Kansas City Royals: Second Wave of Talent Is on Its Way

Come this time next year, the bulk of the Kansas City Royals’ roster will be made up of some of the best young talent that Major League Baseball has to offer.

The Royals’ Minor League system has been ranked at or near the top in all of baseball over the last few years and beginning last season, fans started to witness all the chatter actually take its shape at Kaufman Stadium.

In addition to holdovers Billy Butler and Alex Gordon, general manager Dayton Moore has methodically peppered in young players such as Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Danny Duffy and Salvador Perez onto the Royals' roster.

Although some of their sophomore years aren’t going as planned (Hosmer mired in a season-long slump, Perez knee injury in spring training and Duffy’s potential Tommy John Surgery), the plan is to keep moving forward with the home-grown talent leading the charge.

Though there hasn’t been much activity in the form of new faces on the Big League roster in 2012, the recent promotions of top prospects Wil Myers (outfielder) and Jake Odorizzi (starting pitcher) to Class AAA Omaha indicate that the second wave is on its way to Kansas City. They will join starting pitcher Mike Montgomery, who is also considered a key piece to the future of the franchise.

While some of these players mend and others battle through dry spells, it makes it difficult for fans to go all-in on the process. However, it is unfair for the organization not to expect to be held accountable when failure manifests.

Murphy’s Law indicates that what can go wrong, will go wrong. When things start to falter, management should be proactive in finding ways—outside of the organization—to plug the holes so the ship doesn’t completely sink, while also not deviating from the blueprint.

To Moore’s credit, he has stayed the course in an attempt to fulfill the promises that he has made to Kansas City’s demoralized fan base, which will either buy him long-term praise or earn him an ugly exit out of town.

Contact Jeremy at [e-mail], on Twitter @KCPopFlyBoy and at popflyboys.com.