30-year old lefty swinging David DeJesus will be shifting from LF to RF in 2010 for the Royals. DeJesus played in 144 games for the Royals last season and he was 157 of 558 (.281 avg, .781 OPS) with 74 runs scored, 13 homers, 71 RBIs and 4 stolen bases (he was caught stealing 9 times). DeJesus is a poor man’s Johnny Damon. DeJesus only played in 2 games in RF for the Royals last season and he didn’t make any errors while showing outstanding range. He did have 13 assists in LF so his throwing arm could play well in RF this season.

30-year old lefty swinging Rick Ankiel is the starting CF this season but he can handle RF. Ankiel played in 27 games for the Cardinals last season in RF and he made 1 error while showing pathetic range. He also had 2 assists in RF last season.

33-year old righty swinging Jose Guillen is going to be the full-time DH for the Royals but he could go back to the OF if the need arises in 2010. He played in 65 games in RF for the Royals last season while making 4 errors and showing poor range. He also had 4 assists in RF as he still sports a strong throwing arm.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RF IN 2010: B-

The Royals signed 30-year old lefty swinging Rick Ankiel to serve as their starting CF in 2010. Ankiel played in 122 games for the Cardinals last season and he was 86 of 372 (.231 avg, .672 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 11 homers, 38 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Ankiel has a career batting average of .251 with a .763 OPS in 342 games so the Royals expect him to improve on his 2009 numbers. Ankiel played in 66 games in CF last season and he made 4 errors while showing slightly above average range. He only had 1 assist while in CF but he sports a strong throwing arm.

27-year old lefty swinging Mitch Maier will likely be Ankiel’s top backup in 2010. Maier played in 127 games for the Royals last season and he was 83 of 341 (.243 avg, .665 OPS) with 42 runs scored, 3 homers, 31 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Maier played in 85 error-free games in CF last season while showing good range. He also had an amazing 10 assists in CF as he showed off a remarkable throwing arm. Maier will likely be the Royals’ #4 outfielder this season.

33-year old lefty swinging Scott Podsednik played in 49 games in CF last season for the White Sox in which he made 1 error while showing slightly above average range. He also had 3 assists in CF as runners tried to challenge his arm quite a bit.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CF IN 2010: C

33-year old lefty swinging Scott Podsednik is going to start in LF for the Royals in 2010. He played in 132 games for the White Sox last season and he was 163 of 537 (.304 avg, .764 OPS) with 75 runs scored, 7 homers, 48 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. The Royals would be fine with a repeat of those numbers in 2010 for Podsednik. He didn’t make any errors in 78 games in LF last season while showing slightly above average range there. He also had 3 assists while in LF showing a stronger arm than most people gave him credit for.

30-year old lefty swinging David DeJesus will be the starting RF for the Royals in 2010 but he can shift to left if something happended to Podsednik. DeJesus played in 139 error-free games in LF last season while showing outstanding range. He also had a amazing 13 assists from LF last season showing a strong arm that will aid him in RF in 2010.

30-year old lefty swinging Rick Ankiel will be the starting CF for the Royals in 2010 but he also has experience in LF. Ankiel played in 25 error-free games in CF last season for the Cardinals while showing outstanding range. He also had 2 assists from LF as the former starting pitcher still has a strong throwing arm.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR LF IN 2010: B

The Kansas City Royals are moving 33-year old righty swinging Jose Guillen from RF to DH for the 2010 season. Guillen played in 81 games for the Royals last season and he was 68 for 281 (.242 avg, .681 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 9 homers and 40 RBIs. The Royals hope that DHing Guillen will keep him healthy and productive. The Royals would be happy if Guillen hits his career average of .271 with a .764 OPS and that’s not expecting too much out of him. Guillen might excel as a DH but only time will tell as it’s not an easy job.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE DH IN 2010: C

26-year old lefty swinging Alex Gordon will have to beat out 27-year old righty swinging Josh Fields if he wants to start at 3B for the Royals in 2010. Gordon played in only 49 games for the Royals last season and he was 38 for 164 (.232 avg, .702 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 6 homers, 22 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. In 2007+2008, Gordon played in 285 games for the Royals and he averaged 66 runs scored, 15.5 homers, 59.5 RBIs and 11.5 stolen bases while hitting only .253. Gordon has not lived up to his ability offensively and that’s why he is going to be challenged for his job this spring. Gordon made 10 errors in only 49 games at 3B for the Royals last season while showing below average range. Gordon needs to have a big spring to hold onto his starting job at 3B for the Royals in 2010.

Josh Fields is a serious threat to Alex Gordon’s future with the team. He played in 79 games for the White Sox last season and he was 53 for 239 (.222 avg, .648 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 7 homers and 30 RBIs. Fields does have the power needed to start at 3B in the majors but don’t expect a high batting average as he has whiffed in 34% of his major league at bats. Still, the Royals’ interest in him stemmed from the fact that he has scored a run every 7.4 at bats, cracked a homer every 21.4 at bats and he has knocked in a run every 6.6 at bats in his major league career. Fields played in 49 games at 3B for the White Sox last season and he made 8 errors while showing above average range. Field’s major league future is on the line as much as Gordon’s so it will be interesting to see who comes out on top for the starting job at the hot corner for the Royals in 2010.

32-year old righty swinging Willie Bloomquist could handle playing 3B in a pinch for the Royals. He played 3 error-free games at 3B for the Royals last season while showing outstanding range.

28-year old switch hitting Wilson Betemit will battle for a bench job for the Royals in 2010. He played in 20 games for the White Sox last season and he was 9 for 45 (.200 avg, .591 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 3 RBIs. Betemit is a better hitter than he showed last season as he has a career batting average of .258 with a .756 OPS. Betemit made an amazingly awful 4 errors in 6 games at 3B for the White Sox last season while showing pathetic range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 3B IN 2010: C-