KC Royals: Mike Moustakas Can Be Home Run King
By Scott Dillon
The KC Royals have a real power threat in Mike Moustakas this season. In spite of his hot start, he’ll need 31 more long balls to be the home run king.
Mike Moustakas has 80 career home runs in his career with the KC Royals. He’s completely resurrected his career after he looked like a bust in the 2014 season.
When Mike Moustakas got sent down during the 2014 campaign, there likely weren’t many who could have predicted what was going to happen next.
It looked like Mike Moustakas, like so many other hitters, was going to become a victim of being beat by the shift. He became proficient in popping out or finding a shifted infielder and it looked like he may never recover.
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When the 2014 playoffs rolled around, Mike Moustakas found himself batting in the nine-hole for the KC Royals. From that spot, he went on to hit a team record, five playoff home runs.
After a strong 2015 campaign, that saw those pop-ups turn into line drives and those shifts being made to look worthless, he’s in position to set another home run record for the KC Royals.
He’s currently on pace to break the single season home run record that was set by Steve Balboni back in 1985. He clubbed 36 home runs that season at a rate of 18.11 plate appearances per home run. It’s a record that’s now stood for 30 seasons.
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Mike Moustakas may be hitting home runs at an unsustainable rate so far this season. He’s averaging a home run every 13.7 plate appearances. It’s still early but he’s got six home runs across 79 at-bats and that pace puts him at 48.05 home runs on the year (assuming he plays at least 150 games).
Jumping back to the second half of last season, in which the KC Royals’ slugger (not the mascot) hit 15 home runs, he’s got 21 home runs over his last 359 plate appearances. That’s a home run every 17.09 plate appearances dating back to the second half of last season.
It put’s him on pace for 38.52 home runs on the season which is still enough to set that single season record for the KC Royals.
As the season wears on, there is a good chance that Moustakas will endure some kind of slump. Hopefully, he’ll find his way to 15 home runs or more by the All-Star break.
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Like most other Royals’ batters, Moustakas likely doesn’t care much about this record. His goal, as it should be, is to help the Royals get back to the World Series and claim back-to-back World Series’ championships.
Well what do you think KC Royals’ fans? Does Mike Moustakas have a shot at the record? Will it ever be broken? Do you even care? Let me know in the comments’ section below.