Feb 21, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals second baseman Irving Falu (19) poses for a picture during photo day at the Royals Spring Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Infielder Irving Falu and left-handed relievers Donnie Joseph and Francisley Bueno were all optioned to Omaha and lefty Atahualpa Severino was assigned to minor league camp. With Bruce Chen newly sent to the bullpen and Tim Collins‘s position secure, the Royals will opt for another righty for the final bullpen spot. The most likely choice is J.C. Gutierrez, then Louis Coleman and Dan Wheeler. Gutierrez has never been very successful in the big leagues, but he’s coming off of a good winter ball season and in the two innings I’ve seen of him (which is obviously a small sample), he’s thrown hard and demonstrated a good breaking ball.

Whoever gets the last spot probably won’t be relied upon in high leverage situations most games with other solid options in the back of the bullpen, but Gutierrez, who is out of options, has probably done enough to make the team.

-The Royals also acquired minor leaguer Desmond Henry from the Rangers as the player to be named later in the Tommy Hottovy trade. Henry was a fourth round pick in 2011 and has only played at the rookie ball level so far. He’ll turn 20 in July.

Henry is the typical speedy, athletic center fielder type, and the Royals are taking a chance that he develops into something in a couple of years. He has 29 strikeouts in 73 plate appearances, so there’s work to do.

-Keith Law scouted some Royals prospects recently and shared his notes on ESPN (requires Insider). He discussed Kyle Zimmer, John Lamb and Miguel Almonte. He noted that Zimmer was showing good secondary stuff but his fastball was getting hit. Lamb’s velocity was still discouraging, according to Law, but Almonte seemed to impress him.

[RELATED: Royals Assistant GM J.J. Picollo discusses Zimmer, Lamb and Almonte, and other prospects on the Kansas City Baseball Vault]

I don’t sense much concern about Zimmer who might just need to adjust something on his fastball to get more movement, and Almonte is flying up the rankings, but concern would be appropriate for Lamb. He’s far enough removed from Tommy John surgery that his velocity should be getting back, and Law suggested he may have been holding back. You’ll hear often enough about athletes who get hurt, and it’s not always reinjury or complication that gets in the way of their full recovery but the mental block of going back to 100% for fear of blowing something out again. Lamb’s always been reported to have tough disposition – he came back from an elbow fracture before his senior season of high school to be a top 20 overall prospect – but it can’t be an easy road back.

- Apparently, Lorenzo Cain has been working with sprinting trainers and that his legs feel better than ever. He’s already fast, but according to the article, he’s working on shortening his running stride. Dutton also reported that the Royals will try Eric Hosmer in the outfield on Thursday as a possible preparation for their early interleague games at Philadelphia and Atlanta in April. That experiment didn’t go very well last season when the Royals tried it in Pittsburgh, but they seem willing to give it another try.

- Speaking of the Pirates, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that former Royals Clint Robinson was designated for assignment on Wednesday to make room for Jonathan Sanchez. Robinson hit .200/.227/.250 in 12 spring training games with the Pirates. Robinson turned 28 last month and has always had some questions about his ability to be an everyday player.

Prior to his big league debut last year (which occurred in Pittsburgh, coincidentally enough), Robinson was a prolific minor league hitter, but he may be destined to be a AAAA player.

- Sam Mellinger of the KC Star tweeted that Forbes has valued the Royals at $457 million. That’s second lowest in the majors behind Tampa Bay. Glass bought the team for $96 million in April 2000.

- Finally, the Royals reached out and took care of a fan today with a Random Act of Opening Day. When Twitter user Paul Prather was wishing he was watching a Royals game at Kauffman Stadium, the Royals responded by randomly setting him up with tickets to the last game of the home opening series against the Minnesota Twins.

Makes me wish I’d mentioned something first…

The Royals have two more spring training games before the season opens next Monday. It can’t come soon enough.

The hardest decisions have been made, as I think most would be okay with either Brett Hayes or George Kottaras backing up Salvador Perez, and there are four capable arms vying for the last bullpen spot and the fifth, J.C. Gutierrez, looked pretty good in Monday night’s win over the Dodgers.

So what else is new in the world of the Cactus League Champion Kansas City Royals? (They clinched the title on Tuesday)

- Sports Illustrated released six covers for their Major League Baseball preview and James Shields is featured on the cover that will hit the midwest.

Your 5th of 6 @mlb Preview Covers… Big games await James Shields and the revamped @royals: bit.ly/11Htnu9 twitter.com/SInow/status/3…

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 26, 2013

- Opening Day is in less than a week, and the Royals home opener is in less than two, but the Royals groundscrew wasn’t taking any chances. The weather has been crazy over the last month, with 70 degree days followed by a week of snow. So with Kauffman Stadium covered in snow, they decided to take to the field with shovels. I don’t think the faux fire on the screen really helps them feel any warmer, though…

#Royals grounds crew gets a little help from the video board guys as they work hard to prep for April 8. #toasty twitter.com/Royals/status/…

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) March 26, 2013

- A study called the Brand Keys Sports Fan Loyalty Index dropped the Royals from 28th in fan loyalty last year to 29th this year. The study looks at various factors, including the excitement on the field, how well a team plays, how fans connect with the team and players and the tradition of the team.

Also, of course, they factor in attendance, merchandising, broadcast reach and the business side of things as well as the emotional. The Royals are behind it as a smaller market. The top five teams over each of the past six years list teams you’d expect – the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies – year after year, with brief mentions of teams regarded as being in smaller markets like Cleveland and Oakland. To me, it seems like the rankings tie closely to market size and record.

I can’t deny my own bias, though. I’ve been a Royals fan since I even knew what baseball was. I grew up in Western Kansas before the Colorado Rockies existed. The Royals were the only game in town. I didn’t even get WGN back home, so the Cubs and White Sox were out of the running. I’m not sure how much of the study accounts for scenarios like mine, where I’ve been exactly the kind of loyal fan they’re hoping to identify. Seriously, anyone who can still follow this team rabidly (and if you’re reading this blog, that includes you I’d guess) after such a long record of poor play has to be considered loyal.

I couldn’t assume that the Royals would be high up on the list though, but of the fans that do stick around, they’re definitely loyal. Perhaps it’s just semantics and “fanhood” or “following” term than loyalty.

- The Royals cut four minor leaguers, according to Bob Dutton. The four – all pitchers – are Michael Giovenco, Jose Jimenez, Leondy Perez and Elisaul Pimentel. The most recognizable of those is Pimentel, who was part of the 2010 Scott Podsednik trade, coming over from the Dodgers with Luke May. Pimentel was last seen in Wilmington after struggling in Double A.

- Finally, a sad news item. Carlos Fortuna was a prospect in the Royals system out of the Dominican Republic. He last pitched in 2009, but put pitching on hold to battle liver and lung cancer. He passed away on Sunday, a week before his 23rd birthday.

I can’t put any better words on the situation than what Dick Kaegel has already collected from former teammates of Fortuna’s – take a moment to read their stories here.

Feb 21, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Luis Mendoza (39) poses for a picture during photo day at the Royals Spring Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Speculation started about a potential trade (as teams like the Mets are being hit by injuries and could use some arms to help fill in), but finally, VP of Media and Broadcasting Mike Swanson tweeted that Chen would be the team’s long reliever and Luis Mendoza would be the Royals fifth starter to open the year. The move was later confirmed by the official team Twitter account.

Camp opened up with Chen, Luke  Hochevar and Mendoza fighting for the fifth starter spot. Hochevar was sent to the bullpen last week but it still seemed like the Royals favored Chen – and his $4.5 million salary – over Mendoza. After a strong winter ball season, Mendoza had a 0.82 ERA in 11 spring innings and had walked just two batters with the Royals. Chen, by contrast, had surrendered 12 earned runs in 13.2 innings and gave up seven homers. Arizona isn’t the best environment for him as a fly ball pitcher, and perhaps, like last year, he was working on a few things, but the performance was so stark that the Royals made the call to go with Mendoza.

Chen to the bullpen could impact other decisions. While he isn’t a specialist against lefties, it may compel the Royals to stick with a right-hander when choosing their last relief pitcher, meaning Louis Coleman, J.C. Gutierrez, or Dan Wheeler (on a minor league deal) could win that job. That would shut out Donnie Joseph and Francisley Bueno. Both lefties have thrown well this spring, but both have options.

Mar 5, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Louis Coleman (31) pitches against the Oakland Athletics during the seventh inning at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Neither of those are terribly intriguing, though I, and others, have our preferences. They’re smaller decisions but the opening is still there for the Royals to make less than optimal decisions. The last bullpen spot comes down to a group of candidates who have thrown well all spring and it’s hard to go wrong. Maybe they skip Donnie Joseph and go with Louis Coleman, or vice versa, and either way, they’ve rewarded a pitcher who’s done well. Brett Hayes has done fine, but George Kottaras is making a strong push late. Bob Dutton has theorized that it will come down to another team needing a catcher and the Royals trading whichever of the two bring the best return into the organization.

-The Royals beat the White Sox on Sunday and are a win away from tying their all-time spring record for wins. Marcus Meade has provided his observations already and writer/scout  Bernie Pleskoff was at the game and both agreed that Guthrie looked solid:

What I Liked Today: #Royals Jeremy Guthrie had a very good outing today. Pitch sequencing outstanding. Very good mechanics. Made pitches.

— Bernie Pleskoff (@BerniePleskoff) March 24, 2013

#Royals Guthrie is very much a “rhythm” pitcher. When he gets ingroove, all the pitches work. Repeats delivery extremely well. Confident.

— Bernie Pleskoff (@BerniePleskoff) March 24, 2013

Pleskoff was also impressed with Kelvin Herrera.

