Charlie Riedel / AP

Jose Guillen, whose volatility has worked against the Royals in the past, has to become a leader for the team's younger players, writes Bert Blyleven of NBCSports.com. 

How well the Royals fill in the rotation behind Meche and Greinke will go a long way towards determining if they can make noise in the AL Central and wild-card race. The top candidates in the mix for starting spots are Brian Bannister, Kyle Davies, Luke Hochevar, Horacio Ramirez, and Heath Phillips.

Davies closed strong last season, posting impressive September numbers (2.27 ERA, and a 0.92 WHIP). He has pretty good control of his fastball, and he’s no longer trying to overthrow that pitch. He is just staying within himself. The Royals have reasons to be looking for a lot from Davies this season, but he still must go out on the hill and get it done.

The Royals have an All-Star closer in Joakim Soria, who last season cashed in on 42 of 45 save opportunities, and posted a 1.60 ERA. He has outstanding control, and he has an excellent changeup along with a big, slow curveball with great arm action. He has no fear, and even under the most pressurized situations, he relaxes and goes about his business.

The critical bullpen question this season will not be whether Soria’s that good again, but rather how well Kansas City does in getting games to him to save. Key set-up relievers Leo Nunez and Ramon Ramirez were dealt away in the trades for Crisp and Jacobs.

Free agent Kyle Farnsworth signed a two-year, $9.25 million deal so you can bet Moore is hoping he can be part of the puzzle in making sure Soria gets plenty of chances to close games. If Ron Mahay can bounce back from an injured foot, he’ll frequently be called upon, and other possible key late-inning relievers include Doug Waechter, and Juan Cruz.

What the Rays did last season has to inspire an organization like Kansas City. The Royals look at Tampa Bay, and tell themselves if the Rays started the season as a basket case and wound up with hardware for their trophy case, why not us doing the same thing?

Indeed, why not?

More news

Tony Gutierrez / AP

More heroics from Hamilton

Josh Hamilton fights off illness to hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 13th inning, lifting the Texas Rangers to an 8-7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Angels win as Pujols HR streak up to 3 games

SEATTLE (AP) - Albert Pujols hit a home run in his third straight game and pinch hitter Alberto Callaspo came through with a grand slam in the sixth inning to give the Los Angeles Angels a 5-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.

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