As soon as Billy Butler got into a Royals uniform, he started delivering. Whether from disbelief or discontent, though, the team's followers failed to realize what they had in Butler until this year. It took Robinson Cano's decision to bypass the designated hitter for the All-Star Game Home Run Derby to awaken our civic pride. Hell, yeah: This is the best Royals hitter since Mike Sweeney. Meanwhile, Butler was just doing the work: reaching career highs in RBIs and home runs while batting over .300. There may be a sandwich named for Billy Butler, but he's really a big country breakfast of a player, not flashy or pretty but a full meal, always ready to satisfy this town's undernourished baseball fans.
