Harvey Drool

The Star has yet another "Why does Ken Harvey, All-Star, get no respect" article today.

Bob Dutton - who actually calls Harvey a "cornerstone of the Royals' rebuilding plan" - cites injuries and fatigue as the major factors contributing to his pathetic second half.

"When I'm tired, I swing at EVERYTHING." -- Ken Harvey

Let's be clear about something - Harvey did not have a great first half. He had a very good first 45 games, followed by four months of yuck. OPS by month:

April - 1.022
May - .881
June - .684
July - .673
August - .702
September - .510

I don't know if I buy this "league caught up with him" business. His strong 1/4 season was driven by slightly better home run power and lots of luck. I watched quite a few games in the first 6 weeks of the season, and it seemed to me like Harvey was getting an awful lot of lucky hits - bloop doubles, seeing-eye singles, scratch hits.

When those hits stop coming, you end up with Ken Harvey.