Small Sample Enough to Bench Royals 1B Ka'aihue

Royals first baseman Kila Ka'aihue was given only 13 at-bats against left-handed pitchers before being benched against them by manager Ned Yost; it was a small sample,  but evidence abounds that Ka'aihue  up until now has been greatly overmatched in such assignments at the major league level.

Having flailed helplessly against marginal Tigers lefty Phil Coke in three, recent successive plate appearances, it was clear Ka'aihue needed time off to gather himself and find a way to demonstrate that he has the potential to be anything more than a platoon player at best.

Yost sat Ka'aihue with the excuse of giving him "a break" against Twins lefties Brian Duensing and Francisco Liriano,  but with the Royals playing with surprising competiveness,  it's likely Yost wanted to avoid having a rally killer clogging the offense in the middle of the lineup.

 Though he has a walk-off homer,  Ka'aihue is hitting just .176 overall and .154 against lefties. Hitting coach Kevin Seitzer,  a master at the plate during his career,  has taken Ka'aihue under his wing.  In the meantime,  Royals top prospect first baseman Eric Hosmer awaits at Triple A Omaha.

Trial Continues for Punchless 1B Kila Ka'aihue

The Kansas City Royals trial by immersion continues for struggling prospect Kila Ka'haihue -- whose vulnerabilities have been laid bare by left-handed pitching as evidenced by his .154 average against them over the first eight games of the season.

Ka'aihue, a late bloomer at age 27, was made to look ridiculous in a recent confrontation with Tigers lefty Phil Coke, who fed him a dozen curve balls that held the so-called "Hawaiian Punch" punchless with three swinging strikeouts, all on pitches that cut the plate. Not a fastball in the bunch, and all from a hurler who is not exactly Sandy Koufax.

Now the six-foot-four, 235-pound first baseman's challenge intensifies as he must face three lefties this week, Brian Duensing and Francisco Liriano of the Twins, and Eric Bedard of the Mariners. By the time they get through with him, he might be happy to see a righty except for one thing: It will be Bedard's teammate Felix Hernandez, the fireballing ace. Though Ka'aihue has impressive minor league numbers, he put them up in the hit-happy Pacific Coast League, where today rival Eric Hosmer is off to a hot start, hitting 3-6 in the early going. The 50th state native must turn it up now if he wants to be considered anything more than a place-keeper until Hosmer arrives around June 1.

Notice Anything Fishy About Pirates Relief Corps?

Considering that only five sixths of the city of Bradenton, Fla., is on dry land, perhaps it's no surprise that something fishy is in the air at the Pirates spring camp, but it has nothing to do with the water.

Though it's speculative, there's the scent of a story that maybe, just maybe, one of the Bucs outstanding closer candidates may be on the block, either Joel Hanrahan or Evan Meek.

Hanrahan, 30, 4-1 last year with a 3.62 ERA, six saves and 100 strikeouts in fewer than 70 innings, and Meek, 28, with a 2.14 ERA, four saves and 70 strikeouts in 80 innings, have admitted they both want to save games for Pirates this year, and are willing to compete for the job.

The problem is, according to General Manager Neal Huntington, there will be "no open competition" in spring camp, indicating one of the two already has the job, but he won't say which. Let's repeat that: "no open competition."

So if Huntington won't say whom and won't say why, can it be that either Hanrahan or Meek is on the block? All anyone knows is that the Pirates have one too many closers, and that the rotation needs another starter or two, especially after the Pirates lost out to Kansas City in an attempt to sign former Colorado Rockies starter Jeff Francis. The Pirates are also looking for left-handed bullpen help.

"We continue to monitor the market and we have an open dialogue on multiple fronts," Huntington said in recent published reports. Until he clarifies, fans are left to connect the dots. But a more plausable explanation may be that Huntington simply has yet to make up his mind, but has decided that either one or the other will be the full-time closer, thus no closer committees.

Rockies Ask What's Miguel Olivo Done Lately?