-Eric Hosmer apparently experienced soreness in his right quad muscle during the WBC and missed some time over the weekend as it was still bothering him. Nobody seems to think that it’s serious, but as spring training winds down, I’d rather he be in the lineup getting his at bats. He was on the minor league fields facing pitching, so he hasn’t been shut down by any means.

-The idea is that Hosmer should be the Royals #3 hitter, but Ned Yost has been toying with a lineup that puts Billy Butler in that spot. The hitting of Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas this spring have them hypothetically protecting Butler in the lineup and leaves Alex Gordon in the leadoff spot where he’s been excellent over the last two years and still this spring.

March 21, 2013; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Cincinnati Reds left fielder Derrick Robinson (81) hits an RBI double in the third inning during a spring training game against the Oakland Athletics at Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

-Former Royals minor league outfielder Derrick Robinson is getting attention with the Cincinnati Reds this spring. Former infielder Yuniesky Betancourt was released by the Philadelphia Phillies despite good spring numbers. He’d asked for his release when it was apparent he wasn’t going to crack the Phillies opening day roster.

-The Royals released a number of minor leaguers over the weekend, most notably Nick Van Stratten and Blaine Hardy. Van Stratten had been in the organization since 2006, but hadn’t gotten past Double A and is about to turn 28 years old. Hardy reached Triple A in both 2011 and 2012 but wasn’t going to break through. Other released players (as reported by Dutton through Twitter): pitchers Rudy Brown, Allen Caldwell, Joe Karlik, Patrick Keating, Jason Mitchell, Lincoln Rassi, and Jamie Richmond and infielders Michael Liberto and Adrian Martinez.

-The Royals face Zack Greinke and the Los Angeles Dodgers Monday night. The game will be on Fox Sports Kansas City starting at 8 p.m. CST. Wade Davis pitches for the Royals.

The Royals have six more spring training games left, and my guess is that they’ll cut their roster down following Wednesday’s split squad games. They’re working with 37 players in camp now.

March 12, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher James Shields (33) throws in the first inning during a spring training game against the Oakland Athletics at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

There’s not really concern with Shields – it’s just spring training, after all – and as expected, he was named the Royals opening day starter officially by Ned Yost. It will be his fifth career opening day start after four with the Tampa Bay Rays. He’ll face Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox on April 1. The Royals also lined up their next three starters, following Shields with Ervin Santana, Jeremy Guthrie and Wade Davis, according to a Bob Dutton report. The fifth spot has not been announced yet. Santana is set to pitch the Royals home opener on April 8.

-Hosmer’s homer is a good sign, as signs of panic have been going through the Royals fan club. After a rough World Baseball Classic, the specter of his 2012 struggles continues to hang over him. Connor Moylan at Royals Review had an excellent post about that anxiety that weighs his importance to the Royals, his past hype and the general angst Royals fans end up feeling when things go sour – that “here we go again” feeling. For what it’s worth, the Royals hitting coaches, Jack Maloof and Andre David, have worked with minor leaguers coming through in the past, so there’s familiarity that may help the younger hitters, Dutton reminds.

-Unfortunately for Endy Chavez, he won’t be one of the players working with them this year, as the Royals announced that he’s been released. He had signed with the Royals on New Year’s Eve on a minor league deal but in 32 at bats only had six hits. There are 38 players left in big league camp.

-Major League Baseball granted left-handed pitcher Noel Arguelles a fourth option year. Typically, players can be optioned to the minor leagues three times only, but if they have less than five years of professional experience, a fourth year can be granted. The same kind of thing happened to Luke Hochevar. The deal Arguelles signed in 2010 placed him on the 40 man roster, but he missed the whole year dealing with a shoulder injury. Baseball America has the full list of players granted a fourth year and explains the process in greater detail. Arguelles was optioned to Double A Northwest Arkansas two weeks ago.

-Just a reminder that Fox Sports Kansas City will air two spring games next week – Monday the 25th against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Wednesday the 27th against the Chicago Cubs.

-It’s not Royals related, but it still relates to Kansas City Baseball: the Jackie Robinson biopic “42″ will release on April 12 in theaters, but on April 11, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and AMC Theaters are coordinating on a premier event on April 11. Harrison Ford, who plays Branch Rickey in the film, is supposed to be there. You may have heard of him. It’s a chance to take part in what I think is going to be a cool evening of baseball history. More information is at 42KansasCity.com.

While the Royals lost their game to the Colorado Rockies today, there were a lot of items floating around off the field of interest.

The most fun announcement was the listing of potential nominees for the Royals Hall of Fame. Some of the names are to be expected: John Wathan, Kevin Seitzer, Darrell Porter, Jermaine Dye, Bo Jackson. Some, though, wouldn’t be the first, second or twentieth choice to represent the best in Royals history. Players like Jimmy Gobble, Emil Brown and Runelvys Hernandez met the criteria to be on the ballot for nomination.

Really, all it takes is to have been a Royal for three years and reach either 1500 plate appearances or 150 innings pitched. I don’t imagine that anyone really would think that Gobble, Brown or Hernandez should be in the Royals Hall of Fame. Nonetheless, Twitter has taken over and turned Gobble into a favorite, while other names have been suggested (with tongue planted in digital cheek). You can vote for yourself here.

The Royals handed out organizational awards today. Wil Myers and Jake Odorizzi, both of whom were traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for James Shields and Wade Davis, earned Royals Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year Awards for their 2012 seasons. Alex McClure won the Mike Sweeney Award for his community service, Terrance Gore won the Willie Wilson Award as the top baserunner in the organization, and Brett Eibner won the Frank White Award for best defense.

Speaking of Eibner, he’s set to land in Northwest Arkansas after spending last year in High A Wilmington. Maybe moving from the cavernous Frawley Stadium to cozy Arvest Ballpark will help him. He has good power when he makes contact. Unfortunately, he struck out 165 times in 120 games last year. He’s got to make the adjustments and make better contact to keep rising. The Royals like his tools according to comments J.J. Piccolo made to Bob Dutton at the Kansas City Star.

Some other probable assignments include:

• Shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, outfielder Bubba Starling, and infielder (he’ll likely play second alongside Mondesi, according to Dutton) Humberto Arteaga to Lexington in the Low A South Atlantic League. Pitcher Miguel Almonte should be there, too.
• Pitcher Kyle Zimmer and shortstop Jack Lopez to High A Wilmington
• Shortstop Orlando Calixte to Double A Northwest Arkansas along with pitcher Jason Adam
• Left-handed pitcher Sam Selman may start in Lexington or Wilmington.

The group of shortstops are a nice luxury for the Royals, who’ve usually had trouble stocking the position. Zimmer is likely to land in Double A before too long and Almonte is an intriguing prospect who burst onto the scene last year.

Mar 15, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; United States first baseman Eric Hosmer (35) reacts in the eighth inning during the World Baseball Classic against the Puerto Rico at Marlins Park. Puerto won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Eric Hosmer said he saw more curveballs in the World Baseball Classic than he had in spring training. Before the WBC, he was raking but ran into a speed bump during the tournament. Looking over his WBC at bats, he was pitched backward to a lot, seeing breaking balls and offspeed pitches earlier in counts and he showed impatience at times. He hit the ball hard in most of his at bats though, hitting most of his balls towards the left side or centerfield (16 of 19 put into play). Last year, many of his bad at bats ended with feeble groundouts to second base as he tried to pull everything. It’s a small sample size and a unique context, and I’m not sure as many fans would be panicking if he’d gotten two hard shots through the infield. One more hit would have raised his average from .200 to .240, so each at bat had a big impact on his numbers. He can’t continue to struggle though – there’s enough reason for concern after last year’s rough year, but I think most of the fury comes from actually seeing the at bats, rather than relying on radio calls or MLB’s Gameday as in most spring training games. We’ll see…

With the Dominican Republic’s win of the WBC Championship, Kelvin Herrera, Miguel Tejada, Atahualpa Severino and Irving Falu will join the Royals in Surprise. Tejada made a highlight catch in the final game, but landed hard on his hip. There hasn’t been any indication of an injury, however.

Earlier on Monday, they’d sent Will Smith, Yordano Ventura and others to the minor league side of the complex. At the end of the night, they also sent Brandon Wood, Christian Colon, Anthony Seratelli, Willy Taveras and Adam Moore to the minors. None are on the 40 man roster.

Feb 21, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Christian Colon (72) poses for a picture during photo day at the Royals Spring Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Of those five, Colon may have had a slight shot at sneaking into the second base competition, but his own struggles combined with Johnny Giavotella and Chris Getz performing well wiped out any chance he may have had. He’ll man shortstop in Omaha alongside whichever second baseman loses the competition for the big league job. Colon got six hits in 27 at bats and walked once. Rob Neyer, who viewed a couple of Royals games in Arizona, wasn’t impressed with his range at shortstop, which matches what a lot of the scouting reports suggest.

Wood should be Omaha’s everyday third baseman barring any injury to Mike Moustakas. After striking out in four of his first eight at bats, he’s only done so four more times in the next 23, and drove in the only two runs the Royals scored on Monday night. He’s probably going to show a lot of power in Omaha, which is friendly to right-handed batters, but he’s not a secure option if he gets pressed into action. He had a .323/.344/.677 line in 17 games.

Seratelli didn’t get a lot of hits but he’s gotten on base this spring with six walks to go with his five hits. The .208 average looks bad but the .367 on base percentage is nice. He can play anywhere he’s asked and will be a valuable utility player for the Storm Chasers. He’s got a good story about his path to this point as well.

