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    The Dugout

    Read the latest baseball satire from the warped minds of
    The Dugout.

    Royals Reaching for Respectability

    AOL
    Posted: 2008-03-11 21:45:43
    Filed Under: MLB

    Photo Gallery

    Lisa Blumenfeld, Getty Images

    Four Storylines
    To Watch in 2008

    1 of 4    

    1. Donning the Crown: Last year's consensus No. 1 prospect, Alex Gordon, struggled mightily in his debut, but came on strong in the second half. The heir apparent to George Brett at third base is expected to build on that finish in 2008.


    Projected Lineup

    1. David DeJesus, CF
    2. Mark Grudzielanek, 2B
    3. Jose Guillen, RF
    4. Alex Gordon, 3B
    5. Billy Butler, DH
    6. Mark Teahen, LF
    7. Ross Gload, 1B
    8. John Buck, C
    9. Tony Pena, SS

    Projected Rotation

    1. Gil Meche, R
    2. Brian Bannister, R
    3. Zack Greinke, R
    4. Kyle Davies, R
    5. Jorge de la Rosa, L

    Top Bullpen Arms

    • Joakim Soria, CL
    • Jimmy Gobble, SU
    • Ron Mahay, SU


    Word of Justice

    GM Dayton Moore has done a terrific job, and the Royals are inching toward respectability. Third baseman Alex Gordon is a franchise player, and right-hander Gil Meche was everything Moore hoped he'd be. This season's progress will depend on what the Royals get from some of the young talent they've been grooming.

    Meche, Brian Bannister and Zack Greinke are decent at the top of the rotation, and if former first-round pick Luke Hochevar is ready, Royals Stadium will be a lot more fun.

    Moore lured left fielder Jose Guillen to Kansas City with a three-year, $36 million contract, and he should improve an offense that was last in the American League in home runs and next-to-last in runs.

    -- Richard Justice

    Numbers Game

    102 - Home runs by the Royals in the 2007, the worst mark in the American League by 16. Kansas City had big problems in the power department last year, but there's reason to think that could all change, now that Billy Butler and Alex Gordon are comfortable at the major league level.

    .814 - Alex Gordon's OPS from Aug. 10 to the end of the season last year. The third baseman struggled mightily early in his first season in the bigs, but he turned it on late, making a breakout seem imminent heading into 2008. Gordon is expected to be a franchise player for many years and his ceiling is very, very high.

    4.2 - Strikeouts per nine innings by Brian Bannister last year. The Royals pitcher was a fringe Rookie of the Year contender and a quality No. 2 pitcher in 2007, but, even with impeccable control, he's going to need to start missing more bats to have prolonged success.

    -- Andrew Johnson

    Fantasy Spin

    There's a lot of value to be found on this Royals club, but not many players who can be penciled in as everyday starters for your lineup. On the offensive side, Alex Gordon and Billy Butler have the most potential this season. Gordon struggled with his plate discipline throughout most of 2007, but he came on stronger in the power department in his last two months. If he can correct his recognition this season, he should have no trouble putting up a 20-20 campaign and boosting that batting average. Butler is ready to provide 20 homers and 90 RBI in his first full year. Jose Guillen can be quite a useful outfielder in deeper leagues, but don't reach for his 2007 numbers.

    Mark Teahen and Joey Gathright are two players to watch in deeper leagues. Teahen's power took a nosedive last year, but if he can regain his 2006 form, he'll be a good outfielder for your bench. If Gathright can focus more on bunting and base-running than car-jumping, he may be able to wrestle Teahen's starting job away and be a supreme source of speed (30-40 steals).

    As far as pitching goes, Gil Meche, Joakim Soria and Zack Greinke are the trio of hurlers who offer the most upside. Some may include Brian Bannister, but despite his surprisingly successful 2007, he'll have a tough time repeating if he loses some of that exceptional command due to a low strikeout rate. Meche is a No. 4-caliber starter who provides solid numbers in all categories except wins. Greinke can actually be more valuable than Meche this year. Take a closer look and you'll see his 2007 post-break 2.42 ERA and nearly a strikeout per inning. I've always been a believer, but will he finally be as well? And while everyone is reaching for the bigger name closers, wait and snag Soria, who has the stuff and command to be an elite option, even though he may provide less saves than others.

    -- Tom Herrera

    Preview Poetry

    The Royals might avoid fiasco
    For the first time since D. J. Carrasco
    Still, Gordon's not yet
    A replacement for Brett
    Nor for Frank White, Alberto Callaspo

    -- Tom Fornelli/Will McDonald, FanHouse

    AOL's MLB Team Previews

    (Record in 2007)



    2008 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved.
    2008-03-10 19:48:24


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    Recent Comments

    1 - 7 of 7
    7 comments

    sbigrosie1 12:25:34 AM Mar 28 2008

    STORMSHADOW YOU ARE RIGHT BRO. THIS TEAM MAY NOT BE A WORLD SERIES CONTENDER OR PLAYOFF TEAM YET, BUT THEY WILL IMPROVE THIS YEAR AND WIN AT LEAST 80 GAMES. THEIR PITCHING MAY GET THEM TO CONTEND SOONER THAN LATER. MEMO FOR THE AMERICAN LEAGUE, A NEW TEAM IS ON THE RISE AND WILL SOON BE IN THE PLAYOFF HUNT.

    sbigrosie1 12:23:18 AM Mar 28 2008

    ROYALS ARE NO LONGER THE LAUGHING STOCK OF BASEBALL, NOT A TRIPLE A CALIBER TEAM ANYMORE EITHER. THIS TEAM WILL BE IN 3RD PLACE BY SEPTEMBER AND MAYBE WIN THE DIVISION NEXT YEAR. NO I AM NOT CRAZY, YOU PEOPLE WILL SEE KC ROYAL BASEBALL IS COMING BACK TO THE GEORGE BRETT DAYS OF THE 80S, IF NOT BETTER. JUST NEED ABIT MORE TIME, SEASONING AND A FEW ADDED FREE AGENTS FOR PROVEN COMMODITY AND THIS TEAM WILL BE CONTENDING VERY SOON

    sbigrosie1 12:21:12 AM Mar 28 2008

    THIS TEAM IS FINALLY IMPROVING AND HEADED FOR SUCCESS AND WILL BE IN THE PLAYOFFS BY NEXT YEAR. THIS YEAR MAYBE NOT, BUT WILL CERTAINLY NOT BE IN LAST, NOR AN EMBARRASEMENT THIS YEAR. YOUNG TALENTE AND SOLID IMPROVING PITCHING WILL GET THIS TEAM TO 500 OR BETTER THIS YEAR AND A PLAYOFF TEAM BY NEXT SUMMER. NEW MANAGER SHOULD BE A GOOD FIT AND THEIR YOUNG OFFENSIVE WITH SOME CRAFTY VETERNS WILL GET THIS TEAM BACK TO RESPECTABLITY VERY SOON.

    stormshadow1316 08:04:57 PM Mar 12 2008

    the royals i think will at least win 80 games this year... i went to high school w/ ross gload whose there 1st baseman and talked to him recently and he and his teamates are going to be super aggresive... watch out for this sleeper team!!!

    tsummpsic 02:05:13 AM Mar 12 2008

    Baseball needs a salary cap!

    patallanm 08:48:49 PM Mar 11 2008

    better than the knicks

    code3bob 08:43:17 PM Mar 11 2008

    AL's Triple A team! The Royals are like the Orioles. A once proud organization in shambles!

    1 - 7 of 7
    7 comments

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