Kuzul

The term “fantasy sleeper” is rather stupid at this point. 

There is so much written, so many forums and so much media, no one is a sleeper. 

You think Gio Gonzalez is a sleeper this season? He’s not. Everyone knows who he is. They might not like him as much as you do, meaning you will be able to draft him late, but he is not being slept on.

The new term should be “fantasy value” as in: so-and-so has great fantasy value because of how late he is being drafted. So, hypothetically, what’s the best lineup that can be put together of players who no one wants, all undrafted players? This would show us ultimate value, adding a player off waivers who can produce all year.

Here is 2011’s Best Fantasy Baseball Team No Money Can Buy.

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Also known as ODOs.

Well, I call them ODOs and some day, you will too. Until then, see if you noticed what I noticed:

Albert Pujols goes 0-for-5

He also grounded into three double plays—cue the overreaction random radio show sports talk guy.

That’s right, Pujols is washed up; can’t handle the contract-year pressure; forgot how to hit; only tips 10 percent.

Actually, he’ll be fine.

What the Cardinals, their fans and anybody else interested should be worried about is that rotation.

With Adam Wainwright down for the count, Chris Carpenter has to carry the load. Carrying the load puts a lot of pressure on your hamstrings. Considering he strained his in spring training, Carpenter is longing for someone to be close to him in the rotation.

Reliever-turned-starter Kyle McClellan has been the most buzzworthy candidate so far, but even with Dave Duncan’s guidance, C.J. Wilson he ain’t.

Save the Birds, Pujols! Good slogan for the Cardinals and/or tree huggers everywhere.

Matt Kemp walks three times

He’s on pace for 486 bases on balls—that would be a record. It probably won’t happen.

But considering he only walked 53 times last year, which was his career high, it’s a good sign, nonetheless; considering he accomplished this feat against Tim Lincecum, even more nonetheless.

If I owned him in a fantasy league (huh, I do, how about that?) I’d be excited: An improved batting eye means fewer strikeouts (170 last year), which positively correlates to more balls in play (.295 BABIP last year, .344 career), which screams a stat correction is on the way. 

Pitch selection

If you watched the Reds/Brewers game you might have noticed Thomas Edinson Volquez pitching to contact.

That’s a good pitching strategy, except when the contact results in a 445-foot home run.

Volquez has a ton of talent, but it seems he challenges hitters too often and studs like Ryan Braun, along with lesser studs like Rickie Weeks and wannabe studs like Carlos Gomez, make him pay.

Kevin Millar brought up this point on MLB Tonight today, which I would like to vehemently agree with and elaborate on for those that have no idea what I’m babbling about.

In the fifth inning, down 4-2, Volquez got Braun to chase his first pitch, a nasty breaking ball in the dirt.

So why in the world would he try to fool him with a fastball in on the next pitch?

Braun wasn’t fooled and he crushed his first of many home runs this year.

These guys are professional hitters. Meaning, they are looking fastball in.

Throw the same pitch you just schooled them on until they adjust to it—don’t try to outsmart a professional hitter. Millar said Greg Maddux would throw a changeup five, six times in a row during an at-bat.

Keep the hitter guessing.

Until Volquez can do that, he won’t be consistent and he can’t be relied on. 

Center fielders in the outfield

The Anaheim Angels are flying a little under the radar this year. Does anybody appreciate the Angels/flying connection?

No? Well, I do and the Angels are flying under the radar.

Through one game (I know, huge sample size), the Hunter/Wells/Bourjos outfield triumvirate seems like a good idea. They have all played center field at some point in their careers (Peter Bourjos now, Torii Hunter last year, Vernon Wells for Toronto).

Traditionally, the center fielder is the most athletic player on the field, can cover the most ground and is the best fielder. Having three guys that fit that mold bodes well for the Angels’ defense and their pitchers.

The focus of the AL West this year seems to be on the A’s and Rangers, deservedly, but the Angels could surprise some folks.

Especially if their offense struggles to score runs, they are going to need strong defense to win those 2-1, 4-3 games.

Three center fielders should do just that.

Alex Gordon

That was your chance, dude. Opening Day, down 4-2, two on, two out, hit the home run, be the hero everyone wants you to be. Don’t strike out.

Against Fernando Rodney? After you just hit a mammoth foul just left of the pole? Don’t go 0-for-5. At least you hit six spring training homers.

Jake Fox would be proud.

