2010 In A Nutshell

Howdy, folks. It's great to be back. Truth be told, while interning for the 610 Sports Postgame Show last year, much of my Royals blogging time was spent updating the 610 Royals website Left of the Foul Pole with Gameday Previews, Diamond in the Rough (Minor League) reports, and more. I greatly enjoyed my time interning last year. I have subsequently accepted the offer to intern for the program/station again this year. Do call in during the season at (913) 576-7610. For away games, that person screening your calls could be me. I'm really eager to begin this year as I consider this an exciting opportunity. I hope to provide updates at TRT rather consistently, but inevitably most of my work will take place for the program. I'll keep you informed as to the specifics of these endeavors.

If I were in charge of this club, I would devise this Opening Day roster, complete with a batting order and other necessary roster moves not including outside acquisitions. This assumes that Spring Training performances mean zilch to nil (I essentially advocate this position) and no injuries occur between today and Opening Day. Realistically, Mike Aviles probably won't return to the parent club until May at the earliest.

Here it is.

vs. RHP:

1. David DeJesus, L (LF) (Our likely second wOBA guy this year. Probably a not-too-distant second from Butler in this regard.)
2. Alberto Callaspo, S (2B) (I always adhere to the policy of simply batting your best hitters at the top of the lineup. Callaspo fits in the top three.)
3. Billy Butler, R (1B) (Rather self-explanatory).
4. Rick Ankiel, L (RF) (Perhaps the most raw power on the club. I expect a Mike Jacobs-like season from him this year....I'm thinking .250/.310/.440).
5. Brayan Pena, S (DH) (Find a way to get his bat in the lineup.)
6. Alex Gordon, L (3B)
7. Mitch Maier, L (CF) (Bite the bullet with two consecutive lefties.)
8. Jason Kendall, R (C) (Defense a plus, bat a major minus, he's a necessity, though, with B. Pena in the DH slot.)
9. Chris Getz, L (SS) (The Insanity Wolf is likely an upgrade over Yu-Bet. So is Getz, of course).

Bench:

Wilson Betemit (IF)
Willie Ballgame (IF)
Josh Fields (CIF, COF)
Scott Podsednik (COF)

vs. LHP:

1. David DeJesus, L (LF)
2. Alberto Callaspo, S (2B)
3. Brayan Pena, S (DH)
4. Billy Butler, R (1B)
5. Alex Gordon, L (3B)
6. Josh Fields, R (RF) (
7. Mitch Maier, L (CF)
8. Jason Kendall, R (C)
9. Chris Getz, L (SS) (I know...bite the bullet until Mike Aviles is ready. Or you could place the Insanity Wolf in this spot)

Bench:

Wilson Betemit (IF)
Willie Ballgame (IF)
Rick Ankiel (OF)
Scott Podsednik (COF)

Starting Rotation:

1. Zack Greinke, R
2. Gil Meche, R
3. Brian Bannister, R
4. Luke Hochevar, R
5. Kyle Davies, R

Bullpen:

LR. Phil Humber, R
LR. Robinson Tejeda, R (he assumes the spot of the first starter who fails in his role. As far as I'm concerned, Davies is on a short leash. Hochevar is on a slightly longer leash.)
MR. Brad Thompson, R
MR. Kyle Farnsworth, R (sigh)
LHS(?). Edgar Osuna, L (For someone who has more time and motivation than myself...is he a truly a lefty-specialist candidate [assuming Hillman or a manager would use him in that role?])
SU. Juan Cruz, R ('09 was a fluke)
RA. Joakim Soria, R (RA standing for relief ace...abandon the "closers" spot altogether)

Ignore who has options remaining and release Jose Guillen. Send Yuniesky Betancourt to AAA and/or grant him his outright release. DFA Roman Colon.

Am I missing anyone?

On a side note, I would again like to invite all old Royals Nation posters back to this website. I handed the RN baton over to Ray Wachter from Royals on Radio, Etc. last year and to be frank I think that site has gone defunct. I really appreciated the active contributors on there as I made a lot of friends on that site. If you're interested in participating - somehow, someway - for this blog, let me know.