A Great Spring, But...

I know. I know. Spring Training doesn't mean anything. But the Royals are 16-9-2, just a game and a half out of first in the Cactus League, and they've obviously found a way to score runs this spring. Mike Sweeney claims that the guys on this team are closer than in previous years. And apparently he's predicted that he's going to play 160 games this year since he considers himself to be in the best shape of his life. I don't see how he can make such a predication given his recent track record, but if he does stay healthy, the Royals will indeed score more runs this season.

I'm still concerned about our starting staff—especially in light of who our "ace" is. Scott Elarton has a 6.55 ERA in his five starts this spring. He's given up 39 hits in 22 innings. On what planet is that grounds for being an ace? Or even a number five guy? Runelvys Hernandez is out of shape and probably shouldn't even be our number five guy. Joe Mays—our number two guy—has a Jose Lima-like 7.45 ERA this spring. Jeremy Affeldt went from struggling to make the rotation to being our number three guy. And Denny Bautista is probably where he should be in the number four spot.

On Wednesday, we got into another slugfest—this time with Seattle, and the game ended in a 10-10 tie. Scott Elarton gave up 7 ER in 5 IP and in the process, he got taken deep three times. Graffanino, who started at first base, launched a grand slam and Berroa hit a three-run shot. I don't expect this to be the norm though. We've got to figure out a way to get guys out. We're never going to be able to compete over the long haul by out-slugging teams.

The Royals are off to Houston for the weekend where they will wrap up exhibition play before opening the season at home on Monday afternoon against Detroit.

McEwing Traded to Astros

Joe McEwing will apparently get a crack at playing at the major league level this season after all. The Royals traded him yesterday for a player to be named to the Astros who have been looking for a utility man. Royal Reflections wishes McEwing well in Houston.

Costa Wins Final OF Spot

I don't know what Aaron Guiel did or said that landed him in Royal purgatory (Omaha) for all eternity, but the Royals don't appear to be in a mood to show him any mercy. Last season, when we desperately needed a power hitting corner outfielder, Guiel hit 30 HR with 95 RBI in Omaha. This spring, Guiel camp into camp with the notion that he actually had a shot at making the roster.

Guiel hit .351 in 13 games this spring with 2 HR, 8 RBI, 10 BB and had a .479 OBP. When Ambres was designated for assignment, the battle for the fourth outfield position came down to Shane Costa and Guiel. Costa put up mediocre numbers this spring in 17 games (.286, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB and a .311 OBP), but nothing to make a person believe that he would actually win the spot. Then came the announcement yesterday that Costa did indeed win the job.

"We know Aaron can help this ballclub,” said Bell in an article in the Star this morning. "But Shane is a younger kid who we feel is ready to do something in the big leagues.

"Talent-wise, they might be the same player—but Shane is younger, and we want to get him going."

Okay. Costa is 24. Guiel is 33. But if Guiel never had a shot because of his age, why give him the illusion that he did?

McEwing: Odd Man Out

You've got to feel for Joe McEwing. He plays hard. He plays anywhere he's told—unlike a guy who plays for the Washington Nationals. And he's a guy who you can feel confident in when a starter goes down.

He hit .436 (17 for 39) in 21 games this spring and he still didn't make the team. The addition of Tony Graffanino to the roster did him in. The battle for the 25th spot came down to McEwing vs. Esteban German. And while we know what we are getting with McEwing, he's 33. German, full of promise and the dreaded "potential" word, is only 28. But it's hard to ignore what German has done this spring.

German is hitting .317, but he's also walked 12 times and stolen 8 bases while only striking out twice. That tells me that the guy has incredible patience at the plate, he knows where the strike zone is, and he forces pitchers to throw strikes—which he apparently has little trouble hitting. Once he's on base, he can obviously run. Eight stolen bases in just 22 games is impressive.

Imagine Bell looking down the bench to see who's available to pinch run at the end of a tight game—who would he rather see, McEwing or German? And if we need a guy to pinch hit in that same scenario, who would Bell rather see? McEwing's career OBP is just .303. German's OBP this spring is .473. McEwing has a great OBP this spring as well, but over the long haul, it hasn't been good enough. Maybe German's won't be good enough either, but it looks like he's going to nail down the final spot on the roster.

McEwing does have the option of being assigned to Omaha, which I hope that he accepts. I know that he wants to play at the major league level, and who can blame the guy? But he's one injury away from playing in KC and by the end of April he'd probably be back on the roster. Whatever he decides to do, I wish him well. I wish more guys played the game as hard as he does.

Royals Claim Andrade

The Royals also claimed 28 year-old relief pitcher Steve Andrade off the waiver wire today from the San Diego Padres. He pitched in Double-A for New Hampshire last season in which he was 3-2 with a 1.97 ERA and 3 saves in just over 50 innings of work. Bell sees Andrade as competing for one of the final bullpen positions with Leo Nunez, Steve Stemle, Luke Hudson, and Joel Peralta.

Andrade has bounced around from one organization to the next and has never seen major league action. He's mostly pitched in Double-A since being drafted in 2001 by the Angels. The exception was 2004 in which he pitched at the Triple-A level, going 0-1 with a 4.61 ERA in 12 appearances with the Salt Lake club.

