For a team with one of the lowest payrolls and longest playoff droughts in all of baseball, it is tough not to be excited if you are a Kansas City Royals fan this year. Our ballclub is young, but overflowing with talent. If Kansas City can consistently get 6 solid innings from its starting rotation this year, look out.

Here are five reasons that the Royals have a real shot at making a run in 2012:

Eric Hosmer

Eric Hosmer will be one of the top 3 first basemen in baseball by the end of the 2012 season. After starting out 2011 with Triple-A Omaha, Hosmer was quickly brought up to the majors after hitting .439 in his first 26 games in the minors. His dominance at the plate continued with the Royals all season, as he finished the year with a .293 average, 19 HR, and 78 RBIs.

Alex Gordon

Gordon, who was the second overall pick in the 2005 draft, finished the 2011 season showing that he is an elite young player. At the plate, he has shown an ability to both get on base (.376 OBP, 67 BB, 185 hits) and hit for power (23 HR, 45 2B, 87 RBIs). If Gordon is able to mirror his performance in 2012, look for him to make an appearance in this year’s All-Star game.

Mike Moustakas

Another young stud with All-Star talent, Moustakas finished the year with impressive numbers at the plate. He hit 352 with 4 HR and 12 RBIs over the final month of the season. Look for him to start of 2012 right where he left off in 2011.

Solid Bullpen

The Royals have the best bullpen in the division, without question. In fact, it might be the most solid in the entire American League. Aaron Crow is an All-Star, Joakim Soria only blew 2 saves in the final 3 months of the season, and Greg Holland and Louis Coleman are the best 7th- and 8th-inning pitchers in baseball.

On top of that, the Royals signed uber-talented Jonathan Broxton this offseason from the Los Angeles Dodgers. If Broxton can stay healthy, look out. The guy can hit triple-digits on the radar gun and was one of the top 3 relievers in all of baseball just two years ago.

Weak AL Central

There is no denying that the AL Central is going to be weak in 2012. The Detroit Tigers are going to be the favorites, but not runaway favorites. Sure, they have some good bats in the lineup, but the starting pitching is nothing to brag about. Granted, Justin Verlander is the best pitcher in the division; but after that, the second, third and fourth spots in the rotation are filled by Rick Porcello, Max Scherze,r and Doug Fister. I’m not exactly shaking in my boots at the sound of those names.

The three other teams in the division all look to be soft as well. The Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox aren’t horrible, but they aren’t great either. I don’t think either team will crack 80 wins. And the Minnesota Twins, who the heck knows? The only thing I do know is that I am not going to go into 2012 worried about a team that finished 2011 63-99.

Alex Wibholm is an Iowa native and fan of the Kansas City Royals and AL Central Division. Alex attends several KC games every year.

Sources:

http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/kan/depthchart

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb

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