Play (Spring) Ball!

The Royals kicked off the 2013 spring season today. Here we go Royals fans. The optimists among us look to this day as the day the streak of non-playoff seasons ends. Maybe! I have concerns. The Moose, Hosmer, Frenchy,Cain, Second base concerns. Cain is ALREADY hurt. Come on! You can't complain about injuries. Cain has to be good for the team to be successful. He already is missing batting practice. Good thing I'm still an optimist. Dyson in center? Well, maybe next year the streak will end! Center field is just one question. Frenchy in right field is scary. He was beyond bad last season. He is back because of the most ridiculous contract. That's two thirds of the outfield. Alex will be Alex. That will help. Moose is going to be the third baseman. Hoz is going to be the first baseman. 232 and 242. Wow. Just because they have a full year experience doesn't mean they are ready. They were completely awful last year. They are young and they must improve. Not much to base it on, but I would love to see 282-292 next year at this time. Moose had 20 homers. That is a good thing. Hoz was just so pathetic last year. I refuse to look at stolen bases as an important stat for him. He needs to get his stroke back. George Brett explained his struggles away in an interview. The guy didn't hit in bad luck ALL year. Come on, George. He was undisciplined at the plate. He was undisciplined in the field. I hate the olay bullshit he does. He has potential, but he scares me. If he continues like he did last year this team isn't very good. Think about it. Cain is hurt. Frenchy sucks. Moose is below average. Hoz is below Moose. That is a nightmare. The team won't win 60 games unless these guys produce. Cain needs to be 280/15/70 with great defense. Moose needs to be 282/22/78. Hoz needs to achieve 292/18/83. Frenchy needs to be on another team. Good guy, I'm sure. Not the right fielder on a contending team. I'd rather see Lough out there. Spring will determine the starter at second. I predict Getz will win the job over Johnny G. Chris will get hurt and Elliot Johnson will be the every day starting second baseman. Not a good prediction. I wanted Johnny G to be awesome. He isn't. Getz can steal bases, but he isn't a complete hitter. Johnson seems like a complement to Falu in the utility role. Not that my concerns are out there, lets see what I believe are locks in the lineup. Butler. He will hit 300/30/110. He is good. Alex is Alex. That is more than good enough for left field. Escobar will hit 295/15/65. Alcides will be an All Star. He is becoming a complete shortstop. Hard to imagine many better in the AL. Perez is going to be the best catcher in baseball soon. Love the character of Sal and Alcides. They will both be all stars multiple times. Maybe this year will be the first for both. The whole offense can't be those 4 guys. Three of guys that are question marks have to meet or exceed the predictions on this page. If that happens the team has a shot at 500. I won't mention the pitching staff because I will do that next Friday! The Royals and Rangers played to a tie today. A tie, really? There's no tying in baseball!!!!