Graffanino Back in Royal Blue

Tony Graffanino is a Royal again. The Royals plucked him off the waiver wire after the Red Sox placed him there. And how's this for irony? Chip Ambres, one of two players the Royals obtained from the Red Sox last July for Graffanino, was designated for assignment

I like having Tony in Royal blue again. He's a hard-working player who can handle the bat well and he's still a good fielder. But this pick up seems a little odd given where we were just a few months ago regarding the second base position. We traded for Esteban German and temporarily planned to start him at second. They we signed Mark Grudzielanek and deemed him the starter. Now we've signed Graf, with the idea of him playing a backup role (he played first, second, short, and third last year). Where does that leave German?

German has been logging time at third base this spring for the Royals and he's put up good numbers (.316, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 10 BB—which leads the team, and he's stolen 5 bases). He's 28. If he's not ready now—when will he be? Surely we won't keep him at third with our logjam there.

With Ambres temporarily out of the picture, the battle for the last outfield position comes down to Aaron Guiel and Shane Costa. Given the way that Guiel has played this spring, I think you've got to give him the job.

Hernandez to the DL

The Royals placed Runelvys Hernandez on the 15-day DL due to "stamina" issues.

"I'm just concerned about his stamina and durability. He needs to work on getting up his pitch count," Bell is quoted as saying in an article on MLB.com. "He hits 50 pitches and just kind of loses it."

How is it possible that a guy who makes a living as an athlete comes into camp so far out of shape that he can't even perform—let alone perform at a high level? For some reason, Bell is defending Hernandez by saying that it's a little unfair to say that Hernandez is going on the DL because he's overweight.

I guess he's just protecting his player and wants him to know that he believes in him, but it seems to me that somebody needs to be honest with Hernandez. Now the Royals have to shift their newly shaped rotation to accommodate a guy who didn't care enough about the team to get into shape.

Mays moves to the number two spot. Affeldt to the number three spot. And Bautista to the number four spot. The fifth spot is not necessary right due to all of the scheduled off days at the beginning of the season, but if Hernandez is able to actually throw more than 50 pitches in a game by mid-April, he'll take over the number five spot.

Royals Trounce Giants

For the fifteenth time this spring, the Royals score six or more runs in a game. They scored many more than six runs yesterday against the Giants. They trounced them 15-6 behind a decent outing by Affeldt (6.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 K, 2 BB).

Shane Costa was 2-for-3 and continues to impress. Mientkiewicz was 2-for-3 and somehow raised his average to .488. Berroa was 3-for-5 (and of course, he didn't walk in this game either). Aaron Guiel was 3-for-3 with 4 RBI and raised his average to .343. I don't know how we can possibly leave him off the Opening Day roster—especially given the way that Chip Ambres has struggled at the plate (.191 average). Mark Teahen was 2-for-4 which puts him at the .300 mark and I'm starting to feel much better about him now. If Alex Gordon keeps hitting the way he has been though, you have to wonder if Teahen's days in Royal blue are numbered. Backup catcher Paul Bako was 2-for-4, bringing his average to .417.

We have hitters who are playing way over their heads right now and consequently, we've won a lot of games this spring. But we've also given up too many runs and we can't compete in the slugfest department over the long haul.

Payroll Can Still Expand

According to an article in the KC Star yesterday, the 2006 opening day payroll for the Royals will be about $45.8 million—which is $4.2 million short of what Glass has said is available. According to the article, Glass is still making the $4.2 million available "to supplement its current roster." Perhaps that will make way for a trade in which we can take on salary if the need arises—and I'm guessing that it will.

Affeldt, Bautista Join Rotation

We finally found out who the number four and five guys are going to be in the rotation: Jeremy Affeldt (who has added a cutter to his repertoire for this season) is number four. Denny Bautista in number five. And mike Wood goes to long relief. I'm guessing he'll be the first to get a crack at the rotation when someone either goes down or struggles.

I'm encouraged by the fact that the Royals sent J.P. Howell to Omaha last week. He showed little ability last season to get major league hitters out, but that hasn't stopped the Royals from throwing guys like Jimmy Gobble and Zack Greinke to the wolves. Maybe we've finally learned a lesson. While Elarton, Redman, and Mays are probably not the answer, they may be the short term answer while our younger guys get experience in Omaha.

Bautista Shines

You've got to love competition. After Affeldt pitched lights out against the Mariners yesterday, Denny Bautista posted nearly identical numbers when he one-hit the Padres today for five innings in a game the Royals went on to win 7-0. I'm not crazy about the three walks Bautista issued, but it's hard to complain about his performance today.


Mike Wood, another contender for one of the two remaining spots in the rotation, goes against the Angels tomorrow. If he pitches well tomorrow, I hope Bell leaves him in the game for the third time through the line up—that's been his big problem the past couple of seasons when has been allowed to start. I'm anxious to see if he's improved his stuff enough to pull it off.

