X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Five Burning Questions for the Kansas City Royals in Spring Training

The 2013 season was one that the Kansas City Royals would love to improve on after winning 86 games. This week saw the beginning of spring training for the team in Surprise, AZ as pitchers and catchers reported on Feb. 14 and position players followed on Feb. 19. There are five burning questions that must be answered about this Kansas City team before they begin the regular season on March 31 in Detroit against the Tigers.

 

1. Where does Norichika Aoki fit into the lineup?

Aoki came over in an offseason trade from the Milwaukee Brewers. He is going to be the team’s leadoff hitter where he will bring speed and plenty of hits. He had 171 hits in Milwaukee last season and if Kansas City puts Aoki at the top of the lineup, it should allow the Royals to alternate between left and right-handed hitters through their entire lineup this season. It is a very big addition and one that should pay dividends right away for all the run producers behind him.

 

2. Who will be the No. 5 starter?

There are many candidates for this position that range from Danny Duffy to Wade Davis to Yordano Ventura. This is a decision that will take all of spring training to decide. Duffy will be making his full season return from Tommy John surgery and showed promise last year, while Davis struggled in his first year with the Royals in 2013. Ventura is a wild card with his ability at just 22 years old. It will likely come down to Duffy and Ventura in the end to see who takes that final starting spot.

 

3. Will Mike Moustakas finally take the next step?

It was a rough year in 2013 for Moose. He hit just 12 home runs while having only 42 RBI. The Royals are going to be patient with him being just 25 years old but at some point, they are going to be looking for a big improvement out of Moustakas. The team signed Danny Valencia in the offseason and that should bring some pressure on Moustakas to turn it up. There would be no surprise if Valencia takes over at third base if Moustakas has a very slow spring and is slow out of the gate.

 

4. Will James Shields re-sign with the Royals?

This is a question that would be best answered before Shields takes the ball in Detroit. He is in the final year of a seven-year contract he signed while with the Tampa Bay Rays. It is obvious that Big Game James is someone that Kansas City needs at the top of their rotation right now. The Royals must make their move and try to get Shields under contract for at least two or three years before spring training is over with. He will be expensive, and they will likely shell out more dough than Shields will return in value, but it would be worth it to keep him in town because he is a face of the franchise and their only borderline ace starter.

 

5. Who is Kansas City’s fantasy sleeper?

Fantasy baseball owners are always looking for the next sleeper candidate. That player on the Royals would be Danny Duffy. He went 2-0 last season with a 1.85 ERA in his return from Tommy John surgery. If he ends up getting the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation, he is someone that owners must jump all over in the late rounds of a draft. He has the talent and ability to become a solid starter on fantasy rosters all season long. It would be best to wait until one of the last picks but make it a point to get Duffy there.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nick Senzel6 hours ago

Expected To Miss 3-4 Weeks
Jon Gray6 hours ago

To Start On Sunday
Justin Steele6 hours ago

Likely To Go On Injured List
Anfernee Simons8 hours ago

Out Against The Heat
Max Kepler9 hours ago

X-Rays Come Back Negative On Max Kepler
Keldon Johnson9 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Justin Steele9 hours ago

Has Left-Hamstring Tightness
Matisse Thybulle9 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Davis Bertans9 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Friday
Jusuf Nurkic9 hours ago

Questionable Against Oklahoma City
Dario Saric9 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Noah Clowney9 hours ago

Probable For Nets Friday
Jonathan Kuminga9 hours ago

Questionable For Warriors Friday
Jerami Grant9 hours ago

Considered Doubtful For Friday
Dennis Smith9 hours ago

Jr. Probable For Friday
Lauri Markkanen9 hours ago

Questionable Against Houston
Toumani Camara9 hours ago

Will Not Play Friday
Justin Steele10 hours ago

Exits Thursday's Start
Richaun Holmes10 hours ago

Out Versus Pistons
Cameron Johnson10 hours ago

Out Against Chicago On Friday
Luka Doncic10 hours ago

On The Injury Report For Friday
David Bednar10 hours ago

Still Dealing With Lat Injury
Deandre Ayton10 hours ago

Is Questionable For Friday
Rudy Gobert10 hours ago

Might Miss Friday's Game
Tyus Jones10 hours ago

Unavailable For Friday
Zeke Nnaji10 hours ago

Ruled Out Against Minnesota
Jaden Ivey10 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Rhys McKee10 hours ago

