24-year old righty swinging shortstop Alcides Escobar was one of the key players the Royals got from the Brewers in the Zack Greinke deal over the winter. He will be the starting shortstop for the Royals in 2011 and beyond. He played in 145 games for the Brewers last season and he was 119 of 506 (.235 avg, .614 OPS) with 57 runs scored, 4 homers, 41 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Escobar was a much better hitter in the minors than he showed in the majors last season so the hope is that he can hit around .270-.280 while stealing around 25 bases and playing solid defense. He played in 138 games at SS last season for the Brewers and he made 20 errors while showing slightly below average range. The Royals hope that a change of scenery will get Escobar to play up to expectations.

26-year old righty swinging Joaquin Arias was DFA’d over the winter by the Royals but he will be at spring training trying to win a bench gig. Arias played in 72 games for the Mets & Rangers last season and he was 33 of 128 (.258 avg, .601 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 0 homers, 13 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He made 1 error in 5 games at SS last season while showing good range. Arias’ versatility will serve him well this spring as he tries to make the Royals’ roster.

25-year old switch-hitting Lance Zawadzki is in the same boat as Arias as he was DFA’d by the Royals over the winter. Zawadzki played in 20 games for the Padres last season and he was 7 for 35 (.200 avg, .557 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 1 RBI and 1 stolen base. He also played in 96 games in AA+AAA-ball last season in which he was 84 of 373 (.225 avg, .607 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 5 homers, 33 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Zawadzki didn’t make any errors in 3 games at SS for the Padres last season while showing good range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE ROYALS SS IN 2011: C+

29-year old righty swinging Mike Aviles rebounded big time for the Royals in 2010 and he heads into spring training as the Royals’ starting 2B. Aviles played in 110 games for the Royals last season and he was 129 of 424 (.304 avg, .748 OPS) with 63 runs scored, 8 homers, 32 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Aviles has the power to hit 10-15 homers to go along with a .300 average in 2011 if he can stay healthy. Aviles made 11 errors in 87 games at 2B but he showed outstanding range as he is a natural shortstop. If Aviles can cut down on the errors a little bit, he will be a fine defensive 2B.

27-year old lefty swinging Chris Getz came into the 2010 season as the Royals’ starting 2B but he quickly gave that job back. Getz played in 72 games for the Royals last season and he was 53 of 224 (.237 avg, .579 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 0 homers, 18 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Getz has outstanding speed but you can’t steal first base. Getz had 3 errors in 64 games at 2B last season for the Royals while showing slightly above average range. Getz will likely be a utility man for the Royals in 2011.

26-year old righty swinging Joaquin Arias is a longshot to make the Royals out of spring training. Arias played in 72 games for the Mets & Rangers last season and he was 33 of 128 (.258 avg, .601 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 0 homers, 13 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Arias only made 2 errors in 38 games at 2B last season while showing good range. He also can handle 2B and 3B defensively.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE ROYALS 2B IN 2011: B

The Royals aren’t set an many positions but they are at 1B. 24-year old righty swinging Billy Butler played in 158 games for the Royals last season and he was 189 of 595 (.318 avg, .857 OPS) with 77 runs scored, 15 homers and 78 RBIs. He has a great eye at the plate with 69 walks and 78 whiffs so he’s much more than a hacker at the plate. The Royals would be ecstatic if 5-10 more of his doubles flew over the fence in 2011. Butler is by far the best hitter the Royals have and his counting stats (runs and RBIs) will get pumped up if he has more help in the batting order in 2011. Butler is improving at 1B as he made 6 errors in 127 games for the Royals there in 2011.

26-year old lefty swinging Kila Ka’aihue will likely split time at DH and 1B with Butler in 2011. Ka’aihue played in 52 games for the Royals last season and he was 39 of 180 (.217 avg, .702 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 8 homers and 25 RBIs. He also played in 94 games in AAA-ball last year and he was 103 of 323 (.319 avg, 1.060 OPS) with 67 runs scored, 24 homers, 78 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He also showed an excellent eye in the minors, walking 88 times while only whiffing 69 times. The Royals hope that Ka’aihue improves his batting average while maintaining his power numbers in 2011. He had 2 errors in 34 games at 1B for the Royals last season but he is much better defensively than Billy Butler is.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE ROYALS 1B IN 2011: B+

The Royals have signed 35-year old righty swinging 3B Pedro Feliz to a minor league deal. Feliz played in 137 games for the Cardinals & Astros last season and he was 89 of 409 (.218 avg, .533 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 5 homers, 40 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Feliz has now played in 1,302 games in his first 11 years in the majors and he is 1,065 of 4,254 (.250 avg, .698 OPS) with 487 runs scored, 140 homers, 598 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. Feliz will likely battle Wilson Betemit for the starting 3B job in 2011 this spring.