| Welcome to part 1 of my thirty-part “I Can’t Wait for Baseball” preview! In the coming weeks, I’ll be featuring each MLB team individually and highlighting their off season moves and speculating on their 2006 chances. The teams will be featured in ascending order according to their 2005 standings.  Kansas City Royals
2005 Record: .346 (56-106), last place in AL Central and MLB 2004 Record: .358 (58-104) Who’s Out: Pitchers Jonah Bayliss, Jose Lima, and Chris Demaria; Matt Diaz (OF) Who’s New: Reggie Sanders (RF), Doug Mientkiewicz (1B), Mark Grudzielanek (2B); Esteban German (IF); Pitchers Elmer Dressens, Joe Mays, Bobby Madritsch, and Scott Elarton. Notes: Last year, Royals starters had a combined ERA of 6.00, the worst in club history. The good news with numbers like that is that there is nowhere to go but up, and while new additions like Mays and Madritsch aren’t necessarily capable of single-handedly turning the team around, the Royals’ pitching is better off this year. The Royals’ infield has also improved, and they have good depth with benchmen like Matt Stairs, who can play both first base and outfield and hit .275 last year, and speedy infielder Esteban German. They also have a new uniform for 2006, so if all else fails on the field the fans can gander at the fashion…
Stay tuned for part 2, where I'll feature the Colorado RockiesLabels: 2006 team profiles |
Add to RSS
