The Kansas City Royals are a team that has been off of their game the past decade or two. This year, 2010, they are looking to use their young talent along with their newly acquired veterans to move up in the ranks of the AL Central. This article will review the Royals’ players, schedule, and possible next moves.
PITCHING:
Starters (6)- Zack Grienke, Gil Meche, Luke Hochevar, Kyle Davies, Brian Bannister, Robinson Tejeda*
The Kansas City Royals starting staff is headlined by the 2009 Cy Young award winner Zack Grienke. At only 26, Grienke still has a lot to offer the Royals after his amazing performance last year. Last year Grienke was top 7 in the AL in BAA, ERA, Games Started, Innings Pitched, Strikeouts, and Wins.
The 2nd starter for this club is Gil Meche. Meche’s 2009 consisted of him being rang up by opposing batters. This was an off year for Meche, but it may just be showing that the 31 year-old is steadily on the decline.
The remaing 4 starters, in my opinion, are just their to pitch in between games for Grienke and Meche. All of them are capable of having good, even great, games but the “stuff” has remained to be seen on a consistent basis.
Bullpen (8)- Joakim Soria, Kyle Farnsworth, Juan Cruz, Roman Colon, Carlos Rosa, Victor Marte, Dusty Hughes, Anthony Lerew
The Royals bullpen starts with closer Joakim Soria. Soria’s 2009 numbers were slightly down from 2008, but he was still the composed closer that the Royals needed. His 30 saves on a 2.21 ERA provided the Royals with a steady arm to relie on in the 9th.
The setup man in this pen is Kyle Farnsworth. Farnsworth’s 2009 was a very average year, considering his 4.58 ERA, but for now he is the man that KC should want in that spot.
Two other pitchers are very important to this bullpen; Juan Cruz and Roman Colon. Both are older age pitchers with different abilities. Cruz is a high stamina pitcher who would probably be more consistent if moved into the starting rotation. Colon is more of a 2-3 inning guy who uses blazing power to rock batters. Colon needs to look to develop another good pitch to become a better pitcher.
The rest of the Royals bullpen is full of young players with little to no experience at the Major League level. 2010 would be a great year to work some of these pitchers in there.
BATTING:
Catchers (3)- Jason Kendall, Brayan Pena, Manuel Pina
Jason Kendall is one of the newly acquired players of the Kansas City Royals. Kendall is a good defensive player with above average hitting ablilites. He is able to hit for .240 easily every season. He can also provide with occasional power. Kendall will be the everyday catcher, with Pena and Pina filling in as needed.
Infield Starters (4)- Billy Butler, Alberto Callaspo, Yuniesky Betancourt, Alex Gordon
1st Base- Billy Butler will play first base much of his time on the roster. He is able to hit for power very easily, but is a defensive liability at times. Butler is also a great pinch hitter in clutch situations.
2nd Base- Alberto Callaspo is going to be that starting 2nd baseman in 2010. He is an excellent defender with lightning speed and good hitting and bunting abilities.
Shortstop- Yuniesky Betancourt’s defensive abilities are never in question; making him a great player to pair with Callaspo. His hitting however is inconsistent and sometimes even nonexistent. Look for him to share time with some of the bench, including Mike Aviles.
3rd Base- Alex Gordon is one of the Royals’ best players at 26 years of age. He is great defensively and is a good middle of the order hitter (141 RBI’s and 37 HR’s in 334 games). The Royals should look to try to keep Gordon on as a building block as long as possible.
Outfield Starters & DH (4)- Scott Podsednik, Rick Ankiel, David DeJesus, Jose Guillen
These 4 players will all rotate time in the outfield, with Guillen playing most AL games at DH. Podsednik in left field is a good defensive player with great speed (266 career SB’s) and average hitting abilities. He was signed to a one-year deal this offseason.
In center field the Royals will start Rick Ankiel. Due to his age Ankiel’s hitting is on the decline, but his defense is still in top shape. He should be able to hit better with more chances on this squad, but he is only a short-term decision for the Royals.
David Dejesus is the Royals best option at right field. He is a quick lefty batter with enough power to drive in runs, with 71 RBI’s last season. He is one player on this team that is looking to improve his hitting rigorous training in the cage.
The last starter on this list is Jose Guillen. Guillen is primarily a DH at this stage in his career due to his 2009 being cut in half by injuries. Look for his numbers to be good, but not spectacular compared to his past years in the majors.
Bench (7)- Mike Aviles, Josh Fields, Mitch Maier, Chris Getz, Willie Bloomquist, Brian Anderson, Kila Ka’aihue
The Royals bench is full of young depth where ever you look. The only players that won’t get signifigant time are Kila Ka’aihue and Brian Anderson. Both of them are in the early stages of their careers.
Mike Aviles, Josh Fields, and Chris Getz are some of the shining spots on the 2010 roster. All of them will be fighting for loads of time this season. Expect their names to pop up in the batting order in place of Betancourt, Butler, and on occasion Callaspo.
Mitch Maier and Willie Bloomquist are the other two players on this deep bench. Both of them should see time in the outfield, while Bloomquist may also see time in the infield. Maier is looking to prove himself early in his career starting with a good season in 2010.
SCHEDULE:
The Kansas City Royals schedule looks to be a tough one in 2010. They play the Yankees, Red Sox, and Angels numerous times. They also play the Rays, Rangers, Athletics, Mariners, Blue Jays, and Orioles. The bright spot on this schedule is the NL teams they play. Those teams are the Rockies, Reds, Astros, Nationals, Braves, and Cardinals. These games should provide easier wins for the Royals than their AL counterparts.
The rest of the AL Central consists of the Twins, Tigers, Indians, and White Sox. With the exception of the White Sox, these teams all have very high-powered offenses. The key to winning these divisional games is to get good starts out of Hochevar and Davies.
I am predicting that this year’s Kansas City Royals will finish 69-93 and 4th in the AL Central.
NEXT MOVES:
Look for the Royals to try to make some moves before the trade deadline. Some of the players that may be on the move are Jose Guillen, Gil Meche, David DeJesus, Kyle Farnsworth, Brian Bannister, and Brian Anderson. They may look to get starting pitching or power hitting in return for these players. I am also not ruling out the possibility of a Grienke trade. Grienke’s contract is of such high value to other teams right now that the Royals may look to move him before he leaves when his contract runs out.
Look for more Royals articles soon.
