It’s rare that a player under contract can leave a team out to dry by being a no show, but somehow Rafael Furcal has pulled it off. With the announcement Sunday that Furcal has been shutdown from all on-field activities, the Caridinals are placed in a position to scramble for answers at shortstop for the long-term, yet in the moment.

Furcal, who had his season end last August after tearing an elbow ligament, had not been able to take to the field to perform in the field yet all at, due to not being able to make throws yet. Hitting had been something he was able to undertake lightly until this weekend, when the elbow degraded to a level where ever that was out of the question. That’s when the decision to shutdown Furcal completely was inevitable, and a search for answers hit high alert.

One answer that is out of the question is Furcal himself. With a nearly non-existent free agent market at shortstop was coupled with a high-stakes trade market to upgrade at the position, the team was backed into taking Furcal at his word regarding his progress in regards to his rehab. Furcal twice refused surgery to repair the ligament, both when the injury initially occurred and again shortly after the postseason ended. In December, he stated it was much stronger and he would be ready to play. This eased organizational concerns, and they scaled back efforts to acquire a potential full-time replacement, and instead focused on fortifying the position with role players. However, that decision came back on the club with yesterday’s development, and now the team will be faced with a major question mark in it’s everyday equation.

So with Furcal headed to Alabama to see Dr. James Andrews instead of St. Louis to see active play, where do the Cardinals turn now? Unfortunately, the despite the depth of the talent pool at virtually every other position within the organization, the team doesn’t have a particularly promising youngster at shortstop or a veteran in need of a place to fit in. There will be a definite step down in caliber at shortstop for the immediate future, and picking the correct player to fill in at shortstop will be a likely ever-changing scene.

The options on the current roster are full of question marks. The clear competition comes down to a call between Pete Kozma and Ronnie Cedeno, who was acquired to be the “in case of emergency” option in case of injury occurring. He has been a marginal full-time player over his career, which plays into the hand of Kozma opening in the capacity he finished 2012, as an everyday starter. The .385 average he’s carrying this spring won’t hurt his candidacy either. Outside of those two, the only other options would be Ryan Jackson or Greg Garcia, but trips back to Memphis and Springfield, respectively, are likely guaranteed. A potential move of Daniel Descalso over to the other side of the infield occasionally could be an option as well. Regardless, as things stand now, it will be a job that requires more than one man’s attention.

That may have to suffice, as the shortstop open market isn’t that thrilling of a vision to look on. The highlights (relatively speaking) of currently homeless middle infielders is highlighted by ex-Cardinal Ryan Theriot and former Ray and Padre Jason Bartlett, making the internal options look that much stronger. The trade waters could prove to be even more difficult for the team to look into. The facts are simple: clubs know the Cardinals are in a vice grip of a situation, and will hold them under the gun with any move they discuss. They know there’s treasure chest of prospects to dip into, and there are not many teams in need of a salvation dump due to an expiring contract on their current shortstop. Basically, the Cardinals hand will be forced if an external option is sought after, which is by far the best option. John Mozeliak, who has stated he is committed to keeping the organization’s prime prospects in house, could be pressed very far to see how dedicated he is to that mission.

Last year the St Louis Cardinals entered spring training with Kyle McClellan‘s role unsettled.  He wanted to be a starter but had spent his first years working high-leverage innings late in games.  With the loss of Adam Wainwright to Tommy John surgery, McClellan was thrust full-time into the rotation.

This year the Cardinals enter spring training with McClellan’s role settled, but his presence in the bullpen uncertain.  Now faced with the possible  loss of Chris Carpenter for at least a few starts,  McClellan, who has 17 major league starts to his name  . . . never came up as a potential replacement.  Lance Lynn is on track to fill in, as needed, for Carpenter.

What – what?  Why did that happen?

McClellan has major league experience out of the rotation, something Lynn doesn’t yet possess.  By all outward appearances Kyle was pretty good before he hurt his hip.  McClellan posted a 6-2 record in his starts prior to May 30, spent 15 days on the DL, then posted a 1-4 record prior to being sent back to the bullpen for the remainder of the season.

Doesn’t seem like enough to disqualify him from this year’s discussion.  If his hip is sound he should be able to return to his pre-injury form.  So why was he left out?  Let’s look a little deeper.

From his first start until the injury, opponents hit .250/.307/.404 against him with a .257 average on balls in play.  After he returned from the hip injury, opponents hit .272/.322/.426 against him with a .285 BABIP in games he started.  That’s not far off from what he was allowing prior to the injury; worse, but consistent.  As a reliever, he gave up a .264/.341/.496 line and a .269 BABIP.  His numbers got worse as the season progressed regardless of how he was employed.

Here’s what I found interesting.  According to Fangraphs, during his hot period as a starter he was worth exactly 0.1 WAR. In May, his last full month as a starter, he was worth -0.1 WAR.  Yes, WAR uses FIP to evaluate pitchers, FIP heavily penalizes home runs, and McClellan gave up a lot of those last season (8 of his 21 surrendered in those two months).  Nevertheless, isn’t it interesting he was exactly replacement level as a starter the first two months of 2011*?

Maybe the reason St Louis decided to go with Lynn, despite a belief he is more valuable long-term out of the bullpen, is his higher ceiling.  Don’t forget Lynn was the Cardinals minor-league pitcher of the year in 2009 as a starter.  McClellan’s spectacularly average performance while starting last season makes the selection of Lynn to be this year’s spot starter more understandable.

*for the record, in June and July he posted a 0.0 WAR.

Mike Metzger is a freelance writer based out of San Diego.  He also blogs about the Padres.  Follow him on Twitter.

