Projected Lineup
CF David DeJesus
2B Mark Grudzielanek
3B Mark Teahen
DH Mike Sweeney
1B Ryan Shealy
RF Reggie Sanders
LF Emil Brown
C John Buck/Jason LaRue
SS Angel Berroa/Andres
Blanco
DeJesus missed much of the early-going with hamstring
trouble, but returned to have a quality season, batting .295 with solid plate
discipline. While he doesn’t steal many
bases for a leadoff man, he has upside as a potential 15/15 option atop an
improving lineup… Grudzy is a perfect fit as a number two hitter, showing an
aptitude to hit for contact with a little bit of power and speed… Teahen had a
monster second half, batting .313/.392/.582 with 11 homers in 201 at bats,
solidifying a spot as the probable third baseman, assuming top prospect Alex
Gordon doesn’t make the roster. If
Gordon makes the club, he’ll likely serve as a corner outfielder… Sweeney is a
major injury risk, but he’s solid enough when healthy, providing a solid power
option who can hit for average in the middle of the order… Shealy finally got a
chance at the big league level after being buried behind Todd Helton on the
depth chart in Colorado. He didn’t disappoint, showing off the quality
power and average-hitting skills necessary for a five-hole hitter… Emil Brown
is coming off of consecutive solid .285, 15 homer seasons after being out of
the majors from 2002-2004. He’s a
virtual lock to fill one of the corner outfield spots, while Reggie Sanders
figures to have a starting job if Gordon doesn’t make the roster out of Spring
Training. Sanders’ upside is that of a
20/20 option, but he’s had a lot of trouble staying on the field throughout his
career… Buck has stabilized as a catcher with double digit power and mediocre
average-hitting ability. LaRue was
brought in from Cincinnati to
challenge him entering the 2007 campaign, and the two will likely each earn a
healthy split behind the plate. Neither
figures to have value outside of AL
Leagues… Berroa has done nothing but decline since
winning the Rookie of the Year award back in 2003, leaving the club considering
other options such as Blanco. Berroa still has 20/20 upside as a middle infielder, but
he’s running out of time to prove it.
Blanco would figure to have little value even in AL Leagues if he wins
the job, as he’d be there primarily for his glove.
Other Hitters To Watch
Alex Gordon
Joey Gathright
Gordon may be the top prospect in all of baseball at this
point, and has outstanding power and contact skills for a third baseman. He blew away AA pitching last season, and
will have a shot to make the roster out of Spring Training to begin the
year. If he doesn’t impress enough to
earn a starting spot, however, he’s likely ticketed for AAA Omaha… Gathright is a one-category option, but it’s a category
that’s tough to fill. He’s an absolute
demon on the basepaths capable of thirty steals even if he only gets 300 at
bats.
Starting Rotation
Gil Meche
Odalis Perez
Luke Hudson
Brian Bannister
Jorge de la Rosa
The Royals’ acquisition of Meche this offseason can only be
considered a curious move. The
28-year-old righthander is coming off of his best season as a big-leaguer, but
still proved to be mediocre with a 4.48 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in a pitcher’s
park. Now moving to an
extreme hitter’s park, his secondary numbers figure to rise significantly. The Royals signed him to a ridiculous 5 year,
$55 million deal… Perez had a second straight down year after his outstanding
2004 effort. The 29-year-old lefty had
issues with management in Los Angeles
before eventually getting dealt to the Royals at midseason. In K.C., he wasn’t much better, finishing
with a 5.64 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in his final twelve starts. He lacks the strikeout arsenal to be a
fantasy factor, even if he should improve upon his numbers in 2007… Hudson
was arguably the Royals’ best starter in 2006, though he still finished with a
5.12 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. He did at least
show promise late in the year, closing with a 4.02 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in
September as he won seven of his final ten decisions… Despite a gaudy walk
rate, Bannister had a terrific start to his rookie season in New
York before a hamstring injury cost him most of the
year. Now in Kansas
City, he’ll have little trouble making their rotation,
but shouldn’t make yours… Jorge de la Rosa will likely enter camp as the fifth
starter despite his complete mediocrity, if for no other reason than the fact
that it will allow the Royals to keep Zach Greinke out of the rotation and put
him in a position to build his confidence.
