Royals May Be Singing the Blues In ‘08. The cellar dwelling Kansas City Royals have revamped and returned for another season in 2008. For a team that seems to be in constant rebuilding mode, the Royals feel like their youth may actually be making progress and could lead them on a climb in the division standings. Highly touted third baseman Alex Gordon has a full season under his belt and the signing of outfielder Jose Guillen marks the standard one big contract that the Royals offer every off season.

Bats. At a glance, this lineup looks starving for a recognizable name. Mark Grudzielanek may be the most recognizable triple word score in scrabble name in the lineup, though his importance to the team lies in his veteran leadership rather than his ability to rake. It’s time to sympathize with Grudzielanek, a guy who has bounced around and has played for the likes of the Expos and the Dodgers in their darker days and is now expected to lead a Royals lineup that, sans Jose Guillen, has only a few years more experience collectively in the Majors than Grudzielanek has racked up. Guillen will be stationed out in right field, taking over the veteran role that guys like Michael Tucker and Reggie Sanders used to fill. When Guillen isn’t calling Mike Scioscia a piece of garbage that should go to hell, he’s a pretty damn good player. And even though there are reports that Guillen “allegedly” used performance enhancing drugs in the past, a fresh start in Kansas City where he wont have to fight a coach or players for playing time will undoubtedly be good for the underrated slugger. Despite having the American League’s worst fielding percentage for an outfielder, Guillen belted 23 bombs last year and drove in 99 runs. Read the rest of this entry »