Overall

Kansas City led the Marvin Miller Division for most of the first half of the season … and then pretty much collapsed.

They have a top 3 or 4 pitching staff in the league in terms of high end performance, but struggle after that talent, especially in the rotation, and ultimately have a pretty weak offense that needs multiple upgrades.

It’s an interesting conundrum. Albert Pujols, A. Rube Foster, Smokey Joe Wood, Lee Smith, Eddie Guardado, and Craig Kimbrel are as good as they come. And Stan Musial, Ted Simmons, and perhaps even Ozzie Smith are solid.

But the talent falls off the cliff after that, and it’s not really clear what the solution is: do you hope for improvement from some of the young talent? Do you move some of the high end for overall upgrades? Do you just stand pat and applaud the various accolades earned by that top group? The off season in Kansas City could range from nothing to incredibly active.

What Went Right

All the elite talent.

Albert Pujols led the team in most things, slashing 316/375/645 with 44 homers and 96 extra base hits. Pujols played mostly at 3B this season, and it’s not sure how long that can last, as LF or 1B or DH seem a more likely destination for him.

A. Rube Foster was spectacular, finishing the season with a 3.30 ERA and a miniscule 1.02 WHIP. Foster, who ended up with an 11-8 record, was in the bullpen at the start of the year, but still made 24 starts and finished with over 200 IP.

Lee Smith, brought over from the House of David was virtually unhittable, finishing with a 0.75 WHIP over 50 appearances. Smith paired with Eddie Guardado, whose numbers were actually quite similar, to setup closer Craig Kimbrel. It took a while for this back of the bullpen to emerge: the Monarchs started the season with Jeff Pfeffer as their closer (Pfeffer did amass 16 saves, but also an ERA over 6.00).

Smokey Joe Wood missed some time through injury, but was excellent otherwise, being one of the few 2 way players with a positive contribution both ways. Wood finished 15-12 with a 4.11 ERA and excellent peripherals.

After those, there is a bit of a dropoff, but some things still went well.

Stan Musial had an odd year. It’s not like 300/371/519 is bad. But it’s far below Musial’s potential, and while 59 doubles is great, Musial only hitting 13 homeruns is quite a disappointment. Still, not bad.

Ted Simmons is excellent behind the plate, and his .830 OPS is very strong for a catcher.

Boog Powell hit a severe slump towards the end of the year, but still provided some power and an ability to get on base.

Kansas City’s 3rd and 4th primary starters, Frank Castillo and José Rijo, were solid, although not much more than that.

Mike Kume was the surprise of the season, posting a 1.95 ERA in 22 games, and further solidifying their relief corps.

Adam Wainwright and Matt Morris both impressed in limited appearances late in the year.

Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee, Musial, Frankie Frisch, Lou Brock, and Cool Papa Bell combined for over 200 steals.

ALL STARS

Frank Castillo
A. Rube Foster
Craig Kimbrel
Stan Musial
Albert Pujols

MAJOR AWARDS

A. Rube Foster, NL Team of the Year; NL Brock Rutherford Award 3rd Place; NL Rookie of the Year 2nd Place
Eddie Guardado, NL Team of the Year
Craig Kimbrel, NL Phineas Flint Award 3rd Place
Lee Smith, NL Team of the Year; NL Phineas Flint Award 2nd Place
Ozzie Smith, NL Gold Glove SS

RECOGNITIONS

A. Rube Foster, NL All Rookie Team; NL 25 & Under Team of the Year
Eddie Guardado, NL All Rookie Team
Joe Harris, NL All Rookie Team
Mike Kume, NL All Rookie Team
Albert Pujols, NL 2nd Team of the Year; NL 25 & Under Team of the Year, NL 23 & Under Team of the Year
Lee Smith, NL 30 & Over Team of the Year
Ozzie Smith, NL Over 30 Team of the Year
Smokey Joe Wood, NL 2nd Team of the Year; NL 23 & Under Team of the Year

ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDS

Albert Pujols, MVP
A. Rube Foster, Pitcher of the Year
Stan Musial, Heart & Soul
Craig Kimbrel, Fan Favorite

Joe Thatcher, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Cool Papa Bell, Minor League Player of the Year

What Went Wrong

Robinson Canó was among the league’s worst offensive performers, showing none of the power he displayed in year 1.

Ozzie Smith provided speed and defense, but virtually no offense.

Steve Evans, much hyped in Spring Training, was so poor he ended up in AAA.

Pfeffer’s struggles were mentioned above: in the long run, his demise cleared the way for Kimbrel, so perhaps this is more silver lining than something going wrong.