Six games down, 2,424 to go. Should be fun. Make sure to take advantage of the free week of MLB Extra Innings.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Kansas City Royals (2010 record: 67-95)

Kansas City is one more year away from beginning their slow, inexorable climb up the standings. While Royals fans have heard similar promises for years, their patience is finally (mercifully) about to pay off. GM Dayton Moore and his front office staff have developed a farm system that is rated tops in the game – stocked with prospects who are expected to make a significant impact in the major leagues within the next two or three years. They will start to feed those prospects to the parent club in full force this year.

In anticipation of the impending influx of talent from the minors, Moore & Company have stocked the club’s roster with journeymen and retreads… guys who are little more than place-holders until the minor leaguers arrive, and who will be expendable at that point in time. The roster is due for a substantial overhaul in the next two seasons, with Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Will Myers and several pitchers (notably Jeremy Jeffress, John Lamb, Mike Montgomery and Jake Odorizzi) due to join the major league club.

The Royals are on the brink of credibility, KC fans, but you’ll have to endure one more year of struggles before hitting paydirt.

Notable additions: OF Melky Cabrera, OF Lorenzo Cain, SS Alcides Escobar, 3B Pedro Feliz, LHP Jeff Francis, OF Jeff Francoeur, RHP Jeremy Jeffress

Notable subtractions: SP Brian Bannister, SS Yuniesky Betancourt, OF David DeJesus, RHP Zack Greinke

The offense

Catcher: Brayan Pena

Infield: Kila Ka’aihue (1B), Chris Getz (2B), Alcides Escobar (SS) and Mike Aviles (3B)

Outfield: Alex Gordon (LF), Melky Cabrera (CF) and Jeff Francoeur (RF)

Designated Hitter: Billy Butler

Butler is the undisputed leader of the offense – at just 24 years of age – which both speaks highly of him and underscores the plight of an otherwise punch-less offense. He is one of better hitters in the game, yet doesn’t qualify as a true power hitter. Last year, he set career highs in BA, OBP and OPS, yet he was still perceived as having underachieved due to the fact he hit only 15 home runs.

Once upon a time, Alex Gordon was thought to be the future of the Royals franchise. He was named the College Player of the Year in 2005 and Minor League Player of the Year in 2006, but somewhere between Omaha and Kansas City his power was short-circuited. He was moved from third base to left field last year, but he has failed to demonstrate the productive capacity needed from a corner outfielder. He could be on his way out of KC before long.

Similarly, Francoeur was once considered the future of the Atlanta Braves franchise. He was the organization’s top prospect in 2004 and thought to have a tremendous career on the horizon… but his overall production hasn’t matched his potential. He hit 29 HR in his first full season in the big leagues (’06) and won a Gold Glove the following year, but his career has been on a downward spiral since. He was shipped to the NY Mets in 2009 and then traded to the Texas Rangers in August of last year. It seems unlikely his career will suddenly revive itself in Kansas City.

Melky Cabrera enjoyed a career year in the New Yankee Stadium softball field back in 2009, taking advantage of its cozy dimensions to post a respectable OPS. But after being cast out of the Bronx, he has regressed to a rather poor skill set. He will begin the 2011 season as the starter in center field, but it is likely Lorenzo Cain will take over by June 1st – at the latest.

Around the infield, four younger ballplayers will vie to have substantial roles with the team once the top minor league prospects start arriving. Ka’aihue will undoubtedly be displaced by Eric Hosmer at first base, but it’s possible he’ll provide more power than Butler – forcing the front office to make a hard decision between the two. Mike Aviles will start the year at third base, but he will soon be moved off the hot corner by Mike Moustakas no later than mid-season. He and Chris Getz will spend April, May and June trying to lay claim to the second base job after Moose’s arrival.

Alcides Escobar was acquired in the same deal that sent Zack Greinke to Milwaukee. He was long on glove and short on bat last year as a rookie. His minor league stats suggest he will be a productive shortstop in the major leagues… with the departure of Yuniesky Betancourt, the job is his for the immediate future.

Brayan Pena will hold down the primary responsibilities behind the plate until veteran Jason Kendall returns from shoulder surgery in mid-to-late-May. Pena should produce nicely with the increased playing time he will receive while Kendall recovers.

The pitching staff

Rotation: RHP Luke Hochevar, LHP Jeff Francis, LHP Bruce Chen, RHP Kyle Davies and RHP Vin Mazzaro

Closer: RHP Joakim Soria

The staff won’t be especially good in 2011, but with the arrivals of Lamb, Montgomery and Odorizzi (Milwaukee’s stop prospect prior to the Greinke deal) the rotation is on the verge of becoming formidible.

