| 2007 Kansas City Royals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | American League | |||
| Division | Central | |||
| Ballpark | Kauffman Stadium | |||
| City | Kansas City, Missouri | |||
| Record | 69–93 (.426) | |||
| Divisional place | 5th | |||
| Owners | David Glass | |||
| General managers | Dayton Moore | |||
| Managers | Buddy Bell | |||
| Television | KMCI RSTN | |||
| Radio | WHB 810AM KCXM 97.3FM | |||
| ||||
The2007 Kansas City Royals season was the 39th season for the franchise, and their 35th atKauffman Stadium. The season began with the team attempting to win theAmerican League Central - a task not achieved since the division was formed in 1994.
In trying to improve on their 62–100 record in the 2006 season, the team avoided a fourth straight 100-loss season.Buddy Bell returned for his second and final full season asmanager, whileDayton Moore began his first season as the team'sgeneral manager.
Anticipation surrounded the Royals' newfound approach to once again become a playoff contender with rebuilding the roster. Roster moves generated much interest in the Kansas City area, including the big-budget signing ofstarting pitcherGil Meche, and the arrival of young, new talent—such as rookie third basemanAlex Gordon anddesignated hitterBilly Butler. The team's payroll for the 2007 season was increased to $67 million (22nd in the major leagues).[1][2]
The biggest free-agent pickups for the Royals in 2007 included RHPGil Meche—who was signed to a 5-year, $55 million deal—and RHPOctavio Dotel, who quickly became trade bait to theAtlanta Braves.
Color Code Key
| Color | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Green | Player will return to team |
| Light Green | Player joins team |
| Crimson | Player will not return to team (released, option not exercised, signed with new team, or retired) |
| White | Player's status undetermined |
| Player | Position | 2006 Team | 2007 Team | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Andrade | RP | Royals | Devil Rays | Signed a minor league contract |
| Paul Bako | C | Royals | Orioles | Signed for 1 year |
| Adam Bernero | SP | Royals | Red Sox | Signed a minor league contract |
| Dewon Brazelton | SP | Padres | Royals | Signed a minor league contract |
| Jose Diaz | RP | Royals | None | Did not return in 2007 |
| Scott Dohmann | RHP | Royals | Devil Rays | Signed one-year contract |
| Octavio Dotel | RHP | Yankees | Royals | Signed for 1 year, $5 M |
| Brandon Duckworth | RHP | Royals | Royals | Signed a minor league contract |
| Seth Etherton | RP | Royals | None | Did not return in 2007 |
| Wayne Franklin | RP | Braves | Royals | Signed a minor league contract |
| Alex S. Gonzalez | 3B | Phillies | Royals | Signed a minor league contract |
| Runelvys Hernández | RHP | Royals | Red Sox | Signed a minor league contract |
| Ken Harvey | IF | Royals | Twins | Signed a minor league contract |
| Jason LaRue | C | Reds | Royals | Signed by Reds to a two-year contract, then traded to Royals |
| Gil Meche | RHP | Mariners | Royals | Signed for 5 years, $55 M |
| Doug Mientkiewicz | IF | Royals | Yankees | Signed one-year contract |
| Mark Redman | LHP | Royals | Braves | Signed a minor league contract |
| David Riske | RHP | White Sox | Royals | Signed one-year contract with club option |
| Kerry Robinson | OF | Royals | Red Sox | Signed a minor league contract |
| Jason Shiell | RHP | Braves | Royals | Signed a minor league contract |
| Jason Standridge | RHP | Mets | Royals | Signed a minor league contract |
The Royals began the season with expectations of improvement from their fans, and the team never ceased to impress in their home opener against theBoston Red Sox. The Royals defeated the Red Sox 7–1 in front of the sold-out home crowd. The magic did not last, however—Kansas City was just 3–7 through the first ten games of the season, and 8–18 by the end of April.
The Royals hit minor spots of winning when the team won 8 of 10 games from May 13 to 23, but finished the month of May on a seven-game losing streak with series sweeps by theSeattle Mariners andBaltimore Orioles. Kansas City went 11–17 in May and finished the month with an overall record of 19–35.
