March 3, 2009

Royals camp tour: Greinke, K.C. hopeful after going through thick, thin

By Danny Knobler | CBSSports.com Senior Writer
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SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Royals say they've been through a lot with Zack Greinke, and they're right.

But he sure has been through a lot with them, too.

Greinke's first year in the big leagues, the Royals lost 104 games. They cut the payroll that winter to the point where it was 29th among the 30 teams, and came back and lost 106.

They went through managers, they went through philosophies and they went through coaches. They had some stars, but it was only a matter of time before those stars would be traded away.

Greinke had his own issues, but so did his team. And it's probably safe to say that he understood their issues before they could understand his.

The Royals would ask Greinke to go on their winter caravan to promote the team, and he would say no.

Sleeper ... Kyle Davies: Digging deep on this one. Davies won't get any attention in mixed leagues. In fact, he probably won't get much even in AL-only leagues. But the 25-year-old former top prospect in the Braves organization gave some subtle indications he might have turned the corner last year. Check out his September, when he went 4-1 with a 2.27 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 6.8 strikeout rate and .198 batting average against. Obviously, one five-start period doesn't tell the whole story, but since that five-start period came at the end of the season, we have no way of knowing if it's a momentary blip or part of a gradual rise. Given his pedigree, he had done nothing but underperform up to this point, so it could very well prove the latter. Draft him late in AL-only leagues and keep an eye on him. Bust ... Mike Jacobs: It's not so much that Jacobs can't equal the 32 home runs and 93 RBI he accumulated last year. It's that he might not get the chance. Oh sure, the Royals love him now. A proven middle-of-the-order hitter at a price they can afford, he seems like a slam dunk to remain in their lineup. But proven doesn't always mean better, and considering the Royals also have late bloomer Ryan Shealy on the bench and statistical marvel Kila Ka'aihue in the minors, Jacobs might have no choice but to fade into the background. He still has some Fantasy appeal, obviously, but think twice about taking him as your corner infielder. Breakout ... Billy Butler: You might wonder what happened to Butler's power last year, but it did improve when he came back from a minor-league stint in late June, slugging .444 the rest of the way. Still not impressed? Well, just you wait, because this 22-year-old's first-round pedigree and minor-league numbers suggest he'll become a perennial All-Star in the future. And his stunningly low strikeout rate for a power hitter at his stage of development suggests that future will come sooner rather than later. It's a late-round pick. You want to use it on Aaron Rowand instead? -- Scott White Top Royals Prospects ('09 destination) 1. Kila Ka'aihue, 1B, Triple-A 2. Michael Moustakas, 3B, Class A 3. Daniel Cortes, RHP, Triple-A 4. Carlos Rosa, RHP, Triple-A 5. Eric Hosmer, 1B, Class A

Royals Fantasy outlook | '09 Draft Prep

"I told them I'd never do it," the 25-year-old right-hander said one day this spring. "Mainly before, it was because I hated being around people, so there was no way you could make me do it."

But there was another reason, too.

"Three years ago, even if I didn't have the problem with the people, there was no way I'm wasting my time when we're not going to try," Greinke said. "Or not put a real team on the field. I'm not going to promote something like that. I'm just not going to promote it."

So when you hear that Greinke agreed to go on the Royals caravan earlier this year, you have to understand what it says about him, and what it says about the organization.

The "problem with the people" thing, which led to his leaving spring training in 2006 and missing a good part of the season, is under control now. The problem with the Royals thing, he believes, is under control, too.

It's not just the four-year, $38 million contract the Royals gave Greinke in January.

Everyone else around the Royals points to that signing as the team's biggest moment of the offseason, perhaps the biggest moment in many seasons. It was obviously a big moment for Greinke, who just two years ago was making $407,000.

But when Greinke talks about what he likes about the new Royals, he doesn't talk about himself, or about his contract. He talks about players like 2008 first-round draft pick Eric Hosmer, and about the commitment the team showed by giving Hosmer a $6 million signing bonus.

"[Owner] David Glass has really done a terrific job over the last two years compared to what it was before," he said. "Draft picks, everything. It's not just for show for the big-league team. It's developing an organization.

"Most times when people say this I don't believe it, but if it wasn't for him doing consistently what he's doing, I wouldn't consider [signing long-term]."

There are those who will say the Royals gave Greinke too much money. He was a terrific pitcher last year, with 13 wins, 202 1/3 innings, 183 strikeouts and a 3.47 ERA that ranked 10th in the American League. But even Greinke says that until a pitcher does it for three years in a row, it's hard to know if he can repeat it.

For an organization that had traded away Carlos Beltran and Johnny Damon, among others, though, the Greinke signing was a major statement.

The Royals had spent money the last couple of years on Gil Meche ($55 million for five years) and Jose Guillen ($36 million for three years), but this was the first time in a long time that the Royals had shown a true commitment to keep a young star past free agency.

"I think it's what the city needed," fellow starter Brian Bannister said. "I think it's what this organization needed. And I think he's going to do better than anyone thinks he can do."

You hear that a lot in the Royals clubhouse, and you hear a lot of players saying they're happy for Greinke, "after all he went through."

And then you hear Greinke, talking about how happy he is about the organization, after all it went through.

"I really believe in our team," he said. "We might not win the World Series, but we have the talent where we could make a run at it. Last year was the first year I felt that way."

The Royals didn't make a run at the World Series last year, but they did escape last place for the first time in five years. They didn't break what's now a five-year streak of losing seasons (and 13 of 14), but they did have a major-league best 18-8 record in September.

They spent the offseason acting like a team that thinks it has a chance, adding a veteran center fielder in Coco Crisp and two experienced setup men in Kyle Farnsworth and Juan Cruz.

And even as people around baseball kept spreading rumors that they would trade Greinke, the Royals decided instead to sign him long-term.

In Kansas City, and even in the Royals clubhouse, that was the most important move of all.

"You definitely don't want to lose him," Meche said. "It's not fluke what he did. And there's no reason he can't do it again."