With the trade of Greinke, Hochevar will assume the role of staff ace – at least until the young guns make their way to KC. The big right-hander has been a BIG disappointment since being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in 2006, but his skill set shows marginal growth – so there is some hope he could develop into a consistent performer at the back of the rotation. That said, his strand rate continues at well below-average – a factor that now seems to be a chronic condition, not just bad luck.

Francis won 17 games for Colorado when the Rockies went to the World Series in 2001, but he has battled an assortment of injuries over the last three years. He has been pretty good when he has been healthy – compiling a nice strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.5 and an improving ground ball rate (47%).

Mazzaro could become the second-best performer on this staff pending the arrival of the young guns. His fate in 2011 and beyond will be determined by how he transitions from the relatively spacious playing field of Oakland Coliseum to the smaller area of Kaufman Stadium. He has a friendly ground ball to fly ball ratio – so the ballpark factor shouldn’t exert a dramatic impact on his performance (unless he has the same kind of bad luck he had last year, when his home run rate (HR/fb) was 12%).

Chen led the ballclub by recording 12 wins last year, but his peripherals clearly disclose he was the beneficiary of good luck as opposed to the owner of an outstanding skill set. His K-BB ratio is less than 2.0 – my minimum standard for an effective starting pitcher and well-below my desired threshold of 2.5. He walks too many batter (3.5 / 9 IP) and surrenders far too many fly balls for a pitcher who issues so many bases on balls.

Davies is a right-handed version of Chen. He has a substandard K-BB ratio, largely due to the fact he walks too many hitters. While his ground ball to fly ball ratio is friendlier, he tends to allow a higher than league-average home run rate – a fact which can be very dangerous for a pitcher who issues four walks for every nine innings pitched.

Soria recorded 43 saves in 46 save opportunities last year and has cemented himself as one of the premier closers in the game. He regularly posts a K-BB ratio in excess of 9.0 and benefited from better control in 2010 (2.2 BB / 9 IP) than he had previously in his career. He will almost certainly produce another 40+ save season, with an ERA around 2.00 and a WHIP in the neighborhood of 1.00 – 1.10. Behind Soria, the bullpen has been brutal for the last several years, but that could change in 2011. He could have improved support as the Royals have some young power arms on the verge of breaking through at the big league level. RHP Jeremy Jeffress, acquired in the Greinke deal, may be the heir apparent to Soria as closer. Lefty Tim Collins is a fire-baller who has been compared to Billy Wagner. Otherwise, RHP Robinson Tejeda is the best of a marginal collection of veteran relievers.

Prediction for 2011: Fourth place (75-87)

The Royals will be better this year and should improve as the progresses as some of the prospects make their way to the parent club. By mid-season, Moustakas will be playing third base and Hosmer c-o-u-l-d be stationed at first base – though his promotion that early is less certain due to the presence of hard-hitting Ka’aihue in the Royals lineup. In the second half of the season, pitching prospects like Lamb and Montgomery (and even Danny Duffy) could force their way onto a pitching staff that will be devoid of stars.

Top Five Prospects

1. Mike Moustakas, 3B
2. Wil Myers, C/LF
3. Eric Hosmer, 1B
4. Mike Montgomery, RHP
5. John Lamb, LHP

Depending on which publication you read, the top three on this list are interchangeable, but my preference is Moustakas. Myers is still a ways away from The Show and has to endure a position switch to the outfield, while Hosmer may be blocked by Ka’aihue for the next year or two. Meanwhile, Moustakas’ road to Kansas City is clear, and while the organization appears committed to giving him another couple of months in Triple-A, he will be in the big leagues by the all-star break. He was the Royals first-round pick (No. 2 overall) in the 2007 draft. He was outstanding in his first full year of professional ball in 2008, but struggled quite a bit the following year after making the jump to High-A. Any worries about his potential were cast aside last year as he bludgeoned Double-A pitchers to the tune of .347/.413/.687 and then barely missed a beat after his promotion to Triple-A Omaha, posting an impressive .293/.314/564 line in 52 games.

He has become more selective at the plate, allowing himself to consistently work better pitch counts where he can exert his plus-power on the baseball. He generates exceptional bat speed and can hit the ball out of the park to any field. Defensively, he continues to be a work in progress, as his footwork and mechanics are erratic, but he has good hands and a strong arm… his deficiencies are nothing that a lot of hard work can’t correct. He will prove to be everything Alex Gordon wasn’t – he is the Royals 3B-of-the-future.