In the2007 MLB draft held on June 7, the Royals selectedshortstopMike Moustakas at No. 2 overall.[3] The team went 15–12 in June, their first winning month since July 2003.[4] PitcherBrian Bannister won the American League Rookie of the Month Award.
Gil Meche was the only Royal selected to represent the team at the2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in San Francisco.[5] At the All-Star break, the Royals had a record of 38–50 and the lowest team ERA in 13 years. On July 31, the Royals tradedpitcherOctavio Dotel to theAtlanta Braves forpitcherKyle Davies.[6] The Royals went 13–12 in July, giving the team its first consecutive winning months since June and July 2003.[7]Billy Butler won the Rookie of the Month Award.
On August 1, managerBuddy Bell announced his intention to resign following the 2007 season before a game against theMinnesota Twins.[8] Also, about an hour before the first pitch,the Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis collapsed with a death toll of at 13.[9] Before the game, amoment of silence was held for the victims of the collapse.[9] The team rescheduled their August 2 game against the Twins to the afternoon of August 31 for adouble-header.Brian Bannister won his second Rookie of the Month Award for the season. The Royals went 13–15 in August, completing a three-month stretch in which the team compiled a record of 41–39.
On September 12, the Royals defeated the Minnesota Twins 6–3 to win their 63rd game, guaranteeing that they would not lose 100 games in 2007. The victory ended the team's string of three consecutive seasons of 100 losses of more from 2004 to 2006. While the Royals struggled with a 9–19 record in September, their overall record of 69–93 was the team's best finish since 2003.
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Indians | 96 | 66 | .593 | — | 51–29 | 45–37 |
| Detroit Tigers | 88 | 74 | .543 | 8 | 45–36 | 43–38 |
| Minnesota Twins | 79 | 83 | .488 | 17 | 41–40 | 38–43 |
| Chicago White Sox | 72 | 90 | .444 | 24 | 38–43 | 34–47 |
| Kansas City Royals | 69 | 93 | .426 | 27 | 35–46 | 34–47 |
| Team | BAL | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | LAA | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TB | TEX | TOR | NL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | — | 6–12 | 5–3 | 3–4 | 1–5 | 7–0 | 3–7 | 0–7 | 9–9 | 4–4 | 2–7 | 11–7 | 4–6 | 8–10 | 6–12 | ||
| Boston | 12–6 | — | 7–1 | 5–2 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 6–4 | 4–3 | 8–10 | 4–4 | 4–5 | 13–5 | 6–4 | 9–9 | 12–6 | ||
| Chicago | 3–5 | 1–7 | — | 7–11 | 11–7 | 12–6 | 5–4 | 9–9 | 4–6 | 4–5 | 1–7 | 6–1 | 2–4 | 3–4 | 4–14 | ||
| Cleveland | 4–3 | 2–5 | 11–7 | — | 12–6 | 11–7 | 5–5 | 14–4 | 0–6 | 6–4 | 4–3 | 8–2 | 6–3 | 4–2 | 9–9 | ||
| Detroit | 5–1 | 4–3 | 7–11 | 6–12 | — | 11–7 | 3–5 | 12–6 | 4–4 | 4–6 | 6–4 | 3–4 | 5–4 | 4–3 | 14–4 | ||
| Kansas City | 0–7 | 3–3 | 6–12 | 7–11 | 7–11 | — | 5–2 | 9–9 | 1–9 | 6–4 | 3–6 | 4–3 | 5–4 | 3–4 | 10–8 | ||
| Los Angeles | 7–3 | 4–6 | 4–5 | 5–5 | 5–3 | 2–5 | — | 6–3 | 6–3 | 9–10 | 13–6 | 6–2 | 10–9 | 3–4 | 14–4 | ||
| Minnesota | 7–0 | 3–4 | 9–9 | 4–14 | 6–12 | 9–9 | 3–6 | — | 2–5 | 5–2 | 6–3 | 3–4 | 7–2 | 4–6 | 11–7 | ||
| New York | 9–9 | 10–8 | 6–4 | 6–0 | 4–4 | 9–1 | 3–6 | 5–2 | — | 2–4 | 5–5 | 10–8 | 5–1 | 10–8 | 10–8 | ||
| Oakland | 4–4 | 4–4 | 5–4 | 4–6 | 6–4 | 4–6 | 10–9 | 2–5 | 4–2 | — | 5–14 | 4–6 | 9–10 | 5–4 | 10–8 | ||
| Seattle | 7–2 | 5–4 | 7–1 | 3–4 | 4–6 | 6–3 | 6–13 | 3–6 | 5–5 | 14–5 | — | 4–3 | 11–8 | 4–5 | 9–9 | ||
