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Kansas City Royals: Most disappointing players in first half of 2019

By Leigh Oleszczak

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 07: Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Jake Diekman (40) hands the ball to manager Ned Yost (3) as he leaves the game in the eighth inning during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Washington Nationals on July 7, 2019, at Nationals Park, in Washington D.C. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 07: Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Jake Diekman (40) hands the ball to manager Ned Yost (3) as he leaves the game in the eighth inning during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Washington Nationals on July 7, 2019, at Nationals Park, in Washington D.C. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by John Sleezer/Getty Images)
(Photo by John Sleezer/Getty Images) /

The 2019 season, as a whole, has been a disappointment for the KC Royals, but these five players have been some of the biggest busts.

The good news is that Brad Keller, who tops this list, is only 23 and has plenty of time to work on his craft. He showed he can be a number one starter in 2018 and a strong case should have been made for him to be the Royals’ representative in the All-Star Game last year.

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Ryan O’Hearn also had a good rookie year in 2018, but followed up on that with a gross .188 batting average. No one really thought O’Hearn would be the long-term answer at first base, but holding down the fort over there while Nick Pratto prepped for the big leagues would have been ideal.

Jorge Lopez showed promise in 2018, but he did anything but that this year. He was so bad as a starter that he was demoted to the bullpen where he hasn’t been much better. This trade is looking to be a terrible one by the Royals front office.

Jakob Junis is an innings eater, which is great! The bad news with Junis, however, is that he has an ERA over five and has yet to post an ERA under four during his young career. He’s 26 years old and there’s room for improvement, but at most, he’s looking like he’ll only ever be a four or five starter in the rotation.

Billy Hamilton’s signing didn’t excite anyone, but most fans figured that if nothing else, he could be trade bait. His .217 batting average probably isn’t going to get the Royals much on the trade market, so let’s hope a team really needs a pinch runner for their October run.

Next. Three Takeaways from First Half of 2019 Season. dark

Which Royals do you feel have disappointed the most in the first half of the season?

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