Taveras is insurance for an outfield that has some question marks. Lorenzo Cain is hitting so well that it’s not a question of ability to be the everyday center fielder, but more a question of his durability over the course of a season. Jeff Francoeur is hoping to rebound but not having a good spring at the plate, and Jarrod Dyson is most likely a fourth outfielder. David Lough should be the first man called up if something happens, but Taveras, who had 13 hits in 17 Cactus League games, is another speedy option.

Moore showed some power in camp, but he’s going to fall victim to the logistics game. George Kottaras and Brett Hayes are playing well enough to keep him away as well, so Moore will be in Omaha splitting time with Manuel Pina. He’d been outrighted to Triple A previously in the winter.

That drops the Royals roster down to 39 players. Seven of those – Atahualpa Severino, George Sherrill, Dan Wheeler, Miguel Tejada, Max Ramirez, Endy Chavez and Xavier Nady – are non-roster invitees. Sherrill is recovering from Tommy John surgery, Nady is fighting foot issues, and only Tejada is expected to make the team.

The biggest names among them are Yordano Ventura and Will Smith, two standouts in the Royals Cactus League season to this point. Also among the players are Everett Teaford, Nathan Adcock (both of whom were optioned to Omaha with Smith) and minor league invitees Michael Mariot, Brian Sanches and Blaine Boyer. They, like Ventura, are not yet assigned to a minor league level.

September 16, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Will Smith (53) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

None of these are surprising moves, despite some buzz about Smith and Ventura last week. Smith threw 11 innings and gave up just two earned runs, striking out ten batters while walking just one. He was mentioned as a potential finalist for the Royals fifth starter, but since he has options remaining, and the Royals pitching staff is mostly established (or, at least, the names are known, just not in what arrangement), he’ll go to Omaha and likely start their opener. He’ll be one of the first starters recalled if an injury requires the Royals to tap into their depth.

Ventura threw well during most of his time in big league camp, though his final start on Friday saw him get roughed up by the Dodgers. He was also mentioned in the fifth starter sweepstakes, but few gave him much of a shot. He’s not on the 40 man roster and has just six starts above High A. He can still make an impact this year, though, but it will be a big jump if he does. From the sounds of it, his secondary stuff has looked good, and the plan is still to have him as a starter next season. He may spend a month or two in Northwest Arkansas before reaching Omaha later in the year. September is my guess for his big league debut.

Teaford and Adcock should be part of the Triple A rotation as well and could be shuttled up and down I-29 when the need arises this year. Both have experience as starters, long relievers or middle relievers and should be reasonable options if they have to fill in.

Sanches allowed seven runners in four innings, striking out just one. Boyer gave up three runs in 4.1 innings. Neither are really intriguing options and probably come out of the bullpen in Omaha. Mariot made multiple late-inning appearances in spring and earned three saves in the process, finishing with seven innings pitched and three runs allowed. He reached Triple A last year after spending most of the year in Double A. He’s not in line to reach the majors, but he’ll be good depth to have in the upper minors in 2013.

These moves drop the Royals spring roster to 45 players with two weeks until opening day.

Is Smith the man for the job? Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

You’d think the battle for the fifth rotation spot just got a little more clear, but no, not just yet. As we all know, Luke Hochevar, banished to the bullpen, is out of a three-horse race that should be down to just two, but instead, there are four? It was my understanding there would be no math…

We already knew about Bruce Chen and Luis Mendoza, but since I last broached the subject, Will Smith has continued pitching brilliantly in Surprise, and according to reports, top prospect Yordano Ventura may be in the mix.

Even with Hochevar involved, I thought this battle was a coin toss between Mendoza and Chen, with a possible nod to Chen (being a veteran and a lefty), but now…I’m wondering why not Smith? This spring, Smith has made three appearances for a total of 7 innings pitched. In that small sample size, he’s mowed down 8 batters and walked only 1. He’s only allowed 2 hits as well, which all adds up to a 0.429 WHIP and 1.29 ERA. Going back to the Baseball Reference “Quality of Opposition” tool once again, Smith’s number is at a 9.5 of a possible 10…meaning he’s gone up against some pretty damn good hitters.

I thought Chen’s throwing arm would be a big plus…being the sole lefty candidate in the battle, but Smith being a southpaw negates that advantage. With the Royals trying to win this year, they no longer need to go with a stopgap, a tag you could slap on either hurler (Smith as the young unproven pitcher, Chen in the role of “over the hill” veteran). Smith is 13 years younger than Chen and still on his way up (hopefully). He’s more of an unknown, sure, but with a world of untapped potential. Chen, on the other hand, is past his prime. We know what Chen is capable of.

For the record, Chen currently sits at 8.2 IP, 7 hits, 2 BB, 8 K, and 6 earned runs. His WHIP isn’t bad at 1.038, but his 6.23 ERA fails to impress. His quality of opposition also sits about a full point below Smith’s at just 8.6. That means Chen is getting lit up by a mix of AAA and lower end big league talent for the most part.

What of right-hander Luis Mendoza? I previously stated he should probably be the front-runner in this battle. He’s gone just 6 innings with the Royals this spring (thanks to the World Baseball Classic) but has looked sharp. He’s given up 6 hits and 1 walk, struck out 4, and given up just 1 earned run for a 1.167 WHIP and 1.50 ERA. With Mexico, Mendoza only logged a couple of innings, but got knocked around a bit, giving up 2 BB and 3 hits for a 2.50 WHIP, although he posted an ERA of zero.

Going by the stats this spring, it looks to be a race between Mendoza and Smith…but they say numbers don’t necessarily win these battles, so Chen is definitely still in the mix. And then, there’s the wild card. Yordano Ventura?

I personally don’t think there is a chance “Ace” Ventura vaults all the way from AA past this trio, but stranger things have happened. Reports say he’s in the mix, and will receive more innings as a starter now that Luke is in the pen. So let’s take a look at his spring stats.

The first thing that jumps out at me? Ventura’s quality of opposition is a 9.6 – a notch above Smith. But how is the young phenom, who only has 29.1 innings above A ball, performing against such stiff competition? Well…he’s doing a stellar job, actually. In his 8.2 innings, he has allowed 4 hits and 2 BB (0.692 WHIP), and has struck out 6 batters. Ventura has allowed 2 earned runs, giving him a 2.08 ERA.

Oh, and he pitched so well the other day, the home plate umpire couldn’t even believe it.

Is flame throwing Yordano Ventura really in the mix?. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

What does all this add up to? Does he have a chance? Again…I doubt it, but I don’t think he could pitch any better than he has this spring. With hardly any time at AA last year, I think Ventura is headed north, to Omaha (at least for now). It certainly gives us all something to be hopeful about, though, and he could be called up sooner rather than later, depending on how things go with the other candidates. One thing is certain – his stuff is filthy, and that fastball will be hard to keep off the roster for too much longer.

So…when you add it all up, where do we stand? I’d like to see Mendoza get his shot. He had a great second half of 2012, pitched great winter ball, and is throwing great again in Arizona. I still think Yost could lean towards Chen or Smith based on wanting a lefty, and if that’s the case I am rooting for Smith. He’s young and hungry and pitching better than any other person we’ve discussed here. What’s the worst thing that could happen? He stinks it up for a few starts and gets replaced by one of the other guys?

The Royals have to go with their best five, no doubt. No more throwing the young guy out there for the hell of it or going with a veteran placeholder. The team wants to compete right now. And right now, Smith might be the best guy for the job. Will he be that guy that guy two weeks – or two months – from now? We’ll find out soon enough.

They’re coming off two games in which they scored a combined 30 runs, including some big days for Chris Getz and Johnny Giavotella. It’s been expected that the two would go to the last day before the team made a decision, and as it stands now, their numbers are close.

Giavotella:

Getz:

The difference is still the Getz homer, but they’re otherwise about as even as you can get. There’s a lot of time for the battle to play out, and for one or the other to get separation. The weekend’s games saw both get three hits, first with Giavotella doing damage against the Giants and Getz’s answer against the Angels. The big days and small sample size gave both a boost in the numbers.

Also, apparently Giavotella has earned the nickname of “Wreck-It Ralph”. According to Jonah Keri, it’s because he has long arms and large hands for being only 5’8″. I guess I’d never noticed that before…

March 6, 2013; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas (8) hits a double in the third inning during a spring training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

-Two interesting takes on the same situation: Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star and Dick Kaegel of the Royals official site talked with Mike Moustakas. Dutton was able to coax a slight admission that an injured knee may have resulted in Moustaka’s struggles at the plate in the second half, but Kaegel made a point to let Moustakas and Ned Yost dismiss the notion.

Dutton’s passage:

Moustakas now admits, albeit grudgingly, that a sprained right knee suffered July 28 in Seattle might have been a factor. He suffered the injury while making a diving stop in the first inning on a Casper Wells grounder.

“It’s whatever you guys want to make of it,” Moustakas said. “It definitely didn’t feel like it was 100 percent, but that didn’t affect me on the field. Any time I step on the field, my body is 100 percent.”

And Kaegel’s:

Did the knee injury affect his bat?

“No, I’m not going to ever be one to make excuses,” Moustakas said. “I was on the field, so I was 100 percent. Any time I’m on the field, there’s nothing wrong with me. I’ll go out and play as if everything was 100 percent, and that’s how you have to approach the game.”

Both did point out the splits pre- and post-injury, and Damion Mandalas Royal Revival provided a nice examination of this question a couple of weeks ago. I’m convinced that, despite Moose’s pleas to the contrary, there was something affecting his performance. That it coincides with a documented injury is awfully coincidental to me. Good news is that he’s healthy now and hitting the ball well.

