Alex Gordon

The Kansas City Royals got off to a very good start in 2009. After 46 games last season, they had a record of 23-23, placing them second in the ultra-competitive American League Central.

That success quickly came to an end, and the Royals went 42-74 the rest of the way to finish 65-97, tied for last in the division with the Indians.

Despite a horrible finish, the Royals were able to hang their hat on Zack Greinke. Greinke won the AL Cy Young Award going 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA. He struck out 242 hitters and walked only 51 in 229.1 innings pitched.

Joe Mauer ran away with the MVP this season.

It was only the second time a Catcher has won this award in the last 32 seasons, and there are only 10 catchers* to win it since the writers began deciding the winner in 1931.

*The only multi-year winners were: Roy Campanella (3), Yogi Berra (3) & Johnny Bench (2)...quite a list!

The fact is, there are few Catchers that stand out among their peers.  The physical toll of receiving 150 baseballs each of the 162 games eventually wears down the most prospective of talent.

In a town where winning is rare, player character is one element fans focus too much attention on.

For what it's worth, though, Mark Teahen is a model citizen and a pleasure to be around.

So was Allard Baird and he set the Royals back years by neglecting the farm system and encouraging incompetent scouting.

Both of these individuals were in over their heads due to the positions they were put into by this franchise.

My reaction to yesterday's Yuniesky Betancourt trade was pretty similar to the reaction most people had.

"Wow, Dayton Moore is a terrible GM. Thank God I'm not a Royals fan."

There are just so many things wrong with the trade.

The first error in judgment, the one most often pointed out by others, is that Betancourt is a bad player offensively and defensively. He's just another bad shortstop to add to Willie Bloomquist and Tony Pena Jr. While he may be an upgrade, he's certainly not a starter. He may not even be a big-league-caliber player at this point.

In part two of my series of struggling franchises trying to find their way back to the top, I will look into the Kansas City Royals.

Unlike Baltimore, the Royals have had a .500 season (83-79 in 2003) within the last decade. The drawback, though, are the four seasons of 100+ losses (2002, 2004-2006).  Fortunately for Royals fans, Kansas City did not have a fourth-straight 100+ loss season in 2007. 

Kansas City entered the 2009 season with high hopes.

And so it begins.

Already, Kansas City Royals fans have been dealt an early season blow by one of the players acquired in the offseason that was meant to bring depth to the Royals' bullpen.

It was one of the bright spots last year, often even cleaning up messes left by starters.

Gil Meche, the $55-million man pitched seven great innings. He struck out six, gave up seven hits, and walked zero.

The Detroit Tigers of '06, the Tampa Bay Rays of '08, and the world champion St. Louis Cardinals of '06 all had something in common, as you might already know.

They were all disregarded in the pre-season predictions, with nobody giving them a chance to win a division championship, let alone a World Series championship. 

However, certain things that had to happen, did happen. In return, they were able to maximize on their potential, and in the process, proved all doubters wrong.

The fountains throughout Kansas City are just days away from water flowing through them again. The weather is beginning to warm, and hot, humid days that Kansas City summers are known for are right around the corner.

Opening Day in Kansas City is also known as "Greater Kansas City Day," and there's nothing quite like it.

After being a two-time Big 12 Conference Player of the Year at the University of Nebraska and winning Baseball America’s College Player of the Year Award, Gordon was drafted by the Kansas City Royals as the overall No. 2.  That is when the comparisons to the King of Kansas City, George Brett, began. 

Gordon continued his meteoric rise destroying Double-A ball by slugging .588 and batting .325.  He was promoted to Kansas City in 2007 and experienced his first down year of his baseball career.