KC Royals - Offseason

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End-of-season rush should key better 2012

KANSAS CITY -- When it comes to 2012, Royals fans need to look at September 2011. Things got pretty exciting. The team was five games above .500 at 15-10, best month of the season, and average attendance jumped to more than 26,000.

Kansas Citians, looking ahead to the coming All-Star Game season, were getting pretty pumped. Can they expect a leap into first place by manager Ned Yost's team? Well, whoa. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.

"We're not going to put limitations on our team, we're going to put the best team on the field that we can but we won 71 games last year," general manager Dayton Moore said.

"So you can do the math. We're under .500 and it's hard to make predictions about what your team is going to do until you at least play over .500. I'll let Ned and those guys set the tone of how we're going to win games and what have you. We're just going to focus on giving them the best talent we can give them, and let him blend it together and let those guys go out and compete."

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40 Man Roster Review - Alcides Escobar

The Shortstop Jesus.

I hung that moniker on our new shortstop early last season, after witnessing a series of spectacular defensive plays. It was a sight to behold. Especially after watching Yuniesky Betancourt play the position the previous few seasons. Not unlike rubbing battery acid into one’s eyes.

The thinking went, Escobar’s glove was saving the Royals runs aplenty. Thus, he was our long sought after middle infield savior.

An assortment of defensive metrics back this assumption. He finished third in the AL and seventh overall among all shortstop in the Fielding Bible’s +/- rating with a +12. He was third in the AL (and third overall) in UZR and was fourth in the AL in UZR/150. He was involved in 98 double plays last year, fourth most in the AL. He led the AL with 459 assists.

Some interesting info in this one.

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Butler to be honored with Hutch Award

Royals slugger Billy Butler will be honored with the 47th annual Hutch Award, recognizing the player who best exemplifies the honor, courage and dedication of former Major League player and manager Fred Hutchinson.

The award, given annually at an offseason luncheon in Hutchinson's hometown of Seattle, will be presented Feb. 1 at Safeco Field. Proceeds from the event will benefit early cancer detection research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. will be the keynote speaker at the Hutch Award luncheon.

It's a piece of national recognition for Butler, who has become one of the more respected hitters in the American League since his arrival in the big leagues in 2007. This past season, he overcame a slow start with a solid second half to finish with a .291 average along with 44 doubles, 19 home runs and a career-best 95 RBIs.

Giavotella expects to be 100% by spring

KANSAS CITY -- Second baseman Johnny Giavotella will be arriving for the Royals Awards Luncheon on Wednesday with some good news about his surgically-repaired right hip.

"I'll definitely be 100 percent by Spring Training," he said.

At least that's his forecast after getting a thumbs up recently from Dr. Marc Philippon, who performed the surgery to fix a slight labrum tear on Oct. 20 at Vail, Colo.

"It's feeling well, it's progressing every day. I'm starting to run, hit and throw, so everything is going as planned. I look forward to getting back on the field," Giavotella said. "I went back to the doctor about two weeks ago and he said everything has healed as far as the labrum and the bone. The main part of the rehab right now is getting more strength in the muscles around the surgical area and getting more flexibility."

Giavotella has been undergoing rehabilitation work at the Royals' complex in Surprise, Ariz. He'll travel to Kansas City for Wednesday's noon luncheon at the Overland Park (Kan.) Convention Center, where he'll receive the George Brett Award as the organization's top Minor League hitter of 2011. His .338 average, with 153 hits and 72 RBIs, earned him a promotion to the Royals on Aug. 5.

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Royals Report Card 2011: Part Four.

We continue to wait and hope for the price tag on either Edwin Jackson or Roy Oswalt to drop, Dutch auction-style, until Dayton Moore puts up his hand. In the meantime, let’s move on to the DHs (i.e. Billy Butler) and the first half of the outfield corps:

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40 Man Roster Review - Lorenzo Cain

When the Royals traded Melky Cabrera to the Giants in November, all eyes shifted towards Lorenzo Cain who was acquired as part of the Zack Greinke trade with the Milwaukee Brewers last season. After spending 7 years in the minors, it’s finally time for Lorenzo Cain to get his shot to prove he belongs in the big leagues.

