[ThePundit]

[quote]Philadelphia, PA -- (Sports Network) - After team management decided to spend a little in the offseason, the 2006 edition of the Royals were doomed by a 5-17 April and 11-game losing streak, compounded by an 8-21 May which featured a 13-game skid. The bright spots in yet another dismal campaign were a 10-8 record in inter-league play, and a 5-4 mark against Boston.

Stuck in a cycle of perpetual youth movement punctuated by mid-to-low level free-agent splurging, the Royals opted to make some small changes for 2007. Kansas City shocked the baseball world when it gave the richest contract in franchise history to Gil Meche, signing the right-hander to a five-year, $55 million deal.

Another big name brought in was Octavio Dotel, who has been anointed team closer despite suffering through an injury-stunted 2006 with the New York Yankees that kept him to 14 appearances. Ross Gload, brought in from the White Sox and two seasons removed from a World Series title on the Southside, gets a chance to show off his chops after playing behind Paul Konerko and Jim Thome.

On the mound, it will be a minor miracle if pitching coach Bob McClure can coax an ERA under five for any of the starters. The rest of the bullpen is young and unpredictable and Dotel has to overcome serious questions about his health.

Mike Sweeney ought to win some kind of medal for being a thorough professional and face of the franchise through some very dark years.

Below we take a capsule look at the 2007 edition of the Kansas City Royals, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2006 Finish (62-100) - 5th place (AL Central)

KEY OFFSEASON ADDITIONS: C-Jason LaRue, 1B-Ross Gload, SP-Gil Meche, P-Brian Bannister, P-Octavio Dotel, SS-Tony Pena Jr.

KEY OFFSEASON SUBTRACTIONS: 1B-Doug Mientkiewicz , 3B-Tony Graffanino, SP- Elmer Dessens, C-Paul Bako, CL-Mike MacDougal, SP-Runelvys Hernandez, OF-Matt Stairs

PROJECTED LINEUP: Jason LaRue (C), Ross Gload (1B), Mark Grudzielanek (2B), Angel Berroa (SS), Mark Teahen (3B), Emil Brown (LF), David DeJesus (CF), Reggie Sanders (RF)

PROJECTED ROTATION: Gil Meche (RHP), Odalis Perez (LHP), Scott Elarton (RHP), Luke Hudson (RHP), Zack Greinke (RHP)/Jorge De la Rosa (LHP)

PROJECTED CLOSER: Octavio Dotel

MANAGER: Buddy Bell

INFIELD

Despite the fact that we are talking about Kansas City here, there is a buzz around Royals camp that has been missing for years. That buzz surrounds rookie third baseman Alex Gordon, who is one of if not THE best prospect in all of baseball. Gordon, the second overall pick in the 2005 draft, was sensational at the Double-A level last season, as he hit .325 with 29 homers, 101 RBI and 22 steals. Kansas City had hoped he would come into camp and win the third base job and he did just that with a splendid spring.

At first base, Gload was acquired from the White Sox to fill the hole left by Doug Mientkiewicz's departure, and it remains to be seen whether Gload and Sweeney will be platooned or if Gload will get the majority of the starts. Whatever the situation, Gload will need to develop more pop than last season's three home runs and 18 RBI in 77 games played, though he is a valued acquisition on defense.

Second base features Mark Grudzielanek in his second season in Royals blue. Kansas City won't need him as much at the plate as they will in the field - as his near flawless play (four errors in 132 games) can attest. However, he is recovering from off-season arthroscopic knee surgery. Though still expected to be the Opening Day second baseman, at age 36, he might not have the range he used to.

Right before the end of camp Kansas City acquired shortstop Tony Pena Jr. from Atlanta in exchange for a minor league pitcher. Pena made his major league debut last season with the Braves and hit .227 (10-44) with two doubles, a home run and three RBI in 40 games. Pena is the son of former Royals manager and current Yankees coach Tony Pena.

Calling the shots behind the plate will be Jason LaRue, who came over from Cincinnati last November, as well as John Buck, who saw 114 games behind the plate in 2006. The catcher position was the best defensively for the Royals, clocking in with a .991 fielding percentage. LaRue's addition (two errors, .995) should continue the trend in 2007.

