Kansas City Royals:
Can you really fear a team led by Gordon and Meche? In the AL Central?
Ah, the Kansas City Royals – Missouri’s other team. Not much to rejoice in this town lately. Having lost 100+ games in four of the last five years, the Royals are looking to top the .500 mark for only the first time since 2002. I can’t see this being an easy objective for the “Boys in Blue,” considering they will constantly match up with a re-stacked Tigers squad, a hungrier and more mature Indians Tribe, and an improved White Sox team, in the competitive AL Central. Unlike the Pirates, you have to give Royals ownership a little credit for at least trying to improve with a low budget and a small market team. Last season, GM Dayton Moore showed Gil Meche (11-8, 4.48 ERA, 156 Ks for Seattle in 06) the money, shelling $55 million over five years on the unproven righty. The team was rewarded with an encouraging, by today’s standards, 3.67 ERA that should have been coupled with better than a 9-13 record, if Meche received more run support. Moore responded to that weakness this off-season, by adding some pop to the Royals heart of the order, inking OF Jose Guillen (and his Mitchell allegations) to a one-year deal. One thing is certain – there were still be more people fascinated by the pretty waterfalls at Kauffman Stadium, than the ball played, come spring.
The Bats: Not in this division. Lead by their young stud and future 30/30 candidate 3B Alex Gordon, who raised his batting average by 32 points after the break, the Royals do have some decent hitters that will need to come alive this year, if they want to even think of competing in the NL Central. OF Mark Teahen showed some promise with a decent sophomore year in 2006 (.290 avg., 18 homers), but then followed to hit 11 fewer long balls, despite playing in 35 more games, last season. New Manager Trey Hillman, who just came over from Japan, was actually one of the first candidates for the Yankees job. He appears to have faith that John Buck can become a productive, power hitting catcher with .300, 30, 100 potential. I, don’t. Meanwhile, the man at the top of the order, David Dejesus, scored 101 runs last year. Sounds good right? It wound sound even better if he batted higher than .260. Raising that average to about .280 would be ideal for a guy who sets the tone for the rest of the lineup, especially since Dejesus seems to have a knack for scoring runs. Guillen will be asked to carry the offense until Gordon is ready to take the reigns. He may also be asked if those shots to his ass stopped hurting after the first few times. Ouch. Oh wait, this is Kansas City! Who cares?
The Rotation: Modest at best. Being a Mets fan, the first thing that comes to mind here is Brian Bannister, but we’ll start from the top. While he wasn’t a top ace, Meche was a pleasant surprise his first season in blue. Yet despite never allowing more than three runs in his last 10 starts of 07, Meche only managed to pick up two wins during that time frame. I never was high on this guy, but then again, I never had a reason to be. I don’t foresee an improvement, or even a duplication of last year, this season and that’s more based on his past numbers and the team he has to play for. As for Bannister, I have to admit, I was a bit stunned when I looked up his numbers recently. They were actually much better than I first thought! Looks like those few, pre-injury starts with the Mets were not flukes, and the guy does have more value than Ambiorix Burgos. Right now, he’s still a number three at best, but potentially a good number two.
Fantasy Favorite: Alex Gordon. Sadly, this is kind of a no-brainer. That’s how unappealing the Royals are in fantasy. I drafted him late last year, assured by every writer that he’s the next David Wright, and ending up dropping him later than I should have. Gordon did manage to catch a hot wave after the break, while rotating between both corner positions, raising his value. I wouldn’t call him a sleeper, since more is expected from Gordon this year, but I’d still play close attention and make sure he doesn’t get off to a slow start again. A .280, 25, 75 season is not out of reach. Boosting his stolen bases total, 15 last year, will also boost his value this season, which should happen if Gordon gets off to a better start.
Outlook: Keep looking. There’s nothing to see here. Their lead off man hits .260 and only swipes 10 bases, while their core guys average less home runs combined that Barry Bonds does in one injury-filled, steroids induced season. I’m willing to bet that this team will lock down the cellar of the elite AL Central, and most likely, for a while. Alex Gordon will be their lone bright spot, and that alone will not prevent another 90 loss season.
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