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2010 KANSAS CITY ROYALS PREVIEW
2010 was another disappointing season for the Kansas City Royals as they fell to a miserable 65-97 record, tied with Cleveland for last place in the AL Central Division. However, there was one gigantic bright spot on the year as Zach Grienke shocked the baseball world by winning the Cy Young Award after an absolutely dominating season.
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But Grienke’s virtuoso performance was only enough to prevent the Royals from finishing with the worst record in baseball, so it is pretty clear that he needs some serious help. Outfielders Rick Ankiel and Scott Podsednik and catcher Jason Kendall were part of Kansas City’s efforts to bolster their flagging lineup during the offseason. With a young team that is a year older and mature, will it be enough to allow the Royals to compete in the Central Division?
STARTING PITCHING
Grienke’s Cy Young year was simply awesome. He posted a 16-8 record with a 2.16 ERA while pitching 229 innings over 33 starts, including six Complete Games. Grienke also struck out 242 batters and didn’t lose a game for the first month of the season. While he likely won’t match his incredible numbers in 2010, he should still be one of the best pitchers in baseball.
After Grienke, things get ugly. Kansas City had the 3rd highest ERA in the American League last season despite having the league leader in ERA at the top of their staff! Veteran Gil Meche (6-10, 5.09 ERA, 23 Starts, 129 IP) had the worst season of his three year tenure with the Royals and should bounce back after putting together two consecutive sub-4.00 ERA years in 2007 and 2008. Another player who should improve in 2010 is Kyle Davies (8-9, 5.27 ERA 22 Starts, 123 IP), who pitched extremely well down the stretch last season. He’s only 26 and could be a pleasant surprise in 2010. Veterans Brian Bannister (7-12, 4.73 ERA, 26 Starts, 154 IP) and Robinson Tejeda (4-2, 3.54 ERA in 35 Games, 6 Starts) will compete for the final spot in the rotation.
But the real player to watch is the 1st pick in the 2008 Draft, 26 year old Luke Hochevar (7-13, 6.55 ERA, 25 Starts, 143 IP), who struggled mightily with inconsistency in 2010. Hochevar was truly a feast or famine starter last year as he allowed six or more runs in nine of his 25 starts but also held opponents to two or fewer runs in eight starts! Clearly, he has great potential but the question is whether he can harness it in 2010. With the rest of the rotation outside of Grienke functioning as a giant question mark, a breakout year from Hochevar would go a long way towards giving the Royals a decent rotation.
BULLPEN
For a team that has been as devoid of success as Kansas City, it is a bit surprising to see that their closer has notched 72 saves in the past two years. However, Joakim Soria (3-2, 2.21 ERA, 30 Saves in 47 Games) has quietly become one of the most effective closers in all of baseball in the past two and a half years and is the best player on the Kansas City roster outside of the first-rate Grienke.
The rest of the bullpen is rather underwhelming. Setup man Kyle Farnsworth (4.58 ERA in 41 Games) is a serviceable option but is better suited for middle relief. However, as the other options are Juan Cruz (5.72 ERA in 46 Games), Roman Colon (4.83 ERA in 43 Games) and youngsters Victor Marte, Dusty Hughes and Carlos Rosa, Farnsworth is the best choice among a pool of questionable candidates. There is no question that Soria is an elite closer but the rest of the bullpen is below average.
INFIELD
Looking for power? Well, keep on looking because you won’t find much wearing Royal blue. 1st Baseman Billy Butler (.301, 21 HR, 93 RBI, 183 Hits, .362 OBP) is the only bright spot as he had a breakout 2010 season and appears to be a solid long term option at first base. However, there are slim pickings after that. 3rd Baseman Alex Gordon (.232, 6 HR, 22 RBI, .324 OBP in 49 Games) was injured last season and set back his development after two decent seasons to start his highly touted career. New Catcher Jason Kendall (.241, 2 HR, 43 RBI, .331 OBP) is nothing more than a singles hitter and a solid veteran presence, so don’t look to him for power numbers.
Up the middle, there isn’t a lot more excitement to look forward to. Shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt (.245, 6 HR, 49 RBI, .274 OBP) has a career OBP under .300 and is nothing more than a good defensive player. Meanwhile, Kansas City has created an unnecessary storyline between prospective 2nd Basemen Chris Getz (.261, 2 HR, 31 RBI, 25 SB, .324 OBP) and Alberto Callaspo (.300, 11 HR, 73 RBI, 41 Doubles, .356 OBP). Callaspo is one of the few guys who produced runs last year yet he’s being forced to split time with a singles hitter because Getz is faster? That seems foolish and the Royals really have an underwhelming infield.
OUTFIELD
The Royals blew up their outfield this offseason in an attempt to spark their offense. Scott Podsednik ( .304, 7 HR, 48 RBI, 30 SB, .353 OBP) will step into the leadoff position right away and should cause trouble on the basepaths. He’ll be joined by former Cardinal Rick Ankiel (.231, 11 HR, 38 RBI, .285), who struggled mightily last seasons. However, Ankiel has a serious home run stroke and plays excellent defense, so he should be a big upgrade for the Royals.
The last outfield position will belong to David DeJesus (.281, 13 HR, 71 RBI, .347 OBP), who hits for good average but is only a middle of the road run producer. He’ll be spelled at times by Designated hitter Jose Guillen (.242, 9 HR, 40 RBI, .314 in 81 Games),who struggled with injury last season after driving in over 95 runs in each of the previous two seasons. With a full season of health from Guillen and all of the new acquisitions, expect improved production from the outfield this season.
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OUTLOOK
There are some very bright spots on this team, most notably Grienke, Butler and Soria. On top of that, there are a lot of young and talented players that could have breakout seasons. However, the simple fact is that the Royals have a lot of holes in their rotation, an extremely shallow bullpen and a lineup that is short on pop. While Kansas City is an improved team, they’re still a long way from competing, even in the woeful AL Central. Expect about 70 wins from the Royals in 2010 and that means yet another finish in the Central Division Basement.
By Matt Baxendell
MLBcenter.com Staff Writer
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