2012 Looks Bright for the Royals

For the first time in years, I am not looking forward to the end of the season as a Kansas City Royals fan.  I am having a blast watching this young team grow and gain experience. I don’t seem to be the only one, either.

The 2011 baseball season has not even ended yet and the Kansas City Royals look like they are ready to leap right into the 2012 season without pause.  The Royals’ youth movement is in full swing, with no starting offensive player older than 27.  Four rookies man the infield, gaining valuable experience for the future.  The outfield is loaded with 27 year olds with several seasons of experience between them and have all had turn around seasons in 2011.  The Royals, at least offensively, appear eager to just skip past the off season and to get the next season going right way.

The pitching, of course, is not so anxious to jump into 2012.  The bullpen is as young as the offense.  Rookies have played key roles all year.  Joakim Soria, at 27 years old, is the old man in the pen, and he has had an up and down season, fighting his control most of the year.  The young cannons have had their issues as well, mainly with throwing strikes consistently.  At times, though, all of the youngsters have looked dominating and it is not hard to look at 2011 as year for growth and experience with the guys.  The future looks bright with these home grown arms.

The rotation, though, is ready for the winter break.  While some strides have been made, none of the pitchers featured in the 2011 rotation can be considered a number 1 or number 2 starter.  Luke Hochevar, Danny Duffy, and Felipe Paulino all have shown flashes here and there but have lacked consistency.  None look able to hold their won against the aces around the league.  Bruce Chen and Jeff Francis have done everything the Royals have asked but they cannot be in the rotation in 2012 if the Royals hope to take the next competitive step forward.  While the offense and bullpen seem poised for that next giant step forward, the rotation is holding them back.

General Manager Dayton Moore has to find away to bring an ace into the fold.  The free agent pool is very shallow and it would be extremely difficult, maybe impossible, to convince any of the worthy hurlers to come to Kansas City.  The starting pitching prospects down on the farm have proven unready for the big time, so that leaves a trade or two necessary to fix the problem.  Without breaking down the foundation he has built, Moore is going to have to figure out a way to swing a couple of deals to bring top notch pitching to Kansas City.  Moore has somewhat limited options.  Melky Cabrera could be a trading piece, although he has fit in nicely with the team with his play and age.  Joakim Soria could possibly be moved.  Greg Holland looks like he could close out games but Soria’s value is probably on the low side after his sub par season. 

That leaves the farm system.  Even though the Royals have plundered the top of the system, the talent is still considered deep.  Could Moore, would Moore, part with some of that talent if it meant he could bring a talented, top of the rotation arm to the team?  At this point, he needs to.  The Royals have shown great improvement and to make the playoffs, they have to win their division.  They have been competitive within the AL Central all year.  They are only a couple of good starting pitchers away from being a major force in the division.  If Moore has the opportunity, look for him to pull the trigger on a couple of big deals this winter.

2012 could be the brightest season in Kansas City in decades.  The future is bright with shining young talent.  They are so close.  Let’s hope this off season is as exciting as the youngsters on this team are and the Royals can finally make that leap to the next level.  Hopefully, they can make the fans excited in September for years to come on accomplishments, not promise.

(Note - it was just two months ago I wrote a post about how I was worried about 2012.  While I still have those worries about the starting rotation, the offense and bullpen have me very excited and more optimistic about 2012.)

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