Rays-Royals Q&A With Mike Vamosi of Kings of Kauffman

Ahead of this exciting Rays-Royals Series, I had the opportunity to chat with Mike Vamosi of Kings of Kauffman about the Kansas City Royals. Here’s what we talked about.

Robbie Knopf: What do you think about the players involved in the Wil Myers trade at this point? For KC, Shields has been inconsistent in his walk year, but Davis has been excellent out of the bullpen. For the Rays, meanwhile, Myers has hit the sophomore slump, but Odorizzi has been dominant since the middle of June, Mike Montgomery has finally broken through at Triple-A, and Patrick Leonard has delivered a tremendous season at High-A.

Mike Vamosi: Shields has really struggled since June for whatever reason. He’s gotten the most run support of any starter, but it’s been frustrating no doubt. Wade Davis has turned in a great season and I thought he’d get an all star appearance for it. It’s odd because both teams have seen success at different times from guys. Overall, both have been disappointing for sure, and fans are frustrated with them.

Odorizzi pitching well doesn’t surprise me as he’s getting to work with Jim Hickey and the Rays organization. He has the stuff to be successful for awhile. Montgomery has taken a bit to get going as you know, but it is nice to see him improve. Leonard is the lost name in the trade and still has a ways to go, but hearing that he’s having success is great.

RK: Mike Moustakas has been inconsistent again- basically as expected- but the same has held true of Eric Hosmer.  Have you given up on Moustakas? On the other side, what is going on with Hosmer and do you think he can overcome it?

MV: Moustakas seemed to garner the ire of people, first platooning with Danny Valencia, and then getting a week in Omaha. Hosmer now has struggled for a few months but Ned won’t admit defeat or dropping him in the lineup or sitting him due to his glove.

RK: Salvador Perez will be starting in the All-Star Game, replacing the injured Matt Wieters. Is it a long overdue honor or has he taken another step forward this season?

In my biased opinion, Perez is the best catcher in baseball and the state of Missouri. His offense has caught up to the GoldGglove defense he provides. It’s nice to see the national recognition start to come his way.

RK: After the Rays beat the Tigers on Sunday night, the Royals sit 4 games back in the AL Central. What do you think are the chances they win the division?

Honestly I’m not feeling really confident given how Kansas City has played the past week. Detroit though can’t seal the division, which is the encouraging, but the Royals need to take advantage and not lose series in Cleveland.

Thanks to Mike for taking the time for this Rays-Royals discussion, and head to Kings of Kauffman to brush up on the Royals before the Rays take them on.