In his 7 years, he’s produced a line of .295/.368/.430 and the last two seasons split between Double-A and Triple-A have been his best since he was in Rookie ball. Since he was acquired from the Brewers there has been a steady drum-beat to get him into a Royals uniform and see if he can be the center-fielder that the Royals are in need of. That beat slowed a bit as Melky Cabrera surprised everyone last season by

1. Not being cherubesque in appearnce

2. Producing at the plate

However, Cabrera still wasn’t a good defender in center field. He was passable, especially with the way he handled the bat, but any drop-off in offensive production could not be carried by his poor range. While I’d like to think that the Royals moved Melky Cabrera because the market for him was at it’s apex, it’s more likely that he was dealt because he wasn’t the defensive wizard that the team expects “up the middle”.

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40 Man Roster Review - Louis Coleman

Louis Coleman was drafted twice before landing with the Royals in the fifth round of the 2009 draft. He was selected by the Braves in 2005 in the 28th round (a Dayton Moore connection that is often overlooked) but turned down a contract to play for LSU. He was then picked by the Nationals in the 14th round in 2008, but decided to stick in Baton Rouge for his senior year. I’d say that decision paid off as he was on the mound for the final out of LSU’s National Championship (a swinging strikeout) and improved his draft status.

Throwing four years in college, sped up his minor league timetable, and Coleman was one of 12 Royals to make his major league debut last summer, and he didn’t waste much time. He opened the 2011 season in Triple-A, but after dominating hitters – striking out 16 of the 30 batters he faced in his first six games – Coleman earned his call-up to KC.

Once in Kansas City, Coleman had himself a fine – if perhaps unappreciated – rookie season. He inherited 39 runners last year, but allowed only five to come around to score. While it may not have been readily obvious, Ned Yost quickly decided he could trust his young reliever. His average leverage index was around 1.23, which was the fourth highest on the team.

Basically, in 2011, Coleman was the best reliever on the team that wasn’t named Greg Holland.

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Former Royals greats share optimism for 2012

KANSAS CITY -- Three former Kansas City stars got into the spirit of optimism about the 2012 season at the Royals Awards Luncheon on Wednesday.

"I don't think it's a secret that it's been a tough 10 or 15 years here in this organization," Hall of Famer George Brett said. "I think the Glass family figured out how to do it. They opened up their checkbook, they hired a great man in Dayton Moore to be the architect to bring in the new wave, and some of the players they've signed have been pretty impressive.

"I know a lot of my friends kind of quit going to baseball games and they're going back to baseball games now. When I see them, that's what they want to talk about. They don't want to talk about the Chiefs or KU or K-State or MU. They want to talk about the 2012 season."

40 Man Roster Review - Aaron Crow

Who is Aaron Crow? Who should Aaron Crow be?
It is possible that Crow really is the pitcher who was a top ten pick in 2008, went unsigned, and then was the Royals’ pick in 2009 at number twelve overall. The guy who had top of the rotation potential and was projected to assume that role sooner rather than later.

It is also possible that Aaron Crow is a back of the bullpen power arm. The guy we saw in the first half of 2011 who dominated in high leverage situations and earned a berth on the All-Star team. A future closer with two dynamic plus pitches.

Of course, Aaron Crow could also be the player who was dismal enough in 2010 to be demoted from AA to A ball. A pitcher who struggled to throw strikes and failed to get enough outs when he did. It is possible he could be a two pitch starter who cannot master a third pitch.

What we do know about Aaron Crow is that he was an exciting and dominant setup man from April through July for the Royals. For the season, he struck out more than one batter per inning, gave up less than one hit per inning, walked a few too many (4.50 batters/9) and uncorked 9 wild pitches. We also know that Crow nursed an injury for much of the latter half of the season and was used far less frequently, throwing 650 pitches before the All-Star Break and just 357 afterwards. His average fastball velocity gradually decreased as the season wore:

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Royals agree to Minor League deal with Kouzmanoff

The Royals have reached an agreement with third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff on a Minor League contract and an invitation to Major League camp.