Searching For First UFC Win
Anthony Edwards10 hours ago

Uncertain For Friday Night
Chidi Njokuani10 hours ago

Drops Back Down To Welterweight At UFC Atlantic City
Kyle Nelson10 hours ago

An Underdog Again At UFC Atlantic City
Bill Algeo10 hours ago

Eyes Sixth UFC Win
Joaquin Buckley10 hours ago

Gets Ranked Opponent At UFC Atlantic City
Vicente Luque10 hours ago

Gets Short-Notice Opponent At UFC Atlantic City
Eduardo Rodriguez11 hours ago

Could Throw Off Mound In 5-7 Days
Max Kepler11 hours ago

Leaves On Opening Day With Injury
Nick Senzel11 hours ago

Suffers Broken Thumb
Jason Foley12 hours ago

Earns The Save For Tigers
Tarik Skubal12 hours ago

Tosses Six Scoreless Innings On Opening Day
Corbin Burnes13 hours ago

Pitches A Gem On Opening Day
Royce Lewis13 hours ago

Exits With Quad Injury
Max Scherzer14 hours ago

Throws Bullpen Session
Clayton Kershaw15 hours ago

"Ahead Of Things" Timetable-Wise
Walker Buehler15 hours ago

Ahead Of Schedule
Corey Seager15 hours ago

Active On Opening Day
Oneil Cruz15 hours ago

Batting Sixth On Opening Day
Bryan Reynolds17 hours ago

In Opening Day Lineup
Jordan Romano18 hours ago

Not Expected To Be Out Long
Aaron Ekblad19 hours ago

Returning To Panthers Lineup Thursday
Nikita Kucherov20 hours ago

Establishes New Career High With 42nd Goal
Shane Pinto20 hours ago

Collects Career-High Four Points
Valeri Nichushkin20 hours ago

Nursing A Lower-Body Injury
Samuel Girard20 hours ago

Battling An Illness
J.K. Dobbins20 hours ago

Visiting With Chargers On Thursday
Oskar Sundqvist20 hours ago

To Miss Rest Of Season With Torn ACL
Ethan Bear20 hours ago

Enters Player Assistance Program
Mark Hubbard2 days ago

Coming Off A Career Performance
Davis Thompson2 days ago

Looking To Pay Off A Stellar Run Of Ball-Striking
Akshay Bhatia2 days ago

Coming Into Houston With Confidence
Thorbjorn Olesen2 days ago

Still Trying To Find Footing On U.S. Soil
Patrick Rodgers2 days ago

Fighting Inconsistencies Heading Into Houston
Malik Nabers2 days ago

Shines At Pro Day
Carolina Panthers2 days ago

Jadeveon Clowney Signing Two-Year Deal With Panthers
Wyndham Clark2 days ago

Battling Back Injury Ahead of Houston Open
San Francisco 49ers2 days ago

Talanoa Hufanga Expected To Return At Training Camp
Jayden Daniels2 days ago

Raiders To Meet With Jayden Daniels
Tank Bigsby2 days ago

Jaguars Want Tank Bigsby More Involved
Josh Reynolds2 days ago

Signs Two-Year Deal With Broncos
Doug Ghim2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Houston Open
PGA2 days ago

Cameron Davis Seeking Consistency Ahead Of Houston Open
Thomas Detry2 days ago

A Gamble At Houston Open
Ryan Fox2 days ago

Lacks Upside Heading Into Houston Open
Andrew Novak2 days ago

Will Be Chalk At Houston Open
Josh Doan2 days ago

Scores Twice In His NHL Debut
Filip Forsberg2 days ago

Makes History In Big Comeback Win
Jamie Benn2 days ago

Scores In Fifth Consecutive Game
Sidney Crosby2 days ago

Collects Three Points Versus Carolina
Artemi Panarin2 days ago

Continues Scoring Tear With Three Assists
Joey Daccord2 days ago

Shuts Out Ducks
Sahith Theegala2 days ago

Showing Consistency This Season
Wyndham Clark2 days ago

Working Toward Star Status
Scottie Scheffler2 days ago

Heads To Houston At His Best
Sam Ryder2 days ago

Putting The Lights Out Of Late
Joel Dahmen2 days ago

All Systems Go For Joel Dahmen In Houston
Kurt Kitayama2 days ago

Ready For Houston Debut
Ben Griffin2 days ago

Finding Form Heading To Houston
Taylor Moore2 days ago

Continues Made-Cut Streak Heading To Houston
Adam Svensson2 days ago

Hoping For Consistency In Houston
Taylor Montgomery2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back In Houston
Amon-Ra St. Brown2 days ago

