Bloomquist hoping Dayton Moore stopped paying attention to him in June

As the Royals wind down their 2009 season, utility infielder and outfielder Willie Bloomquist continues to keep a low profile in and around Kauffman Stadium, desperately hoping Dayton Moore doesn’t realize he’s still supposed to be contributing to the team.

Bloomquist, who hasn’t spoken or made eye contact with Moore since June 11, has seen his offensive production plummet during the summer, to the point where he’s below an average replacement player in every possible way.

Moore was blasted for the Bloomquist signing this offseason, as the seven-year veteran had a reputation for offensive ineptitude, including last season, when he accumulated a total of one extra base hit in 165 at-bats. But after an incredibly hot start that saw Bloomquist hit .333 with a .439 OBP and an .863 OPS in the Royals’ 13 games in April, Moore was signing the praises of his utility star to anyone who would listen, going so far as to call Bloomquist the team’s early MVP.

“I had never hit that good ever, at any level, not even in grade school,” Bloomquist said. “To start out the season like that was amazing, and really took the pressure off of me for a few months.”

Bloomquist, however, knew those numbers wouldn’t last. That fear was quickly justified in May when he hit .258 with a .309 OBP and a .389 SLG. They dropped even further in June to .247/.281/.306. While his early season success propped up his sagging numbers for a few weeks, the overall numbers started to tick down quickly. Bloomquist assumed it would mean less playing time and a talk with Moore, but neither ever materialized.

“I was hitting horribly – or, to be more accurate – I was hitting exactly average for me, which is pretty bad for normal guys, but I kept hearing Dayton and Trey praise me and my offense and I kept playing every day,” said Bloomquist, who is making $1.4 million this season. “I really think they just stopped checking stats after the season tanked in early June.”

In hopes of keeping his job and paycheck, Bloomquist keeps his presence at Kauffman Stadium to a minimum, doing all he can to stay out of Moore’s eye line.

Ironically, Bloomquist said he’s most nervous after games when he performs well offensively. He’s thankful for those nights, which remind management of his value, but he’s always fearful they might actually look at his post-All Star break statistics, which now sit at .249/.287/.327. Thankfully for the veteran, those nights are few and far between.

“About two weeks ago, I had four hits and scored twice, and I was terrified after the game,” said Bloomquist. “Dayton was down in the clubhouse, congratulating players and I literally had to sneak into a bathroom stall for 35 minutes until I knew he was gone. I keep thinking sooner or later he’s going to look at my stats and I’ll be gone, but maybe if he doesn’t see me, he won’t think about my overall production this year.”

With just a week left in the season, Bloomquist can see the light at the end of the tunnel, especially when Moore continues to shower the light-hitting scrapper with praise at every opportunity.

“Willie has been a tremendous addition to our organization and our team this year,” Moore said. “Were you not paying attention when we started out 18-11 this year? Willie was a huge part of that. He was hitting the ball all over the place. Has he come down a little? Maybe, but I’m not paying attention to numbers. We’ve had a lot of injuries and some bad luck come our way. And we can’t turn that 3-6-3 double play to save our lives. But Willie has been a solid professional who I hope stays in Kansas City for many years to come.”