Spring Training, 2011.

Regardless of how bad the Royals are assumed to be, spring training is always a time that inspires Royals fans to appreciate the prospects. It's the fans thing, to follow these kids and check out the pitching. The Royals have a lot of it, and some of it is so good it may push other pitching to be better.

The Rotation, these guys are locks.

Kyle Davies:

Kyle set career marks in starts (32) innings (183.2) losses (12)  and a bunch of other bad things. The interesting thing about Davies though is that at times he showed some flashes of being very durable and dominant. If Davies can work through the middle innings more efficiently, he can become a solid innings eater for the Royals. The defense in 2011 has to be considered, on paper at least to look better than 2010. That should help reduce baserunners.

Luke Hochevar:

Luke, use the force man. Luke continued to fight the injury bugaboo in 2010, a season in which everyone hoped he could "get it going" and become a core member of the rotation. I really am not sure what I think of Hochevar to this point, but if he can remain healthy for 28+ starts, maybe we can get a look at what Luke really is.

Vin Mazzaro:

Vin is going to get a long look, and has the most intrigue for me. The A's are known for their insane ability to produce quality pitchers, and Mazzaro has pretty good stuff. His numbers last season, while he was 24 years old, improved nicely from his debut season. Mazzaro pitched pretty well, when he pitched, and the Royals are going to see what they have. I like this kid, I hope he continues to pitch with confidence. Mazzaro has a good build and looks like a possible innings eater, hopefully a PLUS version of Davies.

Jeff Francis:

Another guy I am looking forward to seeing. Francis, if healthy, provides the Royals with a solid lefty. His body of work is somewhat vanilla, but he's been better more than he's been bad in career. He has a good reputation, and perhaps out of Coors will help give Jeff the confidence to rebound from injury. Francis could be a good, at the price.