Discussing Extension With Lions
Jared Goff2 days ago

Lions Discussing New Deal
J.K. Dobbins2 days ago

Cleared For Football Activities
Los Angeles Rams2 days ago

Tre'Davious White To Join Rams
PIT3 days ago

Sam Poulin Recalled From AHL
Jack Quinn3 days ago

Could Return Wednesday
Scott Mayfield3 days ago

Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery
TOR3 days ago

Mitch Marner Skates On His Own Tuesday
Trevor Zegras3 days ago

To Return Tuesday
Justus Annunen3 days ago

Inks Two-Year Extension
Nick Chubb3 days ago

Expected To Start Load Running Next Month
D'Andre Swift3 days ago

Bears View D'Andre Swift As Receiving Weapon
Cordarrelle Patterson3 days ago

Signing With Steelers
Sam Howell3 days ago

Seahawks Believe Sam Howell Can Be A Full-Time Starter
Tennessee Titans3 days ago

L'Jarius Sneed Agrees On Four-Year Contract With Titans
Dak Prescott3 days ago

No Indication A Deal Is Coming For Dak Prescott
Calvin Ridley3 days ago

To Have Big Role In Tennessee
Josh Jacobs3 days ago

To Be Used More In Passing Game
Brandon Saad3 days ago

Gets Another Goal In Monday's Loss
Logan Thompson3 days ago

Stretches Winning Streak To Three Games
Pittsburgh Steelers3 days ago

Cameron Heyward Expected To Be Healthy For Training Camp
Zach Wilson3 days ago

Jets Could End Up Keeping Zach Wilson
Amanda Ribas4 days ago

Takes Decision Loss
Rose Namajunas4 days ago

Snaps Losing Streak
Edmen Shahbazyan4 days ago

Scores Vicious Comeback Knockout
AJ Dobson4 days ago

Knocked Out In The First Round At UFC Vegas 89
Fernando Padilla4 days ago

Gets Back On Track With Submission Win
Luis Pajuelo4 days ago

Submitted In UFC Debut
William Byron4 days ago

Dominates For Victory At COTA
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Grabs Another Solid Finish At COTA
Chris Buescher4 days ago

Texas Native Chris Buescher Finishes Eighth At COTA
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Kyle Busch Confronts Christopher Bell Following A Top-10 Finish At COTA
Justin Haley4 days ago

Disqualified After Strong COTA Run
Martin Truex Jr4 days ago

. Rounds Out Top Ten At COTA
NASCAR4 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Worms Way Up To Sixth At COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen4 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Comes Down to Earth After Mediocre COTA Run
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Ran Well at COTA as Usual Despite Late-Race Fade
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Furious Charge Falls Just Short at COTA
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Scores Strong Finish of Fifth at COTA
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Finishes 16th at COTA After Lackluster Performance
Billy Quarantillo5 days ago

Suffers Submission Loss At UFC Vegas 89
Youssef Zalal5 days ago

Gets Submission Win In Return To The UFC
Cameron Saaiman5 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Vegas 89
Payton Talbott5 days ago

Scores KO Win At UFC Vegas 89
Justin Tafa5 days ago

Drops To .500 In The UFC
Karl Williams5 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Kyle Larson5 days ago

Is One Of The Optimal DFS Options For COTA
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Should Denny Hamlin Be Rostered For DFS Lineups At COTA?
Kaz Grala5 days ago

Is A Serviceable DFS Play For COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen5 days ago

Will Start 12th In First COTA Cup Start
Todd Gilliland5 days ago

Is A Sneaky DFS Play With Upside For COTA
William Byron5 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win At COTA
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Is A Comfortable DFS Play For COTA
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

the Favorite to Win at COTA
Ty Gibbs5 days ago

Looking for First Career Win at COTA
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF