The Royals
Having a strong team in this league depends on more than just skill; you need good chemistry. In the 2017 season no team had more chemistry than the Royals, and this is something team captain Chris Durning clearly likes. Chris has left no surprises in the air with not just the first overall pick, but for all his picks in 2018. He will go for Zane Johnston first overall for the third year running, and build around him with another longtime teammate in Brendan Risley, while hoping to snag Behn Worley in the third round. A team like this has the chemistry, and with the way Zane has been pitching, along with Chris's relief, this team could remain a threat in the AL. Will 2018 be the year the Royals finally make it passed the 1st round of playoffs?
2017 Recap: Same Team, Same Results
In the 2017 season, not much had changed for the Royals. Durning again chose to roll with the combination of Zane Johnston and Brendan Risley, with the addition of Frankie Campanile this year. However, this year Zane did not go down with an injury, and pitched the third most innings (41), bolstering a respectable 3.71 ERA over that span. The big change for the Royals in 2017 was the added boost of offense. With the highest team batting average (.252) and the highest league average (Durning .371), this team was able to produce enough runs to translate Zane Johnston's 3.71 ERA into 8 wins on the season. Going into the playoffs, the Royals were dealt an away matchup against the A's and like everyone expected, this was one hell of a series. The last time these two teams played, the Royals lost game one of the double header from a Jimmy Davis walkoff groundout, but snapped their 9 game win streak right after, rallying from down 6-1 in the final inning to take home the win. Game one of this series was all zeros through 6 innings, but the A's took the first game in a hit-off. As for game two, Durning decided to start sophomore Frankie Campanile, in hopes of resting Zane's arm for a possible game three. This proved an okay decision to start, for after two innings the game was knotted at zero. It wasn't until the third inning that things went south for the Royals; after walking 4 straight batters to give the A's a 1-0 lead, Frankie let up a grand slam to 4th man of the year winner, Jimmy Davis. The 5-0 lead was too much for the Royals to overcome, as they went on to finish the season with an overall 8-8 record. As for next year, Chris already has his team picked out, as he plans to continue his legacy with both Zane and Brendan, next year with hopes to add fellow lax player Behn Worley. It will be a familiar mix to say the least, and with a little more experience at the plate for rookie Brendan Risley, the Royals could once again have a high powered offense.
2018 Results
W L RF RA RD
0 0 0 0 0
W L RF RA RD
8 6 63 43 20
2017 Results
2016 Results
W L RF RA RD
4 6 32 49 -17
2017 Roster:
1. Chris Durning- Captain
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2. Zane Johnston
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3. Brendan Risley
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4. Frankie Campanile
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5. Nick Pellegrino
2016 Roster:
1. Chris Durning- Captain
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2. Zane Johnston
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3. Brendan Risley
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4. Nick Pellegrino
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5. Hailee Mayer
2017 Batting Statistics
2017 Pitching Statistics
First Round Woes: Can They Get Past the Hump?
Two seasons have lead to two first round exits for Durning and his Royals, but why is that so? As for 2016, there wasn't much of a shot, as the high powered Dbacks mowed through the AL behind Bingnear's pitching, but 2017 had a lot more promise. With a healthy Zane Johnston on the bump, the Royals were a serious threat in the AL, and the ALDS vs. the A's was a hard fought battle by both teams; however, the best hitting lineup in the league was unable to show up to the plate in game one of the series, being shutout through 6 by AL Cy Young Tyler Nachbar and eventually losing in a hit-off to fall 1-0 in the series. As for game two, you could blame the loss on their decision to start Frankie over Zane, but in all honesty Frankie was lights out through the first two innings, only letting things get away in the third. The third inning lead was too much for the Royals to overcome, as they dropped the game 5-1, and the series with it by a score of 2-0. With the addition of Tyler Nachbar to the AL, this division just gets that much tougher, but Durning and his longtime Royals, Risley and Johnston, will be looking for redemption and a chance to avoid the dreaded first round exit in 2018... Third times the charm right?
