AL Central: Kansas City Royals

The Royals were terrible last season, winning only 56 games and enduring several long losing streaks. However, to their credit, the Royals went out and made moves that should drastically improve the ball club. The catch with that, however, is that the team was so bad last year that it could very well drastically improve and have a year that by most standards, would still be a huge disappointment. While Kansas City will definitely win more than 56 games, don't expect them to pull of an '89 Orioles, who came off one of the worst seasons in baseball history (0-21 start) to a chance to win the division title on the final weekend.

Lineup: The Royals overhauled the right side of the infield, and signed a power bat during the off-season. The Royals biggest strength, provided Reggie Sanders stays healthy, is the outfield. Sanders knows what it takes to win, having played on five different playoff teams (Reds, Braves, D-Backs, Giants, Cardinals), and can hit the ball out of the park, compiling a .546 SLG last season, while with St. Louis. Sanders, however, is injury prone, and is 38 years of age. He may break down soon. David DeJesus has put together several good seasons, and judging from his .361/.427 career OBP/SLG, he will be a quality centerfielder for a number of years. Emil Brown had a good year last season, and is similar to DeJesus. The backups are excellent as well; Aaron Guiel bounced back nicely from an atrocious 2004, and while Matt Stairs is more of a 1B/DH type at this stage of his career, he can still put up great numbers at the plate. The left side of the infield is a weakness; Mark Teahan doesn't put up nearly the power numbers needed for a corner position player, and Angel Berroa struggles to get on base, compiling on a .317 career average. Mark Grudzielanek may not put up great numbers, but he is a good solid second baseman. Doug Mientkiewicz is known more for his glove, and has never put up great power numbers. John Buck is a weakness at catcher, but Mike Sweeney has consistently put up outstanding numbers, and will start at designated hitter. The beginning of the order, and the Sanders/Sweeney combination in the middle can be very good, but after that, it really falls off.

Starting Rotation: The Royals upgraded their rotation over the off-season, acquiring Mark Redman, a solid veteran starter who has a career ERA of 4.47. Scott Elarton was signed through free agency, and coming off a 4.61 ERA in over 181 innings for the Indians last year, he will bolster the rotation. The Royals have several youngsters who they want to get into the rotation as well, such as Runelvys Hernandez, who has good potential but struggled last season. Another such pitcher is Zach Greinke, a highly touted prospect who struggled last season, and then left camp recently to deal with what the team describes as emotional problems. If he cannot start, the team has several other options, including Joe Mays, who had several solid years with Minnesota but has fallen on hard times recently, Jeremy Affeldt, another young pitcher who showed promise in previous years but struggled mightily in 2005. Denny Bautista and J.P. Howell have outside shots at getting into the rotation. There are several solid pitchers on this staff, but no one who is an ace, or even a number 2.

Bullpen: Mike MacDougal broke out last season, with a 3.33 ERA in over 70 innings. The Royals don't have another closer waiting in the wind, so he needs to keep up the good work. Kansas City bolstered the pen with the addition of Elmer Dessens, who has been around the league, but he posted a 3.56 ERA in 65 innings last season. If he can do that again, MacDougal will have a quality setup man. Lost in last season's flood of losses were two rookie relievers who had very good seasons, Ambiorix Burgos and Andrew Sisco. However, many pitchers have one good year and then take a step back. If Burgos and Sisco don't stay sharp, the Royals bullpen will be truly awful, because after these guys, there isn't too much else. Mike Wood has shown improvement in his few major league seasons, but still has some work to do. Jimmy Gobble and Leo Nunez could also earn spots, but neither has had success on the major league level. The Royals bullpen is lacking proven pitchers, and there is no margin for error if MacDougal, Dessens, Sisco, or Burgos does not repeat his 2005 success.

X Factor: Mike Sweeney. With the pitching as putrid as it is, Kansas City isn't going to do anything this year unless the offense is above average, and that won't happen unless Sweeney gets 500 AB's, which he hasn't done since 2001.

Biggest Strength/Weakness: Outfield/Bullpen

Projection: 5th place in the AL Central

Win Range: 63-68