Fans, national media rebuke Royals for potential interest in signing Luke Heimlich

Since The Star’s Vahe Gregorian wrote Sunday about the Royals’ potential interest in signing Oregon State pitcher Luke Heimlich, there’s been a steady amount of pushback from fans and some of the national media.

The Royals are exploring the possibility of trying to sign Heimlich, who as a 15-year-old in 2012 pleaded guilty to a felony charge of molesting his 6-year-old niece. Heimlich was not picked in this month’s draft, so he’s available for any team to sign.

Royals general manager Dayton Moore told Gregorian and a handful of other reporters on Monday that the organization "has constantly given players second and third chances."

That was in addition to Moore saying in a Fox Sports Kansas City interview that Heimlich "has earned an opportunity to play professional baseball," according to a transcription in The Athletic.

Those comments have led to a mountain of criticism of Moore and the Royals.

Whitney McIntosh of SB Nation wrote an opinion piece with the headline "Dayton Moore's comments about Luke Heimlich are irresponsible and infuriating."

McIntosh wrote in part: “The most insulting and maddening piece of Moore’s comments is that he had the gall to speak on a family situation and say, 'their family remains very close today, all parties involved.'

"Speaking with The Oregonian, the victim's mother explained that her daughter 'doesn't really remember everything that happened,' but that they have been 'ostracized from family events' because the family has been siding with Luke rather than her and her child. Most pointedly, the mother said:

" 'I’m appalled that the college he's going to would even have him on their team ... He got two years of counseling and classes. My daughter's life has been changed for the rest of her life.'

"That’s not remaining 'close' by any means. That sounds like a mother still trying to cope with what happened to her 6-year-old child at the hands of someone within her own family, while the rest of her family is allegedly closing ranks around the person who was convicted of the crime.

"Moore is inserting himself into a family's pain and internal relationships, and incorrectly assuming (or, even worse, willfully pretending) that the family has found a resolution. It’s hard not to think that he has the Royals' future in mind rather than the pain of those involved."

John Tayler of Sports Illustrated tweeted: "Simply put: If Dayton Moore is going to lay the groundwork for the Royals signing Heimlich by saying he's 'earned an opportunity,' then he should have to present the evidence of that, because nothing that Heimlich has publicly said or done backs up that assertion.

“Who deserves a 'second chance' is a fraught question, but shouldn’t it have to involve some form of penance or an admission of guilt or an act of contrition or something? Why should Heimlich, who repeatedly denies committing his crime, get one?"

Craig Calcaterra of NBC Sports wrote a story with the headline "Dayton Moore's defense of Luke Heimlich stinks to high heavens."

Calcaterra wrote in part: "It's his and David Glass' team and they can do what they want, up to and including signing a sexual predator because he has a good fastball. They don't even have to apologize for it if they don’t want to and if they can live with themselves for doing it. I'm even guessing that, due to the nature of sports fandom, a hefty percentage of Royals fans would either be just fine with it or, over time, learn to live with it because pennants fly forever and all of that jazz.

"If, however, they are going to continue to try to justify signing Heimlich as some moral or ethical act, they had better try harder than they are. Because the stuff they're shoveling now stinks to high heavens."

Quite a few Royals fans have reached out to the team on Twitter and said they will not return to Kauffman Stadium if the team signs Heimlich. This is a very, very small sample of them:

"Dear @Royals, I do not support organizations that condone violence or sexual abuse. I stopped watching the Chiefs over Tyreek Hill. I will stop watching you over Luke Heimlich." — @kafekaigala

"hey @royals if you want millennials to retain their fandom maybe reconsider your interest in Luke Heimlich" — @bobbydixon

"And I'll say it again. If the @Royals sign Luke Heimlich I will have zero problem finding a different baseball team to watch." — @jeremyscheuch

"In fact, I definitely wouldn’t be a @Royals fan anymore. At least as long as Moore and Heimlich were still with the organization." — @zwal93

"I generally trust in Dayton Moore, but if the @Royals sign Luke Heimlich they will definitely lose some of the most loyal fans. He does not fit with our culture #ForeverRoyalUnlessYouSignAChildMolester" — @hart816

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This story was originally published June 27, 2018 at 8:55 AM.