The Franchise

With the departures of Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas still in free agency (looking like the Royals will not pursue him) it’s now or never for the Kansas City outfielder to show why he is deserving of $72 million.

Alex Gordon signed a 4 year $72 million contract to stay with Kansas City in the 2016 off season. So far Gordon has not lived up to his potential. Many are saying he’s a bust and the Royals wasted a contract.

During his struggling times, Gordon had a career worst .208 BA with only 52 RBI and less than 100 hits. Nobody will argue that this was the worst of his career when it comes to offense. But one cannot forget that he knows that gigantic Royals outfield better than anyone. Over the years he has been one of the best left fielders in all of baseball. Gordon is a five-time Gold Glove winner and looks to keep improving upon that number.

Gordon has the chance to become the face of the franchise once again and don’t be surprised if he does. Look for a bounce back year from the 10-year veteran.

Mahomes Era has begun

The Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins trade needed to happen. Whether some like it or some don’t. Patrick Mahomes time to shine is now and it’s time for Chiefs fans to accept it. And let’s be honest, Mahomes could be the most electrifying quarterback the Chiefs have had in a while.

The reason Mahomes will shine with the Chiefs is because of his arm. While he is still young, he had a chance to learn the Andy Reid offence for a year under Pro Bowl QB Alex Smith. While Smith is a conscience QB, he wasn’t afraid to throw the deep ball and Mahomes noticed.

Mahomes will be a franchise QB because:

Mahomes has Andy Reid. Let’s be honest, Reid churns out talent at QB like no other. Reid has helped Favre, McNabb, Michael Vick and most recently Alex Smith. All of which have been to multiple Pro Bowls. If Mahomes is going to be successful, it’s going to be under Reid.

The receivers aren’t just great in Kansas City but they’re good enough. Tyreek Hill is on the upside and is quickly becoming a threat in the National Football league. He has the speed to out rout any defender and the hands to catch just about anything within a five-foot radius. Mahomes could be the answer Hill needs to excel. Chris Conley is coming off an injury and was known for the deep ball catch at Georgia. With Conley coming back and at full health, the Mahomes to Conley call could become quite popular for Chiefs fans to hear.

Tight Ends could be a bigger factor than one would think for Mahomes. While he has the arm to sling it down the field 70 yards, he still has to get used to the pro style defense. That’s where Travis Kelce comes into play. Kelce is arguably the best TE in the NFL right along with Rob Gronkowski. Kelce has sure hands and loves to embarrass the defense. Look for Mahomes and Kelce to hook up early and often.

 Mahomes is still learning and won’t be able to throw it every down. And quite frankly he won’t have to. While the hype around Mahomes is huge, you can’t forget about the second year running back the Chiefs will have. Kareem Hunt had an amazing year running the ball the same year Smith had one of his best passing years of his career. After his first touch and fumble against the Patriots, Hunt had an explosive year. Look Reid to help Mahomes with the ground and pound game.

Challenges Mahomes will face early:

Mahomes thrived under Kliff kingsberry at Texas Tech. Many would put him in the same company as Graham Herrell. That’s pretty damn good company to be with at Texas Tech. But… Mahomes didn’t face one defense in the top 25 while in conference play.

The Big 12 is known for the spread offense and usually take the shotgun approach. Mahomes will have to get comfortable enough to go under center whenever Reid wants.

The Chiefs recently lost their offensive coordinator in Matt Nagy. While this isn’t that big of a deal for Mahomes (he was still learning a new system) he will have to start over in learning a new offense.

Chiefs fans will be happy with their new starting QB and defenses across the NFL will respect him. Look for Reid to continue his success and have yet another QB to add to his already impressive résumé.

One year

            Relentless. Fiery. Temperamental. World Series Champion. Ace. All of these words can be used to describe Yordano Ventura who died in a car accident on January 22, 2017 at the age of 26. The young pitcher quickly earned the starting pitcher role for the Kansas City Royals. Opponents despised seeing him on the mound. Royals fans made him a family member even if they had never personally met him.

            The pitcher from the Dominican Republic was one of the most beloved players to ever wear “Royals” across his chest. His passion for the game went far beyond the money he earned from a contract. His pitching is one of the big reasons why the Royals made it to the World Series two years in a row and win it the second time around.

            Ace was the nickname given to him and let’s be honest, that was really the only appropriate nickname he could have been given. The man was an absolute ace on the mound. He could get anybody he wanted out using his 100mph fastball. The little whip he did with his arm and leg after every pitch was his signature pinpoint.

            Winning the World Series was the best thing that could have happened for Ventura. It showed that he was still young and had stuff he needed to learn but also proved that he had what it took to be a franchise starting pitcher. Yes, Ventura had plenty of moments that could have been better off without. If we’re going to be honest, Ventura probably could have done better controlling his temper but that’s what the fans and teammates loved about him. His passion.

            Although it’s been one year since his death, Royals fans everywhere still remember him like he was at the kitchen table only last night. To say one could only remember him for his good times would be wrong. You can’t remember Ventura without remembering his highs and lows. His good and bads. His “ooohhh baby we go to the World Series again. Oohh baby.”