OUTFIELD

Thanks to the emergence of Gordon, Kansas City's outfield will have a slightly different look in 2007. Emil Brown and David DeJesus will still be in left and center field, respectively, but Mark Teahen will begin the year in right, as he shifts to the outfield from third base to make room for the phenom.

Teahen looks to continue the success of his 2006 campaign, one in which he hit .290 and slugged 18 home runs.

Brown did an admirable job in his first full major league season, posting a .287 average with 15 home runs, 81 RBI and a team-high 41 doubles. Most importantly, he committed only one error and had seven assists. DeJesus posted similar numbers in center field last season platooning with Joey Gathright, and if he can improve on his offense a bit, will be a solid all- around starter.

The 39-year-old Reggie Sanders, who will also see time in the outfield, clocked in with 11 home runs and 49 RBI, despite hitting just .246 on the year. His skills may have finally begun to diminish, but he's better than anyone else the Royals can put in the outfield, and he came at the right price. If nothing else, he'll provide good range, veteran leadership, and some emotion for this young club.

DH

Sweeney, who has been perpetually troubled by injuries, hit just. 258 with eight home runs, 15 doubles and 33 RBI last season from the DH spot. Expect Gload to trade off with Sweeney this season at some point either due to injury or experimentation on Bell's part.

STARTING ROTATION

Meche figures to be the staff "ace," coming off an 11-8 campaign for the Mariners.

Odalis Perez, who came to Kansas City from Los Angeles in exchange for Elmer Dessens last July, went 2-4 with a 5.64 ERA in 12 starts. With the Dodgers, Perez showed he could be a workhorse (222 and 185 innings pitched in 2002 and 2003) and throw some heat (424 K's from 2002-04), and with a full season in 2007 has a chance to rediscover those skills without the pressure of a playoff race. If he regains any of that past form, at the very least two of every five days the Royals will have a shot to win.

Luke Hudson turned in an admirable 7-6 mark in 15 starts. The former Reds farmhand posted the third-most strikeouts of any KC pitcher (64, behind Redman and the departed Ambiorix Burgos) and only dished out seven long balls. If he continues those numbers over the course of a full season, he could steal a couple games for the club.

Rounding out the starters are Zack Greinke and Jorge De La Rosa.

Greinke, the Florida-born right-hander, fast tracked from Single-A Wilmington to the big show in a brief period, went from 8-11 in 2004 to 5-17 in 2005, to a non-existent 2006 campaign which began with his taking a leave of absence to attend to personal issues. The franchise has placed a good bit of faith in him, so he's going to have to prove every single day that he's worthy of that confidence. At 23 years of age, he should be able to rebound quickly and take the lessons learned in his first two full seasons and grow into a dependable workhorse.

De la Rosa, the 25-year old product of Mexico, was 3-4 in 10 starts after coming over from the Milwaukee Brewers in mid-season. He had only started eight games in his career before then, so it's safe to say that he'll be a work-in-progress if he does make the starting rotation or gets a few spot starts.

BULLPEN

Dotel is the one name that rises above all the rest in the bullpen, and with good reason. The one-time fireballer and converted starter solidified his reputation by accumulating 36 saves in 77 games between Houston and Oakland in 2004. However, the last two seasons have been less than kind after arm troubles limited him to 29 games and a 1-2 record with Oakland and the Yankees over the past two seasons. The Royals are taking a big risk by signing Dotel, hoping he can regain his form. If not, Todd Wellemeyer may get the call to close out some games.

Brian Bannister, acquired in January from the Mets in exchange for former closer Burgos, provides some youth and depth in middle relief. The remainder of the 'pen are sure to get a ton of work when the starters fail. Once again, whoever loses the competition for the fifth starter will have a spot in the bullpen and while it may not be good for that player's confidence, it won't hurt the Royals to have an extra body.[quote]
Kansas City Royals 2007 Preview - MLB - Kansas City Royals
ThePundit's prediction: 5th in AL Central. Does anybody actually think that the Royals can finish anywhere but last in this brutal division?

[azrael492]

I think you covered everything except that I thought Sheely was going to be the starting 1B this year. I was even going to make a smart comment about needing an extra player to cover Sweeney when he went on the DL this year, but you even got that. Good Job!!!!