royals can go for the AL record (the then-Devil Rays lost 972 games from 1998 to 2007) next year.)


This season, the Royals have designed a roster that not only is hurtling towards 100 losses, but a roster with few players that can be expected to improve in the future. The Royals have employed 37 different players on their roster this season. Not only have none of them made their major league debut this season, but just one – Bam Bam Butler – is under the age of 25. Trust the Process.


And to top it off, we have a front office that’s so fearful of the stigma of another 100-loss season that they’re afraid to promote deserving minor leaguers, because God forbid that the Royals should have to endure the inevitable struggles of young players to adjust. Playing poorly for the Royals, evidently, is a prerogative reserved for veterans only. Kila Ka’aihue’s .400 OBP might not adjust well to major league pitching, so best to stick with Mike Jacobs and his .304 OBP, whose bat is so dangerous that Trey Hillman elected not to use him against a right-handed pitcher in the ninth inning on Saturday night with the tying run on base.


The Royals are not only carrying eight relievers – maybe three of whom belong on a major league roster – they’re carrying three catchers. This means that on a night when Jacobs is the DH, the Royals have exactly one – ONE! – bench player who isn’t a catcher. One. On Saturday night, Brayan Pena was the DH – apparently Hillman is going to evaluate Pena’s catching skills from the batters’ box – so the Royals were blessed to have both Jacobs and Willie Bloomquist on the bench. And despite losing in the ninth inning, and despite having Bloomquist to take over at shortstop or right field in case the game went to extra innings, Hillman still elected to keep Jacobs on the bench while Yuniesky Betancourt and Josh Anderson made outs.


So pardon me for being a little apathetic. Judging from the lack of traffic at virtually every Royals website out there, I’m not the only one. A month ago, at least, Royals fans cared enough to write about the Royals, even if everything they wrote was critical. I warned after the Yuniesky Betancourt trade that anger would turn into apathy, and that’s exactly what happened.


I doubt the Royals have gotten the message yet, not when 33,811 came out to see the team play on Saturday night. Never mind that half of them were Twins fans, and that most of the other half were there to see the new ballpark. If the front office thinks that their fan base is willing to start over again next year like 2009 never happened, well, they’re going to be in for a rude shock when season ticket renewals go out this winter. We don’t Trust the Process, Dayton. And we don’t appreciate being talked down to by a GM and a manager who are the architects of the biggest clusterf**k this franchise has ever assembled.

Comments

  • PowderedH2OPowderedH2O Posts: 2,443 ✭✭
    Having grown up as a New Orleans Saints season ticket holder 1967-1984 I feel your pain. Your Royals were still better than my Saints.
    Successful dealings with shootybabitt, LarryP, Doctor K, thedutymon, billsgridirongreats, fattymacs, shagrotn77, pclpads, JMDVM, gumbyfan, itzagoner, rexvos, al032184, gregm13, californiacards3, mccardguy1, BigDaddyBowman, bigreddog, bobbyw8469, burke23, detroitfan2, drewsef, jeff8877, markmac, Goldlabels, swartz1, blee1, EarlsWorld, gseaman25, kcballboy, jimrad, leadoff4, weinhold, Mphilking, milbroco, msassin, meteoriteguy, rbeaton and gameusedhoop.
  • they have several excellent young players, i think the Pirates suck more lol
  • MorgothMorgoth Posts: 3,950 ✭✭✭


    << <i>they have several excellent young players, i think the Pirates suck more lol >>



    Really? Name one Royal rookie on their current MLB roster better than Andrew McCutchen? I think the Pirates have a much better farm system as well so they should improve much faster than the Royals.

    If Alvarez doesn't pull a Alex Gordon by being rushed to the ML too fast they will improve alot in 2 years.
    Currently completing the following registry sets: Cardinal HOF's, 1961 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1972 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1980 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, Bill Mazeroski Master & Basic Sets, Roberto Clemente Master & Basic Sets, Willie Stargell Master & Basic Sets and Terry Bradshaw Basic Set
  • ddfamfddfamf Posts: 507 ✭✭
    Morgoth is right on, IMHO. The only rookie worth mentioning we have is Bryan Pena - one of our 3 catchers we carry on the roster image

    The spoils farm system has been in disarray since David Glass purchased the team in the early 90's....used to be a gem of a farm system.

    Don't look at AAA either - the farm is dry.
  • JackWESQJackWESQ Posts: 2,133 ✭✭✭
    Dear Kansas City Royals,

    PERCEPTION IS REALITY. So we are the worst team this decade.

    Sincerely,

    /s/ Pittsburgh Pirates.
    image
  • jdip9jdip9 Posts: 1,895 ✭✭✭
    Nobody remembers this now, but the Royals were the trendy pick in the pre-season to challenge for the Central division....seems so long ago.
  • MorgothMorgoth Posts: 3,950 ✭✭✭
    Well the worst team by record in the last ten years is the Royals so that to me shows they are the worst team. I think having 1 fluke season above .500 doesn't absolve them of their sins.

    It's funny to me how often the Phillies show up on that list.
    Currently completing the following registry sets: Cardinal HOF's, 1961 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1972 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1980 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, Bill Mazeroski Master & Basic Sets, Roberto Clemente Master & Basic Sets, Willie Stargell Master & Basic Sets and Terry Bradshaw Basic Set
  • i disagree,

    they have such a small payroll you cant expect them to win 90 games, the METS are the worst, they have the 2nd highest payroll and they stink.
    -----------------------
    the Boz
  • MorgothMorgoth Posts: 3,950 ✭✭✭
    Well if you want to just get into winning it all, the Cubs are the worst of all time and they have a decent size payroll in recent years so not much excuse there.
    Currently completing the following registry sets: Cardinal HOF's, 1961 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1972 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1980 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, Bill Mazeroski Master & Basic Sets, Roberto Clemente Master & Basic Sets, Willie Stargell Master & Basic Sets and Terry Bradshaw Basic Set
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