FanPost

Colon, Moustakas May Have to Duel For Title of Royals’ Leader


Christian Colon created a dilemma for the Royals when he “repeatedly referred to himself as a ‘born leader’” during an afternoon conference call after Monday's amateur player draft. The Royals’ prized new shortstop prospect has drawn more than one comparison to Yankees captain Derek Jeter since his name was called fourth overall. These comparisons along with Colon’s ‘born leader’ comments have likely drawn the attention of another Royals prospect, power-hitting third base prospect Mike Moustakas, who has proudly carried the mantle of ‘Royals future captain’ since the team drafted him second overall in 2007.


The two carry mostly contrasting leadership qualities—while Colon governs the diamond with a steely gaze and Jeter-esque clairvoyance of what’s about to happen, Moustakas has a strong, Greek jaw and powerful butt-slap.

The open question, of course, is whether a clubhouse has space for two leaders. Research at the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory in Point Barrow, Alaska on wolf pack litters suggests that one may wind up becoming dominant over the other, as "intra-specific aggression and mutual proximity intolerance prevents pack formation and leads to dispersal of the litter."*

Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera, for example, have gracefully subordinated themselves to the great Jeter for well over a decade. Few remember, however, that it took a few years for Jeter’s intangibles to envelope the clubhouse. The Royals’ young wolf pack figures to experience similar growing pains, as which player will become alpha and which will subordinate is presently far from clear.

Perhaps a contest of some sort could clarify things more quickly, an arm wrestling match (which Moustakas would surely win) or a game of stare-eyes. A quick resolution would allow the pack more time to become comfortable in established roles. "Followers have a tendency to idealize their leaders (an echo from early childhood, when the child wanted to be taken care of by an apparently omnipotent and perfect parent) in an attempt to endow the leader with quite unrealistic powers and attributes. It is a way of feeling more protected and more powerful oneself."**

* Fox, M. W. "Socio-Ecological Implications of Individual Differences in Wolf Litters: A Developmental and Evolutionary Perspective." Behaviour, Vol. 41, No. 3/4 (1972), pp. 298-313

** Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.. Leaders, Fools and Impostors: Essays on the Psychology of Leadership. iUniverse, Inc., 1993

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