Making predictions before the season starts is kind of a
worthless endeavor but as baseball fans, it sure is fun. We will quickly forget those predictions on
which we missed the target and humbly claim expertise on those which prove
correct. Hey, we all do it, so today,
I’m going to have some fun and throw my darts.
I will take a look at the Royals and make my predictions for their
season. This will give you a little idea what to look for in 2012.
CATCHER – The Royals will live with the Humberto Quintero/Brayan
Pena platoon for a couple of months. I
think the estimation of Salvador Perez’s return not being until late June is
conservative. I look for him to return
in late May or early June. Whichever
catcher maintains his roster spot when Perez returns may get a few games as Salvador
works himself back into the lineup but will see little action late in the
season.
1B – Eric Hosmer will be a star eventually. While I think he will make strides in that
direction, he won’t make it this season.
He will approach .300 and I expect about 22 Home Runs. His defense, which graded out poorly last
season, will be much improved this year.
Consider him a very good player who gains much needed experience in
2012.
2B – The Royals will finally realize that grit does not win baseball
games and finally get rid of Chris Getz.
This decision will be quickened by Johnny Giavotella, who again tears up
AAA pitching. Gio will make a return to
the Royals in late May and will hit around .260 with some pop. I am scared Getz will again fail and instead
of bringing up Giavotella, the Royals will make Yuniesky Betancourt the
everyday second baseman. Yuck!!!
3B – Mike “Moose” Moustakus will actually become an above
average 3-bagger. He will not hit for
the average Hosmer will but could actually develop more power. Moose will push his average up to around .275
and will push toward 25 HR. He won’t be
as consistent as Hosmer either, but will offer good power in 2012.
SS – Alcides Escobar will continue making watching defense
fun. This dude is spectacular. Hitting Coach Kevin Seitzer will continue to
mold Escobar into a solid line drive hitter.
.265 with 30 steals at the bottom of the order will spark the offense.
LF – Alex Gordon just inked a nice contract and will
continue to be a fan favorite. I look
for his average to drop toward the .280 range and for his home runs to peak
over the topside of 20. He will continue
to lead off and will prove his Gold Glove was no fluke.
CF – Lorenzo Cain will turn into a solid starting center
fielder this season. His speed and glove
will make us forget the Melk Man, even if his bat doesn’t match Melky’s
breakout 2011 season. Manager Ned Yost
loves to run, so Cain may steal 25 bases.
Fifteen dingers and a .275 average would satisfy me.
RF – Jeff Francoeur will settle into the player he was a
year ago. He will never be a star but 20
homers and 15 steals is pretty solid.
Frenchy seems to love working with Kevin Seitzer and has learned to
spray the ball, improving his average.
Frenchy will always take his hacks but is a little more under control
now. His incredible arm makes up for Francoeur
being a little over rated defensively but he is still above average in right.
DH – I think Billy Butler will become a star in 2012. Country Breakfast can flat out hit and he is
being driven by improved offensive players around him. Butler
will finally realize his power and turn some of those doubles into round
trippers. .300/28/110 is a realistic
line for Butler and I will stand by
that prediction.
The Bullpen – Joakim Soria is gone for the year (maybe for
good as the Royals will never pick up an $8 million option). Jonathan Broxton was named the closer last
night but he has yet to go in back-to-back games and has a history of injuries. I think Greg Holland may eventually take the
job and become very successful because he has the stuff and mentality to
succeed as the closer. Either way, they
are an impressive 1-2 punch late in the game.
A guy to watch is Kelvin Herrera.
This kid has eye popping stuff and will probably serve ass the 7th
inning guy. He will pile up strikeouts
as he toils in anonymity in KC. This
group is a strength and will continue to excel.
(*Note – In all
honesty, I wrote this yesterday and predicted Holland would be named closer and would not relinquish
the job. Technically, I am already 0 for
1.)
The Rotation – Better known as the “reason the Royals don’t
have a chance to win the AL Central”.
This being said, I do not think it will be as bad as people think. Luke Hochevar is on the brink of a breakout
season. Jonathan Sanchez is a K
machine. Danny Duffy will be
inconsistent but will take a giant step forward. Bruce Chen will be solid if not woefully
unspectacular but he won’t match his 2011 numbers. I have a hard time believing Luis Mendoza
will fool major league hitters on a regular basis (hope I’m wrong). The biggest wild card here will be what
happens when Felipe Paulino returns from the DL. My prediction is he will go to the bullpen
until Mendoza starts getting
pummeled and will again look good as a starter. As the season progresses, with its inevitable
injuries and poor performances, youngsters Mike Montgomery (if he can somehow
find a way to manage the strike zone) and Jake Odorizzi could make late season
appearances.
Overall – I think the AL Central is a weak division with one
elite team in the Tigers. The other four
teams are trying to rebuild to some extent.
I predict that the Royals’ young offense and slightly improved rotation
will be enough for Kansas City to
take second place in the division, edging out Cleveland and Chicago. Too much has to go right for KC to win more
than half their games but I am going to predict 80 wins for the Royals in
2012. With the emergence of Butler,
Hosmer, Gordon, and Moustakus, the Royals will be an offensive force but their
rotation will continue not to scare anyone.
Billy Butler is my pick for the Royal Player of the Year and
Luke Hochevar as the Pitcher of the Year.
There you go. After
the season is over, I will only recognize those predictions in which I was
somewhat close.
Check out other great small market baseball news at bigbrotherproject.com and get movie and TV reviews at jawsrecliner.com. Follow me on twitter @jawsrecliner
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