The Baseball Prospectus list of Top 10 Royals Talents 25 and Under (born 4/1/86 or later):
1. Eric Hosmer, 1B
2. Mike Moustakas, 3B
3. Billy Butler, DH
4. Wil Myers, OF
5. Bubba Starling, OF
6. Alcides Escobar, SS
7. Salvador Perez, C
8. Danny Duffy, LHP
9. Jake Odorizzi, RHP
10. Aaron Crow, RHP

That's likely the best such list in the majors. 7 of those guys are already in the majors, and Myers should be in the majors some time this year. There's other 25-and-under guys like Johnny Giavotella (opening-day 2B), Vin Mazzaro (back-of-rotation), or Lorenzo Cain (potential CF), who aren't great, but they're cheap, young, and should hold down a roster spot as they improve. Guys who look 'meh' in MLB debuts at 23 often look like average players soon enough.

Plus, they recently signed a guy named Bryan Brickhouse, which is right up there with Jean Batman and Jetsy Extrano in the Best Minor League Name Prospects.

The Royals don't have the pitching to go far this year, but it looks like a fun team to watch.

chimp_ninja: The Royals don't have the pitching to go far this year, but it looks like a fun team to watch.

Plus, AL East fans can get a preview of who will be on the Yankees and Red Sox in a few years.

jayhawk88: They tarted up The K maybe just a little over the good taste line with the refurb, but overall it's still one of the better baseball experiences in the league I think.

/I heard Eric Hosmer eats a whole gazelle every morning for breakfast

The wife and I will buy a couple of extra cheap tickets for $7 or whatever, never find our seats, and just wander around and drink beer, usually ending up at the outfield bar by the third or fourth inning. It's enjoyable. Sometimes you even get to see a halfway decent game.

I'd still rather hit up a soccer game though. Livestrong Park is just awesome.

What KC needs is pitching. May I suggest.. oh.. AJ Burnett? Straight up for Hosmer.. heck, the Yankees will probably even pay most of AJ's salary.

/AJ vetoed a trade with the Angels for Abreu, and a trade with the Indians for Haffner fell apart
//he'll end up on the Pirates for a tub of Dubble Bubble and a photo of Sid Bream

The best reason I can think of? Royal Bleu Dogs. We made some of those hot dogs after reading about them; they are scary good.

/Yanks fan

Blue Jays fan here and wow I like this link. Reminds me a lot of why I like my team.

Mentat: When I was a kid, the first and third baseline seats were general admission.

I remember that, too. Tickets were like $7. I grew up on the other side of the state, so going to a Cardinals game was always a dramatic process, what with booking tickets months in advance to make sure you could stay out of the nosebleeds and the lines to get into the stadium (especially at Old Busch). But I was staying with friends in KC one weekend, and they just asked me, want to go to a ball game? We just drove out there, paid our $7, and walked in to find seats. Took nothing. I was amazed.

/saw Nolan Ryan pitch that night for the Rangers, near the end of his career
//CSB, I know.

The Bestest: /AJ vetoed a trade with the Angels for Abreu, and a trade with the Indians for Haffner fell apart
//he'll end up on the Pirates for a tub of Dubble Bubble and a photo of Sid Bream

I liked the idea of trading for Hafner. He mashes righties, so you could platoon him at DH with Andruw Jones or whoever. You have Tex, so you never need Hafner to play his special brand of pants-on-head 1B defense.

Hafner is way overpaid to be a platoon DH (due $13M in 2012), but if you're trading Burnett (due $16.5M), you wouldn't have to send much cash to Cleveland, since you're taking Hafner's lead-weight contract off their hands.

Plus, Hafner is the type of guy that rich teams should chase-- his ceiling is very high. You can always find someone on the wire for a couple million to hit .250/.350/.450 or so, and if all you have is a couple million, that's the safe call. Hafner, on the other hand, might break his wrist signing his contract, in which case you're paying for both Hafner and the random schlub.

Last year you barely heard of Hafner, but he hit .302/.404/.482 vs. righties when he wasn't hurt, which is pretty typical for his career splits. (He hit .233/.259/.379 vs. LHP.) When he's healthy, he's one of the best DHs in the AL when a righty starts. If he gets hurt, the Yankees can easily afford to pick up someone mediocre to control the bleeding.

