Since the All-Star break a week and a half ago, the Kansas City Royals’ fan base has been energized by the promotion of rookie Bubba Starling to the major leagues. The long-awaited promotion of the Gardner product took the focus momentarily off the teams’ dismal first half showing. Friends and relatives of the Starlings boosted attendance at Kauffman Stadium, and fans tuned in to see how the rookie would fare.

Nicky Lopez can relax as the spotlight is focused on his new teammate. Because it was just a few weeks ago that he was focus of such attention, the hope for a brighter future. Like the Starlings, Lopez’ family was on camera during each of his at bats, riding the highs and lows of breaking into the big leagues.

“It felt great to have the support before even playing my first game,” Lopez said, looking back on his initial days in the league. “To see all the fans come out and cheer for me just made me feel great. It was pretty special.”

Lopez’ promotion to the big leagues on May 14 signaled a much-needed change of direction in Kansas City, and came with an inordinate amount of attention. Despite being a slap-hitting middle infielder who wasn’t a highly ranked prospect, Lopez arrived with outlandish fanfare and outsized expectations.

The reason for such excitement? Much of it had to do with the success he had in the minor leagues. Lopez was an on-base machine. Some of it had to do with the miserable 14-27 record of the team. Fans were hungry for any kind of change.

But much of it was due to animosity toward the man Lopez replaced. Veteran utility man Chris Owings, signed as a free agent during the offseason, flopped out of the gate and instantly became the focus of fans’ frustration with the direction on the team. Owings’ signing made no sense and seemed only to be holding back younger prospects like Lopez. Owings failed miserably at the plate, but continued to get regular playing time. Despite having a solid track record as a major leaguer, fans weren’t about to wait for the 27-year-old to turn things around. Their displeasure quickly forced the Royals to promote Lopez, and Owings was released just a few weeks later. The Royals ate $3 million to move on from the mistake.

And just as Owings was seen as the face of the club’s ineptitude, Lopez was cast as the hope for the future. Both assumptions were unfair. But the initial frenzy has settled down, and Starling is taking most of the attention these days.

“Things are settling down, and that feels good,” said Lopez. “The first couple of weeks were a little hectic. I was riding the high of just being new to the big leagues. Having all my family and friends and relatives in town was really special. But now it’s just good that I can get into a routine and learn about the big league life.

“Being able to stay at my apartment by myself and not have to worry about all the distractions outside of baseball has been good. I’m learning a lot and developing, which is the biggest thing. I just want to keep developing.”

When the Royals jettisoned Owings, they moved Whit Merrifield to the outfield full time to create a regular role at second base for Lopez. The fact that the Royals repositioned one of their best players to make room for Lopez fueled expectations even more.

As should have been expected, Lopez has struggled to adjust to the major leagues. In April and May he posted a .353 batting average and a .457 on-base percentage at Triple-A that he was never going to be able to replicate in the big leagues. He was known for almost never striking out in the minors. But the pitching he’s facing now is a different animal. His strikeouts are up, and his walks are down.

But the 24-year-old Creighton product is adjusting. He’s weathered a couple short slumps and is currently hitting .241 – solid if not spectacular. As expected he’s providing no power, but his spray-hitting style and energy provides an occasional boost.

Since the hoopla settled down, Lopez has settled into a long-range view of personal development, which mirrors that of the team.

“We are working hard. We come in every day with a ‘Today is a new day’ mindset,” said the native of Naperville, Ill. “We’re just trying to get better each and every day. We know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. If not next year, then in the next couple of years, we know that we’re going to be pretty good.”

Lopez has a firm grip on the second base position, for now. Versatile Erick Mejia may earn a utility role in Kansas City eventually. Gabe Cancel and newly acquired Kevin Merrill are prospects at Double-A who may threaten Lopez down the road. And in a few years, draftees Bobby Witt, Jr. and Brady McConnell might be slotted at second base.

Lopez himself knows that the key to the process is developing prospects to mesh with the Royals’ young core. He believes that help is on the way.

“The future is so bright. We are struggling right now, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There are a lot of guys in the minors who are going to be good in the near future. We got guys down in the Single-A level that I haven’t really played with. But I hear really good things about them, particularly the pitching staff. And there are guys who I was with in Triple-A who are knocking on the door and just waiting for their opportunity.

“We just gotta get through this year and keep building.”

With a quarter of the race complete, the Great Running Royals are in the lead!

Not where it really matters, i.e. the major league baseball standings. Rather in another, much less meaningful, but nonetheless interesting race – that of stolen bases.

