Kansas City Royals: Spring Training Information

By Ken from The Pipeline
Location: Surprise Stadium - Surprise, AZ
Pitchers and Catchers Report: Feb. 13th
First Game: Feb. 25
Schedule

Projected Opening Day Lineup

1. Coco Crisp (CF)
2. Mike Aviles (SS)
   
3. David DeJesus (LF)
4. Jose Guillen (RF)
5. Mike Jacobs (DH)
6. Billy Butler (1B)
7. Alex Gordon (3B)
8. Miguel Olivo (C)
9. Alberto Callaspo (2B)
10. Bench: UT Willie Bloomquist, C John Buck, 1B Ryan Shealy, OF Mark Teahen
    

Projected Rotation

1. Gil Meche
2. Zack Greinke
   
3. Brian Bannister
4. Luke Hochevar
5. Kyle Davies

Projected Bullpen

Long: John Bale
Situational: Ron Mahay, Jimmy Gobble, Robinson Tejeda
7th Inning: Kyle Farnsworth
8th Inning: Juan Cruz
Closer: Joakim Soria

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Key Battles: The pitching rotation actually seems to be pretty set going into 2009 after it took several months to find a #4 and #5 starter in 2008. Meche and Greinke return from good 2008 seasons to front the rotation followed by Brian Bannister, who will need to rebound from a mostly dismal '08 to keep his slot. Hochevar struggled in his first big taste of the majors but should have a rotation slot locked up without much competition, and Davies had some bright spots down the stretch in 2008 that will probably earn him the #5 spot coming out of ST.

First base is a logjam of monumental proportions as the Royals have 6 guys on the 40-man who can man the spot in various degrees of defensive capability. New addition Mike Jacobs was brought in for his bat but has a reputation as a subpar defender, Billy Butler is a born DH, Ross Gload can't hit well enough to man the spot, Mark Teahen doesn't have a set position, obviously, as they're talking maybe giving him a shot at second base. Ryan Shealy will have to prove more consistent at the plate to lock down a 25-man spot and, by most accounts, the front office doesn't feel '08 sensation Kila Ka'aihue is ready for the majors yet. How this shakes out may come down to some front office maneuvering.

Second base is also a spot of contention as Mark Grudzielanek was allowed to leave via free agency. Alberto Callaspo, Bloomquist, German, and, in a potential dark horse role, Teahen, are all in the mix there. If Callaspo can prove he can field the position and turn the DP, he probably has the edge because he can hit for contact and get on base. Bloomquist will surely be in the mix at 2B and SS after getting a 2-year free agent deal. On a side note, Brayan Pena will be trying to beat out John Buck for the backup catcher role.

Outlook: Trey Hillman had an up-and-down first year as Royals manager but that was to be expected. The Royals were able to upgrade a position or two (Crisp in place of Joey Gathright in CF, Jacobs over Gload at 1B) in the offseason, but GM Dayton Moore preached on-base percentage coming off of a fourth-place finish in the AL Central in 2008 and responded by bringing in Bloomquist, Crisp and Jacobs. OBP ranks about 10th in the skills of Jacobs and Bloomquist and about third or fourth for Crisp.

Going around the horn, Olivo earned the starting catcher job over Buck coming out of 2008 but, neither is consistent enough of a hitter to be a difference maker in the lineup. If Jacobs can prove adequate in the field at first and can keep slugging despite the spacious confines of the new and improved Kauffman Stadium, his acquisition for reliever Leo Nunez could be Moore's move of the offseason. Royals fans will need to hope the organization finds the right guy to man second base and that Mike Aviles can build on his good rookie season and continue to adequately field at shortstop. Alex Gordon is settled at third and fans are still awaiting a breakout season they've been expecting from the former winner of college's elite Golden Spikes Award. DeJesus is coming off a good 2008 and should be set in left while Crisp shouldn't have much competition for playing time in center and should prove to be a defensive upgrade there. Guillen or Teahen will man right field and time will tell if Jose can keep his head together and provide consistent punch (with his bat, not his fist) in the lineup in KC.

On the mound, the Royals rotation is as settled going into a season as it ever has been in the last several seasons, with Meche at the front and Greinke now secure under a four-year deal in the second slot. Both were among the AL leaders in Ks last season in a rarity for Royal hurlers since the days of Kevin Appier. Hochevar and Davies aren't quite sure things in the fourth and fifth slots but at least this year Royals fans aren't looking at names like Brett Tomko, Brian Lawrence and Hideo Nomo in hopes of finding some kind of production there. Set up man Kyle Farnsworth was the team's big free agent pitching signing of the offseason and is also by no means a sure thing in getting the ball successfully from the starter to closer extraordinaire Joakim Soria. There's no question Farnsworth has the speed but where the ball is going and how far it may be hit are the intangibles when the begoggled one takes the mound. The Royals dealt two solid relievers in Nunez and Ramon Ramirez in getting Crisp and Jacobs and those spots will need to be filled. Robinson Tejeda was a scrapheap pickup for Moore in 2008 and responded well so should have a shot at stepping forward. Lefty Ron Mahay is also back in tow after a solid year out of the pen. Jimmy Gobble was brought back despite an 8-point ERA in 2008 and will probably be used strictly as a lefty specialist. Time will tell if John Bale is ready in a long role after a season in which his biggest move was breaking his hand in frustration over rehab from another injury. Joel Peralta, Brandon Duckworth, Doug Waechter and Devon Lowery may also be in the running for a bullpen spot entering 2009.

What To Expect: 2008 was another year of slight improvement for Kansas City as the Royals finished out of the cellar ahead of the preseason favorite Tigers. None of the division rivals have made any moves of monumental impact, seemingly, entering the 2009 season so the division could be a multi-team horse race again with the Twins and White Sox apparently in the best shape of all five teams. The Tigers will need to put the pieces together after a lost 2008 and the Indians will need to find some offense as well to compete. The Royals upgraded the offense just enough to give Royals fans hope for a better 2009 if all the pieces can fall into place, which has been a tall order for KC teams since 2003. The pitching rotation, as noted, is as set as it can be going into Spring Training and the key will be for Hillman and the front office to find the right mix in the bullpen. Another plus for the franchise entering the 2009 season is the advent of massive renovations at "the K" which had the area beyond the fence looking like a construction site in 2008. New seats by the fountains are just part of the big differences fans and visiting teams will see coming into play in Kansas City.


Ken covers the Royals on his blog The Pipeline.