73 LIBERTY REVIEW: #3 KANSAS CITY MONARCHS: I'M GOING TO KANSAS CITY, KANSAS CITY HERE I COME....

 

KANSAS CITY MONARCHS 
Royals Stadium 
Jim Doyle 75-87
Franchise  75-87 
71 West WC Winners 
73 Rankings
2nd pitching 
6th hitting 


LINEUP 

Fisk c 105
Blomberg 1b 155
Stennett 2b 73
Guerrero ss 51
Kingman 3b 110 
Carbo lf 128
Otis cf 133
Jackson rf 161

BENCH 

Boswell if 74
Mays cf 81 
Petrocelli 100 
Stanley ss 66
White of 102 
Yeager c 92 

PITCHING 

Borbon 159
Lyle 146
Reuschel 131
Niekro P 120 
Veale 117
Matlack 114
Busby 96 
Merritt 92 
Magunson 87
Hamilton 81 

NOTES 

I won't lie.  It is hard for me not to love this team because it brings back so many memories.  

I saw Reggie Jackson play his rookie year in Kansas City before the KCA broke my heart and moved to Oakland so it will be fun to watch him play for KCM in the Liberty league especially with his 161 OPS+ rating and 5 range rating in RF. 

Amos Otis gave me alot of fond memories roaming CF for the Royals.  Although I hated those stupid long sideburns, he played CF with elegance and grace.  His 133 OPS+ should help KCM win a few games. 

It's a honor to have Willie Mays play his last season for KCM.  The greatest baseball player in history still contributes a 4 range rating in CF even though his bat is below average.  

The Boston Red Sox contribute Fisk, Guerrero, Carbo and Petrocelli. Rico Petrocelli should be nominated for the best name in baseball history.   You can't be a baseball fan and not remember Fisk in game 6 of the 1975 World Series. 

The pitching staff ranks 2nd in the league and the rotation of Reuschel, Niekro, Matlack and Busby is sound. I will not hesitate to imitate Sparky Anderson ( Captain Hook) with a bullpen of Borbon, Lyle and Veale.  Jim Merritt will man the long relief role. 

The fear is the numbers can lie.  Last year the Monarchs came in with a high ranking and ended up with a losing record and instead of blaming it on the dice you have to look at management for failing to deliver.  A key factor is how to keep Kingman and Blomberg in the lineup without destroying an otherwise outstanding defense.  Monarch nation hopes this could be the year KCM wins the tournament of randomness but the numbers say KCM will finish 2nd in the Wild West.