According to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, Kouzmanoff will earn a base salary of $1 million if he makes the big league roster and incentives could increase the value of his deal to as much as $1.3 million. There is also a provision in the contract that allows for Kouzmanoff to request a release if he's still in the Minors on May 1.

Apparently insurance in case Moose has a horrid spring.

Royals agree to one-year contract with Pena

KANSAS CITY -- The Royals and catcher Brayan Pena agreed to a one-year contract for 2012 on Monday, avoiding salary arbitration.
The deal was for $875,000. Pena earned $660,000 in 2011 when he batted .248 in 72 games, including 57 starts.

Pena, who turned 30 on Jan. 7, is expected to be a backup catcher this season to Salvador Perez, who emerged as the regular when called up last August. Pena, though, will get competition from Manny Pina.

Sharing the catching early last season with Matt Treanor, Pena made needed improvements in his defense in manager Ned Yost's assessment. He threw out 36 percent of would-be basestealers (27-for-75) and pitchers had a 4.49 ERA when he was catching.

I'd expect him to back up Perez. Having a switch-hitter on the bench will be nice for KC.

Getz, Royals reach terms on one-year contract

KANSAS CITY -- Infielder Chris Getz and the Royals agreed to a one-year contract on Monday. He became the club's second player to avoid salary arbitration.

Getz will receive $967,500 in 2012, a sizable increase from the $443,000 he earned last season. Catcher Brayan Pena came to terms earlier in the day.

As the Royals' regular second baseman most of last year -- he made 97 starts at that spot -- Getz finished with a .255 average in 118 games. His 97 hits included just nine for extra bases and he had 26 RBIs along with 21 stolen bases in 28 tries.

This doesn't excite me at all. He has very little value

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Opening Day Roster Prediction (Guess?)

With the date for pitchers and catchers reporting fast approaching, I thought it’d be fun to take a look at the Royals Opening Day roster as it is taking shape right before our very eyes. We all have some hopes that we might be looking at one more starting pitcher before the start of the season and that is a possibility, but the beauty of doing an Opening Day roster prediction on January 16 is if you’re wrong, people are generally a little slower to tell you you were wrong. That’s probably because they’ve forgotten the article is written by the time Opening Day comes around. It’s a trick of the blogging trade that I’m happy to share with you today.

I see the Royals going with a roster construction that is going to upset many people and that is 13 pitchers and 12 position players. I’m pretty young, but even I remember a time when teams went with 10 pitchers and 15 position players. Then I remember when everyone pretty universally switched to 11 and 14 and then recently 12 and 13 became the norm. Teams don’t typically keep more pitchers than position players, but with the specialization of pitching, I don’t think anybody would be too terribly surprised if that became the usual roster construction around baseball. If that’s the case, I have to say that I’d be a huge advocate of adding a 26th player to the roster so there can at least be four bench players in the American League and five in the National League. The Royals are actually a team pretty well equipped to handle just three bench players since most of the team is very young and, thus, less likely to suffer from injuries. That’s not to say young players don’t get hurt, but we don’t have a situation like with Reggie Sanders where he could barely play three days in a row. Of course, with a roster like that, the three players need to be versatile and that’s where the Royals will be lacking in 2012. Let’s get to it.

40 Man Roster Review - Jonathan Broxton

So when Clark, Nick and I were binge drinking divvying up the 40-man roster assignments, I drew Jonathan Broxton. That’s great. Because I pretty much already put the keyboard to the internet and laid down my thoughts.

Some highlights…

– From 2005 to 2009, Broxton was one of the dominant relievers in the National League. First as a set up man, then as the closer for the Dodgers. In those four-plus years (he made only 14 appearances in 2005), Broxton had a 2.92 ERA with a 420 strikeouts in 317 innings.