| Tampa Bay | 7–11 | 5–13 | 1–6 | 2–8 | 4–3 | 3–4 | 2–6 | 4–3 | 8–10 | 6–4 | 3–4 | — | 5–4 | 9–9 | 7–11 | ||
| Texas | 6–4 | 4–6 | 4–2 | 3–6 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 9–10 | 2–7 | 1–5 | 10–9 | 8–11 | 4–5 | — | 5–5 | 11–7 | ||
| Toronto | 10–8 | 9–9 | 4–3 | 2–4 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 4–3 | 6–4 | 8–10 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 9–9 | 5–5 | — | 10–8 | ||
| 2007 Kansas City Royals | |||||||||
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| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
| Catchers Infielders | Outfielders | Manager Coaches
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April
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May
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June
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July
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August
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September
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| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Avg. | Mark Teahen | .285 |
| HR | John Buck | 18 |
| RBI | Emil Brown | 62 |
| R | David DeJesus | 101 |
| H | David DeJesus | 157 |
| SB | Alex Gordon | 14 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Brian Bannister | 12 |
| L | Gil Meche | 13 |
| ERA | Gil Meche | 3.67 |
| SO | Gil Meche | 156 |
| SV | Joakim Soria | 17 |
| IP | Gil Meche | 216 |
Stats as of September 30, 2007
| Stat | Player | Total | AL Rank | MLB Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | David DeJesus | 101 | 13 | 26 |
| 3B | David DeJesus | 9 | 2 (tie) | 5 (tie) |
| G | David DeJesus | 157 | 16 (tie) | 30 (tie) |
| Stat | Player | Total | AL Rank | MLB Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERA | Gil Meche | 3.67 | 14 | 24 |
| IP | Gil Meche | 216 | 8 | 13 |
| G | Jimmy Gobble | 74 | 5 | 25 |
Stats as of September 30, 2007
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases; BB = Walks; AVG = Batting average; SLG = Slugging average
| Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | AVG | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David DeJesus | 157 | 605 | 101 | 157 | 29 | 9 | 7 | 58 | 10 | 64 | .260 | .372 |
| Mark Teahen | 144 | 544 | 78 | 155 | 31 | 8 | 7 | 60 | 13 | 55 | .285 | .410 |
| Alex Gordon | 151 | 543 | 60 | 134 | 36 | 4 | 15 | 60 | 14 | 41 | .247 | .411 |
| Tony Peña Jr. | 152 | 509 | 58 | 136 | 25 | 7 | 2 | 47 | 5 | 10 | .267 | .356 |
| Mark Grudzielanek | 116 | 453 | 70 | 137 | 32 | 3 | 6 | 51 | 1 | 23 | .302 | .426 |
| Emil Brown | 113 | 366 | 44 | 94 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 62 | 12 | 24 | .257 | .347 |
| Esteban Germán | 121 | 348 | 49 | 92 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 37 | 11 | 43 | .264 | .376 |
| John Buck | 113 | 347 | 41 | 77 | 18 | 0 | 18 | 48 | 0 | 36 | .222 | .429 |
| Billy Butler | 92 | 329 | 38 | 96 | 23 | 2 | 8 | 52 | 0 | 27 | .292 | .447 |
| Ross Gload | 102 | 320 | 37 | 92 | 22 | 3 | 7 | 51 | 2 | 16 | .288 | .441 |
| Mike Sweeney | 74 | 265 | 26 | 69 | 15 | 1 | 7 | 38 | 0 | 17 | .260 | .404 |
| Joey Gathright | 74 | 228 | 28 | 70 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 9 | 20 | .307 | .342 |
| Ryan Shealy | 52 | 172 | 18 | 38 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 0 | 13 | .221 | .308 |
| Jason LaRue | 66 | 169 | 14 | 25 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 17 | .148 | .272 |
| Shane Costa | 55 | 103 | 13 | 23 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 5 | .223 | .301 |