Closer
Octavio Dotel
Other Bullpen Arms of Note
David Riske
Todd Wellemeyer
Joel Peralta
Dotel looked awful in his return from Tommy John surgery
with the Yankees last season, but still managed to translate his past
performance into a solid deal with the Royals to become their closer. He’s capable of big strikeout numbers at the
back of the bullpen, and could notch thirty saves even on a bad team… Riske
adds to the re-vamped bullpen, giving the club a solid setup option who can close if Dotel falters. He had his second straight strong season
between Boston and Chicago
last season, closing the year with a 3.89 ERA and 1.30 WHIP despite missing
most of the first half with back trouble… Wellemeyer
came over from the Marlins at midseason and was arguably as good as anyone in
the Royals’ bullpen, keeping a solid 3.63 ERA despite a 1.49 WHIP. Known as a strikeout pitcher earlier in his
career, he did have his worst season in terms of his K/9 IP, fanning just 6.2
batters per 9 innings. He’s a solid
holds option in AL Leagues…
Though Peralta was one of the few Royals not given a shot at the closing gig
last season, he proved to be the Royals’ most consistent reliever over the
course of the year, keeping a solid enough 4.40 ERA to go with a tremendous
1.24 WHIP.
Position Battles
Alex Gordon vs. Field
– Based on recent history, the Royals would prefer to start Gordon out in
AAA so that they can move him through the system at a speed that he’s
comfortable with and allow him to dominate level by level. However, he showed last season in AA that
he’s probably ready to perform as a quality starter at the hot corner in the
big leagues, maintaining an OPS over 1.000 while
bashing 29 homers and driving in 101 runs.
He’ll enter camp in competition with nobody but himself, as the player
who blocks him at his position was their best player last season, but is
expecting a move to the outfield within the next year anyway.
Zack Greinke vs. His
Head – Greinke missed most of last season with undisclosed emotional issues
after being absolutely torn apart in 2005 (5-17, 5.80 ERA, 1.56 WHIP). The Royals’ top pitching prospect certainly
seems to have suffered for the way that the organization rushed him to the
majors in 2004, but he has the potential to evolve into a dominant number one
or two starter for a franchise that desperately needs one. GM Dayton Moore said in December that he
would rather see Greinke put in a position where he could build his confidence,
so he’s likely headed for the bullpen.
Still, a strong Spring could land him in the
rotation considering the weaknesses there.
Sleepers
David DeJesus –
DeJesus hasn’t been able to make a real big splash in the fantasy world the
past few years as he’s battled injuries.
However, he has shown a tremendous ability to hit for average (.292
since 2004) and still has a little bit of upside in both the power-hitting and
speed departments. Look for him to go
15/15 this season while batting about .300, which would make him an adequate
third outfielder in most formats.
Octavio Dotel –
Dotel is coming off of a horrible and injury-plagued season, but he’ll enter
the year as the closer in Kansas City. He still has top-notch stuff, and is more
than capable of posting above-average secondary numbers at the back of a
bullpen that hasn’t had a steady closer for the better part of a decade. Good closers on bad teams are still capable
of making a splash, and Dotel should save thirty games this season.
Duds
Gil Meche – Meche
comes over from Seattle, where he
had a solid enough season in 2006 (11-8, 4.48,
1.43). However, he heads from one of the
better pitcher’s parks in baseball to the ballpark that played better for
hitters than any other in the land in 2006.
Expect his WHIP to remain stable in the 1.45 range, but his ERA could
easily top 5.00 in 2007, while his win total figures to suffer playing for the
Royals as well.
Player to watch for
Billy Butler –
While I’m not sure we’ve talked about Gordon enough, Butler
is another top ten prospect who could easily make his
presence felt at the big league level in 2007. The former first-round pick has shown a
tremendous ability to hit for average in the low minors (.331 in AA last year)
while jacking 45 bombs in the past two seasons between high-A and AA. He’ll begin the year at AAA Omaha, and could
surprise in a late-season call-up if everything goes according to plan. He has yet to hit below .330 in three seasons
in the minors, and projects as a future All-Star in the outfield.
Projected Finish: 68-94, 5th AL Central
Fantasy Baseball 