Emil Brown blasted a grand slam home run in the fifth inning to put the game out of reach. If his back is still tender, it must be feeling a little better. Doug Mientkiewicz picked up three more hits and he's now hitting a slow-pitch softball-like .487 for the spring. Angel Berroa had two more hits—and you guessed it, zero walks. The guy still hasn't walked yet this spring. Unbelievable.

David DeJesus is nursing a tight left hamstring and missed his second game in a row. Mike Sweeney is still out with an ankle bruise.

Affeldt Shuts Down the M's.

Jeremy Affeldt made a strong case yesterday for a spot in the rotation. He one-hit the Mariners for six innings, giving up one run, and walking one. All of a sudden, he's 2-1 with a 3.93 ERA. With Mike Wood still pitching extremely well, the battle for the last remaining spot appears to be between Affeldt and Bautista. Bautista goes against the Padres this afternoon and obviously, this is a huge outing for him.

With the 4-1 victory over Seattle yesterday, the Royals are 11-7 in Cactus League play—just a 1.5 games out from the first place Angels. I used to get pretty excited about good spring training win-loss records, but not so much any more. Yeah, the last time the Royals won the Cactus League Championship was 2003 and we all remember what happened that year. But with so many question marks in our rotation, I'm not all that sure that we are as good as our record indicates. I think we owe our spring success to guys who are putting up incredible offensive numbers:

• Joe McEwing is hitting .500 (16-for-32).
• Doug Mientkiewicz is hitting .457 (16-for-35) with 13 RBI.
• Paul Phillips is hitting .423 (11-for-26).
• Alex Gordon is hitting .407 (11-for-27).
• Angel Berroa is hitting .400 (12-for-30), with zero BB.
• Reggie Sanders is hitting .385 (10-for-26).
• Most of our other starters are at or over .300.

All-Star Game Comes to KC, Maybe

Talk about pressure. Bud Selig has agreed to give KC the All-Star game sometime between 2010 and 2014 if the sales tax referendum passes on April 4. Read more about it here.

Injuries, Injuries

The injury bug is biting early and often in Royals camp this season. Here are a few thoughts about them:

Mark Redman went down with a left knee injury in his first game this spring. He had arthroscopic surgery and it sounds like he is making great progress. This report says that he may be ready as soon as April 14. But even if he's ready, surely he'll need to throw some innings in Omaha or during extended camp in Arizona to get sharp.

Zack Greinke has an injury of sorts. He's dealing with emotional issues. The Royals have decided not to place him on the 60-day DL, which means that they expect him back before the end of May or early June. But, what sort of shape will he be in when he does return? Like Redman, Greinke is going to need some work in Omaha or Arizona before he's ready.

Mike Sweeney went down already with a deep ankle bruise, but he's expected to be back in the line up before the end of the week. So far his back is holding up, let's hope it continues to.

Mike MacDougal injured a muscle in his shoulder and is going to be out for six weeks. MacDougal rarely recovers quickly from injuries and I don't expect this one to be any different. Ambiorix Burgos will become the closer. Bell sounds like he's toying with the idea of giving Affeldt a shot at the back end of the bullpen, but so far, no decision has been made.

Reggie Sanders and Emil Brown are both nursing minor injuries and are expected back soon.

Soriano Caves

Alfonso Soriano with the Washington Nationals makes $10 million a year to play a game. You'd think that paying him that sort of money would give his manager the right to tell him what position he'll play, but Soriano doesn't think so.

A few days ago, Soriano refused to play left field when manager Frank Robinson told him to do so. Then he refused again the next day. That prompted Nationals' GM Jim Bowden to threaten Soriano with the disqualification list—which meant that Soriano wouldn't have been paid until he changed his mind. Bowden had apparently already started to consult with MLB to make sure he could move Soriano to the DQ list, but Soriano caved and agreed to play left field today.

If I were the Nationals' GM, I would still put Soriano on the DQ list. Refusing to play where his manager told him to is grounds for disqualification—and frankly, in my mind, I'd be looking to dump this headache somewhere else. I don't care how good Soriano is at the plate (and even that is debatable—he swings at everything and strikes out way too much), he doesn't deserve a spot on a major league roster.

I'm currently reading a book called The Last Nine Innings by Charles Euchner. In a chapter in which Euchner discusses "swinging styles," he said this: "Old-timers often disdain the uppercut. In its early days, baseball was a game of singles and doubles. Hall of Fame players like Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, and Nelson Fox mastered the art of getting their bat on the ball, punching the ball through infield holes and outfield gaps. In an era dominated by pitching and fielding—as well as a Puritan ethic of small, unpretentious contributions to a team's offense—batters learned to swing down on the ball."

Imagine that—a puritan work ethic that was more concerned with the success of the team than an individual's next contract. What I wouldn't give for a return to those days. Whatever happened to running ground balls out, or bunting runners over, or slapping a ball to the right side to advance a runner? None of those things are nearly as sexy, but so what?

I'd love to see baseball teams either cut guys like Soriano loose (which is difficult to do in MLB with guaranteed contracts) or DQ them for a long period of time. Insubordination doesn't work in the real world and it shouldn't in MLB either.