I don't see the Royals as a great team made up of superstar talent, but they are a confident and fearless team that has overachieved - it will be interesting to see if the Royals' lineup can battle and compete against the New York Mets' trio of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard.
I want to say that the superior Mets starting pitchers will shut down the Royals' bats - but I don't think the Royals are just going to roll over regardless of who the pitchers are on the other team.
The bullpen was locked down with the emergence of closer Greg Holland - along with an assorted number of relievers from Bruce Chen to Luke Hochevar pitching in with serviceable seasons.
I like how first baseman Eric Hosmer turned things around, when he had one home run in the first two months of the season - after his poor 2012 and his slow start this past year, I thought he was a bust likely to be sent down to AAA.
Hosmer stayed hot after he broke out of his funk and also seemed like he emerged as a leader in the clubhouse - the future seems brighter now, though Hosmer still has to prove that this past season wasn't a fluke.
I got this Eric Hosmer autograph card scribbled on in-person at the 2010 All-Star Futures Game - the autograph placement was not great but there was a lot of people at the game and the Kansas City Royals uber prospect was trying to do his duty for sign for a number of fans.
Hosmer made his Major League debut Friday night and while he hasn't had a chance to do something in the Major Leagues yet - he was his hitting .439 in the minors with a .525 on-base percentage and .582 slugging percentage at the time of his call-up.
Pedro Alvarez - No. 2 overall pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Eric Hosmer - No.3 overall pick by the Kansas City Royals
This isn't breaking news, but are you kidding me [?] - apparently after having been signed by the Major League teams that drafted them, both Alvarez and Hosmer's professional careers are in limbo.
Scott Boras, the infamous super agent representing Alvarez wanted more money - and claimed the No. 2 overall pick was signed after the draft deadline and therefore the contract Alvarez agreed to is void.
Having been pulled from a professional game in reaction, Hosmer is affected - because he apparently signed his contract after Alvarez did.
This is a kind of situation where people have to play their part i.e. particularly the agents - as a baseball fan, the reaction should be Boras' should stop posturing and screwing around. On the other hand, who is to say what he can and cannot do for his client?
So much of a professional player's career rests on what he can do on the field, but you have a lot of labels and hype surrounding what should be an impressive player in Alvarez - people are always going to say, 'he's going to get his money,' or 'why hold out, just to stall your professional career?' It is radical for baseball fans, even in today's big money era, for someone to reject millions of dollars to play a game.
However no one is saying Alvarez is going to be a bust or even a disappointment - Alvarez may be the best position player in this year's draft, but his maverick agent sees no obligation for Alvarez to be indentured to the 'way it has been or the way it is.' It is kind of like when a Major League team raises ticket prices or does something seemingly for the love of the money instead of appreciating the fan.
Forget about biding your time, toiling for what is a losing organization, while probably wanting to leave the first opportunity you get - on the other hand doesn't Alvarez have to sign the first contract getting him into his first professional uniform?
What Boras seems to want for Alvarez is to secure his present as well as his future -in a twisted way, if Boras gets what he wants for his client, then his client doesn't have to worry about anything but playing baseball.
Alvarez is a first round pick and it is obvious, Boras is taking it one step further - to make whomever he ends up signing with pays up front for a first round talent.
On a personal note - I go watch Los Angeles Angels' games and always see Boras on TV because he has season seats behind home plate. I wonder if if it is Alvarez who I've seen him with [just several times in-person] over the year when Boras comes into the ballpark with a couple of his associates.