This is the time when we can talk ourselves into the rotation. There's a new pitching coach in Dave Eiland, who earned a ring as the pitching coach for the New York Yankees in 2009. A potential premier lefty starter in Jonathan Sanchez, sent over for Melky Cabrera in a trade made by the offense-starved San Francisco Giants. And a host of minor league talent that could kick-start the rotation in the same manner that returned the Detroit Tigers to division contenders the past several years.
As for catchers, Salvador Perez showed off his arm behind the plate and didn't miss many balls while he was batting, hitting .331 in 39 games last year. Bryan Pena is a solid backup, which gives the Royals the opportunity to discover what they have in prospect Manny Pina.
This is the first year in many that the competition for the rotation matters. We're not looking at whether Kyle Farnsworth or Sidney Ponson can anchor the bullpen and rotation, respectively. And Everett Teaford's pickup truck being stolen won't be the biggest news out of Surprise. We're also not talking about the depth of the Royals' farm system, so we don't have to see all of the flaws in the major league club. In 2012, we can finally focus on the present. The Royals' first game of spring training is on March 5 against the Texas Rangers.
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I would not crack on Kyle Farnsworth - he was 5-1 with a 2.18 ERA in 2011.
And I think the author missed the boat on the young catchers - Sallie Perez was always intended to be the future, and Manny Pina was always a sub-project in case Perez failed. Bryan Pena is a perfect backup catcher and team player - they should give him a 10 year contract to play and coach after he can't play anymore.
It is great that they are able to send high-priced outfielders like Cabrera and DeJesus to the west coast teams and get back good pitchers.
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