Yeah… Dominant.

– In 2010, he was off to the best start of his career with a 0.83 ERA and a 13.2 SO/9 through June 26. Let’s go to the Royals Authority archives for the rest of the story…

40 Man Roster Review - Billy Butler

Billy Butler weighs more than he should.

Billy Butler does not run very fast. In fact, he does not run well at all.

In the past three seasons, Butler has hit into 68 double plays.

Billy Butler is a poor fielding first baseman and, at the age of just twenty-five was relegated to full time designated hitter.

For a designated hitter, Billy Butler does not hit with enough power. Thirty-three players in the American League hit more home runs than Butler did in 2011.
But then…

Billy Butler has played in 476 games the last three years. Over that time, Billy has piled up 546 hits and smoked 140 doubles on his way to a line of .303/.370/.474. He has walked 193 times and, for those traditionalists out there, driven in 90 or more runs in two of the last three seasons.

For all his faults, the one undeniable truth is that Billy Butler can hit a baseball. Coincidentally, that happens to be what designated hitters get paid to do. In 2011, the Royals designated hitters (which is almost completely Butler) ranked third in the A.L. in slugging, second in on-base percentage, third in average and first in doubles. If Billy Butler did everything exactly as he has for the past three years, but average 26 home runs per season instead of 18, there would be a sizable reduction in the amount of chatter regarding Billy Butler and what he can’t do or doesn’t do well enough.

40 Man Roster Review - Everett Teaford

Everett Teaford is a guy that in the past would have been penciled into the starting rotation while I hoped that he could harness his potential and help win games. Of course the past is a nightmare in baseball terms and it’s starting to look like there is hope on the horizon. In the 2012 version of the Royals Everett Teaford, who had a solid minor league career as a starting pitcher comes in as just another bullpen arm.

I’m not going to dismiss Teaford or his talents though. He was one of the most effective relief pitchers on the team in 2011. His 1.136 WHIP was only surpassed by Greg Holland while his 2.9 B/9 was matched by Holland and surpassed by Joakim Soria. His 5.7 k/9 rate was pretty pedestrian compared to the rest of the pen, but he countered that with a lowwer H/9 rate. On another team he may be considered a potential setup man. On this roster filled with bullpen arms, he’s just another guy.

Teaford brings more than a bullpen arm to the table, however. He has started 99 games in the minors and could be leaned on to start games for the Royals if he’s needed. While having a top flight #1 and #2 starter can propel a team, having depth is the next best thing. In a 162 game season, pitchers will get hurt, they will start to lose their tough and they will need to be replaced.

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Royals Report Card 2011: Part Five.

Finishing up the hitters with the second half of my outfielder review:

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Royals agree with quartet: Gordon unsigned

KANSAS CITY -- The Royals made it a clean sweep of the three pitchers eligible for salary arbitration, reaching agreements on Tuesday with right-handers Luke Hochevar and Felipe Paulino and left-hander Jonathan Sanchez.

According to Major League sources, Sanchez got the biggest of the one-year contracts at $5.6 million, with a chance for $200,000 additional in performance bonuses. Obtained in a trade for center fielder Melky Cabrera, Sanchez made $4.8 million last year for the San Francisco Giants.

Hochevar's deal was for $3.51 million, up from the $1.76 million he earned last year. Paulino got $1.9 million after receiving $790,000 in 2011.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Royals also reached an agreement with outfielder Mitch Maier for $865,000, up from $459,000 last season.
That left only outfielder Alex Gordon unsigned of the seven arbitration-eligible Royals because catcher Brayan Pena and infielder Chris Getz reached deals on Monday. There has been speculation that Gordon and the Royals have been discussing a multi-year contract.

Hochevar ready to help Royals build off 2011

KANSAS CITY -- Luke Hochevar sounds ready to go, ready for the season to start. Or at least ready for Spring Training to launch.

