The Royals have not been a patient team in a long time. They have finished in the top half of the American League in on-base percentage just three times since 1990, while finishing in the bottom three in the league 14 times. They have never finished in the top half of the league in walks over that time, and finished dead last four consecutive seasons from 2014-2017.
Last off-season Dayton Moore insisted that the Royals needed more “on-base guys”, after the team finished 12th in the league in walks, 12th in on-base percentage, and 13th in runs scored.