Last season was understood to be a growth year for the Kansas City Royals. They had a set of extremely talented position players prepared to take the spotlight after finally edging their way onto the big league club. They still lacked the pitching, but were an intriguing team given their relative inexperience and history of futility in Kansas City. Alas, 2012 turned out to be a step back for the organization. The big league club worked its way through a learning curve as some of the talented youngsters took their lumps at the hands of Big League pitching. Then came the winter. The offseason, was met with mixed reviews as GM Dayton Moore put most of his professional eggs into the 2013 basket. Moore traded away top outfield prospect Wil Myers for two Major League starters. After all the years and dedication to building the farm up–to building the Royals from a laughingstock to an organization replete with talent–Dayton Moore believes the Royals are ready. Is it finally time in Kansas City to believe in these Royals? The ballpark, the young players, and the trades have been made, but is it really time?
Projected Lineup:
- Alex Gordon LF
- Chris Getz 2B
- Eric Hosmer 1B
- Billy Butler DH
- Mike Moustakas 3B
- Salvador Perez C
- Jeff Francouer RF
- Alcedes Escobar SS
- Lorenzo Cain CF
The Rotation:
- James Shields
- Jeremy Guthrie
- Wade Davis
- Ervin Santana
- Will Smith
Strengths:
Fountain of Youth: The Royals have a young and athletic team. Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas are two of the better players at their respective positions that you’ve never heard of. Eric Hosmer started at first base for Team USA and despite struggles in 2012 that depreciated his value unfairly, is still a 23 year old with a beautiful swing and the strength to match. Offensively, this team is set up to be good for a few years.
Depth in the Rotation: The Royals clearly made it a priority to acquire veteran, proven arms this offseason. The 2012-2013 offseason led to the arrival of James Shields, Ervin Santana, Jeremy Guthrie (longterm), and Wade Davis. Out of the equation now is former “Ace” Luke Hochevar, and the most reliable pitcher off of last year’s squad, Bruce Chen, is fighting a losing battle to be this year’s No. 5. Hochevar is still in the organization and 2012 Mexican godsend starter Luis Mendoza is prepared for his role in middle relief. This year’s pitching staff in Kansas boasts far more quality arms than have been around in the past even if James Shields isn’t the “True Number One” that some pundits think the Royals need to compete.
Bullpen: The Royals bullpen may throw the hardest in baseball. Opposing players constantly talk about how hard it is to hit off of these guys. Though Aaron Crow, Greg Holland, and Tim Collins are far from household names, they could one day make their family’s fortune in the back end of games.
Weaknesses:
Inexperience: For all the optimism that youth allows, it lacks the steady and projectable production of old age. The Royals have young players that are capable of producing, but may need to take a few more lumps at the big league level. As we saw last year, when you combine this many unproven (yet undeniably talented) players on a roster, the team may not turn out so great.
Jeff Francoeur: Frenchy was picked in my hyper competitive fantasy baseball league and it was noteworthy. Consider that Jeff Francoeur, the guy who prevented superstud prospect Wil Myers from breaking through for the Royals last year, posted a .287 OBP in over 600 plate appearances in 2012. He’s bad. Dayton Moore likes him for his defense and clubhouse presence, which makes some sense, but at the expense of getting on base?
Storylines:
Can Eric Hosmer figure it all out?
What about Mike Moustakas?
Does Dayton Moore’s big gamble to acquire James Shields pay off?
Does Jeff Francouer take a walk? (Interpret as you will…)
Prediction:
84-78, 2nd Place, AL Central. The Royals will be noticeably better, but they still seem to be missing somethign to overtake the powerful Tigers in the division. Still, the most important thing for the Royals this year will be to contend and play well and draw crowds to the games and get a buzz going.
Bold Predicitions:
- A late season slump by 8/9ths of the lineup sinks the Royals chances. Chris Getz is the only one who doesn’t slump late and it’s because his OBP wasn’t over .300 before May anyway
- Eric Hosmer is an All-Star
- James Shields and Matt Garza are teammates before 2014
- Lorenzo Cain hits .274
-Sean Morash