After struggling at the plate for a half dozen years newly signed Rockies catcher Miguel Olivo undeniably broke through last year with a 23 home run total with the Royals, a rate of approximately one every nine at-bats, or an astonishing potential of 50 total for the season if he had played full time.

And so what are the Rockies asking of their newly signed backstop? What have you done for us lately? With Cactus League games just getting under way the suspense is already over as multiple media reports indicate that Olivo, 31, will be little more than a reserve due to the emergence of the highly regarded Chris Ianetta, 26.

Ianetta, who has 30-homer potential himself, is regarded as a superior glove man as compared to Olivo who, perhaps in part because of communication shortcomings, failed to satisfy the Royals defensive expectations last year. Ianetta will have to fall flat on his face, not only during spring camp, but in the first four to eight weeks of the season if Olivo is to see much more than a couple of hundred plate appearances.

Transactions Report - 2/8/09

Kansas City Royals: Signed infielder-outfielder Mark Teahen to a one-year contract. $3.85 million lets both sides avoid arbitration.

Philadelphia Phillies: Signed first baseman Ryan Howard to a three-year contract. $54 million, with a few million of potential incentives thrown in.

Billy Butler Bats .400, Bids for Return to Royals

Former Royals designated hitter-first baseman Billy Butler continued to press his case for a quick return to Kansas City, going 3-6 with a double to raise his batting average to .400 during Triple A Omaha's 13-0 trouncing of Mets affilliate New Orleans.

The 22-year-old former first round pick has renewed his relationship with former batting coach and minor league journeyman Terry Bradshaw -- who has temporarily taken over the helm at Omaha. The two picked up where they left off last year in Surprise, Ariz., with Bradshaw encouraging Butler to stay within himself, be patient, wait for pitches to turn on and most of all, believe in himself.

Butler owned a .336 career minor league batting average before winning a spot in the Royals starting lineup coming out of spring, but was demoted after going hitless in his last 10 appearances, with his average falling to .263 with just one home run and 18 RBI in 53 games.

Expect Butler to return to Kansas City as soon as the team is convinced he can overcome confidence issues to battle through the normal growing pains of a gifted yet still very young player.

Royals Refuse to Give Away Octavio Dotel Cheaply

Potential trading partners are quick to point out closer Octavio Dotel's propensities for injury and putting runners on base. But the Royals are quick to defend him -- noting that Dotel's somewhat less than sparkling 3.91 ERA is the result of a just a few bad outings, and that he has 11 saves.

More important is Dotel's refusal to give up more than a hit an inning while striking out more than one per inning. The Royals see Dotel as having been a key contributor in helping the team go 23-19 since the beginning of June, and are in no hurry to give him up too cheaply.

Meanwhile, the deal remains a distinct possibility as bullpen mates Joakim Soria, David Riske and Zack Greinke can be expected to step up if needed. The Indians and Tigers are among teams thought to be participating in negotiations.

Reggie Sanders Trade Will Open Spot for Royals

With Reggie Sanders swinging a hot bat -- .314 with a .500 slugging average in fewer than 100 plate appearances -- the Royals are optimistic about the possibility of trading him before Tuesday.

Sanders' roster spot would open the door for Ryan Shealy's eventual return to first base, though Shealy is hitting an anemic .237 in 38 at-bats for the Triple A Omaha Royals. Perhaps a better spot starter at first base would be versatile outfielder-infielder Mark Teahen, whose occasional moves to the corner would help create at-bats in a crowded outfield.

KC's Billy Butler Latest to Win Daily Playing Time

Royals rookie Billy Butler -- who went 4-5 with a homer in his most recent outing -- is the latest, fresh young outfielder to lay claim -- however tenuous -- to everyday playing time.

Butler -- who starts at designated hitter -- has won favor with a better than .300 batting average and a slugging percentage approaching .500, all with a decent eye for the strikezone.

