Draft prep: Kansas City Royals outlook

After years of wallowing well out of contention, the Royals turned to a team equally accustomed to staying in contention: The Atlanta Braves. They hired then-Braves assistant Dayton Moore as their general manager, charged him with modeling their organization after the one he had just left, and nearly two years later, this team hardly looks the same. Moore set about his task by luring less-than-elite free agents with heavy-loaded contracts (SP Gil Meche, OF Jose Guillen), gambling on one-time prospects who fizzled out with their old organizations (OF Joey Gathright, INF Alberto Callaspo), and then loading up on every ex-Braves farmhand left to wander God's green earth (SP Kyle Davies, SS Tony Pena).

Yes, the Royals might actually have the pieces in place to become good, and if it happens, it might happen suddenly -- like, worse-to-first suddenly.

But not this year. This year, they continue to tinker, sorting through other teams' scrap heaps to see what they can salvage. Accordingly, you can expect sub-.500 records for their pitchers and inconsistent at-bats for their hitters.

Though Moore signed Guillen to help an offense that ranked dead last in home runs last year, that number stands to improve more because of the continued emergence of super prospects Alex Gordon (third base) and Billy Butler (first base). Both showed flashes of brilliance as rookies last year, and each projects as a future All-Star. Former prospect John Buck (catcher) made progress of his own, blasting a career-high 18 homers. If the young trio develops as expected and right fielder Mark Teahen returns to form (18 homers in '06, seven last year), the Royals might have a halfway decent middle of the batting order.

They might also have a halfway decent pitching staff. Meche responded to his big payday in '07 by having the best season of his career, and Brian Bannister slipped away from the Mets with a 12-9 record and 3.87 ERA. Zack Greinke showed he might live up to his one-time big prospect billing, and Davies and Luke Hochevar certainly have the potential to do the same. If they do, they'll make for hot picks off the Fantasy waiver wire.

See all those ifs? They represent hope for Royals fans and discerning Fantasy owners. Here's another.

If new manager Trey Hillman lives up to the win-at-all-costs reputation he built for himself in Japan, he might resuscitate a flatlined organization, bringing a new level of accountability to its players. Don't be surprised to see a few career years come out of Kansas City this season.

Spring position battles

Second base -- Mark Grudzielanek vs. Alberto Callaspo

The Royals traded for Callaspo because they like his ability to get on base and play defense. For a team looking to win tomorrow rather than today, he seems the obvious choice to start over a has-been like Grudzielanek. However, Grudzielanek enters as the incumbent and the favorite to handle the job opening day. For Fantasy purposes, neither has enough pop or stolen base potential to deserve a look outside of AL-only leagues.

Starting pitcher Nos. 4, 5 -- Brett Tomko vs. Kyle Davies and Jorge De La Rosa vs. Luke Hochevar

The Royals signed Tomko intending to make him their No. 4 SP, but he has neither the upside of Davies nor the left-handedness of De La Rosa. Top prospect Hochevar has a chance to enter the mix with a solid spring. He didn't show much in the minors last season, though, so expect him to return there come April. You wouldn't want any of these guys in mixed leagues, but don't totally push them off your radar.

Setup man -- Yasuhiko Yabuta vs. Joel Peralta

This battle isn't so much to promote either particular pitcher as to point out the overall improvement of the Royals bullpen. The team signed Yabuta to set up for closer Joakim Soria, but in doing so, they bumped Joel Peralta, a decent setup man in his own right, to middle relief. The Royals also signed free agent lefty Ron Mahay, giving them a sturdy bridge from the starting rotation to the closer -- one that should help preserve wins for Meche and company and preserve saves for Soria.

You can e-mail Emack your Fantasy Baseball questions to dmfantasybaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Royals outlook in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state.