Yanks_RSJ: chimp_ninja: The Royals don't have the pitching to go far this year, but it looks like a fun team to watch.

Plus, AL East fans can get a preview of who will be on the Yankees and Red Sox in a few years.

People said this about the Rays, but so far it's mostly netted them... Carl Crawford's body double. At least the Cubs got Carlos Pena and Matt Garza.

Do they still have the waterfall at the stadium? I know they did renovations to the ballpark a few years ago and didn't know if they kept it.

11. Joe Posnanski
12. Rany Jazayerli
13. Rob Neyer
14. Bill James (historically)

Officially, I'm a Braves fan. But when it comes to the AL, I have a soft spot for the Royals. Would be nice to see them do well through the regular season and take a run at the playoffs. They have a great farm system, just keep the talent around long enough for them to help the team.

Is the IHOP still near the stadium?

FreakinB: jayhawk88: They tarted up The K maybe just a little over the good taste line with the refurb, but overall it's still one of the better baseball experiences in the league I think

I have 3 friends who have been to all 30 stadiums and loved KC. They went before the renovations and I think they're planning on going back.

/they go for a weekend whenever a new one opens
//may go to Miami with them this year

We traveled to KC for my friend's bachelor party last summer, about 35 of us in a charter bus. We took in a game at the K... had the George Brett Suite.

Beautiful stadium, and they really went out of their way to make sure our experience was a great one.

FTFA - "...the soothing hum of I-70 beyond center field."

It must be pretty quiet there to be able to hear traffic noise. Just sayin'.

Richard Sauce: The best reason I can think of? Royal Bleu Dogs. We made some of those hot dogs after reading about them; they are scary good.

/Yanks fan

I looked those up after your post. I'm going to have to try some at home.

The Bestest: //he'll end up on the Pirates for a tub of Dubble Bubble and a photo of Sid Bream

Once again, fark predicts life.

It's funny because they have no chance and probably never will, regardless of how much hall of fame talent is in the pipeline.

"15. August being hotter than two rats farking in a wool sock."

I don't understand all the hype for Hosmer. From what I saw last year he was an average 1st baseman. A sub 800 OPS is not good for a first baseman.

006andahalf: Once again, fark predicts life.

Looks like the Yankees are getting Diego Moreno (A/AA RP) and Exicardo Cayones (rookie/A OF) in return, and are paying $20M of the $33 left on AJ's contract. Sheesh, just how bad did they want rid of him?

..also, Hideki Okajima failed his physical

The Royals are still a team? I watch a lot of ESPN and sometimes it seems like you can go an entire year without hearing about them.

Just kidding, go small market teams!

/Reds 2012

FreakinB: R Kelly's Doo Doo Butter: I don't understand all the hype for Hosmer. From what I saw last year he was an average 1st baseman. A sub 800 OPS is not good for a first baseman.

The guy just turned 22 and OPS+'d 118. And you have to assume that he's going to get better.

/.799 isn't that much lower than .800

I just don't like the guy because he has one of the shiattiest beards I've ever seen.

Used to live in OP, always loved getting free tickets from work and taking a carload of friends to the K. Get liquored up in the parking lot and go in around the 5th inning in time to watch the Royals bullpen choke away the game. Stay for the fireworks. Even get plastered enough to start dancing and get on the JumboTron.

So yeah, drinking heavily and being a Royals fan go hand in hand.

theurge14: Used to live in OP, always loved getting free tickets from work and taking a carload of friends to the K. Get liquored up in the parking lot and go in around the 5th inning in time to watch the Royals bullpen choke away the game. Stay for the fireworks. Even get plastered enough to start dancing and get on the JumboTron.

So yeah, drinking heavily and being a Royals fan go hand in hand begets heavy drinking.

FTFY

/can relate
//Rangers fan
///not so much lately, tho

R Kelly's Doo Doo Butter: I don't understand all the hype for Hosmer. From what I saw last year he was an average 1st baseman. A sub 800 OPS is not good for a first baseman.

For a 21-year old rookie 1B? Let's use B-Ref and look for the closest matches, historically:

Eric Hosmer, age 21 rookie season: .293/.334/.465, 34 BB and 82 K in 563 PA.
Eddie Murray, age 21 rookie season: .283/.333/.470, 48 BB and 104 K in 666 PA.
Greg Luzinski, age 21 first full season: .281/.332/.453, 42 BB and 114 K in 611 PA.

