The Kansas City Royals were not terrible in 2008 and were actually pretty close to the .500 mark at season's end. The emergence of their new shortstop Mike Aviles provided a much needed lift for the team and helped them stay near the rest of the teams in the division. Gil Meche and Zach Greinke anchored the pitching staff, both having above .500 records, pitching over 200 innings, and striking out 183 batters. Joakim Soria was incredible as their closer last year saving 42 games and posting a 1.60 ERA and a .861 WHIP. Overall, the team had some good players to lead the team to their 75 - 87 finish.
Projected Lineup:
C - Miguel Olivo
1B - Mike Jacobs
2B - Alberto Callaspo
SS - Mike Aviles
3B - Alex Gordon
LF - Jose Guillen
CF - Coco Crisp
RF - David DeJesus
DH - Billy Butler
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Gil Meche
#2 - Zack Greinke
#3 - Brian Bannister
#4 - Kyle Davies
#5 - Luke Hochevar
Closer - Joakim Soria
Position Battles:
1B - Right now the job is Mike Jacobs', but over the years he has struggled against lefties, which possibly opens the door for someone to step in in a platoon role. If Jacobs struggles this year against left hand pitchers, the next guy in line to platoon with Jacobs would be Ryan Shealy.
2B - The battle is between Alberto Callaspo and Willie Bloomquist, whoever plays better in the spring will get the start, but this could switch throughout the season. Either one of them could win this spot.
2009 Outlook: Yes the Kansas City Royals are improving and are not as bad as they used to be, but they are still not great. Jose Guillen, Mike Aviles, Mike Jacobs, and (hopefully) Alex Gordon should anchor the offense, while Zach Greinke and Gil Meche continue to lead the rotation. They do not have real flashy players on the team, but they are going to try and get the job done this year without one. They should finish around .500 again, but I do not think they have enough to make a run at winning the division or making the playoffs.
Projected Finish: 5th Place, AL Central
Don't you think Kila could get into the mix at 1B sometime during the season?
ReplyDeleteI really hope so because personally I really like him a lot, but I have a feeling that he will not get as much as he should.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot also depends on what Billy Butler does. If he struggles, and Kila can prove last year wasn't a fluke then he could possibly see some time at DH.
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