The Royals' 6-foot-5 right-hander is currently working out at Knoxville, Tenn., taking an occasional swim at the University of Tennessee -- where he was an All-America pitcher -- and having optimistic thoughts about the 2012 season. He'll be checking in at the Surprise, Ariz., training camp around Feb. 12, arriving just ahead of new pitching coach Dave Eiland and manager Ned Yost.

"We crank up the 14th," Hochevar said.

Nothing official -- the first pitchers-catchers workout is set for Feb. 21 -- but Eiland will be introducing himself to early arrivals and Yost will be laying the groundwork for the season. It's Yost who is credited by Hochevar for what he viewed as good chemistry on last year's young team.

"It seemed like everybody we called up just stepped in and did their job," Hochevar said. "But more than that, I just think it was the way that we clicked in the clubhouse and the way everybody gets along and everybody's pulling for the same thing, which is winning. First and foremost on everybody's mind is winning the division, and that's what it takes, is everybody being on the same side. I think that's the biggest thing we have going for us; obviously we have great talent but what pumps me up the most is how everybody is dialed into the same type of thinking and ultimately the same goal."

Let's Make A Deal

With the arbitration filing deadline just past, it seems like a great time to take stock of where the Royals are this winter with contract commitments for the upcoming season.



That’s 14 players for a total outlay of just north of $46 million. The Royals will fill out their roster with 10 players who will make close to the major league minimum. Yeah, Hosmer’s awesome, but like everyone else, he has to put in his service time before he can get paid. The minimum salary in 2012 will be $480,000. To keep things nice and tidy, let’s just assume Hosmer, Moustakas, Duffy, et al will make $500k apiece. That adds another $5 million to the payroll, pushing the total to almost $52 million.

Wait!

That list is missing Alex Gordon. After the year he had, A1 is due a tidy raise. Because the Royals and Gordon didn’t come to an agreement on a contract before noon, central time on Tuesday, his agent Casey Close and the team exchanged one-year contract figures. Reports are Gordon asked for $5.45 million and the Royals offered $4.15 million. It’s a big gap, but this is just another step on the road to arbitration. Also, it’s worth remembering that since Dayton Moore took over as the General Manager, no Royals player has gone to see the judge. Moore doesn’t want to present a case before an arbiter. It’s an unpleasant process, so it’s understandable the GM who preaches clubhouse chemistry does his level best to avoid the messiness of arbitration.

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40 Man Roster Review - Johnny Giavotella

Giavotella was never a standout prospect. In their annual rankings, Baseball America runs down a list of players who have the best “tools.” Gio never made this list. Last year, he was the Royals number 18 prospect, sandwiched between Sal Perez and Louis Coleman.

“An offensive second baseman, Giovatella has proven he can turn on just about any fastball. He has a very good awareness of the strike zone, and his ability to draw walks is enhanced by his pronounced crouch in his stance.”

Kevin Goldstein at Baseball Prospectus was a bit more bullish, ranking him at number nine.

“More and more scouts are sold on Giavotella’s pure hitting ability, with one saying, “He just squares everything up… velo, breaking balls… he hits everything.” He has a patient approach and a very short, quick swing with surprising strength that projects for 10-15 home runs annually.”

It’s interesting that both reports mentioned his plate discipline as a strength. Because we didn’t see that once he joined the Royals. After walking about nine percent of the time throughout his minor league career, Gio posted a 3.2% walk rate. Disturbing. Also after striking out about 10% of the time in the minors, he whiffed at a rate just above 17%. Not good.

(Of course all the proceeding major league numbers come with a ginormous caveat: SMALL SAMPLE SIZE. We’re dealing with less than 200 major league plate appearances. And his first 200 plate appearances at that. As we all know – cough – Mike Moustakas – cough – some players go through a stage where they need a little time to adjust to the better pitching. Take all of this with a grain of salt.)

So having said that, Gio whiffed a total of 32 times. From the Bill James Baseball IQ, here is a heat map illustrating where that third strike was in the zone.

