Kansas City Royals: Hoping for success
The Kansas City Royals had a disappointing 2011 Major League Baseball regular season, as they finished fourth in the American League Central Division with a win-loss record of 71-91. What the hurt the fans the most was the fact that the Royals ended the
regular season a full 24 games behind the mighty Detroit Tigers.
The Royals are a talented team capable of so much more than what they did during the last season. The team has immense potential when they come together. However, sitting in the AL Central Division finds the Royals against top tier teams like the Cleveland
Indians and Detroit Tigers. After their poor performance last season, changes were needed and the team set their sights on making serious improvements across the board during the offseason.
Kansas City was active during the offseason as they worked on different aspects of the team to fill any gaps and improve the overall balance of the team. The team wanted to bring in some talented veteran players that had the capacity to develop their respective
position in the team.
Jonathan Sanchez, the talented starting pitcher, was acquired from the San Francisco Giants to add some quality depth to the Royals’ rotation. Starter Bruce Chen was re-signed by the Royals, as Jonathan Broxton was brought in from the Los Angeles Dodgers
and Jose Mijares was added to help strengthen the bullpen. Another very important move by the Royals was signing Yuniesky Betancourt to fill the infield requirements.
At a glance, these offseason moves by the Royals look very good. This is a clear indication that the management is trying to improve the performance of the team by bringing in some high quality talent. Although big names and mega-contracts was not a part
of the Royals’ offseason, the moves they did manage to make will have a positive impact on the team.
As Spring Training is getting close, the Royals will be hoping that these new players will prove to be worth the effort. The team is desperate for a successful regular season and Spring Training will give the team the ideal opportunity to get some on-field
experience against some top tier teams in the League. The Royals progress during Spring Training will hopefully give the fans something to cheer about before the 2012 MLB regular season begins.
If the Royals want to compete against power-house teams like the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers, they will want to come together and work like a team. The club will want to go back to basics and work hard at maintaining a healthy roster. Many critics
feel that if the Royals can stay fit during the middle part of the season, they stand a good chance at having a successful regular season.
There is no doubt that the team has the talent and the dedication to win games. It just comes down to confidence and the ability to create some consistency in the team. If the Royals can get a decent start to their regular season, they can improve upon the
dismal record from last year. Sometimes, big name players are not needed and only the perfect balance between experience and youth is required.
The fans will be hoping that the Royals made all the right moves during the offseason and that they can get back on track by winning some more games in the 2012 MLB regular season.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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