Not that everyone else is really trying to win that race. The stolen base is out of vogue, so much so that last season saw the fewest thefts since 1973.

For the past decade or so, the Kansas City Royals have been trying, with mixed results, to go against the flow. When the rest of the league values one thing, the Royals place value on something else, hoping to capitalize on affordable mismatches. So this year, the Royals hoped they could create an advantage by going all in on speed. They signed proven stolen-base threats in Billy Hamilton and Chris Owings, and they retained Terrence Gore as a pinch runner. Add those three to two-time stolen base champ Whit Merrifield and lightning-fast Adalberto Mondesi, and the Royals look more like a track team than a baseball team.

“We have probably the biggest field in baseball,” said Merrifield. “So homers just aren’t going to be as prevalent as they are in Yankee Stadium, or Houston or Milwaukee. It’s important that we have guys that are fast, to cover all that ground. And when you have guys who are fast, they are probably going to be able to steal bases too.

“And when we are stealing bases, and keeping other teams from hitting home runs, it’s probably going to lead to us winning games.”

(Technically, Coors Field is larger than Kauffman Stadium in terms of fair-territory acreage, but the Royals have the largest in the American League by a long shot.)

Merrifield has proven he can steal a lot of bases. He led the league the past two seasons, with 34 in 2017 and 45 in 2018, a personal accomplishment he takes pride in.

“It was a big honor, for something that’s a big part of my game, to say that I was the best at it in the league,” Merrifield said.

But as for his hope that stolen bases could lead to wins, how is it working?

Well, the Royals aren’t winning a lot of games. But not for a lack of running. After 38 games (entering the weekend series against Philadelphia), the Royals lead all of baseball with 37 stolen bases, 16 percent more than their closest American League competitor, and 46 percent more than the league average.

“Numbers wise, we haven’t set a numerical goal team-wise, but we know what kind of a team that we are, and we know what we’re capable of,” Merrifield said. “We’re going to run when we get on base. So whatever the number turns out to be, hopefully it will be a good one.”

Stealing bases is nothing new in Kansas City. In the 1970s, when the stolen base was much more a part of every team’s strategy, the Royals were among the best. They topped 200 three times in the 1970s – 218 in 1976, 216 in 1978, and 207 in 1979. They led the American League with 185 when they reached their first World Series in 1980.

For perspective on the difference in eras, consider that the American League team average for stolen bases in 2018 was 84. Willie Wilson swiped 83 (the Royals’ individual record) in 1979 by himself.

The Royals slowed down some in the 1980s, falling behind steals-crazy teams like Oakland and St. Louis. When the Royals won the championship in 1985, they were just fifth in the American League with 128 steals.

The mildly competitive Royals teams of the 1990s made the stolen base a priority, leading the American League in 1994 and again in 1996.

More recently, the stolen base has played a part in the rejuvenation of the Royals. They led their league in 2013 and 2014, each time with 153. The World Series winner of 2015 stole just 104 bases, but that total ranked second in the American League.

In terms of sheer speed, this team is equipped to achieve historic numbers, a fact not lost on them.

“It’s going to be interesting to see what we can do,” Gore said. “We have got a lot of speed, for sure, so it’s just a matter of getting the opportunities. When you look at what each guy could do, it adds up pretty fast.

“It would mean a lot to us (to achieve a historic total of stolen bases). It would be something cool to be a part of, but if we’re stealing that many bases, then we’re probably scoring a lot of runs. It would be a real honor to be thought of up there with the best.”

Going into the season, there was talk of stealing 200 bases, a feat accomplished by just one team in the new millennium. But at the quarter mark of 2019, they aren’t anywhere near that pace. They are currently on pace for something more like 160. Mondesi is third in the American League with 10. Hamilton is fourth with ten. Merrifield has seven. Gore has five.

Could it pick up?

Probably so. Hamilton has struggled to get on base, a pre-requisite for stealing bases. The team hasn’t been in enough close games to really exploit Gore’s potential. Owings has been dreadful at the plate, minimizing his effect on the basepaths. Hunter Dozier and Alex Gordon, both capable of contributing to the total, haven’t been running.

Not that the stolen base number will affect the win/loss total. It should be seen only as a means to an end. But still, it’s an interesting experiment the Royals are running, and it’s one thing that makes their games fun to watch.

The Kansas City Royals struggle to straddle the fence between building for the future and competing in the present. The balancing act forces them to make difficult personnel decisions. Factor in the clubs’ fiscal restraints, and the Royals’ roster makeup is by no means an exact science.

