Can anyone stop this freight train called the Kansas City Royals? I highly doubt it! Coming into the 2014 MLB Season, all baseball critics and baseball enthusiasts didn’t have the Royals on anyone’s radar as contenders. Every one of them would describe this ball club as “scrappy”, “played small ball”, and said that they didn’t have enough fire power in their rotation or power in their lineup to make a deep run in the playoffs. Well weren’t they all wrong? The Royals have proven to everyone that you don’t need one power bat to swing you to the World Series and that you don’t need the best starting rotation. Instead, they are doing it with their clutch hitting, speed on the base paths, and their elite bullpen. Kansas City is a ball club full of “X-Factors” but I will point out one for the hitters, one for the bullpen, and also one for the starting rotation.
X-Factor on Offense
You can pretty much put any offensive player here but there is one player that when he is seeing the ball better than anyone else, he is capable of defeating a team single-handedly. That person goes by the name of Billy “Country Breakfast” Butler. In 2012, Butler was an All-Star hitting for a solid .313, blasted 29 homers, and drove in a whooping 107 RBIs for a team that didn’t have the reputation they have now and with Alex Gordon as the only other lethal hitter in the lineup. He has struggled from 2013 to this season but he still was able to produce respectable numbers. Butler is an X-Factor because he is the type of hitter that doesn’t miss mistakes, drives the ball to all fields, and is able to work a count in his favor. When “Country Breakfast” drives the ball to the opposite field, he is pretty much unstoppable. He will be missed when they play on the road in San Francisco but he will be one dangerous hitter off of the bench when he is called upon.
X-Factor in the Bullpen
Once again, you can place any name from the bullpen in here but Kelvin Herrera is the one pitcher that starts off this elite bullpen to close out the game. If the Royals have a 1 run lead in the 7th and Herrera comes out of the bullpen, it would be a safe bet that the opponents will still be playing from behind after he collects his 3 outs. After Herrera finishes his job, he passes the baton over to Wade Davis who had one of the best seasons as a setup man in history. In 2014, Davis threw 72 innings while striking out 109 hitters, that is a jaw-dropping 13.6 Ks/9! Then Greg Holland comes in during the 9th to close the game out. This Royals bullpen is one of the best and they proved to everyone that they aren’t to be messed with!
X-Factor for the Starting Rotation
Not many baseball fans know the name of Jason Vargas but they should. Vargas is a savvy veteran that knows how to allow his defense to help him collect outs. Allowing his defense to help him out helps him keep his pitch count down, meaning he can pitch deeper into games, saving his bullpen for when they really need them. Vargas came onto the scene back in 2012 when he went 14-11 for the Mariners. He was then traded in December 2012 to the Angels for Kendrys Morales then signed with the Royals as a free agent during the 2013 off-season. He shall be a solid contributor for seasons to come, helping fellow rookies.