9 (7 actually) Innings: Interview with an Anonymous Director of Professional Scouting

To avoid possible Major League Baseball rules violations as well as allowing for confidentiality, interviewee will be referred to simply as ‘Director of Pro Scouting’ Apologies in advance as his time was cut short due to other obligations- think of it as the rain shortened edition of 9 Innings…

This actually was somewhat interesting. Always nice to see what someone outside of the organization sees.

The Defensive Spectrum and Salvador Perez

In spite of not making his big league debut until August, Salvador Perez became very popular among Royals fans and with good reason. He started his career by picking off two runners in his first game and then in 158 plate appearances, he hit .331/.361/.473 and doing it basically by hitting the **** out of the ball (pardon my French) with a line drive percentage of 29.2. That’s an insane percentage. We talked about it in my look at the players who will probably regress. But still, he quickly made himself a fan favorite when you combine his outstanding start to his big league career with his infectious smile. A conversation I had with a co-worker the other day started me thinking about what kind of line would be acceptable for Perez in 2012. Obviously, we’d take what he did last year, but I think that’s pretty unrealistic.

That brings me to the part about the defensive spectrum. This may be a review for those of you who are familiar with it, but I think it’s important to talk about it before we go any further. In the early 1980s, Bill James began taking a look at the importance defensively of each position on the field. He wanted to see which was easier to play and thus which positions needed to hit more in order to have a greater influence on the game. What he came with was this order from least important to most important:

First Base
Left Field
Right Field
Third Base
Center Field
Second Base
Shortstop
Catcher

What the above means is two things. The first is that a player should theoretically be able to move from bottom to top pretty easily. Moving from catcher to pretty much anywhere until third base is probably pretty unlikely, though, so that part is open to some interpretation. The other is what I said previously. Catchers don’t need to hit as well as shortstops who don’t need to hit as well as second basemen and so on. That’s why guys like Troy Tulowitzki who put up a 133 OPS+ as a shortstop is considered a superstar while a guy like Billy Butler is considered a very good hitter only. Tulowitzki puts up his numbers while playing one of the toughest positions on the diamond while Butler is a designated hitter and sometimes a first baseman.

[SubGod22]

40 Man Roster Review - Joakim Soria

We all know that 2011 was not a vintage Joakim Soria campaign. He blew seven saves, one more than in the two previous seasons combined. Soria surrendered two runs or more in seven different outings in 2011: again one more than in the two previous seasons combined. Strikeouts were down, walks were up and home runs (1.04/9) were dramatically higher than at any time in his career. To be fair, a home run rate that was nearly double his previous career average means that Soria gave up two more home runs than in 2008 or 2009, so let’s not read just a whole lot into that number.

In a season that spawned high hopes for many players and saw several maligned acquisitions come through as only Dayton Moore could have imagined, Soria was one of the few dark clouds (which is kind of a funny thing to say when discussing a team that lost 90+ games…again). The Royals’ closer’s issues were discussed by our own Craig Brown and by Jeff Zimmerman just a few weeks ago.

Truth is, Joakim Soria had a very similar year to 2011 back in 2008. Then, however, aided by an unsustainable .207 BABIP, Soria saved 42 games and sported a 1.60 ERA (against a 3.62 xFIP). Fast forward to 2011, change the BABIP to .312 and you have the worst season of Joakim’s career. Again, though, his xFIP was actually lower than in 2008 (3.38). With a little luck and a couple less home runs and Royals fans might not have had discussion after discussion regarding their closer.

A Zen-like state of paranoia

“What the hell is going on with you?” – A statement from me to myself.

The Kansas City Royals are budding contenders, right? I’ve been writing those words in articles and saying them aloud to friends for almost a year now. It has become second nature for me to just start rattling on about how Eric Hosmer is going to be a star and the bullpen is one of the best in baseball and they can overcome a mediocre pitching staff and blah blah blah. I can say it and convince others, but I don’t believe I’ve convinced myself.

