As the long, disappointing 2019 campaign comes to a close for the Kansas City Royals, changes are on the horizon. New ownership, a new manager and the development of minor league prospects will be all anyone will focus on from this point forward. And rightfully so. Fans will be glad to flush this 100-loss season and look to the future.

But an inventory of the 2019 season reveals some impressive – even historic – individual accomplishments that are worth celebrating. When fans look to the future, they may just find there are some high quality elements to build upon.

Most notably, Jorge Soler will lead the American League in home runs. This should not go unappreciated. Only twice in the 51 years of the franchise has a Royal even come close to this accomplishment. In 1975, John Mayberry finished third in the home run race, two behind George Scott and Reggie Jackson. In 1985, Steve Balboni came in third, four homers behind Darrell Evans. To achieve this feat in the second largest park in baseball is significant. Soler also entered the final series of the season fourth in the AL in runs batted in.

Some recommend the Royals try to trade Soler during the offseason. The logic is that his value may never be higher, and with arbitration conditions promising to push his salary up the next two years of his contract, the Royals would be better off swapping him for valuable prospects. But for now, Soler provides the kind of power potential the club has never had.

Whit Merrifield, another candidate to be traded this offseason, will lead the AL in hits for the second consecutive year. Merrifield is just the eighth Royal to record 200 hits in a season. Some argue that, like Soler, Merrifield should be dealt to build for the future. But with three years left on his contract with Kansas City, he is a Swiss Army knife the team can use all over the diamond.

Had Adalberto Mondesi not been sidelined for more than a third of a season by injury, he would have put together some remarkable speed stats. As it is, he entered the final weekend of the year leading the AL in triples, second in stolen bases, and first with a stolen-base success rate of 86 percent.

These three along with Hunter Dozier constitute an enviable foursome. Dozier entered the final weekend with 26 homers, 84 RBIs, and a .281 batting average.

This quartet gives the club hope for the future. The loss of Salvador Perez really hurt the 2019 Royals. But he appears on track for a return in 2020, and gives the Royals a fifth elite piece to build around.

Alex Gordon experienced a remarkable rebound in 2019, and currently sits at .266 with 13 homers and 75 RBIs. Fittingly, the tough-as nails outfielder is leading the American League in times hit by a pitch. The 35-year-old Gordon might return for a swan song in 2020, but it should only be on a very club-friendly contract, and expectations for him going forward should be kept low.

Beyond that, there are a million question marks, as too many members of the club either underperformed or are still in the developmental stage. Probably the biggest disappointment with the bat was Ryan O’Hearn, who is finishing strong again this year, but will close with a batting average well below .200. Despite his total inability to hit left-handed pitchers, O’Hearn will get plenty more chances in 2020, as will recently acquired Ryan McBroom.

Others who got their feet wet in 2019 and will be given plenty of opportunities as the rebuild continues are infielder Nicky Lopez and outfielders Bubba Starling and Brett Phillips. The team’s Rookie of the Year, Lopez will finish the year with nearly 100 hits and having demonstrated an ability to excel at multiple infield spots.

As bright as some of the lights were at the plate for the 2019 Royals, the team’s pitching cast a depressing shadow over the season. The team’s best young starting pitcher, Brad Keller, wasn’t good enough to produce wins for the team. He was shut down early with a 7-14 record. His 4.19 ERA, while not horrendous, was a full run worse that last season. Leading the team in victories with nine is Jakob Junis, but that’s about the only good thing you can say about his season. Junis was lit up to the tune of a 5.24 ERA. Acquired mid-season, Mike Montgomery wasn’t any better. His ERA was 4.64, but he was inconsistent and posted a record of just 2-7 as a Royal.

Veteran Danny Duffy continued to be just good enough to keep up hopes for something better. He was 7-6 with a 4.34 ERA in an injury-shortened campaign. Whether Duffy will remain in the starting rotation, be moved to the bullpen, or traded remains to be seen.

Beyond the shaky production of that foursome, nothing good came from the current starting options. The best thing that can be said about Glenn Sparkman, Jorge Lopez and Eric Skoglund is that they were inconsistent. The only reason their audition will continue into 2020 is that the team’s collection of heralded pitching prospects is at least a year away.