Expectations for 2019 being what they are, there might not be a real point to nitpick every decision. But it’s hard not to question some of the team’s decisions.

Look no further than an outfielder who is visiting Kauffman Stadium this weekend, the California Angels’ Brian Goodwin. The name sounds familiar, of course, because he’s the same guy who was a part of the Royals’ outfield plans, until he wasn’t.

On March 25, three days before opening day, the Royals waived Goodwin when he seemed a lock for Kansas City’s active roster. The Royals, after all, had traded for Goodwin in the middle of 2018 and thrust him into their outfield mix.

Goodwin’s presence gave the Royals the opportunity to send Jorge Bonifacio and Brett Phillips to the minors. They preferred to play Jorge Soler at designated hitter. Their top prospects weren’t ready to make the jump to the big leagues. The situation seemed perfect for Goodwin. It all made perfect sense.

But suddenly and without warning, the Royals sent the 28-year-old packing.

“I was shocked,” Goodwin told the Los Angeles Times earlier this season. “I had plans to find a place to live in Kansas City … not necessarily buying anything, but being there for the year. They told me they were going another way and I wasn’t in the plan. It was short and sweet but to the point. Well … it wasn’t very sweet.”

The Angels, probably as shocked as Goodwin was about the development, quickly snatched him off waivers and inserted him right into their lineup. So far, he’s rewarded them with a .333 batting average (which would lead the Royals) and a .423 on-base percentage entering the weekend series in Kansas City. He’s versatile, athletic, a good defender – just they type of thing the Royals typically value.

While the Royals’ outfield hasn’t been the reason for their sluggish start, it’s hard to fathom not having a place for Goodwin on the roster. By jettisoning Goodwin, they set themselves up for some less-than-desirable fits in right field. First, they started the season playing Whit Merrifield in right, and putting Chris Owings at second base. Then, they shifted to another arrangement – playing Jorge Soler everyday in right, which they had very recently said they wanted to avoid. Their intention had been to employ the oft-injured Soler at designated hitter whenever possible. But with Goodwin gone, they backpedeled from that declaration.

The optics of Goodwin returning to Kauffman Stadium with enviable stats are not good. But strange as it looks, the Goodwin decision is not the Royals’ only questionable move in this young season.

Keeping Terrence Gore on the roster: The idea seemed crazy. Reserve a roster spot for a pinch runner who possesses no other big league-caliber skills? What value would a pinch-running specialist have on a team with no chance at the playoffs? Thus far, the gamble has had mixed results. Gore has hit far better than anyone ever thought he might. But a “designated runner” prone to getting picked off in do-or-die situations is worth nothing.

Rushing Kyle Zimmer to the big leagues: Injuries have riddled Zimmer’s seven professional seasons. His experience entering 2019 was limited to less than 270 minor league innings. He didn’t pitch at all, anywhere, in 2018. Thrusting him under the bright lights of the major leagues while he was still rebuilding his arm, not to mention his confidence, seemed hasty. Zimmer’s talent wasn’t enough to get him through the first month of the season. He faltered in three games and was sent to the minors to regroup.

Signing Owings and playing him daily: The Royals signed Owings to a one-year deal for $3 million as a super-utility man. They had a more athletic super-utility option in Roselle Herrera, who was costing them just $560,000. But they expelled Herrera and brought in Owings. Ok if he’s going to fill a need just until prospect Nicki Lopez is deemed ready for the major leagues. But it’s not ok to play him every day. That’s what the Royals are doing. Owings has played in all but one game this season, hitting just .157 with no power or speed to provide any value. (FYI, Herrera found a spot on the Miami Marlins’ roster.)

Bringing back Lucas Duda: Most baffling of all is that the Royals decided to start the season with both Frank Schwindel and Duda – two big, slow first basemen – instead of keeping Goodwin. Schwindel has since been sent to the minors. But the Royals retained Duda, who is a redundancy. With a lefthanded first baseman in Ryan O’Hearn already on the roster, Duda provides nothing unique, and he is by no means part of the Royals’ future. The Royals were unable to trade Duda for anything last summer, and he appears to be worth even less now.

The Kansas City Royals major league season got off to a great start. But quickly reality set in – this team won’t be very good.

Rather than focus on that sad fact, however, Royals fans have somewhere to look for hope. The truly important baseball played this year will be at Wilmington, Delaware, and Lexington, Kentucky, not in Kansas City.