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It happens every year.

Minor league players, sometimes as young as 18, are hyped up to be the “next big thing” in baseball. 

As fans and fantasy baseball participants, we either watch these young talents blow up and become stars or unfortunately bear witness to them being thrown into the fire.

Being “Baseball’s No. 1 Prospect” really doesn’t mean as much as it should.  Players who have worn that title have succeeded and failed in the eyes of the big leagues.  We rarely and truly never know how a young talent will fare when called up. 

Can a power hitting catcher from Double-A protect the plate enough to hit Roy Halladay?

How will a young kid from the Midwest handle the big spotlight of a championship-hungry city?

At times it’s disheartening to see players be built up so much, just to fall harder.  Why do we as a society of fans and baseball fanatics, feed on the careers of young-blooded baseball “phenoms”?

Do we really understand how hard it is to travel, leave family, keep in touch with friends, and to forget all of those hardships to step up to the plate at Yankee Stadium?

We don’t, but we still have the nerve to complain when our 13th round draft pick doesn’t hit over .260. 

Regardless of the social and ethical borders we’ve crossed as onlookers of a beautiful sport like baseball, we still have a chance to not only realize how special young talent is, but to remember those once-heralded prospects for the sake of baseball.

With that said, the following players have been “lost at sea.”  2011 could prove the year that some, maybe even all of these players, blow up their life jackets and float their careers to safety.

Matt Wieters, Catcher, Baltimore Orioles

Wieters has had a career that’s hard to swallow.  And because of that, he’s become the distinct example of major league scarring.

Formally “Baseball America’s No. 1 Prospect” as of 2009, he’s been unable to carry his career minor league average of .333 into the big leagues.

Drafted in fantasy leagues among some of the best catchers in the game in 2009, even before he was called up to the majors, Wieters was projected to be a savior of many faces.

He was the future of great hitting catchers.  The future of the struggling Baltimore Orioles franchise and the future fantasy owner’s best friend.

Where did it all go wrong?

In 2009, through 354 at-bats, he hit a very respectable .288 average.  However, after hitting only nine home runs, the lack of power instantly rubbed fantasy owners the wrong way.  Was he a rookie bust?  That’s arguable, but that was just the beginning.

Last year, after Wieters was still being drafted among the best catchers in the game, his production absolutely plummeted.  Batting a unworldly .249 with 11 home runs, he was instantly tossed overboard and cast out to sea.

Still floating, Wieters will have a chance to rebound from last year and reshape his career as a MLB player and personality. 

Currently under the radar, the 24-year old catcher will be able to sit back and take this season in stride.  No “saviors” being thrown his way.  No “Baseball America’s No. 1 Prospect” being thrown his way.  Just the ball.

If Matt Wieters can rebound this year and become a legitimate hitting catcher for seasons to come, he will become a prime example as to why rushing baseball talents from the minors up to the majors, could ruin expectations as well as early careers.

Alex Gordon, 3B, Kansas City Royals

Once projected to be the next David Wright, Gordon is now being considered the Ryan Leaf of baseball.

Where have the years gone?

Gordon stepped into the spotlight that is the mess of Kansas City back in 2007.  The former first-round pick has been unable to swim to safety, let alone keep his head above water. 

Once thought of as a perennial 30-home run hitter, Gordon has only 45 homers through four seasons and 1,442 at-bats.

Now in 2011, Gordon is fighting to not only start at third for the Royals, but he’s fighting from being demoted back down to the minors.

Gordon turns 27 today.  Since 27 is the “prime time” for hitters to produce at their highest potential, this could be the last chance for Gordon to save his career.  If not, he could go down as one of the biggest busts ever in baseball.

Does this come as a surprise?  It might, but considering Gordon was hyped to the brim, as well as being counted on to rescue one of the worst franchises in the MLB over the past 15 years, he might of never had a fair chance to build a career in baseball.

Gordon’s life jacket has slowly been leaking, and the 2011 MLB season could be the patch he’s been looking for.

Carlos Gomez, OF, Milwaukee Brewers

Heading into 2011, Gomez will be playing for his third team in a four-year career.

Once thought of as the next big speedster to grace the majors, Gomez has been unable to hit enough to keep a starting job.  2008 was the only year that Gomez has recorded over 320 at-bats.

Remember, this is a guy who supposedly beat Jose Reyes in foot races on the regular at practices.  His game is speed, his talent is speed, his paychecks are dependent on his speed, and he’s been unable to utilize it.