- Salvador Perez (Venezuela) and Luis Mendoza (Mexico) should be back with the team on Tuesday after their teams were eliminated from the World Baseball Classic. Eric Hosmer is still with Team USA as they move onto the second round. He’s 3-13 but blew the game open against Canada on Sunday with a bases-clearing double in the ninth inning. Tim Collins is with him in Miami, while Irving Falu (Puerto Rico), Miguel Tejada, Atahualpa Severino, and Kelvin Herrera (all the Dominican Republic) are still active in the WBC as well. Tony Botts says that might not be a good thing, though.

- Finally, I had to share some comments from J.J. Cooper on Twitter. Cooper is the primary writer for Baseball America when it comes to Royals prospects, so he sees Kansas City’s minor leaguers often. He was discussing Adalberto Mondesi today and noted:

• He’s bulked up a bit, from 167 pounds to 180.
• He’s grown an inch, from 6′ even last year this time to 6’1″.
• A scout suggested that Mondesi could end up with more power from the shortstop position than current top Rangers prospect Jurickson Profar.
• There’s still a lot of projection still, but Mondesi hit .290/.346/.386 in the Royals highest level of rookie ball. He did that at an age when Wil Myers was “getting ready for his prom as a junior in [high school]“. Mondesi turns 18 in July.

I think there are two camps in the Hochevar debate at this point:

1. This group wants to see Hochevar dominate spring training to justify his stupid contract. They want to see him finally pan out and earn back some of the trust he’s betrayed over the last several years. They read the articles about Hochevar’s “discovery” of problems he had pitching out of the stretch and they hope that maybe this is the “discovery” that finally actually makes a difference because, Lord knows, none of the others have amounted to much. Now I’m not saying this group is naive to Hochevar’s deficiencies. I think you’d have to be a fool not to see them at this point. But they realize that organization will probably refuse to abandon Luke at this point and are just hoping a miracle happens.

2. This group, of which I am a part, hopes that Hoch just blows it throughout spring training and the organization somehow comes to the realization that they’d be better served cutting the ties before the regular season starts and saving themselves some money. As I stated above, I don’t think the organization will be willing to part ways with Hochevar unless he absolutely implodes.

This presents an interesting conundrum. Is it okay, as a fan, to kinda sorta halfway root for one of your pitchers to suck? Here, I’ll put it nicely. I hope that Luke Hochevar pitches like the Luke Hochevar we’ve seen over the last few years. I guess that’s a bit vague as he’s shown a FEW flashes of brilliance in that time. But I think if you look at the overall product, you’ll catch my drift.

So far, Luke Hochevar has pitched in three different games:

• On February 27th, Hoch was knocked around for 2 ER in 1.2 innings. He gave up 2 hits and 3 walks to the Milwaukee Brewers.
• On March 5th, he gave up 3 hits and a walk in 3 innings against the Athletics. Nothing resulted in runs, though, so I’m sure the outing was looked on as a positive one by the organization.
• Today, Hoch showed some 2012 form as he got tagged with 4 ER over the course of 3.1 innings pitched against the Angels. 3 SO, 2 BB, and 5 hits before he was replaced by Bruce Chen.

Look, I know it’s spring training, but we’ve done this dance before. I don’t need to see Hochevar blow games in Arizona to know that I don’t want him blowing games during the regular season. My mind was made up before he ever took the mound this spring.

What do you think? Is it wrong for me to hope he blows it?

The cancellations wipe out the stats accumulated, but the Royals still got a chance to look at Jeremy Guthrie and Noel Arguelles. Guthrie threw 52 pitches and got hit around, but he said later that the pitches felt “crisp”. Guthrie had given up two runs on four hits in his first start of spring in two innings of work. Arguelles gave up a leadoff homer to Drew Stubbs in the Cleveland game, but got the next six batters out. Everyone’s been watching his velocity this spring, and he was around 90-92 mph with his fastball, but touched 93 and 94. His numbers haven’t been stellar, though. He’s given up six hits and walked three in three official innings (though today’s innings would have improved his totals slightly).

Feb 21, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Noel Arguelles (45) poses for a picture during photo day at the Royals Spring Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Arguelles, however, was optioned to Double A Northwest Arkansas after the game as the Royals started making their first cuts of spring camp. They also sent five other players to minor league camp with Arguelles (the only player on the 40 man roster):

• Catcher Manny Pina
• Catcher Julio Rodriguez
• Outfielder Luis Durango
• Left-handed pitcher Ryan Verdugo
• Right-handed pitcher Sugar Ray Marimon

That leaves 57 players officially assigned to big league camp – although that includes World Baseball Classic participants. Dutton’s reported that eight are officially participating with J.C. Sulbaran – acquired (with Donnie Joseph) from the Cincinnati Reds at the trading deadline last year for Jonathan Broxton – had been listed on the roster for the Kingdom of the Netherlands roster that’s no longer the case. (He’s been rooting them on from his Twitter account, however).

As for the WBC, Friday night’s matchup of Team USA vs. Team Mexico featured three Royals. Eric Hosmer got to a 2-0 count against Yovani Gallardo and hit a high fastball the other way. Despite putting a good charge on the ball, it didn’t carry quite enough to get over left fielder Edgar Gonzalez‘s head and he made a late snag on the ball.

Luis Mendoza came in to relieve Gallardo after he’d thrown 3.1 innings. Mendoza inherited two baserunners and allowed one to score after a Joe Mauer strikeout and David Wright single.

Then Eric Hosmer came to the plate. Royal versus Royal.

Mendoza started him off with a changeup for a strike just on the outside corner. His next pitch, a slider, dropped out of the zone. He went back to the changeup with the third pitch and Hosmer hit it hard, but it had dropped enough so Hosmer caught it towards the end of the bat. Mendoza fielded the comeback grounder and threw to first to end the rally. If Hosmer had hit it harder, Mexico was in a shift and had shortstop Gil Velazquez near second base, who would have also made a play on the ball. Mendoza threw two full innings, walking two, allowing three hits and striking out three, but he gave up no runs.

In the bottom of the sixth, Hosmer came up with Mauer on third and Wright on first. Oliver Perez came in and induced a fly ball to left field that wasn’t quite deep enough to give Mauer a shot at scoring. In the bottom of the eighth, a bloop to right by Hosmer got Ryan Braun in from second with two outs for the USA’s second (but last) run of the night.

Tim Collins entered the game in the top of the eighth and walked Adrian Gonzalez to lead off the inning. He missed on a fastball for ball four that was just a bit off the plate. Jorge Cantu followed with a double to left when he turned on an inside fastball. Collins got his only out by striking out Karim Garcia on a big curveball but was relieved by Steve Cishek after. Neither runner scored. Collins didn’t have a lot of command of his curveball, though the movement looked good.

On Saturday, the Royals face the San Francisco Giants with Yordano Ventura taking the start while the Royals pass over Wade Davis, who was scheduled to make the start but has shoulder soreness.

Blame Stefen Romero, who hit a grand slam off of Guillermo Moscoso in the fourth inning, then launced a three-run homer in the ninth against Anthony Ortega. He and Casper Wells contributed 11 RBIs in the 12-2 win as Kansas City pitchers gave up three homers as a team.

Feb 21, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Ervin Santana (54) poses for a picture during photo day at the Royals Spring Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

You’d probably prefer something positive to wash away the defeat . How about this – none of the pitchers with a decent chance to make the team gave up big innings. Ervin Santana had three strong innings in his second appearance as a Royal which included four strikeouts, no walks and only one run allowed. Even better, his velocity was comfortably in the 91-92 range (around his average) and touched 93 and 94 mph. Since Santana is considered an injury risk (after losing velocity and command last year), hanging around his average velocity should be a good sign going forward (even if Buster Olney said some scouts think Santana is the next Jonathan Sanchez).

Louis Coleman and Donnie Joseph also threw scoreless innings. Coleman walked one and struck out one. Joseph continued his strikeout barrage, adding two more to his spring total of nine in four innings. He’s allowed one hit. If there’s any consideration of taking the best player rather than trying to protect a lesser non-option player, Joseph is going to make the team out of spring training at this rate. More likely, though, he’ll start in Omaha and Francisley Bueno will probably be the left-handed specialist.

There will be other games and other opportunities and perhaps the Royals can rattle off another streak of twelve unbeaten games – that will be erased once the regular season starts.

Other Spring Notes:

March 6, 2013; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas is seen in the dugout with a cut lip after a collision with Arizona Diamondbacks left fielder Adam Eaton (not pictured) in the first inning during a spring training game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

-In Wednesday’s game, Mike Moustakas got a fat lip from Adam Eaton while tagging him during a rundown. Eaton was picked off second by James Shields and as he tried to evade an approaching Moose (and who wouldn’t try to avoid a fast-charging moose, right?), he popped Moustakas in the mouth accidentally. Moustakas afterward suggested that Eaton doesn’t have much feel for the game. He’ll be fine.

-Jeff Francoeur has been playing more DH than right field the last couple of days due to minor hip soreness. It doesn’t seem to be an issue of much concern. Yet.

-Ned Yost raised eyebrows by saying that he was going to try Chris Getz and Johnny Giavotella in the outfield this spring to get a look at them and to potentially increase their versatility. Reactions raised from critically snarky to reasonably critical of the wisdom of the move, to generally supportive of adding some utility.

My thoughts are that it’s bizarre timing to do such an experiment. Getz hasn’t played the outfield since the minors and Giavotella has two whole innings there as a pro. Neither would be the type of ballplayer one would expect to make a quick transition like that, especially after the immensely more talented Alex Gordon took most of 2010 to make such a transition. It’s likely just a thought for emergency purposes and may have just been an off the cuff mention of what they might try with the two second basemen (I was not there to get the context of the statement – and the comment has significantly different weight if Yost opens his daily media session with that tidbit versus if he’s closing out and tosses it out as a quick answer to a follow up).

