I'd like to start the new year on a positive-thinking note.

Many here have ridiculed the idea of Jason Kendall serving as a mentor for young catchers in the system, speaking of his "magical teleportation abilities" and the like. Cute enough - obviously, he can't mentor minor leaguers if he's catching in Kansas City. But what if we carry three catchers on the roster like we did all of last year? Surely Brayan Pena can use some veteran guidance, and Manny Pina (our pseudo-Pena) might benefit more from spending time with Kendall than with spending the year in Omaha.

If Wil Myers does well enough this season to end up in Northwest Arkansas by August, then the second year of Kendall's contract may see our best catching prospect in years benefiting from his presence.

So maybe the mentoring idea isn't so off the wall. Sure, he has no power (perhaps a strange segue for a team whose leaders in home runs for two of the last three years played behind the plate) but the Royals, even in the best of years, have never been a power team. Let's say that Dayton Moore learned his lesson from the Guillen, Olivo and Jacobs acquisitions, and won't overrate the importance of raw power anymore.