Butler stands to hold the job at least until battered veteran Mike Sweeney returns from the disabled list, which might not be for some time.

Other outfielders recently emerging with potential, permanent, full-time playing status in their sights include the Athletics Travis Buck, the Indians Franklin Gutierrez, the Rockies Ryan Spilborghs and the Pirates Ryan Doumit.

Keep an eye out for Shelley Duncan of the Yankees.

Royals Let Bygones Be Bygones for Roman Colon

First of all, understand that the Roman Colon altercation has nothing to do with hemorrhoid surgery -- and, no, it was not a gay toga party gone wrong.

Roman Colon is the former Detroit Tigers relief pitcher who -- while taking off his uniform after a minor league rehab appearance -- threw a tantrum because a teammate was supposed to play a recording of composer David Rose's "The Stripper," but mistakenly played the flipside: "Holiday for Strings."

The ensuing melee resulted in a number of cuts, scrapes, bumps and bruises among the players in the Triple A Toledo Mud Hens locker room, with one pitcher hospitalized with injuries so serious as to likely keep him out until at least September, maybe for his career.

Other than that, he's fine, as long as he doesn't mind going by his new nickname, "Marty Feldman," the result of nearly having his eye poked out and literally having had his face broken in four places and put back together with bailing twine, duck tape and Crazy Glue.

The Mud Hens have since banned music in the clubhouse (no, really).

Naturally the Tigers -- even though in need of middle relief help -- had to find someplace to get rid of Colon. And the Royals -- in need of anybody who can walk and chew gum at the same time -- were only too happy to oblige, taking Colon in exchange for a player to be named, a bag of practice balls and a Freddy Patek rookie card.

The bad news is that Kansas City is not the only place Colon is wanted. He remains under a felony assault indictment in Ohio (no, really).

Tigers Embattled Roman Colon Earns a Save

Tigers reliever Roman Colon -- under indictment on a charge of felony assault as the result of a recent clubhouse brawl at Triple A Toledo -- earned his first Eastern League save in Double A Erie's 5-3 victory over Akron.

Colon, 27, has completed a five-game team-imposed suspension, but has been has been demoted to Erie to finish a rehabilitation assignment. Colon earned the save despite giving up three hits and two runs in two innings, though he struck out three.

If there are any takers, the Tigers are likely to roll Colon into a deal to acquire additional bullpen help, perhaps a closer to replace struggling Todd Jones.

Royals Await Mark Teahen's Second Half Push

If any doubt had remained whether Royals slugger Mark Teahen would be able to make the conversion from third base to the outfield, he has certainly erased it by going 42 games without an error until Sunday's 3-1 loss to the White Sox. It was just his second on the season.

Teahen is hitting solidly in the .290 range with a handful of homers, but as his fielding becomes less and less of a concern look for him to turn it up a notch or two at the plate after the All-Star break. Teahen, 26, is just coming into his prime and has benefitted recently by hitting in front of rising rookie Alex Gordon, who is beginning to find his stroke.

Last-half acceleration is nothing new to Teahen, as he bounced back from a slow start to hit better than .300 with nearly an RBI per game after the All-Star break last year, finishing his season at .290 with 18 homers and a .540 slugging percentage. Those numbers and better should be well within his grasp.

Farm Club Bans Music After Roman Colon Brawl

The Mud Hens -- the Tigers Triple A affiliate in nearby Toledo -- has banned the playing of music in the clubhouse before, during and after games due to an incident allegedly triggered by Tigers reliever Roman Colon.

Players wishing to listen to music must wear headphones or not listen to music at all. The ruling mirrors that already adopted in the Tigers clubhouse in Detroit, and was precipitated by a vicious clubhouse brawl between Mud Hens farmhands and Colon, who has since been indicted on a count of felony assault and faces imprisonment for up to five years if convicted.

The 27-year-old Dominican had been on a rehabilitation assignment with the Mud Hens when he incurred the enmity of his teammates by repeatedly playing Carmen Miranda's rendition of "Mi Mama Quiero" at high volume on June 12.

