American League Preview: Kansas City Royals

As we head towards Spring Training, it's time to check out where all 14 teams in the American League are headed as we enter the 2010 season. In this ninth installment we will analyze the Kansas City Royals

- Kansas City Royals (2009 W/L: 65-97, 686 RS, 842 RA)

Key Additions: 2B Chris Getz, C Jason Kendell, OF Scott Podsednik, OF Rick Ankiel,

Key Losses: OF Coco Crisp, 3B Mark Teahan, C John Buck

Overview: After slowly building their way back up from a disastrous 56 season in 2005 to 75 wins in 2008, the Royals took a step backwards in 2009. Despite a Cy Young winning performance from Zack Greinke, the Royals still managed to lose 10 more games last season than they did in 2008. The Royals were active this offseason, at least by their standards but don’t expect this to be the year that the Royals finally compete.

Infield: Billy Butler finally emerged as legitimate power threat for the Royals last season. The young first baseman hit .301 with 21 home runs and 93 RBI last season while also getting on-base at a solid rate (.362 OBP). Second base will be occupied by newly acquired Chris Getz. Getz hit .261 with 2 home runs and 31 RBI last season with the White Sox. Yuniesky Betancourt remains at shortstop having replaced the then injured Mike Aviles last season after being acquired from the Mariners. Should Betancourt or Getz falter, Aviles, who is having a strong spring training, may snag a starting a job away from them. Third base at this point, is up in the air. Alex Gordon is not expected to be ready for the season due to a fractured thumb and his expected replacement, Alberto Callaspo pulled a muscle in his right side on March 26 and as of March 30^, has yet to play in a game. Veteran backstop Jason Kendell rounds out the infield. The 35 year old catcher has been in decline offensively since 2006 when he batted .295 with a .367 OBP. Kendell mustered a .246/.331 line last year, but his defense and experience will be a plus for the Royals’s pitching staff.

Outfield: Rick Ankiel will roam centerfield in Kansas City after having spent his entire career in St. Louis. Ankiel had a disappointing 2009 offensively, seeing his numbers drop across the board although his collision with the wall in Philadelphia in may have had something to do with it. He’ll be joined by David DeJesus who hit to the tune of .281/.347/.781 last season. DeJesus is a nice, if unspectacular player at the plate and excellent in the field. Scott Podsednik will man leftfield, where he should regress back to the .250 to .270 hitter he’s been his entire career as opposed to the .304 hitter he was last season (BABIP of .341 last season). The 34 year old can still steal his bases, but his lack of power makes him a poor choice for an everyday corner outfielder.

Designated Hitter: Oft-injured Jose Guillen mercifully enters the final season of his three year, $36 million with the Royals. The controversial Guillen hasn’t caused much of a stir since 2008, but that may only be because he barely got the field in 2009. Guillen played in just 81 games, hitting seven home runs and driving in 40 RBI. If Guillen can manage to stay healthy and out of trouble in 2010, the Royals could have a respectable three and four with Butler and Guillen.

Starting Pitching: You may remember the days of “Jordan and the Jordanaires” and the modern day version of “Lebron and the Lebrons”, well welcome to the encore presentation of “Greinke and the Greinkets”. The AL Cy Young, Zach Greinke went 16-8, throwing 229.1 innings and striking out 242 batters. The other four starters, Brian Bannister, Kyle Davies, Luke Hochevar and Gil Meche combined to go 28-44 with a 5.41 ERA in 549 innings while striking out just 385 batters. It’s tough to expect much better out of that quartet this season although Davis and Bannister have shown flashes.

Relief Pitching: As opposed to their rotation, the Royals’ bullpen is rather solid. All-Star closer Joakim Soria had another excellent season that saw him save 30 games and strike out 69 batters in just 53 innings. Robinson Tejada also was impressive in the strikeout category, registering 87 strikeouts in 73 innings however he often struggles with command (50 walks). Juan Cruz had a disappointing first year with the Royals as he watched his ERA jump by nearly three runs from his 2008 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Cruz may bounce back after readjusting back to the American League. Perennial headache Kyle Farnsworth returns for his second season with the Royals. He should open the season in the bullpen unless Gil Meche is unable to start the season due to stiffness in his right shoulder. In that case, Farnsworth may find himself starting a game or two after being stretched out this spring training.

Projection: The Royals could get back to the 75 win plateau this season but at the end of the day it will be another long season for the KC faithful. For now, all they can look forward to is every fifth day when Greinke throws eight innings of two run baseball, Soria picks up the save and the Royals escape with a 3-2 win.

2010 Kansas City: 72-90, 4^th Place, AL Central