If there emerged one star of the pitching staff in 2019, it was Ian Kennedy. Moved to closer primarily because he wasn’t cutting it as a starter, Kennedy found himself. He entered the last weekend of the season with 30 saves, good for fourth in the AL. His 88 percent save percentage ranks among elite closers. Kennedy may have demonstrated enough worth as a closer that the Royals will decide to trade him prior to the final year of his contract.

After Kennedy, the bullpen was a disaster. Auditions will continue in 2020, with some talented arms to work with. Scott Barlow, Kyle Zimmer, Josh Staumont, Richard Lovelady at least have youth and potential on their side.

While some impressive statistics were accumulated in 2019, the only numbers that matter are the wins and losses. And those will once again be bleak. But with some impressive individuals to build around, and a large group to audition in 2020, hopefully the new owner and new manager will have plenty to work with moving forward.

The halfway point of the 2019 was (mercifully) reached Wednesday when the Royals lost at Cleveland. The Royals’ 28-53 record has them on pace for the second pick in the 2020 amateur draft, which is about the only good thing that may result from this season.

But with 81 of 162 games in the books, Wednesday provided the perfect opportunity to look at some individual statistics, and the Royals actually have some personal performances worthy of note.

Jorge Soler is on pace to do something no Royal has ever done – hit 40 home runs. With 21 as of Wednesday, Soler is well ahead of pace to eclipse Mike Moustakas’ team record of 38. The Royals remain the only team in baseball that has never had a 40-homer season.

Soler is becoming the power source the Royals envisioned when they traded for him prior to 2017. The 27-year-old Cuban is on pace to drive in 106 runs. As of Wednesday his home run total ranked fifth in the American League, and his RBI total ranked sixth. To lead the league in either category would be historic. Not since Hal McRae in 1982 has a Royal led the American League in RBIs. No Royal has ever led the league in homers.

2019 Projected Team Leaders at Midseason:

Hits: Whit Merrifield, 204; Home Runs: Jorge Soler, 42; RBI: Jorge Soler, 106; Stolen Bases: Adalberto Mondesi, 54; Wins: Homer Bailey, 14; Saves: Ian Kennedy, 20; Strikeouts: Jakob Junis 168

Amazingly, despite their putrid record, the Royals stand to finish atop several of baseball’s statistical lists. Whit Merrifield is currently leading all of baseball in hits, while Adalberto Mondesi, despite missing 10 games, leads in triples and stolen bases.

Merrifield knows a little about statistical accomplishments. Last year, he led all of baseball in hits and stolen bases. He said that individual accomplishments can feel like something to build on.

“Individually, the numbers can tell you that you got off to a good start, and can give you an idea if you’re doing things that could help your team win,” said the 30-year-old.

“You look around and see other guys who are individually having good years, so that’s encouraging to think that in the near future, all that could come together to turn into winning more games.”

After leading the MLB with 192 hits last year, Merrifield led at the halfway point of this year with 102. Only seven Royals have ever achieved 200 hits, the last being Melky Cabrera in 2011.

Merrifield emphasized, however, that no one in the Royals clubhouse puts individual accomplishments ahead of the team.

“It’s good to have guys having individual success because it makes you think that some of the pieces are there. But at the end of the day, that’s not what it’s about. You kind of have the attitude of ‘Great. But we didn’t win. So how do we fix it?’”

That the Royals aren’t winning is certainly true. They are on pace to win 56 games, which would tie 2005 for the worst season in franchise history.

One area in which the Royals are feasting, but which has not resulted in wins, is the category of stolen bases. The Royals stocked up on speedy players in the offseason in hopes they could steal some wins by swiping a lot of bases. Skeptics argued early on that the stolen base is a somewhat empty statistic that wouldn’t lead to much success.

At the middle of the season, the naysayers appear to be right. The Royals stole 78 through Wednesday, 13 more than the next closest challenger, and more than double the league average. Going into the season, it was speculated that Kansas City might steal 200 bases, a mark reached by only one team since 2000. They are not up to that pace, and a couple of their primary thieves – Billy Hamilton and Terrance Gore – might well be traded before this season is up.

Individually, Mondesi’s 27 stolen bases through Wednesday have him on pace to place sixth on the Royals single season list, and to become the sixth member of the organization to lead the American League in steals, joining Amos Otis (52 in 1971), Freddie Patek (53 in 1977), Willie Wilson (83 in 1979), Johnny Damon (46 in 2000), and Merrifield (34 in 2017 and 45 in 2018).