Neither of their bats are likely to play well in the outfield and if Giavotella’s biggest knock – and the reason given for his banishment in Triple A before debuting in the majors – is his defense at second, then is it safe to assume that he’s suitably made adjustments at his primary position? Why else start moving him around? I’m all for more flexibility, but if the Royals turn around and claim that Giavotella (or Getz for that matter, even though everyone should know my feelings on that battle by now) weren’t adequately prepared for this or that reason after spring training, then it should come back to a question of how much time they spent tinkering in the outfield.

I don’t expect it to get any traction. Neither have the arm to play right field and would be suspect in left field as well.

-Danny Duffy is throwing curveballs on flat ground now as he works towards a June or July return after Tommy John surgery last season.

-Tomorrow, the Royals have split squad games. Noel Arguelles will start in the afternoon against the Cleveland Indians. Jeremy Guthrie will start against the Colorado Rockies in the evening.

Feb 21, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Will Smith (53) poses for a picture during photo day at the Royals Spring Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

On Wednesday, the Royals beat up on the Arizona Diamondbacks and decided, “This streak goes to 11.”  Alex Gordon, James Shields, and Will Smith all shined, with Shields and Smith combining for 5 scoreless innings. Gordon gunned a runner down at third base (what else is new?) and went 3-for-4 with a grand slam. Not too shabby!

It was nice to see Shields go multiple innings after throwing only one in his debut. He breezed through mostly trouble free. In the first inning, Diamondbacks rookie speedster Adam Eaton caused a little trouble, laying down a bunt that was fielded by Shields, who then made a throwing error to first base. Eaton, though, was eventually thrown out on the bases. Shields went on to toss three innings, gave up three hits, zero walks, and struck out two.

Shields gave way in the fourth to the very hot Will Smith. The lefty continued pitching well, going two innings of no hit baseball. He walked a batter and struck out two. He finished the day with an ERA of just 1.29 thus far in Arizona.

While, again, its only spring training, Smith’s performance gives reason for optimism. Baseball Reference is tracking spring stats this year, and thanks to their handy “quality of opposition” tool, each player’s performance can be put into context based on the type of players they face. The scale goes from 1-10, with anything more than 9 considered big league talent. Before today’s game, Smith boasted a 9.6 on the scale, meaning he’s had some great success against some pretty solid hitters. I don’t think he’s got a chance, but if he keeps this up, maybe he should be in the mix for that fifth rotation spot.

March 6, 2013; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher James Shields (33) throws in the first inning during a spring training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Today was fun. Two of the players KC will count on most this year, Gordon and Shields, had great games, and I’m feeling good after this win. I will admit I’m an eternal optimist when it comes to the Royals, but I have to say this year’s optimism comes with a feeling of legitimacy. Every year, I come into spring training optimistic. Not necessarily thinking the team will be good (although I always try figuring out what has to go right for them to win the division, which usually ends with my head exploding), but that I’ll witness a break through season from the young players. An optimism that says, “We probably won’t win THIS year…but if a couple of these guys succeed and we have another good draft…”

This year though? It kind of feels like we’re on to something here. The success in Arizona feels real, like it will carry over. These guys are loose. They’re having fun. The pitching looks good. The defense looks good. The bats look good. What’s not to like? I know some of us think the Royals are waiting for the regular season to unload the type of losing streak that won’t just ruin your week…but suck the life out of an entire season. I say we just enjoy this ride and stick with the optimism. At least for now.

My oh my, what a difference a year makes. I’m begging and pleading again, but this time, I want Mendoza in the rotation.

June 12, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Luis Mendoza (39) waves to the crowd after being relieved in the seventh inning of the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Kauffman Stadium. Mendoza threw a no hitter through six innings. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

I wasn’t entirely wrong about him last year, the predictable did happen; he walked too many, struck out too few and was just all around horrible. He was demoted to the bullpen in May but received a second chance when Felipe Paulino went down in early June. He responded to his second chance by being a pitcher he’d never been in his career before. Look at the difference in his numbers between his first 10 appearances and his last 20, which were all starts.

That’s a fairly impressive run for a guy who struck out just 4.8 hitters every 9 innings in the minors (1111 IP). He finished the season with a 97 ERA+, a mark Luke Hochevar has never come close to accomplishing. Based on that 20 start stretch I think Mendoza has earned another look in the rotation. I don’t think it will happen though. Yost has already made comments that Mendoza would be a good fit at long relief, and I suspect Hochevar will get the fifth spot, even without actually earning it. Regardless of how I viewed Mendoza last year he did have a solid spring. This year I don’t think it will matter, especially now that he’s off on a WBC quest for Mexican glory.

I can’t imagine Hochevar suddenly getting it this year so I think at some point Mendoza will get a shot. If Yost needs a couple more months to completely rid the inconsistent right-hander from his system then I suppose I can live with that. I just won’t like it.

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Mar 5, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Billy Butler enjoys winning. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

A four run first inning, highlighted by a Mike Moustakas double, was enough for the Royals to beat the Oakland Athletics this afternoon in Cactus League action. The Royals added a few more runs, including homers by Brett Hayes and Brandon Wood as they won 8-2 to get their tenth straight spring victory.

Of course there’s optimism, but it should be for the team’s record. They can’t take that with them to opening day. But they can take a team that’s playing well, and two big names – Moustakas and Hosmer – are just as important as the new faces in the starting rotation. The Royals didn’t score much last year, a fact that gets overlooked because the rotation was so thin, especially after injuries. Through 11 spring games, Moustakas has 12 hits (including four doubles) in 22 at bats. Hosmer has nine hits in 23 at bats. The duo, combined with Billy Butler, are atop the team’s RBI ranks which is exactly what you want to see from those guys. Even better, Hosmer’s doing much of his damage by going the other way. If that continues into the regular season, he should pick up where he’d left off after his rookie year.

Mar 5, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Luke Hochevar (44) pitches during the fourth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Bruce Chen and Luke Hochevar dug in for round two of their battle for the fifth starter spot. Chen was efficient, working three innings with 44 pitches and gave up just two hits and one run. Hochevar had some trouble, but gave up no runs and improved as his outing went on. He finished with one walk and three hits allowed, and stranded two runners in the fourth inning and another pair in the fifth after catching a break. Grant Green hit a ground rule double to right that forced Miles Head to stop at third. With just one out, Hochevar got two foul pop ups in a row. Then he struck out the side in the sixth inning, his third and final one.

The Royals were able to test out their endgame blueprint in this one. After six innings, they brought in Louis Coleman, then Aaron Crow and finished with Greg Holland. If Kelvin Herrera weren’t preparing for the World Baseball Classic, he’d have likely been setting up Holland with Crow in Coleman’s spot. That’s a pretty nice trio to have available if you want to cut a game down to six innings most nights.

Apparently, there were a number of scouts in attendance as well. With both Chen and Hochevar going, the Royals excess starters were on display. Teams looking to add some depth could come calling on either of them. Texas is notably looking for help after Martin Perez suffered an injury that’ll keep him from throwing for a few weeks. Other injuries may pop up in other camps as well.

The Royals have Luis Mendoza in reserve and Will Smith could live in the #5 spot in the rotation as well. For a change, as Jeff Zimmerman noted, the Royals have decent depth at starting pitcher, carrying enough players to handle injuries as well as any ineffectiveness. Last year they had to go to emergency options and we all know how well most of those turned out.

Injuries are just going to happen in any given year. In 2011, the Royals hardly lost anyone to injury. In 2012, it seemed like it happened every other week. Will Carroll, injury expert, assessed the Royals injury risks for 2013 and in general there are some moderate injury risks, but the only red rating went to Ervin Santana who shows “the pattern of an elbow injury“. Santana will be looking for good health and good luck this season. His velocity was better in his first start in camp, so maybe he can prove Carroll wrong.

Another note on that, Carroll pointed out that the Royals made the wise decision with their treatment of Salvador Perez last spring. After he’d torn his meniscus, they could have removed the meniscus, but with a long-term vision in place, they took extra time to repair it and let him recover. Carroll suggests that Perez could remain mostly healthy over the next few years as a result.

Miguel Tejada went crazy on the Phillies (as did the whole Dominican Republic team) in an exhibition today as he was in the lineup in a WBC warmup game. He got four hits before the fifth inning had completed. Hard to see him being left off the team when the season starts.

Tomorrow, James Shields will throw again, and unlike last time, he may go three innings if his pitch count is right. In his first start, he only threw one inning per his request. Ned Yost granted the veteran the luxury.

Final note: Keith Law of ESPN answered some prospect questions today on Twitter and had nice things to say about Bryan Brickhouse, naming him as an under the radar prospect who could thrive in 2013. He also echoed the opinion of many in suggesting that Kyle Zimmer could be a #1 or #2 pitcher with an estimate of 2014 for his Kansas City arrival.

A team might play its projected starters for four or five innings at this stage and then as other players sub in, they’ll be facing non-roster invitees or minor leaguers. To rectify this issue, managers can alternate starters when there’s a camp battle in hopes to give all players fighting for a spot a chance to show up against the early, likely tougher, competition. This assumes that the manager worries about spring training stats at all (most shouldn’t but I bet some can’t escape them more often than would be optimal). If there’s a way to put a player’s stats into context of their opposition’s competition, it would help clear up the picture at least.

Baseball-Reference has such a tool now. It’s called the Quality of Opposition Measure. Basically it takes a look at who a player faced in a spring matchup and ranks them from 1-10. The closer the measurement is to 10, the tougher the competition.

