Kansas City Royals 2004 Season Preview

Don't expect to see this look on Tony Pena's face this season

The name of the Kansas City Royals' Cactus League facility says it all: Surprise Stadium. This was a team left for dead last season that made headlines across the country as the surprise story of 2003 as KC made a run at the playoffs and finished the season with a more than respectable 83-79 record, only seven games behind the Minnesota Twins. They have the most enthusiastic young coach in the American League in former catcher Tony Pena. And now General Manager Allard Baird has surrounded the Little Royals that Could with a few veterans that could push them over the top in baseball's weakest division.

If we start talking about the Royals, we have to begin with centerfielder Carlos Beltran, a player that Baird is currently happy that he didn't trade last season. Beltran's numbers led the team in almost every statistical category as he hit .307 with 26 dingers and 100 RBIs. But it's a few other stats that make Beltran a real danger in the revamped Royals' lineup: he stole 41 bases to go along with an OPS of .911 while striking out only 81 times. Combine all those numbers with the fact that Beltran is only 26 makes Kansas City imagine just how much impact he will have this year and in seasons to come. Some scouts believe that he'll improve on those stats too.

With a solid centerpiece in Beltran, the Royals' powerful lineup also includes first baseman/designated hitter Mike Sweeney (.293, 16, 83), who was limited to only 108 games last season. If he stays clear of injuries throughout the season, he can compete for the batting crown as he has for so many years. Third baseman Joe Randa (.293, 16, 72) had another season of consistency. And then there's 2003 Rookie of the Year Angel Berroa, a quick shortstop with quite a bit of pop in his bat, as he hit .273 with 17 home runs and 73 RBIs. With all those elements combined this year for a full season, the Royals see their young core beginning to mature.

After an extremely positive season in 2003, Baird made the offseason even better. They may have lost right fielder Raul Ibanez, who was signed by the Seattle Mariners, but they've made some great moves to replace him and improve the rest of the team. KC snared powerful right fielder Matt Stairs, who smacked 20 dingers with a surprising .950 OPS (better than Ibanez's .799) with the Pirates last season, for a paltry $1 million. With players' salaries coming down, the Royals played the waiting game to their advantage. Sure enough, they were able to sign former two-time American League MVP Juan Gonzalez to a one-year, $4.5 million contract, a discount for such a big name player. Though Gonzalez has missed a combined 152 games in the last two seasons, he showed promise before being shut down last year by driving 70 runs in just 82 games, with 24 homers. While Baird and the rest of the Royals' front office keep their fingers crossed at every game, they'll be watching a few other bargain-bin acquisitions play on a team full of potential. They also added Benito Santiago, who may have lost a step or two defensively at catcher because of his age (38). But with 401 at-bats last year, he drove in 56 runs, he's a nice addition to a lineup that needs a leader in the clubhouse, not necessarily in the stats column. Perennial utilityman Tony Graffanino could also be a great addition off the bench.

The only weakness on this club is in its starting rotation. While Kansas City pitchers may have run support this season, they'll still have to pitch better than last year's bunch. Darrell May was the only starter who finished above .500 last year, going 10-8 with a 3.77 ERA and a couple of complete games. May ate up innings too ­ 210, to be exact. With that in mind, Baird got back former Kansas City ace Kevin Appier who will add experience to a very young staff even though his numbers last year (8-9, 5.40 caused the Anaheim Angels to waive him in the middle of last season. Brian Anderson, acquired by the Royals last August, hasn't lived up to his potential, but showed flashes of brilliance as reflected by his 5-1 record with the team. At the back end are two young pitchers who will benefit from some veteran leadership, Jeremy Affeldt and Miguel Asencio. There's no clear ace on this squad which could be a problem come August and September when the pressure starts to mount on starters to carry teams to the playoffs.

If the starting pitching struggled last season, then the bullpen was just atrocious. With the worst bullpen ERA in the league (5.55), the Royals entered the offseason looking for a few spare parts to put together a decent group of relievers. Former Reds setup man Scott Sullivan will help the team get to incumbent closer Mike MacDougal who had a great start to the 2003 season with ten straight saves. He ended up with a respectable 27 saves, but the entire bullpen blew 28 of 64 chances last season, a number that Kansas City hopes will decrease this year with an entire season of work from former closer Curtis Leskanic, Jason Grimsley and D.J. Carrasco.

So is this Kansas City's year? In a division surrounded by teams that took major hits in the winter, KC fans should be excited at the prospect of this young team competing for its first division title since 1985. The only question lingering over the heads of the front office is Beltran's contract status: they avoided arbitration by signing him to a one year, $9 million deal and after this year, the small-market Royals may not be able to afford him. Other than that little speed bump that may come after this season, the Royals should be focused on a 162-game run that lands them in the playoffs. With improved pitching and a powerful lineup (barring massive injuries to some of the older players on the club), the postseason isn't a far-off notion. And this year, it won't be a surprise.