5 Kansas City Royals

ENEMY LINES

A RIVAL SCOUT SIZES UP THE ROYALS

All the excitement will come in the second half, when the kids start coming up. Until then, it's going to be ugly. . . . In the outfield Alex Gordon has been a huge disappointment. At this point he's more of a platoon player who has to learn to use the whole field. He isn't a fiery guy who seems willing to do much extra work. . . . Melky Cabrera looked great in spring training, the best I've ever seen him. He's driving the ball from both sides. A nice piece to have, but realistically, he should be a fourth outfielder. . . . Jeff Francoeur has not looked good in camp. His swing has gotten long, and he's not catching up to a lot of velocity. He should be a fourth outfielder at this point too. . . . They're just waiting for the kids, and those guys are as good as advertised. Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer are going to be special. I'm bigger on Hosmer—there are questions about Moustakas defensively at third base. He's big and thick and doesn't have good range. Hosmer can play at first, and at the plate he uses the whole field and he's going to grow into more power. He's ready right now. . . . Jeff Francis is still building up his arm strength. He has a way to go. He's a back-of-the-rotation guy whose stuff isn't like it was when he came over from Colorado. . . . Luke Hochevar is a good No. 3, maybe a No. 2, but there's not a whole lot of deception to worry about. His stuff tends to get a little flat. . . . Joakim Soria is one of the best closers in baseball. There's no fear. His cutter can be as unhittable as Mariano Rivera's.

THE LINEUP

WITH 2010 STATISTICS

MANAGER NED YOST

2ND SEASON WITH ROYALS

[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]

[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]

NEW ACQUISITION