Kansas City Royals

Kansas City Royals (2010 record: 67-95)

I'm writing this article as a follow-up to MLB Prospects: Kansas City Royals' Tim Collins Pitching Taller Than He Really Is.

5' 7", 175-pound Tim Collins wasn't on the 40-man roster when camp opened up for the Kansas City Royals on February 14, in Surprise, AZ. In fact, Collins wasn't even drafted.

He will, however, be on the team's opening day roster as Kansas City hosts the the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Opening Day is just over a week away, and it is time to look at what this season holds for the Kansas City Royals.

With many new players being added to the team over the past year, many will be looking for players that have been on the team in the past to step up their game and take charge this season.

The following is my guide to five players that will be very crucial to the club's success in 2011.

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Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Billy Butler was supposed to be on the verge of breaking out for an awe-inspiring amount of home runs last year. Finishing the year at 15 was obviously extremely low compared to the hopes and expectations the Kansas City Royal fans had.

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Billy Butler regressed to just 15 HRs in 2010 after whacking 21 the season before. His ISO power also dropped from .191 to .151, fifth-lowest among qualified first basemen.

He stands at only 5'7", 170 lbs, but don't let his lack of size fool you.

Royals' lefty Tim Collins is one of the more underrated pitchers in the majors and has been an underdog nearly everywhere he has played.

Whether it was at Worcester High or while he played in the Toronto Blue Jays' organization, Collins has always flown under the radar.

He was even overlooked after putting together a 2.02 ERA and fanning 108 batters in just 71 innings while playing for three organizations in 2010.

9 Innings Blog will be bringing you previews of every Major League Baseball team for the next 30 days. This is in accordance with our 30 teams in 30 days series.

Today, we are going to give you two previews since I missed Friday’s preview. The first preview I am going to give you is the 2011 Kansas City Royals.

The Royals finished last season in last place of the American League Central division with a record of 67-95, a mere 27 games back of the Minnesota Twins.

It was no secret that Zack Greinke wanted out of Kansas City. Speculation arose of where he'd be traded to, if traded at all.

Would it be the New York Yankees?

Would it be the Philadelphia Phillies?

Or would he just be forced to stay put in Kansas City?

In the end he ended up in Milwaukee and is now a Brewer.

The Kansas City Royals went 67-95 last season. Greinke went 10-14 and at 4.17, he had his third highest ERA in his seven years in the big leagues.

Greinke was outstanding 2008 and 2009 season, winning the AL Cy Young in 2009. 

The Kansas City Royals ended 2010 dead last in the AL Central with an overall record of 67-95. While the immediate future doesn't look great, there is a good chance the Royals will turn things around here soon. GM Dayton Moore has put together what is considered the  game’s best farm system.