OMAHA, Neb.—The long-struggling Kansas City Royals only need to look at the Tampa Bay Rays if they need some inspiration heading into the 2009 season.
After making their run to the World Series, the Rays are role models for small-market clubs such as Kansas City.
“No doubt about it,” pitcher Luke Hochevar said Thursday during the annual Royals Caravan goodwill stop in Omaha. “Tampa Bay went through the same thing we went through, being so young and going through your growing pains and getting better and better.
“Their guys, it was their second or third year in and they were comfortable and they just blew up.”
The Royals hope it’s their time to surprise after years of frustration. There are positive signs.
Their 75-87 record in 2008 marked their 14th losing season in 15 years. But they won six more games than in 2007, moved out of last place in the American League Central for the first time in five years and cut their deficit in the division to 13 games after being 27 back at the end of 2007.
And they played their best ball in September, winning 18 of their last 26 games.
“Taking that momentum from last year into this year is going to be big,” Hochevar said. “If we can do that, come out of the gate firing like we did in September, you never know what can happen.”
The Royals have a young nucleus, with 30 of the players on the 40-man roster under 30 years old, including 13 who are 26 or younger.
Recent No. 1 draft picks such as designated hitter Billy Butler (2004), third baseman Alex Gordon (2005) and Hochevar (2006) have taken on major roles. Shortstop Mike Aviles emerged as the team’s player of the year after spending five seasons in the minor leagues, and another homegrown player, David DeJesus, has been solid in left field.
A year after bringing in the volatile but productive right fielder Jose Guillen, the Royals traded for Boston center fielder Coco Crisp and Florida first baseman Mike Jacobs and signed free agents in Seattle second baseman Willie Bloomquist and Detroit reliever Kyle Farnsworth.
Gordon said management has made good moves to improve the team. Now it’s time to produce, he said.
“I’m kind of tired of losing, and it’s the same question every year: Is this going to be the year?” Gordon said. “We look at each other as players and take accountability. We’ll work hard in spring training and hopefully carry that over and get a winning season. We need that. People have been waiting for it. We’ve been waiting for it. Hopefully we can do it.”
Gordon said he started preparing for spring training earlier than usual this year, working with new hitting coach Kevin Seitzer. Gordon batted .260 with 16 home runs and a team-leading 35 doubles, but he batted just .234 against left-handers and .222 with runners in scoring position.
Gordon said Seitzer is helping him with his mental approach to batting.
“It’s not all about mechanical adjustments,” he said.
Gordon, who grew up in Lincoln and starred at the University of Nebraska, is batting .253 with 31 homers and 119 RBIs in 285 major-league games. He called his development a “work in progress.”
“I don’t really pay attention to the numbers,” he said. “As long as we’re winning, that’s all I care about. If my numbers aren’t where I want them to be and we’re winning, that’s fine.”
Hochevar, 6-12 with a 5.51 ERA in his first major-league season, said he’s fully recovered from a rib fracture that landed him on the disabled list from Aug. 24 until the end of the season.
“I felt overall I learned quite a bit, and I felt like I got better every start,” he said.
Royals fans, naturally, are expecting much more from Gordon and Hochevar.
Hochevar said he and Gordon accept the pressure than comes from being No. 1 picks.
“I really doubt anyone has higher expectations than either one of us,” he said.
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