When a scuffle broke out, veteran minor league pitcher Jason Karnuth, 31, attempted to break up the fight only to have Colon turn on him, punching him in the face and breaking Karnuth's orbit and other facial bones, according to investigators. The injuries were so severe that Karnuth required surgery and may be out until September or longer.

Colon has served a team suspension and has been transferred to the Tigers Double A affiliate in Erie, Pa., and currently awaits a criminal arraignment before an Ohio magistrate, the date of which has not been set.

The incident has put additional pressure on the Tigers, whose bullpen is short of help. Relievers Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya are out indefinitely with injuries and closer Todd Jones has been pitching poorly, despite his 18 saves.

Meanwhile, Karnuth suffers from blurry vision and is awaiting for doctors to determine the full extent of his injuries so that he can consider a civil suit to recover his medical expenses and be compensated for his suffering and potential loss of income hence forth.

John Buck Begins to Hit Like Royals Had Expected

It seems now like it was another player in another life, but Royals catcher John Buck was once the prized piece in Kansas City's trade of superstar Carlos Beltran.

After two years of disappointment at the plate, Buck, now finds himself with 14 home runs, enough to rank second among American League catchers behind Cleveland's Victor Martinez. At the same time, the right-handed hitting, former seventh round pick is hitting a passable .260 against right-handed pitchers with a more than .500 slugging percentage overall.

Buck may never reach Cooperstown but it's a start.

When the Royals traded Beltran to Houston in a 2004 three-team deal (also acquiring third baseman Mark Teahen from Oakland), Buck was hitting .300 with a .507 slugging mark for Triple A New Orleans. That won the attention of former Royals manager and All Star catcher Tony Pena, who immediately dubbed Buck the team's catcher of the future.

Buck, who will celebrate his 27th birthday when he returns from the All-Star break, is finally living up to it. Look for continued improvement as Buck traditionally has shown tendencies to hit better as the season progresses.

Something of a sleeper, Buck could develop into a top-10 player at his position over the next two or three years, especially if veteran catcher Jason LaRue, who has laid claim to much of Buck's playing time, steps aside in the near future.

Mike Sweeney Hears Footsteps of Craig Brazell

Fortunately for veteran Royals first baseman Mike Sweeney, prospect Craig Brazell has cooled down a tad, going only 1 for his last 14 at Triple A Omaha to drop his batting average to a mere .341.

Still, with Sweeney hitting only .247 for the season and in a 4-25 slump -- and with the Royals having scored just two runs per game while losing the last six -- there may soon be one more former superstar among the missing in Kansas City.

Not only has Sweeney's bat gone cold, he is on a pace by the end of this season to miss more than 300 games due to injury since 2002, and patience is wearing thin. Don't be surprised if at long last manager Buddy Bell finds a spot for the 33-year-old slugger on the bench, especially after Brazell's big splash last week.

Incredibly, Brazell's recent 15-game hitting streak included two homers last Friday, eight in his previous five games, 12 in 12 games, and 13 in 14 games. And ironically, the 27-year-old former Mets farmhand did it against the Zephyrs, the Mets Triple A club in New Orleans.

Though Brazell has defensive limitations, he would pass muster as Sweeney's replacement because the defensively brilliant Sweeney is so brittle that he is being used primarily as a designated hitter.

Royals Being Patient With Young 1B Ryan Shealy

Expect the Royals to stick with Ryan Shealy at first base, even though newly promoted rookie Jeff Baker will be given a few turns at Shealy's position while Shealy is recovering from a hamstring injury.

Though Shealy has been a bust so far -- hitting a paltry .186 for the season -- he is in his prime at 28 and has proven to be major league ready with a .319, five-year minor league batting average with 103 homers.

The former 5th round pick hit .330 in 91 at-bats in his first call-up for Colorado two years ago, and hit .280 in 193 at-bats after being acquired by Kansas City last year, making an unforgettable impression on manager Buddy Bell and his coaching staff.