I should be stoked for the upcoming 2012 season for all the reasons you are aware of. This should be a good team, this should be a fun team. But I can’t get excited. I’ve thus far been unable to embrace what might come. Which prompts the statement at the top of the post.

I’ve been a die-hard Royals fan since birth. I’ve lived through the 90′s and the 2000′s and the 2010′s and always retained a sense of optimism. I’ve always been the guy that people could come to and ask “Why should I like the Royals this year?”. Surprisingly, I’ve always had answers:

Please Remain Calm

Don’t panic! It’s going to be OK.
Here’s some kind of late breaking, instant analysis of what Prince Fielder signing with Detroit means for the Royals… You’ll feel better after you read this. Guaranteed, or your money back.

Delusional Defense
Miguel Cabrera isn’t a good defensive first baseman. Once upon a time, he played third and some in the outfield. Kind of difficult to imagine these days. With that kind of versatility, you’d think he was decent with the leather. Not so. He’s been pretty much awful at whatever defensive position he’s played. First base was his best spot if only because you can hide a poor glove there. Now, he moves to third – a position he hasn’t played regularly since 2007.

Now you have Fielder, who is a worse defender than Cabrera at first. Less agile and slower, it’s not surprising that he landed in the AL because he has “Future DH” stamped on his mitt. It’s surprising that a team signed him to weaken two positions in the process.

And the Tigers also have Jhonny Peralta at short. The only shortstop worse than Peralta would be Yuni.
Last year, Detroit was around the middle of the pack in Defensive Effiency. They are now an absolute lock to finish in the bottom five.

[XManCometh]

ROYALS INVITE 16 TO MAJOR LEAGUE SPRING TRAINING

KANSAS CITY, MO (January 25, 2012) — The Kansas City Royals announced today that the club has invited 16 players to Major League Spring Training in Surprise, Ariz. The Royals have invited seven pitchers, three catchers, three infielders and three outfielders.

Pitchers (7):

Francisley Bueno, 30, made 15 starts last season for Monterrey in the Mexican Summer League. Born in Havana, Cuba, the left-hander now resides in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and was signed by Kansas City as a minor league free agent on November 17, 2011.

23-year-old left-handed pitcher Chris Dwyer will participate in his second Major League spring training. The Royals fourth round pick in 2009 out of Clemson University was 8-10 with a 5.60 ERA in 27 starts for Northwest Arkansas (AA) in 2011, finishing third in the Texas League with 126 strikeouts.

Tommy Hottovy, 30, will make his first appearance in Major League spring training for his hometown Royals after inking a minor league deal on November 18, 2011. Born and raised in Kansas City and a graduate of Park Hill South High School and Wichita State University, the left-hander received his first big league call with the Red Sox in 2011, making eight relief appearances.

29-year-old right-hander Zach Miner makes his second straight appearance in Royals Major League camp, although he did not pitch last spring due to rehab from Tommy John surgery. Signed as a minor league free agent on January 3, 2011, Miner was 25-20 with a 4.24 ERA in 157 games (35 starts) for the Tigers from 2006-2009.

Recently rated as the top prospect in the Royals organization by Baseball America, Mike Montgomery, 22, will make his second consecutive appearance in Major League spring training. Montgomery was 5-11 with a 5.32 ERA in 28 games (27 starts) with Omaha last season. The 6-foot-4 left-hander was the Royals supplemental first round selection (36th overall) in 2008.

21-year-old right-hander Jake Odorizzi joins Royals Major League camp for the first time in his second season in the organization. Odorizzi was acquired with shortstop Alcides Escobar, outfielder Lorenzo Cain and pitcher Jeremy Jeffress from the Milwaukee Brewers for pitcher Zack Greinke and infielder Yuniesky Betancourt on December 19, 2010. Born and raised in Illinois, he made 27 combined starts during the 2011 season between Wilmington (A Advanced) and Northwest Arkansas, and was named the Wilmington Pitcher of the Year.

