Going into the 2012 season, I knew that the Kansas City Royals would be good. I knew that we had one of the best bullpens in all of baseball and that any game that the Royals were leading late would most likely be a win. I knew that we were set at almost every position and that our lineup contains several players that will be making annual trips to the All-Star game soon. I knew that our manager Ned Yost was the perfect guy to lead this young talented team.

The only real question I has was whether the starting pitching would show up. It would do little good to have a great bullpen if they were not handed a lead, and even the best offenses cant slug it out every night winning 9-8 games.

So far this season, though, the Royals’ starters have proven that they can do more than just show up. In fact, after one time through the rotation they are the best in all of baseball, posting a 1.55 ERA and a 3-1 record. Luis Mendoza is credited with the lone loss after coming up the loser in a 1-0 game against Oakland.

This pitching performance is even more impressive considering that all 5 games have been played on the road and that 3 of those games were against the powerful new Angels batting order starring Albert Pujols.

I know that it is too early in the season to go crazy over pitcher statistics, and, by the end of the season, they will probably not be the best in all of baseball, but there is a great deal of reason for fans to get excited over this. Our only question mark looks like it may have the potential to now be one of our strengths.

All 5 of these pitchers have shown flashes of brilliance over their careers. If they could begin to reach their potential this staff could be amazing. Imagine Luke Hochevar pitching like he did when he used only 80 pitches in a complete game in 2009.

The Royals would suddenly be a hot pick to win it all.

Another great stat is that they have also managed just 22 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched. That means that this team is playing defense and all the pressure is not on the shoulders of the pitchers. They know that if they just keep the ball in play they have 7 guys behind them that will take care of it.

I look for this trend to continue. I think at some point later this year major sports publications will be asking, “Where did these guys come from?”

This is all just one more reason to believe that 2012 is the year the Royals become kings of baseball again.

More from this author:
Five things to expect from the Royals in 2012

Greatest baseball movies of all time

Top movies for dads coming in the summer of 2012

Jacob was born and raised in Kansas City. He has been a die hard Kansas City Royals fan his entire life. He now lives in Gladstone, Mo. where he is raising the next generation of Royal’s fans.

Baseball fans are still split on interleague play.

Those that argue against it say that it takes away from a century’s worth of baseball tradition and makes for unbalanced schedules.

Those for it argue that it is a fun way for fans to see their favorite ballclub play against in-state rivals. If there was no interleague play, there would be no Chicago Cubs – Chicago White Sox, no New York Yankees – New York Mets and no Los Angeles Angels – Los Angeles Dodgers.

I know most Royals fans wish that the Cubs were coming to town this year, but there are still plenty of interleague series to be excited about. Highlighting this year’s interleague schedule is a home series against the Milwaukee Brewers and a home & home against the in-state rival St Louis Cardinals.

Kansas City Royals 2012 Interleague Schedule (All Times EDT)

Friday, May 18

Arizona at Kansas City – 8:10 pm; TV: FSKC, FSAZ

Saturday, May 19

Arizona at Kansas City – 7:15 pm; TV: FOX

Sunday, May 20

Arizona at Kansas City – 2:10 pm; TV: FSKC, FSAZ

Friday, June 8

Royals at Pittsburgh – 7:05 pm; TV: FSKC, ROOT

Saturday, June 9

Royals at Pittsburgh – 7:15 pm; TV: FOX

Sunday, June 10

Royals at Pittsburgh – 1:35 pm; TV: FSKC, ROOT

Tuesday, June 12

Milwaukee at Kansas City – 8:10 pm; TV: FSKC, FSWI

Wednesday, June 13

Milwaukee at Kansas City – 8:10 pm; TV: FSKC, FSWI

Thursday, June 14

Milwaukee at Kansas City – 8:10 pm; TV: FSKC, FSWI

Friday, June 15

Royals at St Louis – 8:15 pm; TV: FSKC, FSMW

Saturday, June 16

Royals at St Louis – 2:15 pm; TV: FSKC, FSMW

Sunday, June 17

Royals at St Louis – 2:15 pm; TV: FSKC, FSMW

Monday, June 18

Royals at Houston – 8:05 pm; TV: FSKC, FSH

Tuesday, June 19

Royals at Houston – 8:05 pm; TV: FSKC, FSH

Wednesday, June 20

Royals at Houston – 2:05 pm; TV: FSH

Friday, June 22

St Louis at Kansas City – 8:10 pm; TV: FSKC, FSMW

Saturday, June 23

St Louis at Kansas City – 2:10 pm; TV: FSKC, FSMW

Sunday, June 24

St Louis at Kansas City – 2:10 pm; TV: FSKC, FSMW

Sources:

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

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

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.