2011 Recap
The Royals finished fourth in the AL Central in 2011, posting a 71-91 record. Despite the struggles, the team saw the debuts of its two top prospects. Third basemen Mike Moustakas (.263 BA, 5 HR, 30 RBI) showed glimpses of why he was the #2 overall pick in the 2007 draft, and will likely show more power in 2012. First baseman Eric Hosmer was called up in May, and did not disappoint, amassing 19 HR and 78 RBI while hitting .293 in 128 games. At just 22 years old, Hosmer will likely reach more than a few All Star games before his career is up. The team also got solid production out of DH Billy Butler (.291, 19 HR, 95 RBI) and Jeff Francoeur (.285, 20 HR, 87 RBI and 22 SB), which saw the Royals finish fourth in the majors in batting average. The pitching staff struggled mightily in 2011, ranking 27th or worse in ERA, walks and opponents batting average. Jeff Francis struggled against American League hitters, posting a 4.82 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. Bruce Chen was surprisingly effective, going 12-8 with a 1.30 WHIP. While not an overpowering pitcher, Chen does a good job of pitching to contact, which explains why he walks less than 3 batters per nine innings.
New Arrivals
OF Jason Bourgeois
C Humberto Quintero
3B Kevin Kouzmanoff
SS Yunieski Betancourt
P Jose Mijares
P Jonathan Broxton
P Jonathan Sanchez
Jason Bourgeois doesn't have much in the way of power, but is a solid contact hitter with above average speed on the basepaths (46 SB in 192 career games), as well as in the field. Quintero has a fringe bat for the majors, but will be solid defensively behind starting catcher Brayan Pena. Kouzmanoff is a non-roster invitee that has solid to slightly above average power, and will likely see time backing up Mike Moustakas. Betancourt is a solid defensive middle infielder, and will likely see time at both shortstop and second base. While he won't produce much in stolen bases or average, he's shown decent power the past two seasons. Mijares is likely going to fill a left-handed specialist role he used to fill in the Twins' bullpen. Broxton will be among the candidates to take over the closer role for the injured Joakim Soria. Despite his struggles with both production and injuries, Broxton still has an overpowering fastball, as evidenced by his 503 strikeouts in 392 career innings. Sanchez has above average stuff for a starter, but will need to show better command (66 walks in 101.1 innings pitched last season) to see an improvement on his 4.26 career ERA.
Prospect to Watch: RP Kelvin Herrera and 2B Johnny Giavotella
Herrera absolutely dominated the minors in 2011 after moving to the bullpen, posting a 1.60 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and a .176 opponents batting average against. With Tommy John surgery knocking Joakim Soria out for the 2012 season, don't be surprised to see Herrera eventually see time as the closer, as he can touch the upper-90's with his fastball, and has allowed just 52 walks in 220 minor league innings, as well as a paltry .219 opponent batting average.
Giavotella was the Royals minor league player of the year in 2011, and had a solid spring training, which makes his demotion to Triple-A to start the season somewhat surprising. Chris Getz and Yunkieski Betancourt will split time at second, but its entirely likely that the Royals are looking to avoid having Giavotella become a "Super 2", which is fiscally smart, even if they sacrifice a little bit in the short-term.
2012 Outlook
The loss of closer Joakim Soria is no doubt a blow, but Jonathan Broxton has prior closing experience with the Dodgers, and could do a solid job of filling that void. For this team to approach .500, they'll need youngsters like third baseman Mike Moustakas and first baseman Eric Hosmer to continue to develop. The starting rotation is also of concern, as both Bruce Chen and Jonathan Sanchez have struggled this spring. If the team is to avoid the cellar of the AL Central, they'll need better performances out of the top of the rotation.
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