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CRTsports.com · 06-08-2008, 05:10 PM

As the days near to the start of the 2010 season, many people are still thinking back to last year and what could have been. The Kansas City Royals were sitting 11.5 games up over the Detroit Tigers in the middle of August and many people were talking about their first Divisional Crown in years.

But true to Royals fashion they went on a twelve game losing streak which ended their streak at the top of the Central Division. It was a spot that they had held since Opening Day. The Tigers and Royals had a dogfight the rest of the season for the division lead but the Tigers were able to win the division by one game. But that was last year and this is now.

The Royals have just arrived back from Spring Training and their lineup looks even more potent than last year. 2009 was a year when they led in the top four categories, batting average, OPS, runs scores and homeruns. It was a year for the Royals Record Books. Their main weakness last year was their pitching but they have added a front line starter via a trade and a few key bullpen pitchers.

OFF SEASON MOVES

The Royals first big move was shipping 2B Brandon Phillips and his remaining $100 million contract to the Yankees for SP Brandon Hawksworth. As many fans remember Phillips was signed in the 08 off-season to a five year $125 million dollar contract but it just didn't work out. He spent over half the year on the DL and just didn't fit in well here in Kansas City. Hawksworth brings a career 3.92 ERA and 42-34 record to Kauffman stadium. He also comes a little more than $85 million dollars cheaper than Phillips and will fit in nicely in KC.

Just yesterday the Royals were approached by the San Francisco Giants about a potential trade for AAA players James Kier and Paul Gayle. In return the Giants sent them a MR in Kyle Lohse and SP Oscar Mariscal. Lohse will be a nice addition to the bullpen and Mariscal will try his luck in the Royals farm system.

CURRENT TOP PLAYERS

The Amateur Draft has been very kind to the Royals the past five years and they have capitalized on that. The Royals top player and top rated Center Fielder in the league is Santiago Rao. Rao was the Rookie of the Year in 2007 and has not let down the organization yet. His best year so far was last year where he hit .301/.356/.522 with 94 RBI's, 107 runs scored and 68 stolen bases. He did suffer a few injuries last year and only played in 139 games but he has promised to play in every game this year.

First Baseman Melvin "Butterball" Colmenares is a player that comes around once every ten or so years for an organization and you just have to watch him play to understand his greatness. He finished his first full year of pro ball last year and batted .315/.415/.522 with 103 RBI's and had 82 walks compared to 61 strike outs. He also led the league last year with 17 intentional walks. He only hit 23 homeruns last year in 132 games but he could easily be a 35+ homerun threat.

And last years Rookie of the Year RF William Quattlebaum will be looking to duplicate his rookie season in 2010. In 110 games he hit .334/.408/.554 with 76 RBI's and 53 walks compared to 40 strikeouts. He also has speed and stole 40 bases last year. Quattlebaum was a second round draft pick in 2007 and progressed very fast thru the minors and plans to spend many more years here in Kansas City.

Starting pitcher Bobby Brownlie is a pitcher that has been here thru the bad times and the good times. Brownlie was the ace of the staff last year with a 15-7 record and 3.33 ERA. He rebounded nicely from a torn tricep muscle that ended his 2008 season in mid July. Brownlie was able to stay off of the DL in 2009 which has many in the organization excited about his future. But his one weakness will have to be his endurance. He did have two complete games in 09 but he rarely works past the sixth inning, which is something you need from one of your top pitchers.

And as mentioned above SP Blake Hawksworth will be a key addition to the roster as Zack Grienke recovers from a fractured elbow in 2008. Grienke is due back in June or July but who knows if he will be able to recover his past form as the number three starter in KC.

TOP PROSPECTS

The Royals top propect this year is catcher Gene "Boom Boom" Marquez. He made the team out of the Spring Training after just racking it down South and will start on Opening Day. Marquez replaces catcher Rodney Seagraves(1st round, 2006) as the Royals top catcher and will be backed up by veteran Ramon Hernandez in 2010. Hernandez was brought in last year to bridge the gap between Seagraves but he just hasn't developed like the front office had hoped. Boom Boom is only twenty years old and many hope he can add another Rookie of the Year trophy to the KC front office.

PAYROLL/BUDGET

The Royals have benefited very nicely in the past five years of having young cheap talent at the major league level. But they had a record fifteen guys hit arbitration after 2009 with Rao making the most at $5.94 million this year. He is followed closely by DH Walter Young(4.736M), SS Rudolph Shaeffer(4.32M) and Brownlie at 3.414M.

If the Royals want to contend and in the future and keep the same nucleus together they will have to spend. Their current payroll is at roughly $44 million and the ownership group has given them roughly a $65 million dollar budget. Their key signings this year will have to be SP Bobby Brownlie(41-40 3.85ERA) and DH Walter Young(.272AVG and 134HR's in 667 games.) Both Brownlie and Young have one more year left of arbitration before they hit the open market after the 2011 season.

LOOKING AHEAD

The 2010 Royals have a lot of fans very excited about the impending season and the ownership has made it clear, they feel this is a playoff club. GM Christopher Torres has been here since 2004 and has completely rebuilt this team to a contending team. And the fans have showed their appreciation by having a one million fan increase from 2008 to 2009.

So on the eve of the 2010 season we can only hope for another stellar season with a few more wins to get the Royals over the hump and into October. Lets play ball!

