After an offseason of hearing nothing but how awesome the Kansas City Royals’ prospects and farm system are, it is hard not to be excited for what the future holds. Unfortunately, the future is at least one year away, which is going to make the 2011 season frustrating to say the least. Although there is a lot that the Royals faithful can get excited for this summer.
What fans can look forward to the most is seeing the prospects slowly coming up throughout the summer. With young pitchers Crow and Collins already announced to the opening day roster, Royals fans can literally see the future growing in front of them.
This will gives fans a reason to pack the K in July when Mike Moustakas comes to Kansas City for the first time, or in September when call-ups start, because the future will be playing right in front of us.
This season isn’t only about the future and prospects. We could possibly see some exciting baseball with the players currently on the 40-man roster. The players on the team now know that they are easily replaceable with the talent brewing in Omaha, so they should be playing with all they have this summer to try and save their jobs knowing that this could be one their last shots at the major league level.
Just like when players are in a contract year they turn their talents to another level, we could easily see that reaction with these players this season.
The fans can also hope for breakthrough or good years from players currently on the roster. Billy Butler should be able to stay at or improve his numbers this season, even without protection from anybody else in the lineup.
Soria might see a drop in save totals, but should stay right around where he has been in ERA and WHIP. Also, hopefully opening day starter Luke Hochavar can fulfill his potential and put up a solid season as the No. 1 starter.
Although I am a very optimistic fan of the team, this team is going to struggle to stay under 100 losses this year which is really rough for Royals fans. But it isn’t about this year, right?
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