Baker, who hit .419 this spring and was hitting .337 at Omaha, will be used at first base, designated hitter and the outfield, hopefully punching up the team's sagging .242 batting average. But Shealy will return to first base by the middle of the month, as his slow start has been attributed to early season jitters, irregular weather and other anomalies that have impacted hitting throughout the league.

Billy Butler Probable to Return to Royals Soon

Billy Butler was welcomed to minor league camp by coach Terry Bradshaw over the weekend after Butler was cut by the Royals, with Bradshaw readying to turn the 20-year-old prospect into a defensively acceptable outfielder.

"He looks like he will become a real good hitter in the future," Bradshaw told www.MLBnewsonline.com. "We're looking forward to working with him."

Bradshaw -- a former outfielder with the Cardinals -- said Butler's bat is good enough that he has "a good chance" to return to the major league club soon if opportunity presents itself, perhaps in the instance of injury.

Notably, starting designated hitter Mike Sweeney, 33, has missed more than 260 games over the past three years due to a variety of health woes, and would leave a gap on the roster should he go down again. However, manager Buddy Bell is concerned that Butler's development will be impeded if he used excessively as an emergency designated hitter.

Butler will roam left field for the AAA Omaha Royals when the team opens its 2007 Pacific Coast League season April 5 at Albuquerque, N.M.; and in the home opener at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha-Council Bluffs on April 13, again versus Albuquerque. He is projected to bat in the No. 3 or No. 4 hole.

Joining him will be former American League Rookie of the Year Angel Berroa, 28, who was demoted to rediscover himself after successive years of declining production. Berroa has been replaced at shortstop by light-hitting shortstop Tony Pena Jr., son of the former Royals manager, who was acquired from the Braves.

Butler, who has told coaches he is determined to develop his defensive game, must concentrate on reading flies off the bat and finding efficient routes to the ball. Butler's arm is not a problem, but to compensate for his being somewhat heavy-footed he will need to make snap judgements to get to balls quickly, according to the staff.

The Royals top pick in the 2004 draft, Butler owns a .344 minor league average. Butler hit .419 with five doubles, two home runs and 10 RBIs in 31 at-bats while assigned as a non-roster invitee at the major league camp this spring in Surprise, Ariz.

Billy Butler Headed for Omaha Despite Huge Spring

Top Royals hitting prospect Billy Butler can be expected to be sent down to the minor league camp any moment despite batting .419 with a .774 slugging average for spring, and coming off a 2006 season at Wichita where he hit .337 with 96 RBI with just 67 strikeouts in 447 at-bats.

Though the 20-year-old future phenom's bat is major league ready, the Royals want him to work on his defensive play in the Omaha outfield, particularly his reads off the bat and his routing to the ball. Butler, a former third baseman, has had such difficulty converting to the outfield that he would best be used as designated hitter, but the team is committed to veteran Mike Sweeney at that position.

Sweeney, 33, who not so long ago projected as an excellent defender at first base and probable for 30-35 homers and a .325 average, has been tagged by numerous experts as a player headed for trouble, and a virtual certainty to miss significant time in the coming season.

Writing in the 2007 Baseball Injury Report, published by Shandler Enterprises, athletic trainer Rick Wilton warns that Sweeney's career is in "sharp decline" due to multiple troubles with his back and a muriad of other injuries including a sprained wrist, sprained elbow and sore hip.

Wilton lists Sweeney as one of seven injury-prone players to avoid at all costs, the others being Alex Escobar, Christian Guzman, Chris Snelling, Dallas McPherson, Mike Matheny and Brian Jordan. The outlook has already proven particularly prescient in the case of Matheny, who recently announced his retirement, and McPherson, who is out for the year due to back surgery and whose return by 2008 is dicey at best.

