Kansas City Royals 2003 Season Preview

by Vladimir Larrovitch

The Royals seem a little puzzled at times...

It's a good thing for the Royals that the Brewers and Pirates have decade-long losing streaks, otherwise their eight-straight losing seasons would make them the lightning rod for bad baseball. Yes, all three of these teams are "small market." There is little doubt that having less money gives you fewer options. But having buckets of cash does not ensure success, look at LA and Baltimore; and a smart GM can take a low-budget team very far, look at Oakland. The Brewers, Pirates and Royals are where they are because they do things like give up young talent for overpaid relievers (Roberto Hernandez) and invest in high-priced vets from other teams rather than talent from their own system (Chuck Knoblauch).

The Royals, after all of these years, seen to be getting it. They are rebuilding with a capital R. They aren't telling their fans that they are just one or two proven vets away from respectability, they are asking them to brace for another few very bad seasons as they put in the building blocks for the future.

Certainly a winning franchise is the most enjoyable to watch. But when it comes down to a mediocre franchise running in place and a bad franchise rebuilding, I think the latter is the more interesting subject. Every is hustling, knowing that the opportunities are there, and that failure and success are open for judgement every day. More chances are taken by management, more kids brought up from the minors, more gambles from the waiver wire. And many more losses, although they hurt a little less if your expectations are set properly for rebuilding. The Royals will spend the season in the mode, plenty of new faces, lots of losses.

Let's start with some of the knowns, because there are so few. Mike Sweeney is quietly putting together a nice career in Kansas City. The first baseman was in the running for the batting title last season, and while he isn't in the Mark McGwire mold, he's more a Will Clark, hitting for average with a little bit of pop to go with it. Across the diamond is Joe Randa, another solid Royal. The third baseman is one of the older players on the roster, and gives solid production from the hot corner. The pair give the Royals a nice pair of bats, and two infield positions where they can put a guy on the field 150 games a year.

While turbulence is a part of rebuilding, it really helps to have some islands of stability. Perhaps that's why the Royals have a pair of graybeards at catcher. Look for Brent Mayne and Mike DeFelice to get a majority of the time behind the plate. With a staff that has very little experience, having a pair of catchers in their early-mid thirties will be a calming effect. If the Royals had an up-and-coming catcher to complement their old men, it would be a much better situation. On the other hand, Mayne and DeFelice will have their hands full with the young pitchers, breaking in a new catcher might be too much to ask.

The outfield does look promising. Carlos Beltran patrols center. He's young, fast, and knows how to take a walk, attributes you look for in a center fielder. The good power (44 doubles, 29 homers) is just a very nice bonus. It's hard to find a good bat in center field, but hopefully the Royals can pencil in Beltran's name for the next decade. Raul Ibanez seems to have earned a starting position. The former bench player has put his game together and is now a part of the starting lineup. On a more stable team he would have never had the chance to showcase his game, on a rebuilding squad he's played his way into more starting time. Right field is a little cloudier. Mark Quinn and Michael Tucker need to figure out what happened to their careers. They'll both have the chance to show what they can do, but time is running out on their clocks.

You want a team to be strong up the middle. Beltran holds up his end of the bargain, and the catchers are strong in that they'll be able to help the pitchers with their experience, if not their bats. But the middle infield for the Royals is in a world of hurt. Shortstop is being manned by rookie Angel Berroa. He's young, and in this post-9/11 world we can take that at face value, rather than "Dominican young." He's got a strong arm, but is one of those players who has shown he can do the spectacular, but sometimes the routine gives him problems. He also hasn't figured out major league pitchers. Some of these problems may go away with more playing time, but right now he's a pretty big question mark. Carlos Febles plays second, but even at a young age seems ripe for replacement. This year might be very important for his career, determining if he will be the Royals second baseman of the future. Desi Relaford has been brought in as middle infield insurance, in case the Royals have to bench either Berroa of Febles for an extended period.

This brings us to the pitching... Paul Byrd led the team with 17 wins last year, and Jeff Suppan won 9 games. No other pitcher on the roster had more than four victories. Neither Byrd nor Suppan returns for 2003, so needless to say there are many fresh faces here. Runelvys Hernandez, a 25-year-old Dominican, might be the most advanced of the young staff. His 22-year-old countryman Miguel Asencio jumped from A-ball last season, but managed to surprise at the major league level. The third youngster of promise is Shawn Sedlacek, who tailed off at the end of last season.

With a pair of young Dominicans at the heart of the rotation, it is wonderful that Tony Pena is manager of the Royals. He's been managing Winterball for years, and it is about time that somebody gave him a chance. I think there will be a lot of Spanish-speaking ex-catchers in the managing ranks in the future, and Pena will be at the forefront.

So what's in the cards for the Royals? Lots of losses in the near future, but perhaps a solid rebuilding program which will bring them back to the glory they enjoyed in their past.