Leftridge: Checking in with the AL Champs

I haven’t been paying close attention to spring training. I attribute this to three things.

First, I might still be suffering from a World Series hangover. It seems like just yesterday I was having my heart ripped out and shat upon by a tall, burly man named Madison, and it seems this way probably because it was happening in almost-November. This extremely short turnaround time is a very foreign feeling to a Kansas City baseball fan, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing… just odd.

Second, this isn’t a spring bursting with intrigue. In seasons past, the three spots behind the first two starters were often a mystery; you typically had a couple of different position battles and the bullpen was an unchained tractor-trailer of disaster. (“WHO WILL BE OUR CLOSER? WILL IT BE ANDY SISCO OR AMBIORIX BURGOS? THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME!”) This year, things were pretty much solidified from the get-go.

Third, I have a seven-month-old. And when you have a seven-month-old, you kind of lose sight of frivolous things like “exhibition baseball” and “recreational reading” and “personal grooming habits.”

So if you’re like me, and you’ve been missing out on all of that hot, meaningless Arizona action, here’s a quick debrief:

Former Guy-Who-Was-Totally-Looking-Like-a-Bust Christian Colon is picking up right where he left off in the postseason, driving in seven runs in 22 at-bats. Unless something unusual happens, he’ll be the team’s utility guy. (And you might as well pencil him in as co-second baseman due to Omar Infante’s fragile, hummingbird-like body.)

Brett Eibner

2010 second-round pick Brett Eibner is having a tremendous spring. He’s got six extra base hits (including two dingers, sports fans!) in 19 AB. If he can stay healthy (not his strongest suit) and cut down on his strikeouts, it wouldn’t be inconceivable to see him in Kansas City at some point this season.

Mike Moustakas is having a decent spring if you’re wild about singles. (Maybe it’s a good thing, though. Last Spring, he tore the cover off the ball. It appeared that Moose was poised for a breakout before the realities of big league pitching disavowed us of such notions.)

Eric Hosmer is being late-2014 Eric Hosmer, which is nice.

New hire Alex Rios is hitting .300 with 3 HR and Kendrys Morales .316 with 2. (Morales is leading the team in plate appearances and has eight more than his closest teammate [Rios, actually], so that’s encouraging.)

Hey, Bubba Starling has four hits in 14 AB! That’s fun!

Oh, and Raul Mondesi is gonna be really good, you guys.

As for pitching, “SPRING TRAINING DON’T MATTER BECAUSE WE’RE ALL JUST WORKING ON A NEW CIRCLE-CHANGE, GUYS.”

Wade Davis, Greg Holland and Kelvin Herrera are ridiculous, of course.

Fourth-head-of-the-Three-Headed-Monster Luke Hochevar has had two encouraging appearances in his return from Tommy John surgery.

Jason Frasor appears poised to justify his new contract ; he’s struck out five in five innings of work and hasn’t yielded a run.

Recent pickup Franklin Morales also appears to be locking himself into a bullpen slot by striking out seven in seven and sporting a 1.29 ERA in the process.

And this is the part where I’d like to point out that HOLY SHIT, THIS BULLPEN IS GOING TO BE SO GOOD AGAIN.

The starting rotation is where things get a bit sketchier. And by “sketchier” I mean “the rotation looks like refried garbage so far this spring.” Jeremy Guthrie has an ERA north of 13, Yordano Ventura is weighing in at 10.29, Edinson Volquez is sitting at 9.72, and Jason Vargas is at 7.20. The only starter with an ERA under 5 is Danny Duffy. (Hey, 4.50 is under 5.)

John Lamb

Anyway, puke.

But hey, it’s only spring training. It doesn’t count. And the Royals won the American League pennant last year with four of these five starters. And if things stay shitty, maybe Brandon Finnegan swoops in from Omaha and saves the day. Or Chris Young can jump in the rotation. Kris Medlen should be ready by August, y’all! AND DON’T SLEEP ON JOHN LAMB!