As the Kansas City Royals brass sat down in their first meeting before spring training, you have to hope that it didn’t go something like the scene in Major League. But, with a group being invited to camp composed mostly of rookies and unproven talent, it could have been tough to figure out just who some of the prospects were.
“I’ve never heard of half these guys. And, the ones I do know are way past their prime.”
“Most of these guys never had a prime.”
“This guy here is dead.”
“Cross him off then.”
Even though the 2003 edition of the Royals are relative no-names to most people, they are becoming the talk of Major League Baseball. This nobody of a team is winning, and winning repeatedly. At 6-0, they are the only Major League team that remains undefeated, and they are off to the best start in the history of the franchise. Combine that with the fact that they recently became the first team in the history of baseball to win their first six games after losing a hundred or more the previous season, and you’ve got a unique situation on your hands.
This relatively unknown team has some stunning similarities to the Cleveland Indians from Major League. In fact, each prominent player from the movie seems to have a mirror image on this year’s Royals.
There’s Rick Vaughn, played by closer Mike MacDougal. No–he didn’t play in the California Penal League last year, but his blazing fastball resembles that of the fictitious Indians hurler. While MacDougal doesn’t sport the same haircut as Vaughn, he is putting up numbers that would make the “Wild Thing” himself jealous. MacDougal leads the league in saves and is averaging more than a strikeout an inning. He is perfect in save conversions and looks to be the budding star that the Royals anticipated when they drafted him 25th overall in the 1999 draft.
You have Pedro Cerrano, played by designated hitter Ken Harvey. With a 6’2″ 240-pound frame, there is no mistaking the physically intimidating Harvey. This season he is making an impact in the middle of the Royals order, hitting a cool .364 with an on-base percentage of .462. His big swing is reminiscent of Cerrano’s–minus the strikeouts. Coincidentally, since the beginning of the season there have been numerous JoBoo sightings at Kauffman Stadium.
Also Jake Taylor, played by catcher Brent Mayne. This 12-year veteran of the major leagues is in his second stint with the Royals. He is the veteran leader that the young Royals need in the locker room. Don’t forget the fact that he happens to be leading the majors in batting average with a white-hot .600 average. Is he always looking to ice his knees, probably–and at this pace the Royals might wish they had him two years ago–and they did.
Finally, Roger Dorn, played by first baseman Mike Sweeney. Sweeney is truly the only high-priced talent on this Royals club, but you wouldn’t know it by his actions. Sweeney is a mild-mannered leader who has been an All-Star the past three seasons. His .294 batting average and .529 slugging percentage indicate no drop-off coming anytime soon. Sweeney is the one player on the Royals that fans outside of Kansas City know. He can still hit the ball pretty well–yeah, just can’t field it.
At 6-0, there is no telling exactly how far the Royals can go. If the young pitching holds up, the bats stay hot and manager Tony Pena keeps the rookies focused, the ’03 Royals could be this year’s version of the ’02 Angels. But that is a long way off, at this point. For now, let public support for the team build up and attendance at the Big K grow.
To paraphrase the incomparable Harry Doyle: In case you haven’t noticed, and judging by the attendance, you haven’t, the Royals … have managed to win a few here and there and are threatening to climb out of the cellar.
