If not for the coverage of the Athletics and their proposed move to Las Vegas, the Royals’ ineptitude this season would garner more attention. With its worst 73-game mark in franchise history, Kansas City (20–53) is on pace for 118 losses, which would blow away its previous high of 106 in 2005.
Oakland’s steep decline from 86 wins just two years ago seems an intentional lack of commitment toward getting either the city of Oakland or Las Vegas to pony up money for a ballpark. Kansas City’s slow decline from its 2015 World Series championship is an abject failure of player development—and a reminder that as the MLB draft approaches, the flowery praise heaped upon pitching prospects almost never matches the outcome.
Five years after the Royals were lauded for snagging four college pitchers among the first 40 picks in the 2018 draft, Kansas City is joining the 1962 Mets among the worst rotations in history. Signed for $9.7 million in bonuses, Brady Singer, Jackson Kowar, Daniel Lynch and Kris Bubic have struggled to meet expectations. Combined in their careers they are 42–82, including 5–11 with a 5.44 ERA this year. All have above-average career walk rates except Singer, who is slightly below 3.3 walks per nine innings.