The Royals are doing their best to find a winning combination to put on the field this season. But more importantly, they are trying to ascertain which of the current Royals could play on a playoff contender in 2021 and beyond. Brad Keller and Adalberto Mondesi are definitely keepers. Whit Merrifield, Jorge Soler and Salvador Perez might still be around. Others are auditioning for roles.

But the Royals’ true hope for glory is still in the minors. A couple of solid drafts and some trades for prospects have restocked the developmental system. So while you grin and bear the current reality, keep an eye on the following farm teams, which kicked off their seasons on Thursday.

Omaha Storm Chasers: Several players starting the season for the Triple-A affiliate were only held off the big league squad to retain their service time for a more opportune window. And more than a handful will see time in Kansas City this season.

The big league Royals bullpen has been an unmitigated disaster thus far. The Royals elected to start the year with some veteran acquisitions in order to allow a few key prospects to activate their major league service time a little further down the road. But that time will come soon. Richard Lovelady should be an instant upgrade when he’s called up. The Royals might also find some pitching help in Scott Blewett, Josh Staumont and Arnaldo Hernandez.

Nicky Lopez is big-league ready and just waiting for the right time to step into the Royals infield. (If current Royals utility man Chris Owings doesn’t get things going, the right time may come sooner than later.) Humberto Arteaga is in the same boat and plays essentially the same position as Lopez. There will be room for one, if not both, in Kansas City soon.

Former big leaguers Jorge Bonifacio and Brett Phillips have got to prove they can hit in order to be reunited with the Royals. Meanwhile Bubba Starling appears ready to finally realize his immense potential, and a call to KC should happen later this year.

Northwest Arkansas Naturals: Most of the attention at Double-A will be on outfielder Khalil Lee, the Royals’ #2 prospect. He combines elite-level speed, power and athleticism, and just needs more polish. Playing in Lee’s shadow, but not to be overlooked, is Junction City native Nick Heath, who possesses the type of speed that plays well in Kansas City.

The Naturals’ catcher, Meibrys Viloria, is so advanced defensively that when the Royals were in need of a backup last season, Viloria was promoted from the Single-A level all the way to the big leagues. He’s starting the season in Double-A just to make sure he gets to play every day.

Wilmington Blue Rocks: This is the team to watch. The high-A affiliate of the Royals will be bulging with top prospects. In fact, if you want to see what the 2022 big league Royals will look like, just check out a Blue Rocks team photo. Eleven of the Royals’ top 30 prospects, including six of the top seven, started the year in Wilmington.

In last June’s amateur draft, the Royals loaded up on college pitching prospects, and now those elite prospects are all clustered in Wilmington. The Royals’ top rated prospect, Brady Singer, will front a rotation that includes Daniel Lynch (the #4 rated prospect) and Jackson Kowar (#7). That trio may soon make up three-fifths of the Royals’ big league rotation.

MJ Melendez, the Royals’ #3 prospect, will share catching duties with Sebastian Rivero, another prized backstop. Nick Pratto (#5) is at first base.

Seuly Matias, who clubbed 31 homers last season, headlines the outfield as the #6 prospect. He’s joined there by Kyle Isbel (#10), Brewer Hicklen (#13) and Blake Perkins (#23).

The Royals don’t always leave players at Wilmington for the entire season. If the top prospects excel at high-A, they may find themselves fast-tracked to Northwest Arkansas, bringing them one step closer to the big leagues.

Lexington Legends: This pitching staff merits close watch this summer. The rotation is packed with potential in Chris Bubic (#9), Austin Cox (#22) and Jonathan Bowlan (#29), and should soon be bolstered by Carlos Hernandez (#11), Yefri Del Rosario (#12), Yohanse Morel (#20) and Janser Lara (#30), who stayed back in extended spring training. That means seven of the Royals’ top 15 pitching prospects should pass through Lexington this summer.

The most intriguing member of the staff, however, will be Ashe Russell. Picked in the first round of the 2015 amateur draft, Russell ran into off-the-field problems and disappeared for more than a year. But he resurfaced in the Royals’ training program last summer and may finally be ready to realize his potential.

In the field, the Legends will feature the Royals’ #13 and #24 prospects in outfielder Michael Gigliotti and shortstop Jeison Guzman.

Prospect watching can provide a lot of relief during the lean years. Watching from afar as players like Perez, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and the late Yordano Ventura climbed the minor league ladder made all the Royals’ losing prior to 2013 a little more bearable. The same will be true during the current rebuild.