Bob Gibson has explosive stuff, but managed a 6.82 ERA over 11 starts. At 26, he really needs to start to produce.

Luke Hamlin–the Monarchs’ #1 last year–worked his way out of the rotation, ending the year 6-12 with a 5.55 ERA. Likewise, a key part of last year’s bullpen, Dustin Hermanson, was pretty bad this season.

Transactions

March

None.

July

IF Heliodoro Hidalgo, P Jimmy Key, & 3rd Round Pick to HOD for IF Joe Harris & P Lee Smith.

Harris is a quality bat off the bench, but at 36, that’s his best role. But, Smith is the real key to the deal, and his performance this year along may make the deal worthwhile.

August

At this point, Kansas City thought they still had a chance to make the post-season, which helps give context for this deal.

OF Earl Averill to BAL for P Joe Beggs & 2nd Round Pick.

Averill is a loss, but the Monarchs really believe CF belongs either to Cool Papa Bell or Willie McGee. Beggs was OK, and should help out next year as well.

Positional Overview

C

Ted Simmons should have this locked up for a decade.

Behind him, teenager Johnny Bassler has a lot of talent. Until he’s ready, Salvador Pérez will continue to be Simmons’ backup at the WBL level.

1B

Powell will man 1B again for Kansas City, but Andre Thornton made a good showing in a September callup, and could be turned to if Powell’s end of season struggles continue.

Joe Harris and Pujols play this as well; behind them there’s not a lot of WBL level talent in the system.

2B

If Canó cannot improve dramatically, this is an area of need for Kansas City. Frankie Frisch was better than Canó when given the chance, but that’s not saying much. Behind them, Kolten Wong and Keston Hiura look to have some talent, but don’t look really ready for the WBL.

Hiura, Wong, and perhaps veteran Rex Hudler may get opportunities in Spring Training.

Carlos Baerga may end up here, but at 19 he still has a way to go.

SS

The Monarchs are fine with what Ozzie Smith provides, so look for his backflips to remain for a few years.

Beyond Smith … there’s not a lot. Edgar Rentería has all the tools, but hasn’t shown much and Sam Mongin looks likely to be best at other positions.

3B

An interesting conundrum for the Monarchs here: on the one hand, Pujols is one of the best in the game; on the other, he’s likely to move out of this position. So, for now, Pujols. But the question of who else is available is potentially important.

Frisch can play here, but veteran Ken Boyer is a more likely interim solution while Mongin, Bret Barberie, and Bill Bradley sort out their development.

LF/RF

LF is a bit of a free for all.

While Cool Papa Bell may end up in CF, he and Ducky Medwick are the lead contenders, but the Monarchs are still trying to figure out what to do with Dale Murphy.

This is all waiting for the arrival of the highly regarded Wade Johnston, but that’s still a year or two away.

RF, on the other hand, is set with Musial: if this year’s version of Musial is the Musial we get, he’s still an all-star caliber player. And that is seen pretty much universally as his floor.

There is some talent behind Musial as well: Steve Evans, Merv Rettenmund, Jim King, and Tommy McCarthy could all be decent WBL 4th outfielders.

CF

Bell and Murphy can play here, and the Monarchs believe Willie McGee can bounce back from a disappointing season.

One of those need to step up, as only veteran Fielder Jones looks to have legitimate WBL talent in the minors.

DH

This is set as some mixture of Pujols, Harris, and Murphy.

SP

So few teams have the challenge of having too many options on the mound, but welcome to Kansas City.

A. Rube Foster and Smokey Joe Wood will anchor the staff, with José Rijo‘s spot also assured.

Behind them, however, there will be some competition during the Spring between Jock Menefee, Bob Gibson, Frank Castillo, Joe Beggs, Matt Morris, Adam Wainwright, and Bob Shawkey. And while veterans Luke Hamlin and Jeff Pfeffer will get a chance, most assume their days in the rotation are done.

Bill Singer and Hilton Smith are probably the highest ceiling arms in the minors, although both Larry French and Marcus Stroman have some potential as well.

RP

The WBL bullpen should be among the best in the league, with Lee Smith, Eddie Guardado, and Frank DiPino getting the ball to Craig Kimbrel.

Mike Kume was excellent, but there are hints it may have been a bit of a fluke. Veteran Matt Thornton will compete with Dustin Hermanson, Joe Thatcher, and Trevor Rosenthal for the final spots.

Draft Outlook

DRAFT PICKS

1st Round: 1
2nd Round: 2
3rd Round: 0
4th Round: 1
5th Round: 1

It’s really a best player available situation, perhaps with a prejudice away from C and RF.