In 445 career games, the 25-year old has only swiped 77 bases.  Quite a lower number for Gomez, who stole 65 bases between two minor league seasons from 2005-2006.

Still fairly young, Gomez still has a chance to rebound and right the ship.  However, considering that his legs are his sole and sometimes only attribute, the longer he waits to explode, his chances to do so become nonexistent. 

What can we expect from Gomez this year?

Nobody really knows.  Gomez could turn his career around and finally hit for the average that will allow him to steal 50 bases. 

On the other hand, he could continue to be trade bait, vanishing into the pool of MLB players and lose his speed as age starts kicking in.  Let’s hope not.

Honorable Mention: Mark Prior, SP, New York Yankees

Prior needed to be mentioned.  He’s a product of an unlawful and unethical sabotage of a great pitcher’s arm.

After being ran into the ground by manager Dusty Baker from 2002-2003, Prior, who was 22 at the time, pitched over 320 innings in 49 starts.  Four of those starts were complete games.

While letting a young and talented pitcher get his feet wet doesn’t qualify as a crime, Baker’s over usage of Prior has been highly documented and continuously debated. 

Prior’s short, yet impressive career, has been a building block that has been used by team’s to structure plans for their young pitchers.  Think Joba Chamberlain and Clayton Kershaw.

It’s been four years now since Prior has recorded one out in the majors, and there is no reason to believe that will change.

Every year, Prior tries to rehabilitate and resurface as a pitcher to be signed.  Usually a team will sign him in the miraculous hopes that he’ll be deemed healthy and be able to pitch even an inning in the majors. 

That’s how good of a pitcher he was.  And was is the key word.

Signed by the New York Yankees this off-season, Prior will have yet another opportunity to make a comeback at the age of 30.

If there was ever a team for Prior to get healthy for and display his talents in a major league stadium, it’s the New York Yankees.  The situation seems perfect.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Bob Elliot of the Toronto Sun reported recently that the Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos has called the Kansas City Royals to inquire about ace Zack Greinke and former first-rounder Alex Gordon. 

Greinke, one of the majors’ best starting pitchers, and the Kansas City Royals best player, is known to be on the trade block; however the availability of Alex Gordon is unknown.

Greinke is available for a number of reasons, the first being his comments regarding the Royals status as a “rebuilding” team.  When questioned about his thoughts on Kansas City’s top-shelf minor league talent and probability to be a contender by 2013, Greinke said, “There’s no reason for me to get real excited about it, because the chance of more than one of them making a major impact by the time my contract is up is pretty slim.”

Another reason that Zack Greinke is on the trading block is that his contract is up after the 2012 season so his value is at its highest despite a ‘down year’ on the mound. 

The third reason he is clearly on the trading block is that Royals’ G.M. Dayton Moore has made comments that he is willing to listen to offers on the 2009 Cy Young winner, and asked Greinke to make the list of teams he would decline a trade to (Zack Greinke has a no-trade clause).

In the last two years Zack Greinke has thrown 449.1 innings, won 26 games, and struck out 423 batters with an ERA of 3.14, not to mention he is only 26 years old. 

More impressively, he strikes out 3.99 hitters for every free pass he issues and has thrown nine complete games, three for shutouts. 

His WAR (wins above replacement, which is a metric used to determine the wins that the player creates for their team over a minor leaguer or bench player) is an outstanding 13. 

Which puts him in the company of Roy Halladay (13.9 WAR), CC Sabathia (11.4 WAR), and Cliff Lee (13.7 WAR) over the last two seasons.

Alex Gordon is the owner of a modest .244/.328/.405 line in his three stints in major league ball, and has been positionally abused by the Royals, starting out as a third baseman, then being sent down to the minors to learn first and corner outfield.  Gordon was picked No. 2 overall in 2005, and is 26 years old, just like Greinke. 

The Blue Jays would use Gordon at third base most likely, since their 2010 third baseman was just claimed by the Athletics off waivers.  Despite Gordon’s rather pedestrian line, he is still a solid talent who can improve a lot.

So, what should the Blue Jays offer the Kansas City Royals to bring in the ace and former top draft pick? 

Dayton Moore has said that to consider moving Greinke he would need at least two top 100 prospects and a young major league pitcher.  The Jays have just such top prospects that can be considered “extra.”

If I were the Blue Jays G.M. I would offer Kansas City this package: SP Brandon Morrow, LF Travis Snider and prospects Travis D’Arnaud and Zach Stewart.