The Royals are setting the pace in another speed statistic, triples. Mondesi and Merrifield sat atop all of baseball on Wednesday with eight and seven triples, respectively. As a team, the Royals led with 26 three-baggers.

If a team is the sum of its parts, then the Royals would appear to have some parts that could eventually amount to an impressive sum. Though not a league leader, Hunter Dozier is having a remarkable season, on pace to hit .302 with 26 homers and 84 RBIs despite missing nearly a third of the first 81 games. Mondesi has superstar written all over him. Merrifield, if he’s not traded, is as efficient and versatile as any player in the game. And Soler is realizing his potential as a power hitter.

But the parts aren’t constituting a winner yet. Can it happen soon? The Royals have been open about their belief they can be competitive by as soon as 2021. There is significant help coming up through the minor leagues, but for now the significant individual performances are being wasted on an underperforming unit.

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.

One of the few things that can salvage a losing season is a player battling to the end in pursuit of some individual statistical accomplishment. The race for a batting title or home run championship keeps fans looking at the box scores, even when all hope for team success has been abandoned.

Royals fans enjoyed such pursuits most significantly when George Brett raced for batting titles. Brett famously chased immortality in 1980, not in pursuit of a batting title – there was no other player near him in the race – but rather to finish with a .400 batting average. He fell just short, but owns the honor of being the only player to win batting titles in three separate decades (1976, 1980 and 1990).

The 1976 batting race was particularly interesting, because two Royals duked it out until the final day. Brett edged teammate Hal McRae by a single point, winning .333 to .332.

Dan Quisenberry won the most titles for Kansas City. He led the league in saves 5 times during the Royals heyday of the early 1980s. Royals players have led the league in wins and ERA multiple times.

In spite of all their failures this year, one Royal is in hot pursuit of a significant mark that is keeping things interesting. Whit Merrifield is giving fans a reason to stay tuned – with just a week’s worth of games left, he is leading the American League in stolen bases.

With 38 steals through Friday’s win at Detroit, Merrifield leads Mallex Smith of the Tampa Bay Rays by three.

Making Merrifield’s accomplishment even more significant is the fact that he led the American League in stolen bases last season as well. Four other Royals have led the league in larceny, but none ever did it twice.

Who better than announcer Denny Matthews, who has been with the Royals for every one of their 50 seasons, to analyze Merrifield’s thievery.

“He’s very good at picking up tendencies of pitchers, and looking at video, and talking to other guys about the pitchers,” Matthews said of Merrifield. “He studies and he works at it.”

Amos Otis was the first Royal to lead the league in stolen bases, with 52 in 1971. Freddie Patek was next to do it, with 53 in 1977. Willie Wilson set the team record for steals in a season when he led the league with 83 in 1979. And Johnny Damon led the American League in 2000 with 46.

Merrifield led the league with 34 last year. His stolen base totals pale in comparison to some of the Royals of the past. But Matthews said that is a product of the times.

“It depends on the era,” said Matthews. “Right now, home runs are a big deal. Stolen bases don’t mean all that much. They used to. The game was played differently. We’ve had some great base stealers. Freddie Patek was very good. Amos Otis was terrific. Whit’s that kind of a player.

“And while maybe in this era stolen bases don’t mean as much, they do to this team. Because of the park they play in, home runs don’t come that easily. The Royals have to manufacture runs any way they can, and Whit’s very attuned to that.”

One key to stealing bases is weighing the value of moving up 90 feet versus the potential for being thrown out. Merrifield is successful 79.6 percent of the time, which manager Ned Yost deems an acceptable rate to keep it up.

Merrifield isn’t successful as frequently as some of the Kansas City’s greatest base stealers. Carlos Beltran swiped 164 bases as a Royal and was only caught 12.3 percent of the time. Jerrod Dyson ripped off 176 bases with a 14.6 percent success rate. Wilson, the greatest base stealer in team history, stole 612 as a Royal and was caught just 16.3 percent of the time. Wilson stole 668 bases in his career to rank 12th all time.

Merrifield won’t approach any of those totals, but his success rate compares favorably to Otis (20.4), Damon (21.2) and Patek (24.3). And his ability to advance around the bases helps stoke the Royals’ offense.

“It sets a tone for each game. It’s taking the attitude of ‘What have I got to do to help the team win in this situation? I’ve got to get from first base to second base to give my team a better chance of getting a run in.’ That’s Whit’s thinking. That’s the type of player he is.”