When GMDM took over the Kansas City Royals in the Summer of 2006 the organization, from top to bottom, was a complete mess. The major league ball club was a mixture of players who performed at the AAA (minor league) level and veterans who had previously had a successful career but lost bat speed or arm strength and had become available to the Royals with a 2-3 legitimate prospects/ball players.
One of the things that makes baseball so unique is the lack of salary cap. A salary cap is just what it sounds like, capping the amount of money a team can spend on their entire team. As a result of no salary cap the top free agents each year go to the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, or another "big market" team. The Kansas City Royals are, and will always be, a "small market" baseball club.
Knowing the salary restrictions, GMDM looked at all the available resources and knew if he wanted to maintain a consistent winner, he would have to build this ball club through "home grown talent" and not consistently spend top dollar on free agents. GMDM also looked at the major league ballpark and realized he needed to build his team around pitching and speed.
The first piece to fall into place was Joey Gathright, considered one of the fastest players in the major leagues but blocked by the plethora of talent in the Tampa Bay Rays system. Joey provided a glimpse into what the organizational focus
"The K"
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
"The Plan"
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I needed a shot in the arm about my royals from a fan like you. I've had the blues for the past couple of seasons but now I'm fired up again!
ReplyDeleteNice Blog! Pretty well done. I loved the new renovations to the stadium...I was there last year when the Yankees were on town. Soria wound up getting the save.
ReplyDeleteScott -
ReplyDeleteI typically am that shot in the arm for most of my Royals friends. There are times throughout the summer though where I need a complete morale boost. This has already happened after Soria's early season collapse (Crow helped this out).
Nick -
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot. I really enjoyed the part about Soria getting a save against the Yankees. Anytime we can beat the Evil Empire it brings a smile to my face