Brandon Morrow is a young flame-throwing starting pitcher who opened a lot of eyes last season in Toronto after being acquired from the Seattle Mariners. 

In 2010 Morrow was worth 3.7 WAR, pitched 146.1 innings and struck out an unbelievable 10.95 batters per nine.  His average fastball velocity is 94.6 MPH over his career.  Morrow is 26 years old, just like Greinke and Gordon.

Travis Snider is a young defensively challenged outfielder who, in similar at bats to Gordon, owns a .255/.318/.446 line in the pros.  He is 22 years old, was a first-round pick in 2006, and hit 14 homeruns in 2010 for the Blue Jays. 

The prospects in this deal are both blocked in Toronto by either a better prospect or a surplus at the major league level. 

The first, Travid D’Arnaud is a catcher.  Travis D’Arnaud was acquired from Philadelphia in the Roy Halladay trade and is the seventh overall prospect in the Blue Jays system and a member of the top 100 prospects list. 

He is 21 years old and profiles as a steady defender and big stick (he hit 38 doubles and 13 homeruns in high A ball in 2010).  D’Arnaud is blocked by a solid catching duo on the Major league team of Jose Molina and fellow top prospect J.P. Arencibia.

The second prospect is starting pitcher Zach Stewart, who is 24 years old and almost MLB ready.  He is the third overall prospect in the Blue Jays system and is also amongst the top 100 prospects in all of the minor leagues.  He had a 3.63 ERA at double A ball in 2010 and his fastball touches 93 MPH. 

Stewart is blocked by a full rotation at the MLB level, and the top Blue Jay prospect, starting pitcher Kyle Drabek.

Drabek will be the first Blue Jay minor league pitcher to get a shot at the rotation, so Stewart has some waiting to do in Toronto before his time comes.

If Toronto wants to chase an AL East pennant in 2011, they should strongly consider making a strong offer to Kansas City, such as the one I have proposed here that will net them one of the game’s best pitchers. Zack Greinke, and a player they have their eye on, Alex Gordon.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Immediate gratification.

Prolonged success.

There appear to be two sides forming among Royals fans in the Kansas City Metro area.

Local talk radio is buzzing about the Royals (for a change), their recent encouraging performances, and the fact that good fortune has finally begun to shine on them.

When a franchise is as parched for wins as this one is, the assumption is that the fan base would be eager to jump on the bandwagon.

Remember what those clever Milwaukee Brewer fans came up with back in 2007, when they made their first run since Harvey’s Wallbangers in 1982?

As a matter of fact, who was the manager* of that team?

*Current Royals Manager Ned Yost led those Brewers through their memorable turnaround. He was ultimately fired before the end of the season due to varying accounts, but one has to assume he greatly influenced the fruition of talented players like Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun.

Young players seem to like Yost. And when young players are enjoying themselves, they play loose and perform to their abilities.

Royals fans seem to be a bit less gung ho than their Milwaukee counterparts.

Many hate to admit it, but they bought into Dayton Moore’s “plan” and it makes sense.

Small market teams need to build through the draft. Because of this, the Royals performance bottom line (wins and losses) this season is being perceived as inconsequential.

However, just because the team is waiting for the maturation of key elements doesn’t mean they should shy away from winning now, even if that means they don’t get a look at a couple extra prospects this year.

Years of losing baseball teams in Kansas City have skewed public opinion. Seasons are viewed in black and white by locals. The assumption is that anything short of a playoff birth is basically par for the last 25 years.

Finishing at under 100 (or 90) losses doesn’t appear important.

Finishing at .500 or better doesn’t appear important either.

Playoffs or bust!

While sacrificing the future to win this year is a horrible idea, the Royals should automatically be more talented next season because their young, high priced talent is gaining experience.

A winning attitude from mainstay pieces like Billy Butler and Zack Greinke can additionally go a long way toward the future development of this club (as well as help the club when it is time to re-sign these individuals).

Mike Moustakas highlights the excelling blue chip talent class this season. Spring training invites will be in abundance at the AA and AAA levels in 2011.

So why are so many local fans actively rooting against their ball club?

Many say the Royals can’t move forward in 2010 until they throw in the towel.

When that happens, apparently, the veteran’s will be shed from the roster and everyone will be able to see what the franchise truly has in particular talent, namely Kila Ka’aihue and Alex Gordon.

That is apparently the only way 2010 can be a successful season.

