You're Reading This Right: Kansas City Royals are Winning in April

Beginning in late February every year, at the start of spring training, my hopes are high for the Royals to have a good season. After so many bad seasons in the past two decades you may find this surprising, but I always have the feeling that every team starts with the same record, so every team has the same chance to have a good season.

Well, my optimism for a good Royals season is usually dashed in April when they normally get off to a very slow start.

So far this season, things are looking up. After losing to the Mariners tonight in Seattle, the Royals have eight wins and six losses, and are very much in the thick of it in the American League Central division.

I know it's early, but starting the season off on the right track is very important. Teams that start poorly in April, like the Royals normally do, are rarely still in the race in September or make the playoffs.

The main reason for the Royals successful start is their pitching. Starting pitching, which has been nothing to brag about the last several years, is off to a great start. The number two and three guys in the rotation have been nearly unhittable. Brian Bannister and Zack Greinke are both off to 3-0 starts. The other guys in the rotation Gil Meche, John Bale, and Brett Tomko haven't been nearly as dominant, but have been decent and have usually kept the team in the game.

The relief pitching, which many thought was a question mark with so much turnover, has been the best in baseball. Setup men such as Leo Nunez and Jimmy Gobble have been mowing batters down, and closer Joakim Soria's stuff has been extremely nasty, causing hitters to stand there and wonder "What was that?"

The offense has been somewhat disappointing, but some players have gotten off to quick starts. Second-year player Billy Butler started off the season with a 13-game hitting streak and consistently shows his ability to make quick adjustments on pitches. Alex Gordon, also a second-year player, is off to a good start this year after hitting below .200 through June last year. 

Some players though, have gotten off to very slow starts. Newly acquired bat Jose Guillen, whom the Royals signed to a three-year, $36 million contract in the offseason, has looked decent in the field, but his bat has yet to get started. Also, Tony Pena, who had a fairly decent year last season, started off in a one for 30 slump this year. Both have shown signs of coming out of their slumps in recent games though.

The Royals' defense has only made two errors in the first 14 games, and has made several dazzling plays in the field. 

So even though we are only 14 games into a 162 game season, things are looking good so far for the 2008 Royals. Maybe like in 2003, the year of "Believe", the Royals will be in the race for the whole season. But this year, unlike 2003, the Royals will finally make the playoffs for the first time since their lone championship season of 1985. 

Hey, a fan can dream can't he.