Courtesy of Zimbio.com
Only a few things arouse true baseball fans more than a deserving blocked prospect finally getting a chance in the Major Leagues. That’s why the Kansas City Royals decision to hand Kila Ka’aihue the starting first-base job during Spring Training this season was such a dream come true. As bittersweet as it may seem, fans everywhere yearned for the countless Chris Berman outbursts of “And Kila kilas that ball!” But while Ka’aihue got his much-deserved opportunity, it slipped through his fingers almost as soon as he got it.
Ka’aihue posted a meager .195/.295/.317 line with 2 homeruns, 6 RBI, and 6 runs in 96 plate appearances for the Royals this season. Considering the Hawaiian owned a lethal .284/.419/.503 career line in 1,378 plate appearances at Triple-A, his offering in the show was very disappointing to say at least. As a reminder, this was the same guy who swatted 37 homeruns and owned a .314/.456/.628 line in 515 plate appearances between Double/Triple-A in 2008. Surely 96 plate appearances in the bigs is too small of a sample size to completely give-up on a hitter who has exhibited such an electric bat. Continue reading →
