It seems to me the Royals have forever been stuck in that perpetual up-and-coming stage, continually rebuilding since the last year they were in the World Series. They finished strong during the month of September and stayed out of the cellar by besting the Tigers by one game. Still, they headed into the offseason with lots of questions… as they do every season. And their offseason moves, especially the trades for Marlins first baseman Mike Jacobs and Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp, doesn’t exactly pave the way for developing players in the minors to find their way to Kansas City. Crisp was acquired to ‘give the team an infusion of speed at the top of the lineup’ but it’s all for naught as we’ll all soon find out. Signing utility man Willie Bloomquist is a head-scratcher too. Bloomquist has certain value in that he can play all infield positions and occasionally left or center field effectively but as a career .263 hitter with no power all he is doing is standing in the way of a minor leaguer who could perform the same job. He adds absolutely no new dimension or depth to this Royals squad that they didn’t already have and I just don’t see the sense in this move.
There were bright spots for the team last season that do provide hope for the immediate future. Shortstop Mike Aviles was a genuine surprise in his rookie campaign hitting .325 and becoming a viable candidate for the AL 2008 ROY. Alberto Callaspo, acquired in a trade with Arizona, took over at second base and hit .305 over the final 74 games. After a slow start José Guillén demonstrated he can still hit 20+ homers and drive in 90+ RBIs; Alex Gordon also finally began to show the type of performance he is capable of at the plate. With the addition of Jacobs at first, Crisp in centerfield and the continued career progression of leftfielder David DeJesús the Royals should have a fairly potent batting lineup to keep them at least competitive. Super-sub Mark Teahen and DH-1B Billy Butler provides the team with a couple of solid bats off the bench when needed.
The starting rotation – forever in limbo – appears to be taking some shape after several years of constant transitioning. Gil Meche continues to surprise and amaze becoming an effective #1 man for the Royals. Brian Bannister burst of the gates as one of the top pitchers in the AL in 2008 but went south in a hurry by the end of May and never really got back on track – a situation that needs to addressed in spring training. Zach Greinke and Luke Hochevar, each 24 y.o., continued to improve – especially Greinke who was unbeatable at times. A fifth starter will be determined from a large group of candidates in spring training, but the Royals rotation is no longer a collection of misfits or castoffs. It is quickly becoming a team strength and is keeping pace with the rest of the AL Central.
The bullpen however may have some adjustments to make in 2009. Closer Joakim Soria was definitely no slouch picking up 42 saves and posting a 1.60 ERA – most impressive! Setup man Ramon Ramirez was included as part of the Crisp trade with the Red Sox and the team signed Yankees-Tigers castoff Kyle Farnsworth as a possible option for the role. Farnsworth has been quite sketchy the past three seasons though he did show signs of dominance in the early months with the Yanks before suffering a total collapse after being traded to the Tigers. Beyond that is the iffy duo of Joel Peralta and Jimmy Gobble; veteran Ron Mahay is onboard and is still largely effective in either long or short relief. But past that is only a cast of unknown and unproven youngsters awaiting their tryout.
After years of ineptness and losing season upon losing season Kansas City does look like it is ready to challenge their division rivals with a legitimate squad. With a few tweaks during the season and some additional help for the bullpen the Royals could very well be a surprise contender.
One suggestion to the Royals front office: One of the team’s most obvious weaknesses is at the catcher position. Incumbent John Buck is now in his third year as the regular backstop and has rarely shown signs of the promise he had coming up in the minors – his MLB career batting average is .234. Packaging one of their expendable 1B-OF bats, Ryan Shealy, Ross Gload – maybe even Teahen – with a minor league prospect or two should fetch a much needed catching prospect from someone else’s minor league system.
Filed under: AL Central
