Blueprint for the Future

The Royals' season has almost hit the half way point. Although my judgments about the team are not complete, I think I can reasonably deduce which players should be here to stay, and which should hit the road. There are still those players that haven't had enough time to prove they can be an integral part of the team, and there are still some players who the Royals need to start producing. On to the lists:

Here to Stay:

Zack Greinke - His last few outings have not been spectacular, but that just means we can resign him for cheaper. He can throw heat. His curve is sick. I just love watching this guy throw. He has potential to be the ace of the staff.

Gil Meche - Besides the obvious point that he is the $55 million dollar man, Gil is an innings eater who rarely gets shelled. He can be a quality number 2 or 3 pitcher going forward.

Joakim Soria - Right now, maybe the best closer in baseball. The guys got a 1.55 ERA and is on pace for 36 saves. The deal was well worth it.

Alex Gordon - Gordon is starting to put it all together. He's had a plethora of web gems at third base already this year, and he's starting to hit for both power and average. He needs to be more patient and lower his strikeout total to be more effective.

I know it's short list. I wanted to include some other players, but there are just too many questions for the long term. This is meant to focus on the young nucleus of the team, so while Jose Guillen and Miguel Olivo are raking as of late, three years from now they may not be part of the Royals core. The next post will contain the players the Royals should wave bye-bye to. Minor leaguers will be brought up later.