We’ll never know for sure, but it just may turn out that the Toronto Incident was one of the best things to happen to the Royals franchise in a while. Before that, the team was flailing helplessly and directionlessly, well on pace to lose 100 games. There were frequent observations that the clubhouse was “quiet” or “tense.”
These days the Royals are playing .500 ball. That isn’t necessarily ideal, but it also feels like the floor for this particular group instead of the ceiling. Now anyone talking about the clubhouse atmosphere is discussing how fun and vibrant it is, which seems better, too.