When Sweeney goes down, it will be interesting to see how quickly the team turns to Butler. The problem is that Butler stands in line behind a number of players already on the roster, including Ross Gload and Reggie Sanders, likely to share time in left; Emil Brown, in line for the fourth or fifth outfield spot; and young Justin Huber, a backup first baseman with some upside.

Mark Teahen Will Prove to be Natural in Outfield

Just because Kansas City's Mark Teahan has never played anywhere but the infield in five years as a pro, four years in college and three in varsity high school, it doesn't mean he can't switch to the outfield. Not only can he do it, there's reason to think he can excel.

Teahan, 25, who resides in the Phoenix suburb of Peoria, returns to the Royals camp in nearby Surprise from Florida this week to resume chasing deep flies. He'll need the practice when top-rated rookie Alex Gordon takes over third base, and Teahan moves to right.

It won't be official until sometime after camp, of course, but make no mistake about it. No later than June Teahen will move to right field and it's not because he's being punished. Teahen projects as a .300 hitter with 20-30 homer power, and the new, improved and soon-to-be dangerous Royals need him. Even though he has no experience in right, Teahen can be seen as the best man for the job because of his attitude, glove and arm.

"He's pretty much all baseball,'' says Jeff Stout, his former coach at Yucaipa High School on the fringe of the Los Angeles Basin. "You tell him to go out and play right field and he's not going to cry about it. He's going to go out and be the best right fielder you ever had."

Teahan was introduced to the left side of the infield as he led Yucaipa into the finals as shortstop in three successive years. Teahen more easily could have played the outfield, but as the most skilled defensive player on his high school team he was needed to play the most demanding position, shortstop, and subsequently he came up as an infielder, Stout said.

Not only will Teahen prove to be a versatile defensive player, he has the makings of being an outstanding offensive force. "I think he projects as a 3-hole hitter," Stout said.

He may never make it anywhere near Cooperstown, but it's not difficult to imagine Teahen following in the stellar footsteps of Hall of Fame shortstop-turned-outfielder Robin Yount.

Familiar Face in KC Outfield? Yes, Mark Teahen's

Kansas City Royals third baseman Mark Teahen has departed for further winter workout activities in Florida after practicing catching flies in the outfield at the team's spring training complex in Surprise, Ariz. It's a likely prelude to Teahen's new job description.

Teahen will return to Surprise in about 10 days, setting the stage for a competition of sorts to see who will play third base this season, Teahen or minor leaguer Alex Gordon. You may as well pencil in Gordon now.

It's not that Teahen hasn't played well at third -- he most certainly has. What's not to like about his ability to hit for average and power, plus his more than respectable defense and likeable clubhouse presence. He's an up and comer who should have little difficulty prompting a trade of veterans Reggie Sanders, 39, or Emil Brown, 32, or their move to the No. 4 outfield spot. Teahen is a natural athlete, though he has never played the outfield during his professional career.

Teahen will be forced to give up his third base job simply because he will never outperform nor even remotely match the play of Gordon, who is regarded by many to be the single best prospect in all of baseball.

Gordon is prime Nebraska beef, hailing from Lincoln, the heart of the team's northern fan base. As a lad he made frequent visits to Kaufmann Stadium with his family to watch Hall of Famer George Brett, for whom his brother Brett is named. The No. 2 overall selection signed for a $4 million bonus, and hit .325 with 29 homers in 486 at-bats last year for Kansas City's AA Wichita farm club.

Barring a complete meltdown during spring training or during April and May, Gordon, who just turned 22, is a virtual lock to be called up not much later than June, a rendezvous point that will help the team push back his contract arbitration date. But Gordon may likely win the job by opening day, ushering a new era in Kansas City, when the names on the basepaths will be not only those of Gordon and Teahen, but can't-miss prospects Billy Butler, 22, in right, and Ryan Shealy, 27, at first.

Having too many good third basemen is a nice problem for manager Buddy Bell, who soon will have a convenient excuse to move Teahen to left field for a couple months of on-the-job training.