With that in mind, there are three camp battles of intrigue: #5 starter, second base, and backup catcher. The Royals have only played 10 games this spring, so there’s nothing conclusive about spring stats, but just for the fun of it, I wanted to take an early look at these matchups to test drive the new B-R gadget.

#5 Starter

September 26, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Luis Mendoza (39) pitches during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Luke Hochevar

Bruce Chen

Luis Mendoza

Hochevar and Chen will pitch on Tuesday (piggybacking as they did their first time out) so they’ll get a chance to increase their sample size. Chen will hope to build on his first appearance, while Hochevar is looking to settle his command. Hochevar’s faced tougher competition, but Chen came in in the fourth inning of that game.

Tomorrow, it’s supposed to be the other way around with Chen starting and Hochevar coming in after to start an inning.

Mendoza has thrown more but has faced more minor league players. He’s pitching for Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic.

Backup Catcher

George Kottaras

Brett Hayes

Feb 21, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher George Kottaras (26) poses for a picture during photo day at the Royals Spring Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Both Kottaras and Hayes have played primarily after Salvador Perez has left the game. With the WBC approaching, the Royals made sure he got his at bats and he leads the team going into Tuesday with 21. While he’s with Team Venezuela, though, both Kottaras and Hayes should get more time against tougher competition.

These two are fairly evenly matched. They’ve both reached base six times (Kottaras got hit by a pitch) and the difference is left up to Hayes’s homer. I’ve omitted Adam Moore and Manuel Pina since neither are on the 40 man roster and I just don’t see the Royals pushing a player off for either of their sakes. Moore does have two homers, though.

Second Base

Chris Getz

Johnny Giavotella

Feb 21, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals second baseman Chris Getz (17) poses for a picture during photo day at the Royals Spring Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

It’s amusing that this battle – which started LAST spring, really – is basically the same line until that homer comes up in Getz’s column. Seven games each. Fifteen plate appearances each. Four hits. Fourteen at bats. Then Getz gets three extra bases with a homer rather than a single as one of his hits.

The Royals have tried to alternate these two so one will start then the other comes in later. I suspect that’ll be the case until the end of spring training because Getz is the favorite of the Royals organization and (through ten Royals games) Giavotella is hitting better than last spring and his defense is reportedly better. If you’re a regular reader of mine, you know I prefer Giavotella, so I’ll point out that Getz was awarded a base hit on a dropped pop up that resulted in an RBI. With this small of a sample, that makes a big difference.

By the end of spring, though? Probably not that big of a deal. If Giavotella shows more power but can still get the bat on the ball and get on base, he’ll make it a tough decision. He’s faced more minor leaguers so far and he’s proven at Triple A that he can hit minor leaguers, so it’ll be interesting to track how his Opposition Measure increases with more starts (and his corresponding performance).

As camp progresses, and especially once teams regain players from WBC rosters, the OppQual should increase as players get shifted to minor league fields and leave big leaguers or high minors guys who will make a big league roster in 2013 left behind.

This new metric is based on last year’s level, so that can also add some noise to the measurement. It’s likely that, say, a Trevor Rosenthal or Shelby Miller ends up in the Cardinals rotation in 2013, but they both spent more time in Triple A last year than the majors (a combined seven innings until the playoffs). This metric will measure them as an 8 rather than a 10 (which they’d end up at next year in the metric’s formula). So much like spring training stats, the OppQual can tell you how a player is performing (and against who) in spring training to an extent, but it’s still not a perfect system. It’s a nice start, though and at least helps put a number out there for comparison’s sake.

What do you think? Useful tool, or more muddying of the waters?

So while it’s a great story for now, we have to remember that it’s just spring. Regardless, winning games in spring and playing well is probably better than losing games and playing poorly and the Royals have gotten good performances from most to this point.

July 15, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals third basemen Mike Moustakas (8) singles against the Chicago White Sox during the fifth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Today’s victory came over the Cincinnati Reds, an easy 8-1 win that saw Mike Moustakas hit two doubles, Christian Colon drive in two, and Alex Gordon‘s first homer. Wade Davis threw three innings, piling up 39 pitches, 27 of them for strikes. He struck out three and gave up just two hits. Combined with his first start, he’s got five innings of work in and given up only three hits and no runs. For a guy who some are skeptical of as a starter (after two years of iffy work in that role in Tampa Bay), that’s a good way to introduce yourself to the Royals.

After the first seven games, the Royals hadn’t gotten a lot of power in the form of home runs. Then on Friday, Chris Getz, of all people, homered. On Saturday, Eric Hosmer and Moustakas homered. Today, Gordon homered. Maybe that’s a sign that the hitters are starting to get their timing down. Maybe it’s simply the randomness of a ten game sample.

Yordano Ventura pitched on Sunday and this spring he has 5.2 innings pitched, with only the Nelson Cruz homer in his first appearance as a blemish. He’s struck out four and walked none. Will Smith has thrown five innings and struck out six, and Donnie Joseph, who drew praise from scout/writer Bernie Pleskoff, has struck out seven batters in three innings. He struck out the side in his first two appearances, then the first batter he faced against the Reds on Friday. Then Derrick Robinson, former Royals farmhand, bunted his way on base to snap the string. He was left stranded on base.

Right now everything’s going well. Eventually, the Royals will lose a game, but until then, it’s fun to follow. There’s no pattern to spring training records, though. Some teams will win the year before and finish in the middle of the pack in spring training, but still win their division (like the San Francisco Giants). Some will roll through spring training and finish well below .500 (like the Toronto Blue Jays last year).

Other notes:

-A number of previews are popping up, including a couple of reports that included a lot of input from scouts. Some of it is just the usual stuff you here every spring. Some really pushes the strengths of James Shields. There are plenty of opinions from other teams who found the Royals moves in the offseason to be just what was necessary, and the players themselves seem boosted by the efforts. Dayton Moore says the timing was right (but, then, why would he say anything else?). Jeff Zimmerman at Royals Review offered some rebuttals, for what it’s worth.

-Monday marks the first day of minor league camp workouts. There may be some players reassigned this week, but there are short squad games and a loss of bodies due to the WBC, so we’ll see. The Royals may want to see Ventura another time and John Lamb probably gets some more innings in big league camp as well. Luis Durango, Anthony Seratelli, Sugar Ray Marimon and Michael Mariot would be my guesses for the first to get sent across the complex. I’m basing that mostly on their prospects to make the team out of spring training at all, plus the idea that guys like Brian Sanches and Blaine Boyer can fill in innings in big league games while Mariot and Marimon work on getting prepared for their roles in the minors this year.

-Eric Hosmer said he’s feeling more disciplined so far this spring, and he’s been hitting well. Or he was until Sunday when he struck out twice and grounded out. He’s still hitting .400/.478/.750 with a triple, two doubles and a homer. The standard spring training caveats apply, of course. He mashed last spring as well, only to struggle all season.

-The Royals are apparently looking at the outfield market. Probably a good idea if Jeff Francoeur struggles again and if Lorenzo Cain can’t stay healthy. Jarrod Dyson and even David Lough could be passable in part-time roles, but to have to rely on them for long stretches may not be the best strategy. If only they had a major-league-ready outfielder in the minors…(I kid, I kid. Kind of.)

Spring training stats are not typically a good indicator of how good a team is going to be during the regular season. Just because a player dominates spring training doesn’t mean he’s going to have a good season. 2012 Eric Hosmer is an example of that. However, as much as I say that and KNOW it. I still look at spring training stats pretty frequently throughout the month of March. It’s kind of a win-win situation. If the stats are good, I think, “Hey, the team is playing well. Maybe that will transfer over into the regular season.” and if the stats are bad, I get to chalk it up to spring training.

That being said, the Royals are playing pretty well so far, so maybe that will transfer over into the regular season!

That being said, here’s a look at some meaningless spring training statistics through 9 games!

1. The Royals are leading the MLB in team batting average at .338. The closest teams are the Athletics and Dodgers at .309. That’s a pretty wide margin. Must mean the offense is back.

2. The Royals are 3rd in the MLB in on-base percentage at .391. They only trail the Astros and Dodgers. Looks like firing Seitzer was the problem for the Royals last year!

3. The Royals are tied with the Angels for the MLB lead in triples. Each team has 7. Don’t ask me how this is important, but it is! TRIPLES!

4. We are currently leading the MLB in team E.R.A., standing at 3.00. Clearly the acquisitions made in the offseason have solved our pitching woes.

5. And to further back up #4, the team’s WHIP is 1.13, which is good enough for…you guessed it! First in the MLB!

Look, It’s easy to be snarky about the Royals. Most individuals who have followed the team closely for several years have to be. It covers up the years of anguish.

I can’t pretend it isn’t nice to see it, but I feel safer keeping spring training success at arm’s length, rather than embrace it as a sign of good things to come.

And I know better than to praise the team’s success on Twitter or Facebook as I’m seeing so many people doing. There’s way too much of a chance that that’s going to come back to bite you in the butt.

Who better to discuss that talent than one of the men who’s helped acquire it?

Royals Assistant GM JJ Picollo talked with the Vault about a number of prospects and their expected paths to the big leagues, including John Lamb, Kyle Zimmer, Jason Adam and Yordano Ventura. He explained the organization’s approach to advancing Bubba Starling and talked about the input he gave Dayton Moore prior to the Wil Myers/James Shields trade.

He also gave us an idea of how things shift from a scouting and development standpoint and adjusting to the circumstances and skills of each player.

Prior to talking with Picollo, Troy, Jeff and Mike talked about some of the early news out of spring training including Jeff Francoeur‘s reaction to criticism, the middle infield and utility player battles, and what to take away from Tuesday’s intrasquad game.

