2007 Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals' 2007 season has begun with the team attempting to win the Central Division of the American League—a task not achieved since the division was formed in 1994.

In trying to improve on their 62-100 record in the 2006 season, the team will try to avoid a fourth straight last place finish and 100-loss season. Buddy Bell returned for his second and final full season as manager, and Dayton Moore will begin his first season as the team's general manager.

Anticipation surrounds the Royals' newfound approach to once again become a playoff contender. Roster moves have generated much interest in the Kansas City area, including the big-budget signing of starting pitcher Gil Meche, and the arrival of young, new talent—such as rookie third baseman Alex Gordon and designated hitter Billy Butler.

1 Regular season
2 Team leaders
- 2.1 Batting
- 2.2 Pitching
3 Royals among league leaders
- 3.1 Batting
- 3.2 Pitching
4 Current roster
5 References

[edit] Regular season

[edit] Season summary

[edit] April

The Royals began the season with expectations of improvement from their fans, and the team never ceased to impress in their home opener against the Boston Red Sox. The Royals defeated the Red Sox 7-1 in front of the sold-out home crowd. The magic did not last, however—Kansas City was just 3-7 through the first ten games of the season, and 8-18 by the end of April.

[edit] May

The Royals hit minor spots of winning when the team won 8 of 10 games from May 13 to May 23, but finished the month of May on a seven-game losing streak with series sweeps by the Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles. Kansas City went 11-17 in May and finished the month with an overall record of 19-35.

[edit] June

In the 2007 MLB Draft held on June 7, the Royals selected shortstop Mike Moustakas at #2 overall. ^[1] The team went 15-12 in June, their first winning month since July 2003. ^[2] Pitcher Brian Bannister won the American League Rookie of the Month Award.

[edit] July

Gil Meche was the only Royal selected to represent the team at the 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in San Francisco.^[3] At the All-Star break, the Royals had a record of 38-50 and the lowest team ERA in 13 years. On July 31, the Royals traded pitcher Octavio Dotel to the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Kyle Davies. ^[4] The Royals went 13-12 in July, giving the team its first consecutive winning months since June and July 2003. ^[5] Billy Butler won the Rookie of the Month Award.

[edit] August

On August 1, manager Buddy Bell announced his intention to resign following the 2007 season before a game against the Minnesota Twins.^[6] Also just minutes before the first pitch, a portion of Interstate 35 in downtown Minneapolis collapsed with a death toll of at least 5. ^[7] Before the game, a moment of silence was held for the victims of the collapse.^[7] The team rescheduled their August 2 game against the Twins to the afternoon of August 31 for a double-header. Brian Bannister won his second Rookie of the Month Award for the season. The Royals went 13-15 in August, completing a three-month stretch in which the team compiled a record of 41-39.

[edit] September

On September 12, the Kansas City defeated the Minnesota Twins 6-3 to win their 63rd game, guaranteeing that they will not lose 100 games in 2007. The victory ended the team's string of three consecutive seasons of 100 losses of more from 2004-2006.