There's lots of other good rookie comparisons here (John Olerud, .265/.364/.430; Will Clark at 22: .287/.343/.444) as well.

It's pretty rare that a Musial or Griffey or A-Rod comes along and starts destroying MLB pitching by that age. If you're starting in the majors at age 21 and you aren't a handicap to your team, you're very likely to have a bright future.

Royals fans LOL!

I'm a twins fan and I feel bad for you guys

R Kelly's Doo Doo Butter: I don't understand all the hype for Hosmer. From what I saw last year he was an average 1st baseman. A sub 800 OPS is not good for a first baseman.

The most important stat for players under 25 is the birthdate.

Yanks_RSJ: Plus, AL East fans can get a preview of who will be on the Yankees and Red Sox in a few years.

yes we will!

Yanks_RSJ: chimp_ninja: The Royals don't have the pitching to go far this year, but it looks like a fun team to watch.

Plus, AL East fans can get a preview of who will be on the Yankees and Red Sox in a few years.

This should really be part of the Royals recruitment by now. "Play for us, and in a few years you can have a chance at a ring!"

ReverendLoki: Yanks_RSJ: chimp_ninja: The Royals don't have the pitching to go far this year, but it looks like a fun team to watch.

Plus, AL East fans can get a preview of who will be on the Yankees and Red Sox in a few years.

This should really be part of the Royals recruitment by now. "Play for us, and in a few years you can have a chance at a ring!"

When Michael Pineda was traded to the Yankees, he made a comment along the lines of "I never thought I'd be playing for the Yankees so soon."

I hope that f**ker's arm falls off.

Super Chronic: ReverendLoki: Yanks_RSJ: chimp_ninja: The Royals don't have the pitching to go far this year, but it looks like a fun team to watch.

Plus, AL East fans can get a preview of who will be on the Yankees and Red Sox in a few years.

This should really be part of the Royals recruitment by now. "Play for us, and in a few years you can have a chance at a ring!"

When Michael Pineda was traded to the Yankees, he made a comment along the lines of "I never thought I'd be playing for the Yankees so soon."

I hope that f**ker's arm falls off.

No need to worry about that. He's a right handed fly ball pitcher (36.3% GB) in Yankee Stadium. The real question is will he self-destruct like Phil Hughes (32.0% GB) or just give up an extra .3 HR per game like Freddy Garcia (36.4% GB). That short porch and wind tunnel stays in effect when the visitors bat unlike the AC at the Trop.

Either way, he's getting shelled at home this year. He could give up 30HR and strike out 200, lead the league in both categories.

scandalrag: That short porch and wind tunnel stays in effect when the visitors bat unlike the AC at the Trop.

This is not something I've heard of... go on...

fark I hate February. Baseball needs to get here. Can't wait for some spring training games.

Oddly enough, I thought of that pic of Brett while I was at work today. That's from August of 1980 when he hit a double to put his average over .400. Of all the moments in my life I'll remember till I die, Brett probably figures into ten of them.

The Royals, on the other hand, have one beautiful championship to forever cherish, a seven-game classic in 1985 won fairly and squarely without any controversy whatsoever.

farking Denkinger.

4. Our future is bright:

I'm assuming that's a joke, too. Because for the past decade-plus, the Royals have always had some good up-and-coming talent, but some of them underperform. The ones who do wind up living up to expectations end up as trade bait for their perennial youth movement.

wait. It is considered appropriate to put feather dusters on your baby's forehead in Kansas City?

Super Chronic: scandalrag: That short porch and wind tunnel stays in effect when the visitors bat unlike the AC at the Trop.

This is not something I've heard of... go on...

Jonah Keri mentions it in his book "The Extra 2 %". The Rays bloggers talk about it here as well, but conveniently leave off Keri's point that the turn the fans down when the Rays are batting.
Link (new window)

If the fans of the Royals feel safe about their team not being the worst in the AL now, just wait until the Astros join next year.

$10 to park, $9 for tickets, and this was two years ago. my now fiance and i went to a ton of games out there.

our router name is screw missouri, but that is for a different reason...

George Brett man... George F'ing Brett.... If it weren't for the lame hot-tub commercials he would be the all-time greatest player of all time in my book.....

Ah, who am I kidding, I was born in 72 and raised in OP. He is and always will be the best of all tim to me, in spite of the commercials.