For the first time in a decade, the Kansas City Royals have a chance to emerge as legitimate contenders in the American League Central. Starting pitching is the main reason. This offseason, the club traded for Ervin Santana , signed free agent Jeremy Guthrie, and acquired the durable James Shields and the versatile Wade Davis from Tampa Bay in a deal that shipped uber prospect Wil Myers and promising minor league pitchers Jake Odorizzi and Mike Montgomery to the Rays.
Shields, Guthrie, Santana and Davis project as the top four starters in the rotation, which allows left-hander Bruce Chen to occupy the No. 5 spot. Luke Hochevar, Luis Mendoza and 22-year-old left-hander Will Smith provide rotation depth.
Though Kansas City parted ways with Myers, a slugging right fielder who was ranked No. 3 on the Baseball News Source Top 10 Prospects List for 2013, the club still has pop in the lineup. First baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Mike Moustakas, Dh Billy Butler, left fielder Alex Gordon and catcher Salvador Perez would be welcomed in just about every Major League lineup. With Myers no longer in the picture, veteran Jeff Francoeur remains in right field while Lorenzo Cain occupies center field.
Greg Holland, who saved 16 games for the Royals last year, is expected to serve as the closer while Aaron Crow, Tim Collins, Kelvin Herrera, Luis Coleman, Everett Teaford, Nathan Adcock and Francisley Bueno form an unheralded and mostly unknown bullpen.
Detroit is the clear-cut favorite in the AL Central, and the Chicago White Sox expect to contend, but the Royals have the chance to surprise baseball pundits and fans alike if they get significant contributions from the rotation.
About Surprise Stadium
Constructed on the former site of a World War II pilot training field, Surprise Stadium is the spring training home of the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers. stadium is essentially split into two halves. Everything Royals – dugout, bullpen, clubhouse, logos, banners – is on the left (third base) half; the Rangers get the same treatment on the right (first base) side. The stadium was the brainchild of the architects at HOK Sport and they followed the recent minor league stadium trend of including a small second deck.
Fans enter the ballpark at street level through gates in the outfield. The main entrance is behind center field. Lesser used gates can be found in left and right field, each slightly to the foul side of the foul pole.
The Surprise Recreation Campus is home to Surprise Stadium, which houses both the Royals and Rangers. Each team has a 37,000 square foot clubhouse.
Surprise Stadium is the centerpiece of the city’s Surprise Recreation Campus, a 132-acre complex that includes a little bit of everything. In addition to baseball practice facilities, the campus is home to the city’s aquatic center, tennis complex, community park, and a regional library, all of which are across the street from the stadium’s main entrance.
For more information about Surprise Stadium, visit here.
About Surprise, Ariz.
Located 20 miles northwest of Phoenix, Surprise was composed of a gas station and a couple small houses when it was founded in 1938. Today, it is the spring training home of the Royals and Rangers, and a 74-square-mile city that continues to grow.
Surprise is flanked by one of Arizona’s largest mountain preserves and is nestled in the Sonoran Desert. Among the interesting attractions there are:
- Surprise’s 10,562-square-foot Aquatics Center, which features a 10,562-square foot water play area complete with zero depth entry, an eight-lane competitive pool, a diving well with two one-meter boards, two slides and a vortex whirlpool.
- The West Valley Art Museum, which showcases five exhibit halls and the works artists and collections from around the world.
- White Tank Mountain Regional Park covers around 30,000 acres and is the largest regional park in Maricopa County. The rugged White Tank Mountains can be traversed in most of the park. The mountain range includes ridges and canyons, and rises sharply from its base to peak at more than 4,000 feet.
For more information about Surprise, visit here.
Kansas City Royals Spring Training Information
First Practice Dates
February 11 – Pitchers and Catchers
February 14 – Position Players
Surprise Stadium
5960 N. Bullard Ave.
Surprise, AZ 85374
(623) 222-2222
2013 Ticket Prices
Lower Dugout, $27
Upper Dugout, $24
Infield Seats, $21
Plaza Seats, $17
Lawn Seats, $8
For more information about tickets and for the Royals spring training schedule, visit here.