You can catch up on old episodes of the Kansas City Baseball Vault here on Kings of Kauffman. Episodes of the Royalman Report are available on the site as well.

Follow the Kansas City Baseball Vault on Twitter and Facebook for future programming updates. Also follow Kings of Kauffman for article updates, discussion and other information.

After some visa issues related to his wife, Alcides Escobar is in camp, as is Miguel Tejada, who was delayed by illness. All players are at the training facility now and full squad workouts are getting in gear.

Despite what he deemed “eating too much” Tejada is good to go now, and according to Bob Dutton will have to play his way off the roster. He’s essentially a lock. The Royals love the bat speed they saw in the winter leagues and in the Caribbean Series. Tejada is saying all the right things, and at this point, it seems they were able to communicate to him that they wouldn’t use him as more than a utility player, unlike last season when Yuniesky Betancourt didn’t seem to know what his role would be going into the year. (Then again, the Royals didn’t seem to know either as they still started him most of the time last year until they designated him for assignment.)

That boils the starting second baseman job down to Johnny Giavotella vs. Chris Getz, as anticipated.

Regardless of which one wins that battle, Ned Yost sees them as a hitter at the bottom of the order, or, that’s his feeling right now. Things can always change – as he said, he won’t set it in stone – but his projected lineup has Getz/Giavotella in the #9 spot. Here’s the full projected lineup as of February 16th (and is always subject to change):

September 19, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals left fielder Alex Gordon (4) connects for a two run double in the seventh inning of the game against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

• Alex Gordon
• Alcides Escobar
• Eric Hosmer
• Billy Butler
• Salvador Perez
• Mike Moustakas
• Jeff Francoeur
• Lorenzo Cain
• Chris Getz/Johnny Giavotella

This lineup is contingent on Eric Hosmer rebounding to where he can be productive in the #3 spot which would enable Gordon to stay in the leadoff spot. I’m somewhat surprised by Perez batting ahead of Moustakas, as I’d have swapped the two (and kept a LRLRLR split in the first six spots). It’s vastly different than the lineup “by The Book” that Bob Ellis put together earlier in the month but it looks like what most expected to see.

The first spring training game will be between the Royals and Rangers next Friday, but the Royals first intrasquad action will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday.

#Royals will play two intrasquads next Tuesday & Wednesday.Here are scheduled pitchers.#RoyalsST twitter.com/Royals/status/…

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) February 16, 2013

Finally, Cole Claybourn of the Owensboro, Kentucky Messenger-Inquirer talked with left-handed pitcher Justin Marks, who went to high school in Owensboro before heading to Louisville for his college ball. Marks is probably the first player on the 40 man roster to end up optioned to Omaha, but he’s got a shot to reach the big leagues this year.

Marks noted the veteran makeup of the starting rotation and told Claybourn that he’s hopeful to reach the big leagues but knows it’s going to be a tough trek to get there. He’s ready to listen and learn, though.

The MLB Network will also be airing six spring training games featuring the Royals, though only two will actually be live broadcasts as MLB Network will be airing more than 150 games as well as World Baseball Classic games. The Royals games will air on the following dates:

• March 17: 8 a.m. CST, reairing March 16th’s split squad game against the Chicago Cubs
• March 19: Midnight CST, reairing March 18th’s matchup with the Texas Rangers
• March 22: 3 p.m. CST, a LIVE broadcast against the Los Angeles Angels
• March 24: 11 p.m. CST, reairing that day’s game against the Chicago White Sox
• March 25: 7 p.m. CST, a LIVE broadcast against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and yes, this is one of the two games that FSKC will be broadcasting as well.
• March 28: 1 a.m. CST, reairing the March 27th split squad game against the Cubs.

It’s inconvenient that both networks will overlap on the Dodgers game, though there could be any number of rights negotiations involved or it could just be a matter of simplicity for the networks. Or it could just be a coincidence. Since most of those games are early morning or very early morning, it’s best to set up your DVR.

Additionally, the Royals will be featured on MLB Network’s 30 Clubs in 30 Days segment on February 18. Peter Gammons, Eric Byrnes, Dan Plesac and reporters Alanna Rizzo and Sam Ryan will be in Surprise to discuss the Royals offseason moves and the outlook for 2013.

Otherwise, all Royals games will be on the radio via 610 Sports or MLB’s At Bat app (which hasn’t updated to the 2013 version yet to my knowledge). It makes for perfect work-time listening (or simply mid-day if you don’t have the conventional 9-5 job).

There’s been plenty to talk about the last few weeks, what with injuries, trades, and questionable demotions. It’s been enough to take the wind out of the sails a little bit. (more…)

March 13, 2012; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher

All that to say, It’s hard not to be timid when people ask me to assess a trade.* However, when we obtained Jonathan Sanchez for Melky Cabrera, it was hard for me not to feel like we’d done well on that deal. I don’t think anyone thought Melky could duplicate the year he’d had in 2011 and the return we got was a pitcher with upside who, while maybe not a dominant big-league starter, was definitely an upgrade to our starting rotation.

*I write that as if I have people come up and ask me about trades all the time. It’s not a regular thing.

Then once spring training started, things started looking rough. Sanchez was and is considered a lock for a starting job, but he struggled mightily out of the gate. In his first 2 starts, Sanchez line looked like this:

3 IP/7 H/7 ER/2 BB/2 SO

This added up to a 21.00 ERA. Not super promising. Then last night Sanchez put up this line:

5.1 IP/6 H/2 ER/3 BB/ 6 SO

And suddenly all was right in the world again. I breathed a sigh of relief last night as I listened to the game. Then I started to think about it objectively. Was one outing enough to make me feel as if Sanchez was in top form? Or, if you consider it even further, were the first 3 innings that Sanchez pitched really a cause for concern?

I think this is something that I really struggle with as a baseball fan. It’s so easy for me to live and die with each inning pitched, with each game played, and with each at-bat.

This is especially hard for me during spring training. It’s my first look at the team in 4 months and when someone struggles, I instantly think that things are going to turn out horrible.

An outing like Sanchez’s reminds me about sample size. How little the guy has actually pitched this spring and how I need to restrain my tendency for snap-judgement. It reminds me of how much stock I (somewhat foolishly) put in spring-training. This is the time that guys are getting warmed up for the season. They’re making an adjustment to their batting stance. They’re trying out a new pitch.

This doesn’t mean that spring training should be completely disregarded. I just think I take it too seriously. So I’m taking a step back for the next few weeks. Once spring training is over, I’ll make my assessments and decisions.

Thank you, Jonathan Sanchez, for showing me that I’m in regular-season mode a little too early. Let’s wait and see what happens.

My friend Mark surprised and spoiled me, taking me for a two-day vacation to Surprise,Arizona.  From our first take-off to our final landing, the entire trip was phenomenal.  For the first time in my life, I wasn’t strip-searched, poked, or prodded passing through security in the airport.  Both of our flights actually arrived early.  The weather in Arizona was perfect.  There is no possible way to fully share my experiences at Spring Training.  However, here are some highlights from that 48-hour pilgrimage:

*Being in the right place at the right time out of pure ignorance and getting the opportunity to witness the PCL Champion ring ceremony.

*Having conversations with Dick Kaegel, Toby Cook, and Bob Dutton.

Kaegel, “There’s always a good story to find out here.”

Cook, “I got this job because I was a TV anchor who emcee’d a Royals’ Charities event and got a serendipitous call from Mr. Glass.  How can you ever plan that?”

Cook’s son, “I want to be the GM of the Royals when I grow up.”

Dutton, “Right now, we’re looking at a .500 team.  With a little luck on the pitching mound, some good things could happen this year.”

*Getting pictures with Duffy, Hosmer, Moustakas, Wathan, and Brett.

*The sound of wooden bats echoing all over the complex.

*George Brett giving hitting lessons to Wil Myers.

Brett and Myers were working on balance.  Brett took his stance like he was getting ready to field a ground ball and then picked up his bat, demonstrating the importance of remaining balanced throughout the swing.

*Omaha manager Mike Jirschele hitting blistering backhands to Billy Butler at first base.

*Calling out to Aaron Crow with “M-I-Z” and having him respond “Z-O-U, baby!”

*Conversations with Kevin Seitzer, one of my childhood heroes.

*Watching Seitzer’s “extra-batting practice game.”  On day one, Seitzer pulled Billy Butler, Johnny Giavotella, Lorenzo Cain, and Yuniesky Betancourt aside to play the game.  The rules were simple: five swings to hit the ball to the opposite field with power.  One point for a single; two points for a gap shot that rolled to the fence; three points for a ball that landed on the warning track; four points for a home run.  Anything pulled, hit too high, or that could potentially be fielded by the most amazing infield ever was an out.  After ten rounds, Gia and Yuni tied for the victory, one point ahead of Cain andButler.  I called out to Cain as he was leaving the field, “That’s a great number you’re wearing for your position.”

He smiled and responded, “You better believe it.”

On the next day, the players were paired up for the game—Hosmer and Jarrod Dyson against Mitch Maier and Clint Robinson.  The wind was blowing out slightly; Hosmer and Maier were hitting bombs.  Hosmer once scored 10 points in 5 swings.  On the following at-bat, Maier scored 11.  Dyson proved to be the critical difference, helping solidify the victory in his final at-bat.  As they gathered the balls on the field, thanking Seitzer for the time, Dyson called out, “Me and Hosmer take on anyone, Seitz, anyone.  We are unstoppable.”

I called out to Dyson and told him that he was in my Royals book from last year.  “Lemme guess,” he said, “it was the game when I scored on the pop-out to the shortstop.”

“You got it, dude.”