06-08-2008, 05:10 PM	#1 (permalink)
CRTsports.com Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Hixson, TN Posts: 288	Is this the year for the Royals? As the days near to the start of the 2010 season, many people are still thinking back to last year and what could have been. The Kansas City Royals were sitting 11.5 games up over the Detroit Tigers in the middle of August and many people were talking about their first Divisional Crown in years. But true to Royals fashion they went on a twelve game losing streak which ended their streak at the top of the Central Division. It was a spot that they had held since Opening Day. The Tigers and Royals had a dogfight the rest of the season for the division lead but the Tigers were able to win the division by one game. But that was last year and this is now. The Royals have just arrived back from Spring Training and their lineup looks even more potent than last year. 2009 was a year when they led in the top four categories, batting average, OPS, runs scores and homeruns. It was a year for the Royals Record Books. Their main weakness last year was their pitching but they have added a front line starter via a trade and a few key bullpen pitchers. OFF SEASON MOVES The Royals first big move was shipping 2B Brandon Phillips and his remaining $100 million contract to the Yankees for SP Brandon Hawksworth. As many fans remember Phillips was signed in the 08 off-season to a five year $125 million dollar contract but it just didn't work out. He spent over half the year on the DL and just didn't fit in well here in Kansas City. Hawksworth brings a career 3.92 ERA and 42-34 record to Kauffman stadium. He also comes a little more than $85 million dollars cheaper than Phillips and will fit in nicely in KC. Just yesterday the Royals were approached by the San Francisco Giants about a potential trade for AAA players James Kier and Paul Gayle. In return the Giants sent them a MR in Kyle Lohse and SP Oscar Mariscal. Lohse will be a nice addition to the bullpen and Mariscal will try his luck in the Royals farm system. CURRENT TOP PLAYERS The Amateur Draft has been very kind to the Royals the past five years and they have capitalized on that. The Royals top player and top rated Center Fielder in the league is Santiago Rao. Rao was the Rookie of the Year in 2007 and has not let down the organization yet. His best year so far was last year where he hit .301/.356/.522 with 94 RBI's, 107 runs scored and 68 stolen bases. He did suffer a few injuries last year and only played in 139 games but he has promised to play in every game this year. First Baseman Melvin "Butterball" Colmenares is a player that comes around once every ten or so years for an organization and you just have to watch him play to understand his greatness. He finished his first full year of pro ball last year and batted .315/.415/.522 with 103 RBI's and had 82 walks compared to 61 strike outs. He also led the league last year with 17 intentional walks. He only hit 23 homeruns last year in 132 games but he could easily be a 35+ homerun threat. And last years Rookie of the Year RF William Quattlebaum will be looking to duplicate his rookie season in 2010. In 110 games he hit .334/.408/.554 with 76 RBI's and 53 walks compared to 40 strikeouts. He also has speed and stole 40 bases last year. Quattlebaum was a second round draft pick in 2007 and progressed very fast thru the minors and plans to spend many more years here in Kansas City. Starting pitcher Bobby Brownlie is a pitcher that has been here thru the bad times and the good times. Brownlie was the ace of the staff last year with a 15-7 record and 3.33 ERA. He rebounded nicely from a torn tricep muscle that ended his 2008 season in mid July. Brownlie was able to stay off of the DL in 2009 which has many in the organization excited about his future. But his one weakness will have to be his endurance. He did have two complete games in 09 but he rarely works past the sixth inning, which is something you need from one of your top pitchers. And as mentioned above SP Blake Hawksworth will be a key addition to the roster as Zack Grienke recovers from a fractured elbow in 2008. Grienke is due back in June or July but who knows if he will be able to recover his past form as the number three starter in KC. TOP PROSPECTS The Royals top propect this year is catcher Gene "Boom Boom" Marquez. He made the team out of the Spring Training after just racking it down South and will start on Opening Day. Marquez replaces catcher Rodney Seagraves(1st round, 2006) as the Royals top catcher and will be backed up by veteran Ramon Hernandez in 2010. Hernandez was brought in last year to bridge the gap between Seagraves but he just hasn't developed like the front office had hoped. Boom Boom is only twenty years old and many hope he can add another Rookie of the Year trophy to the KC front office. PAYROLL/BUDGET The Royals have benefited very nicely in the past five years of having young cheap talent at the major league level. But they had a record fifteen guys hit arbitration after 2009 with Rao making the most at $5.94 million this year. He is followed closely by DH Walter Young(4.736M), SS Rudolph Shaeffer(4.32M) and Brownlie at 3.414M. If the Royals want to contend and in the future and keep the same nucleus together they will have to spend. Their current payroll is at roughly $44 million and the ownership group has given them roughly a $65 million dollar budget. Their key signings this year will have to be SP Bobby Brownlie(41-40 3.85ERA) and DH Walter Young(.272AVG and 134HR's in 667 games.) Both Brownlie and Young have one more year left of arbitration before they hit the open market after the 2011 season. LOOKING AHEAD The 2010 Royals have a lot of fans very excited about the impending season and the ownership has made it clear, they feel this is a playoff club. GM Christopher Torres has been here since 2004 and has completely rebuilt this team to a contending team. And the fans have showed their appreciation by having a one million fan increase from 2008 to 2009. So on the eve of the 2010 season we can only hope for another stellar season with a few more wins to get the Royals over the hump and into October. Lets play ball! __________________ Offline Solo League Kansas City Royals - (522-611) -- READ ABOUT IT HERE!!! -- 2004 81-81 -- 2005 64-98 -- 2006 54-108 -- 2007 72-90 -- 2008 76-85 -- 2009 89-73 -- 2010 86-76 -- 2011 Currently 56-31 Last edited by CRTsports.com : 06-08-2008 at 07:31 PM.