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Kansas City Royals
Player to Watch
Scouting Report | By the Numbers | Projected Roster
The
X-Factor
In Florida last year he was known as Mr. Marlin. That said,
Jeff
Conine was a) Mr. Too Expensive and b) Mr. Mediocre in '97, which
is why he was traded back to Kansas City, where he began
his career eight years ago. Conine, 31, will start in left
for the Royals, who—with the defection of DH Chili Davis
to the
Yankees—need more than the .242 average, with 17 homers and 61
RBIs, he put up while hitting in the middle of a stacked
Marlins lineup. In fact, on a team where only Jeff King and
Dean Palmer supply true power,
90 RBIs is a must for Conine if Kansas City expects to
clear
.500 and he wants a shot at being "Mr.
Royal."
Off-Season
Moves
What They Needed: A shortstop to replace Jay Bell, a slugger to replace Chili
Davis, proven starting pitching and a closer so they can
put a fork in slumpadelic Jeff
Montgomery.
What They Got: Former Marlin Jeff Conine for the outfield, reliever Lee
Smith, DH-first baseman Hal Morris.
What it All Means: K.C. didn't pick up any quality arms (Smith had one—once
upon a time), and Davis's power was not replaced. Conine
and Morris are the vanilla wafers of baseball, which means
they'll hit .280, drive in 70 runs and won't excite anyone
but their
accountants. On a good team, they're perfect plug-ins; on the doomed
Royals, they're stars. This is a bad
thing.
Scouting Report | By the Numbers | Players To Watch | Projected Roster
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