“I gotta use my speed every chance I get.”

*Meeting Elliott and his family.  (See that story here.)

*Watching an outfield-assist game.  The players were Gordon, Maier, Cain, and Francoeur.  Each player got two throws to each base.  Points were awarded on the “friendliness” of the hop and the accuracy.  Gordon took a quick and impressive lead.  Frenchy could potentially catch him if his final throw to home plate was perfect.  Frenchy released a cannon-like throw that short-hopped Perez and tailed up the third-base line.  He the cussed loudly and conceded the victory to Gordo.  Then he demanded a one-throw rematch later that day.

During that day’s game, Alex recorded his first assist of the season on a play at the plate.  I bet that’s the throw he submitted for the rematch.

*Hosmer’s ridiculous defensive plays at first base—one of them made ESPN.

*Witnessing Gordon’s second home run of the spring.

*Meeting Darren and Tyler, Bob McClure’s nephews. Tyler will be one of the ball boys for the 2012 All-Star Game.

*Driving by Luke Air Force Base and watching the jets practice “touch-and-go’s.”

*As we were walking into the stadium, David Glass was walking right behind me.  I slowed down for a minute and said, “Mr. Glass, thanks so much for the gift of baseball in KC.”

He looked at me, nodded, smiled, and replied, “You’re welcome, son.  So good to see you out here supporting the team.”

*On the way back to the airport, I ate my first In-N-Out Burger—it was incredible.  Someone really needs to bring that franchise to KC.

I know that numerous KoK readers have also made the sacred pilgrimage to Surprise.  What are some of your highlights?

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Elliott, Moose, and Hosmer

Spring Training baseball is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

My friend Mark and I traveled to Surprise,Arizona in hopes of watching a couple of games and maybe getting a couple of autographs.  We were completely unprepared for the amazing experience that awaited us.

For two days, we watched batting practice, situational drills, and throwing games.  We saw Kevin Seitzer pitching extra batting practice and making a game of it—Eric Hosmer and Jarrod Dyson beat Mitch Maier and Clint Robinson by one point.  We saw the outfielders practicing their throws to every base—Alex Gordon beat Jeff Francoeur in that game.  Frenchy demanded a one-throw rematch.  Danny Duffy threw a bullpen session and looked phenomenal.  Johnny Giavotella and Billy Butler spent hours fielding rocket shot ground balls.  But one of my favorite memories from Spring Training 2012 is Elliott.

Wherever Elliott went, he was surrounded by ballplayers.  The six-year-old blonde-haired kindergartner from St. Joseph knew the names and numbers of everyone and wasn’t afraid to ask the hard questions.  When introduced to Bubba Starling, Elliott asked, “Bubba, when will you be in the majors?”

Bubba smiled and laughed, “I don’t know yet, Elliott, I just don’t know.”

On Monday, before warm-ups, the players gathered around Elliott and started quizzing him on who wore what number.  Elliott answered every one correctly.  One of the players even responded, “I didn’t know he wore that number.”  (Elliott has always been a numbers guy.  His dad used to let Elliott stay up late watching the games on TV while using various scenarios to teach him math skills—a brilliant parenting strategy.)

Elliott got the opportunity to step on the field during batting practice, watching Seitzer help the players make their adjustments.  Moustakas and Hosmer and Gordon all spent some time with him in between swings.  Jason Kendall gave Elliott a fungo bat to practice his own swings.  Gordo watched Elliott swinging and commented, “The kid’s a natural.”

I spent a few minutes visiting with Scott, Elliott’s dad, and learned a little more.  Elliott has loved baseball from the age of 2.  Most evenings after dinner, Scott and Elliott would watch the Royals on TV and play ball on a makeshift diamond in their living room.  Elliott was a couple of months shy of turning three when he attended his first game.  At the game, he knew all the names and the numbers of the entire roster.  However, the numbers were too large for his vocabulary.  Instead of saying, “Twenty-five,” Elliott would say, “Two and five.”

Since that day, it’s been nothing but Royals baseball for Elliott.  He has participated in a couple of summer baseball camps sponsored by the Royals in 2010 and 2011.  He practiced his throwing and hitting while making friends with Bruce Chen, Chris Getz, Tim Collins, and Nate Adcock.  He amazed all of them by quoting their statistics from the week and quickly won their admiration.

One of Elliott’s highlights from Spring Training was visiting the locker room.  He was the center of attention.  From the players to the front office staff, everyone overwhelmed Elliott and his family with kindness and compassion (and pictures and autographs, too).

Elliott, you see, has spina bifida.  On March 1, he underwent his twelfth surgery, a VP shunt revision.  Elliott focused on the important things going into the surgery, telling anyone who would listen, “I’m feeling brave today.  My cousins are gonna come visit and I’m going to Spring Training next week.”

Elliott stayed for the duration of Monday’s game which the Royals lost 2 – 1.  On the way out of the stadium, Elliott spotted his favorite player, Alex Gordon.  Gordo high-fived Elliott and spent a few quality minutes with him.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect Spring Training experience.

Two days after returning home from Arizona, Elliott is playing baseball on the Wii and waiting for the start of the regular season.  He’s already making plans to head back to Surprise next year.

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March 11, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics right fielder Seth Smith (15) scores on a wild pitch thrown by Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Mike Montgomery (left) during the fourth inning at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

Bruce Chen made the start for the Royals and went 3 innings, giving up two hits and one run. Other than the back-to-back doubles he allowed in the bottom of the third to Cliff Pennington and Jemile Weeks, he had a pretty efficient performance.  (more…)

Mike Moustakas had a rough day in the field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

Sanchez threw one inning in his first spring start, using 31 pitches to get through an inning plagued by three errors. Sanchez surrendered four runs on four hits (though just three were earned). Problems started when a Mike Moustakas error allowed Starlin Castro to reach first. The key play was a single by Jae-Hoon Ha to right. Jeff Francoeur‘s errant throw to third was meant to stop Bryan LaHair, but allowed him to head home. A Mike Moustakas error – his second of the inning – followed on the throw home. Amidst all the chaos, Ha advanced to third on the play and scored on Darwin Barney‘s double to right-center.

The Cubs added a run in the each of the sixth and eighth innings and held off a Royals rally late.

While the errors can partially take Sanchez off the hook, he wasn’t dominant at all. His fastball was hanging around 88-89 mph (according to MLB.com’s Gamecast), and while he threw strikes (21 out of 31 pitches were strikes), the Cubs swung and missed on only two of his 21 strikes.

Everett Teaford and Nate Adcock followed him, both throwing two good innings apiece. Kelvin Herrera, Tim Collins and Blake Wood finished the game off. Altogether, the Royals pitching struck out seven batters and only walked one, but they also gave up 15 hits.

Jeff Samardzija worked three efficient innings against the Royals, allowing just a Chris Getz single in the first (and Getz was caught stealing). Getz later reached on an error in the fourth and scored the first run for the Royals on a gap line drive by Eric Hosmer went for a double (which is the first ball he’s put into play that wasn’t hit to the right side of second base so far in spring).

The Royals staged a late rally, scoring in the eighth and ninth, but with runners on first and third and only one out, Wil Myers flew out to deep center and Yuniesky Betancourt struck out to end the game.

Mitch Maier had a double and single and Max Ramirez drove in two more runs after a four RBI game on Tuesday against the Padres.

3/7/12 – Cubs vs. Royals Scorecard:

Felipe Paulino and Aaron Crow get their first spring action Thursday at 2:05 p.m. CST.

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Surprise Stadium - Spring Training home of the Royals

I’m making plans for my fourth Spring Training vacation this year and looking forward to another perfectly timed break from the cold and winter that Arizona is immune to.  On my three previous trips I’ve attended several games at the beautiful, 9-year-old facility the Royals share with the American League Champion Texas Rangers in sunny Surprise, AZ.  Next to Kauffman stadium, this is the best place to see a baseball game.  Not a bad seat among the 10,500 chairs in the house, and all the fried twinkies you can eat.

One of the things that surprised me (no pun intended) about Spring Training is that I wasn’t able to mingle with the players the way I’d always imagined.  The Royals typically make a couple of players available along the left field line (the Royals use the 3rd base dugout) immediately following a game to sign autographs across the railing between the seats and the field.  But I always expected a little more than this. (more…)

Things have started to turn a little though as for the first time we can start to see the talent of the system make its way up to the top, and names can start to be plugged in to certain positions for three, four, or five years down the road. What’s also interesting is that at this time the Royals and fans alike are starting to talk just as much about the second wave of players as they are the first. Which begs the question: what second wave player might be replacing a first?

Spotlight, Johnny Giavotella. (more…)

Unless you are really up on your Royals prospects, the first question you probably asked yourself after reading the above is; who?

Derrick Robinson is a 21 year old CF prospect that spent 2008 playing for the Royals Hi-A affiliate in Wilmington. He was drafted in the 4th round of the 2006 draft out of P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School in Gainesville, Florida. The Royals lured him away from his football scholarship at the University of Florida with a sizeable signing bonus of $850,000.

Baseball America’s 2009 Prospect Handbook has him ranked as the Royals 16th best prospect. He has already stolen 117 bases in his 3 year minor league career, including 62 last year. Defensively, his is considered major league ready, but his offense has a long way to go. His .245/.316/.322 stat line in 2008 is almost identical to his career line of .244/.314/.315. All of that makes his 5/14 performance even more surprising and intriguing.

Obviously he isn’t going to make the major league club out of Spring Training this year, but his performance is another small reason to be truly excited about the Royals long-term future.

Honorable Mention Surprise:

Soon to be 24 year old, Chris Lubanski sporting a .500/.533/.857 line this spring in 14 ABs.