Guys like to fix things. Dishwasher broken? No problem. Let me get my tools. Wife fighting with your mother? Here’s what you should do. But the one thing we love fixing more than anything else is our favorite sports team. When they start losing, we become experts with the PERFECT solution to get our team back on track. That is why I have decided to give Royals manager Ned Yost some free advice on how to fix his team. (I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.)
#1) Put Mike Moustakas on the Disabled List.
Mike is struggling. He can’t hit the backside of a barn right now and it’s obvious he needs a mental break. He needs time off to regain his composure, find some confidence and come back swinging better than ever. He is sitting out right now with a sore quad. Why not put him on the 15-day DL, give him two weeks to find his swing, and hope he comes back raking? They refuse to send him to Triple A Omaha for a tune-up, so this would be the next best thing.
#2) Make Mike Moustakas start watching video of his at-bats.
When Mike said he never watches video of his swing, Royals fans shook their heads in disgust. The guy whose batting average currently sits at .178 (the fifth WORST batting average in the major leagues!) refuses to use the tools at his disposal to get better? Absurd! The guy needs to change his study habits and hope the closer scrutiny of his approach helps him turn it around.
#3) Play Miguel Tejada at 3B
Tejada might be at the end of his career, but he’s a career .285 hitter, a six-time All Star, with the experience to help this team get over the hump. Every time he starts, he gets at least one hit. He has the power to hit home runs. Let Tejada man third base for the next two weeks and see what he can do. Maybe he can spark this lineup to start producing.
#4) Keep David Lough at the top of the lineup.
Lough hit .455 this spring. He hit .338 in Omaha before his call-up. He is a really good hitter, but major leaguers need to play every day to get into the rhythm of the game. By platooning him with Jeff Francoeur, Lough cannot get into a groove and that is hurting the team. Lough is fast. He can hit. Keep him at the top of your lineup for at least the next month and let’s see how many runs he can score.
#5) Get rid of Jeff Francoeur.
I am a huge Jeff Francoeur fan. Francoeur the person, that is, not Francoeur the player. The guys seems like an all around nice guy. A charitable man. He has a great arm. But he cannot hit. He is a liability to this team right now and by getting rid of him either by trade or by the waiver wire, it will send a message to the rest of the team. Perform or you’ll be out of a job too.
#6) Move Alcides Escobar to the bottom of the lineup.
Escobar is struggling at the plate as well. He’s become an automatic out in the two-hole, so why not move him down to hit 7 or 8 to take some of the pressure off him? In his place, they should put Lorenzo Cain. Think of that top four. Lough gets on base, Cain hits him over, Alex Gordon hits them both in, Billy Butler hits Gordon in. They’re up 3-0 in the first inning of most games! Okay, wishful thinking. But I like my lineup better than the one we have now.
#7) Make all the players take the first two strikes.
Our team’s on-base percentage is horrendous. Lowest in MLB. If you don’t get guys on base, you can’t score. Our guys go up looking to hit the first pitch instead of waiting for the perfect pitch, a fastball down the middle. I think Yost should tell the guys, first time through the lineup, take the first two strikes. Make the pitcher work for it. Get some walks. Get some runners on. Score some runs. All I know is, our approach right now stinks.
#8) Stay positive.
I love hearing Ned say he doesn’t want to yell at his players and ruin their confidence. The Royals have a recent history of losing, and the team needs to overcome it. It’s hard to do. No matter how much talent you have on your roster, the minute things go south, it’s easy to think, ‘Oh well. We always lose.’ Changing that mindset is tough work and takes time. But by staying positive while still pushing this team – letting them know losing is unacceptable – they can eventually overcome it.
The fact is, the Royals are in a free fall right now and if Yost doesn’t do something drastic, this season will be over by June. Yost needs to stop the bleeding now. He needs to right the ship now. Or by summer’s end, he might be the one looking for a new job.
You can contact Matt Stewart at matt.stewart@wdaftv4.com.