Will Smith, 22, will join Major League spring training for the third straight year, the second with the Royals after the club acquired him from the Los Angeles Angels along with pitcher Sean O’Sullivan for infielder Alberto Callaspo on July 22, 2010. Smith, the 2011 Northwest Arkansas Pitcher of the Year, led the Texas League with 13 wins and 161.1 innings pitched.

Catchers (3):

Cody Clark, 30, enters his sixth season in the Royals organization after playing in 2011 with Omaha (AAA). The resident of Conway, Ark., signed with Kansas City as a minor league free agent on October 26, 2006.

27-year-old Max Ramirez joins the Kansas City system after signing as a minor league free agent on December 14, 2011. The resident of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, has appeared in the Majors with the Texas Rangers in 2008 and 2010.

Julio Rodriguez, 22, was acquired by the Royals with left-handed pitcher Antonio Cruz from the Detroit Tigers for infielder Wilson Betemit on July 20, 2011. The Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic resident was a minor league All-Star in 2008, 2010 and 2011 and named the Dominican Tigers Player of the Year in 2008.

Infielders (3):

Tony Abreu, 27, is a switch-hitting infielder who has batted .251 in 146 career Major League games with the Dodgers (2007, 2009) and Diamondbacks (2010). The Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic resident signed with the Royals as a minor league free agent on December 1, 2011.

28-year-old switch-hitter Irving Falu batted .301 in 111 games for Omaha (AAA) last season. The Carolina, Puerto Rico resident was selected by the Royals in the 21st round in 2003.

Kevin Kouzmanoff, 30, signed with the Royals as a minor league free agent on January 18, 2012. The six-year Major League veteran from Evergreen, Colo., is a career .255 hitter with 137 doubles, 85 home runs and 261 RBI in 672 games for the Indians (2006), Padres (2007-09), A’s (2010-11) and Rockies (2011).

Outfielders (3):

Greg Golson, 26, joins the Kansas City organization as a minor league free agent, signing on December 13, 2011. A native of Austin, Texas, Golson has seen time in the Majors with the Phillies (2008), Rangers (2009) and Yankees (2010-11).

22-year-old outfielder Wil Myers will be a part of Major League spring training for the first time in his career. The converted catcher and Royals third-round pick in 2009 followed up his 2011 season at Northwest Arkansas with a tremendous campaign in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .360 while finishing in the top three in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS.

Paulo Orlando, 26, was invited to his first big league camp. The right-handed hitting outfielder played at both Omaha and Northwest Arkansas in 2011. Acquired by Kansas City from the Chicago White Sox on August 9, 2008 in exchange for pitcher Horacio Ramirez, Orlando is attempting to become the first player born in Brazil to make it to the Major Leagues.

Pitchers and catchers will report to Surprise on Monday, February 20. Workouts for pitchers begin the following afternoon, Tuesday, February 21. The remainder of the squad will report on Friday, February 24 and begin workouts for the 2012 campaign on Saturday afternoon, February 25.

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White joins independent league in KC

KANSAS CITY -- Frank White, out as a Royals broadcaster this winter, is joining Kansas City's independent league team as a coach.

The Kansas City T-Bones announced on Wednesday that White has been hired as a coach for the 2012 season. White was dropped as the Royals' television analyst after last season.

"I'm going to act as a bench coach, a first-base coach. And in seven years as a big league coach, I coached outfield play, so I'll do that as well as the infield and also baserunning," White said. "Wherever Tim Doherty, the manager, wants my help that's where I'll be."

The T-Bones this season will be part of the 14-team American Association, a revamped independent league.
"I'm real excited about it," White said. "It'll give me a chance to still be visible in the community, and I feel the schedule will give me time to work on some other opportunities in the city also."

White, a member of the Royals Hall of Fame after 18 years as their Gold Glove-winning second baseman, plans to take part in the Royals Alumni Fantasy Camp at their complex in Surprise, Ariz., next week.

"I had agreed to go. I'm loyal. When I make a commitment, I stick with it," White said.