| Jason Smith | 40 | 85 | 9 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 3 | .188 | .447 |
| Reggie Sanders | 24 | 73 | 12 | 23 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 11 | .315 | .493 |
| Fernando Cortez | 8 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .286 | .357 |
| Paul Phillips | 8 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .143 | .214 |
| Ángel Berroa | 9 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .091 | .091 |
| Justin Huber | 8 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .100 | .100 |
| Craig Brazell | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .250 | .250 |
| Pitcher Totals | 162 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .182 | .227 |
| Team Totals | 162 | 5534 | 706 | 1447 | 300 | 46 | 102 | 660 | 78 | 428 | .261 | .388 |
Source:[1]
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gil Meche | 9 | 13 | 3.67 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 216.0 | 218 | 98 | 88 | 62 | 156 |
| Brian Bannister | 12 | 9 | 3.87 | 27 | 27 | 0 | 165.0 | 156 | 76 | 71 | 44 | 77 |
| Odalis Pérez | 8 | 11 | 5.57 | 26 | 26 | 0 | 137.1 | 178 | 90 | 85 | 50 | 64 |
| Jorge De La Rosa | 8 | 12 | 5.82 | 26 | 23 | 0 | 130.0 | 160 | 88 | 84 | 53 | 82 |
| Zack Greinke | 7 | 7 | 3.69 | 52 | 14 | 1 | 122.0 | 122 | 52 | 50 | 36 | 106 |
| Joel Peralta | 1 | 3 | 3.80 | 62 | 0 | 1 | 87.2 | 93 | 39 | 37 | 19 | 66 |
| David Riske | 1 | 4 | 2.45 | 65 | 0 | 4 | 69.2 | 61 | 19 | 19 | 27 | 52 |
| Joakim Soria | 2 | 3 | 2.48 | 62 | 0 | 17 | 69.0 | 46 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 75 |
| Jimmy Gobble | 4 | 1 | 3.02 | 74 | 0 | 1 | 53.2 | 56 | 23 | 18 | 23 | 50 |
| Kyle Davies | 3 | 7 | 6.66 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 50.0 | 63 | 41 | 37 | 26 | 40 |
| Brandon Duckworth | 3 | 5 | 4.63 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 46.2 | 51 | 30 | 24 | 23 | 21 |
| Juan Carlos Oviedo | 2 | 4 | 3.92 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 43.2 | 44 | 21 | 19 | 10 | 37 |
| John Bale | 1 | 1 | 4.05 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 40.0 | 45 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 42 |
| Ryan Braun | 2 | 0 | 6.64 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 39.1 | 46 | 32 | 29 | 22 | 24 |
| Scott Elarton | 2 | 4 | 10.46 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 37.0 | 53 | 44 | 43 | 21 | 13 |
| Billy Buckner | 1 | 2 | 5.29 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 34.0 | 37 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 17 |
| Neal Musser | 0 | 1 | 4.38 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 24.2 | 32 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 19 |
| Octavio Dotel | 2 | 1 | 3.91 | 24 | 0 | 11 | 23.0 | 24 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 29 |
| Todd Wellemeyer | 0 | 1 | 10.34 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 15.2 | 25 | 19 | 18 | 11 | 9 |
| Luke Hochevar | 0 | 1 | 2.13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12.2 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| John Thomson | 1 | 1 | 3.38 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10.2 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Jason Standridge | 0 | 1 | 8.22 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| Luke Hudson | 0 | 1 | 18.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 69 | 93 | 4.48 | 162 | 162 | 36 | 1437.1 | 1547 | 778 | 716 | 520 | 993 |
Source:[2]
2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game