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September 14, 2008

Every Given Sunday

Don't Look at Us Now

by John Perrotto

About the best thing that the Royals have to say about themselves is that they aren't the Pirates. The Pirates matched one of the most inglorious records in baseball history a week ago today when they clinched their 16^th consecutive losing season, matching the 1933-48 Phillies streak of futility. While the Royals' run of losing seasons isn't as long as Pittsburgh's, their only winning record in the last 14 years was in 2003, when they finished 83-79, and this year they have assured themselves of another sub-.500 finish with a 64-84 record that ranks ahead of only Seattle (57-90) in the American League. "It's disappointing because I know we have more talent than this," said Royals right fielder Jose Guillen, who has had an unsettling first season in Kansas City after signing a three-year, $36 million contract as a free agent last winter, ripping his teammates and fans in two separate tirades with reporters. "We have good guys, but they just don't know how to win yet. We haven't won in so long here that they just don't know how to do it or what it feels like."

First-year manger Trey Hillman won't necessarily disagree with Guillen. "I knew coming in that it was going to be hard to turn everything around overnight," Hillman said. "You're talking about a franchise that quite frankly has been a perennial last-place team for a long time. You just don't snap your fingers and change everything. The biggest thing I felt we had to do was change the culture, and I've seen it change to an extent. However, I haven't seen it change enough. We really aren't finishing up very well, and that's disappointing. I thought we would show more improvement than this."

If anything, the Royals have been quite mercurial this season. They lost 12 in a row from May 19-30, ran off 11 wins in 12 games from June 14-27 during the interleague portion of the schedule, and now they're fizzling at the end with an 11-24 record since August 5. It's not as though there are any quick fixes to the Royals' problems, as they are lacking in all areas. They're 26^th in the major leagues in runs scored per game (4.1), 25^th in runs allowed (5.0), and 23^rd in defensive efficiency (.684), so it comes as no surprise that general manager Dayton Moore seems willing to push the plunger on the detonator and blow his team up. "I've made up my mind on this team," Moore said. "I've got a pretty good idea on where we need to go and what we need to do. I've been watching this team for two years now. It's the same group of guys. Anybody who puts on a uniform or anyone who follows this team every day or makes decisions about player personnel knows we have to get better. Ultimately, it's my responsibility to put the best team we can on the field. That's what we're going to do."

Moore figures to dip into the free agent market for a third straight winter. The Royals signed right-hander Gil Meche to a five-year, $55 million contract after the 2006 season, and Guillen was their big acquisition last winter. They are reportedly considering Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal as their primary target this upcoming offseason, which would enable them to move rookie surprise Mike Aviles across the bag from short to second. Moore is also open to making trades in an effort to improve his roster. Those close to the Royals say they would consider dealing anyone except for Meche, right-hander Zach Grienke, and closer Joakim Soria.

Hillman came to the Royals highly regarded after a five-year stint as manager of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in the Japanese Central League. He led the Fighters to their first pennant in 25 years in 2006 when they won the Japan Series and Asia Series, and they repeated as league champions last year. Hillman also drew high marks during his 12 seasons managing Yankees minor league affiliates and for his one year as the Rangers' farm director. "I've never been afraid of a challenge," Hillman said. "I've been accepting challenges my whole life. It was a challenge to keep a job in the Yankees organization for 12 years, not a lot of people do that. It was a challenge running a farm system. It was a challenge going to a foreign country and taking over a franchise that was considered the worst in Japan. This, too, is a great challenge, but I have no doubt in my mind that we can win here. It hasn't been the easiest of seasons, but I'm not deterred. I really believe the Kansas City Royals can be a winning franchise again or I wouldn't have taken this job. Despite the ups and downs we've had this season, I still believe that."