Though I wouldn’t mind seeing Gordon spend a bit more time on the farm, I have longed to see Ka’aihue prove his worth. He has nothing else to prove in Omaha.

However, firing Jose Guillen (14 HR, 52 RBI), benching Scott Podsednik (.296, 96 H, 24 SB) and/or trading David DeJesus (.331, 105 H) for peanuts is not a viable option to solve this problem.

This is baseball. There are at-bats to be had, especially with an aging outfield.

The club is finding at-bats for Wilson Betemit, they could find them for Kila if they really wanted to.

The club apparently prefers to see what they have in Mitch Maier rather than Kila Ka’aihue.

David DeJesus is no better in right field than he is in center – the point could be made he is worse – while Guillen is trying to play good defense and prove his worth in a contract year. By playing them in center and right, the designated hitter slot is opened up for Ka’aihue.

This is a simple way to get Kila his due chance while not dismantling a club that is finally learning how to win. The Royals simply do not want to do that. For better or worse, Mitch Maier is their horse.

All of the fighting among local talk show hosts and their on-air callers, all of the suggestive speech in local media outlets, and all of the arguing about the Royals in Kansas City is completely misguided.

We may all disagree with who upper management deems an “asset.” But actively rooting against the team is like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Besides, who’s to say Dayton Moore doesn’t value Scott Thorman and David Lough’s scouting report more than Kila Ka’aihue and Alex Gordon’s at this impasse anyways?

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As seasons and almost more importantly aimless offseasons pass by, we Royals fans have had to adjust our expectations for contention, with the carrot on the proverbial stick predictably staying two years away. Not so long ago, we were looking to 2010 as the year that .500 would be attainable—the year that respectability would be ours.

Of course, Dayton Moore had that ultimately disastrous 2008-2009 offseason in which distrust of Allard Baird’s untested young holdovers combined with a disastrous binge of trading his diamonds in the rough for veterans low on talent and signing a slew of costly free agents who did not pan out.

When combined with Hillman’s decision to ride Gil Meche like a rented pack-mule in such a way that one could only infer that Hillman was secretly filled with an entirely consuming hatred of mules and the stunting of the development of what we thought would be the offensive future of the franchise in the form of Alex Gordon, things did not pan out as we fans had hoped.

Now, we sit here, actively monitoring the progress of the Royals’ top prospects, cautiously reveling in the success of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, involuntarily salivating at the absurd seasons that Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, Mike Montgomery, and John Lamb are having while letting our imaginations run wild with visions of pennants in the middle of the decade.

And this is where 2012 comes in.

2012 is when this slew of talent in the minors is expected to arrive in Kansas City and hopefully begin to contribute.

2012 is when we no longer have to watch the Scott Podsedniks and Jason Kendalls of the world batting first and second day after day.

2012 is when the the All-Star Game is in Kansas City and for a week Kauffman is the center of the baseball world.

And this is where the cruel joke is because the world is ending in 2012.

The Mayans knew it.

Movies have been made.

Just as the Royals are supposed to give their success-starved fanbase something to feast on, the world will end. The point at which this franchise is set to begin to be good once again coincides with the end of the world.

Goddammit.

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Rather than watch the Royals offense not give Zack Greinke a win last night, I elected to head up to Round Rock (roughly 20 minutes outside of Austin, for you non-Texans) to see the Omaha Royals take on the Round Rock Express (the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate, for you Royals-only fans).

This was the fourth time I’ve been to the Dell Diamond this year (and I may be going back tonight) and the second time I’ve been up there to see Omaha play (the first time was with dart enthusiast and Ranger Rundown and Newberg Report scribe Scott Lucas).

While Bruce Chen wasn’t toeing the rubber and imposing his will upon Express hitters this time around, the opportunity to see Royals who should be playing every day on the Major League level presented itself again, as Kila Ka’aihue was once again in the lineup* for the Royals and Alex Gordon was playing the part that Mike Aviles was playing in April.

*Weirdly, this is the third time I’ve seen Kila this year, as I saw him drive in his RBI in Arlington. As a geographically isolated Royals fan, this is rare indeed.

The O-Royals played fairly well, overcoming some defensive hiccups and a rocky start from Manauris Baez, who got promoted from High-A Wilmington for the start. Given his lackluster minor league career and his unimpressive 45.2 inning body of work at Wilmington thus far (4.73 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, 5.3 K/9, 1.59 K/BB, .335 BAA), it would seem that this was more than likely a temporary promotion of convenience and was part of the Hochevar injury butterfly effect that also killed Manute Bol .

Alex Gordon seemed to read the ball fairly well off the bat in left, and he had a near gem of a play in the corner as he attempted to throw out a runner at home. His arm made what shouldn’t have been a close play at the plate, a near out. Kind of makes one wonder why they’re not trying that arm out in right. I guess with the Royals it’s not uncommon to end up scratching one’s head when looking at the decisions they make…

Kila crushed a double to deep right-center, plating Gordon and Falu*. Both looked solid, as usual. Gordon extended his on-base streak to 39 straight games.

*I think it was Falu**. It may have been David Lough—I was drinking…

**I checked, and it was Falu. My mind still works with alcohol clouding it.

And, during the home-half of the fourth, I hollered out to Alex Gordon, “You should be in the Bigs, Alex,” which he ignored for a second before turning slightly away and laughing to himself.

It’s true.  There are two legitimate Major Leaguers wasting away in Triple-A with nothing left to glean from their experience down there. 

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Here we are once again. It’s the first week of June and time once again for Major League Baseball’s amateur player draft.

As Royals fans have become accustomed, their team is waiting once again to spend millions of owner David Glass’s money on a top-5 overall pick.

Fans must wonder who GM Dayton Moore will select when it comes time for the Royals to add to their who’s who of recent high draft picks including: Aaron Crow, Eric Hosmer, and Mike Moustakas.

So who will the Royals target with the fourth overall pick in tonight’s draft, another top tier arm or a position player who can help this team in the not-so-distant future?

Here are the two most likely players to be getting a call from Moore later this evening:

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Is Alex Gordon earning the label of Quadruple-A player?

Once considered one of the elite players in the game, Gordon has never posted respectable numbers in the major leagues.

He’s gotten a total of 1,231 ABs since making his debut in 2007 and compiled a .249 average to go along with 38 HR.

Simply put, he’s been bad. There’s just no other way to describe it.

Now back at Triple-A, it’s like night and day. Just look at his line:

85 At-Bats
.376 Batting Average (32 Hits)
Seven Home Runs
19 RBI
23 Runs
Three Stolen Bases
.518 On-Base Percentage
.718 Slugging Percentage
.446 Batting Average on Balls in Play

We all know the BABIP is not a believable number, so take the average with a grain of salt. He’s not going to hit at that type of level in the major leagues, and we all know it.

The thing is, the underlying numbers are extremely similar to what he had been doing in the major leagues:

• He has a 19.8 percent walk rate vs. 18.4 percent in the major leagues in ‘10.
• He has a 25.9 percent strikeout rate vs. 25.8 percent in the major leagues in ‘10.

The fact of the matter is he was plagued by tremendous bad luck over his 38 ABs earlier this season (.227 BABIP). That’s right—that’s all the time the Royals gave him before banishing him to Triple-A. It shouldn’t be a big surprise that he turned things around and hit a hot streak; it’s just too bad the Royals didn’t stick with him long enough to enjoy any of it.

The home run total is slightly deceiving, considering he’s been playing in the Pacific Coast League. Through his first 74 ABs, his fly-ball rate was actually just 27.8 percent, not a number conducive to significant home run totals.

There’s no reason for concern, however, with a 47.2 percent minor league career mark and a 44.9 percent major league mark. He has the potential to produce some decent power numbers; he just needs to get an extended look.

The Royals are a team that are consistently rebuilding, so it would be shocking for them not to give Gordon a second look in 2010. However, it likely won’t come at 3B, especially with Mike Moustakas raking in the minor leagues.

The team has been using him in the outfield since his demotion, and the reports have been good. Rusty Kuntz was quoted in The Kansas City Star as saying (click here for the full article):

“Put Eric Byrnes in Alex Gordon’s body, and that’s how he plays the outfield. He’s flying all over the place, and diving for every ball he think he has a chance to get.”

The article talks about how hard he works and his desire to improve his play.

Working on a new position is going to delay his return to the majors. The Royals are not going to rush him, wanting him to be able to excel at the position and not flounder.

There’s no doubt that he’s going to return this season, but you can’t just look at his offensive output and expect him to be up sooner rather then later. However, once he returns, he’ll have that much more value, with eligibility at both 3B and OF.

At this point it’s impossible to know exactly how the bat is going to translate, but with his minor league production he’s certainly worth the gamble. If you are in a deeper format, I’d stash him away and wait to reap some benefits.

What about you? Is Gordon someone you would stash? Why or why not?

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

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