When the Kansas City Royals announced that they had signed shortstop and now utility infielder Yuniesky Betancourt fans were shellshocked to say the least.  But what was the base of their discomfort with having Yuni back on the Royals roster? In 222 games over the span of two seasons with the Royals, Betancourt batted .253 with 20 home runs, 39 doubles and 105 runs batted in.  A good show of power from the shortstop position in a ballpark that does not help batters with power.  Last season with the Milwaukee Brewers, he batted .252, with 13 home runs, 27 doubles and 68 runs batted in.  So over the last three season he has show consistent power and been a good run producer from a position that does not always require these kinds of statistics, for example Alcides Escobar. Yet fans are still skeptical of Yuni’s defense which has been spotty throughout his career but not having to play as the everyday shortstop could help him be a more popular player with fans while he is in the field. But the big question is where and when will Yuni play for this Royals team?

Undoubtably he will be able to step into the utility role to give shortstop Alcides Escobar and third basemen Mike Moustakas their time off but that is not where Yuni will get the most of his playing time. Second base is where Yuni will make his mark in 2012 since the Royals are so thin at that position and truly do not have someone to play everyday. Royals young second basemen, Johnny Giavotella, has not yet shown in either his time at Kauffman in 2011 or in the early stages of Spring Training this year that he is ready to be a full time Major League ballplayer.  Chris Getz has also shown that over long periods of time that he is both lacking in the field and also not consistent with the bat, though he does have the speed that the Royals like on the base paths. But to be a good base-runner you have to get on base which Getz has not shown he has been able to do on a consistent bases. Shortstop, Alcides Escobar, is still developing as a hitter and will definitely, over the course of his career, show that he is a defensive first player. This being said, the Royals cannot afford to have both of their middle infielders struggle with the bat. Being such a young team at the plate, the Royals line-up will not be able to give outs away and with Getz/Giavotella that may be what they are doing. But now they have Yuni.

The fact that we know what he is and know what he can do is a big advantage for Betancourt.  We know that he will be consistent with the bat and showcase himself with a little bit of power. The one knock that people have given Yuni over the course of his career is his lack of range at the shortstop position.  If he is given the nod at second base then he will in turn be a better defensive player because the range will not be suspect and therefore able to be exploited like it was when he was an everyday shortstop.  The chemistry that both he and Escobar can develop over the course of the season up the middle could be a big plus for a team that will already be great defensivley.

So with all this said, Giavotella will have to improve his Spring Training stats and show the Royals that he is ready for the big league role or he will find himself back down in Omaha to develop his game more.  Chris Getz will probably make this team as a back up because he can be a filler and also has speed that he can showcase will on base.  But Yuniesky Betancourt came into the season as the utility player and has both earned and fallen into the de facto starting second basemen.

So Giavotella to AAA Omaha, Betancourt would be my starting shortstop while being able to play third base and shortstop to allow Moustakas and Escobar days off and Getz will fill his spot on those days. That is what I would do but what the Royals will do to fill their only hole in the field is still in question and only time will tell.

Despite all of the attention the Kansas City Royals are receiving for their young offensive stars, most analysts still say that the starting pitching will be what holds the Royals back this year.  But is this group getting the credit it deserves?

There is an immense amount of optimism surrounding the 2012 Kansas City Royals.  For any fan under the age of 20, this sort of optimism is unprecedented in their lifetime.  For the rest of us, it is hard to remember the last time there was this much excitement around the club.   However, there is one part of aspect of this year’s Royals edition that most consider to be a huge question mark, and that is the starting pitching.  People outside the organization look at the Royals pitching staff and don’t see a proven Ace. This is a valid point.  But the Royals, for the first time in a good number of years, should have 5 guys (or more) that they can throw out there that can not only miss bats, but give them a chance to win every time out.  Here’s a look at the projected Royals starting rotation and what we might expect from this group in 2012:

Projected Opening Day Starter-Luke Hochevar:

Last season was a mixed bag for Hochevar.  The first half was mostly the usual erratic Luke Hochevar that Royals fans had become used to seeing pitch for the previous 3 years.  He would start a game strong, sometimes even dominant.  Then he would get himself into a jam and things would completely unravel from there.  It was maddening.  Was it in his head?  Could he not pitch effectively out of the stretch?  It wasn’t until Ned Yost began forcing Hochevar to pitch out of these situations that a change became evident.  The results in the 2nd half demonstrated that change.

First the good:

-Hochevar was 2 innings away from pitching 200 innings, finishing with 198, the most of his career to this point

-At 4.68, Hochevar finished with his lowest ERA as a full-time pitcher in the majors

-His 1.283 WHIP was down significantly from 2010, and was the best he has posted as a full-time starter

Now, the better:

-In his 12 starts after the All-Star Break, Hochevar’s ERA was 3.91

-His strikeout rate was also way up.  For the year, Hoch had a 5.8k/9 SO rate. However, after the break, it was 7.7

-His WHIP after the All-Star Break was a stellar 1.12

-After the break, Hochevar averaged 6.11 innings per start

If we assume Hochever picks up where he left off in the 2nd half of the season, we should expect something along these lines:

Innings: 201

ERA: 3.90

WHIP: 1.15

K: 172

Those numbers might not be Ace type of numbers, but that is a damn good #2 starter on a championship team, which is what Hochevar’s potential was always thought to be.  He is also 28 years old, in what should be the prime of his career.

Projected #2 starter-Jonathan Sanchez:

Sanchez is probably the most electrifying pitcher to wear a Royals uniform since Zack Greinke.  If anyone in the 2012 Royals rotation has the potential, when at his best, to become the ace of the staff, it is likely Sanchez.  However, he has always struggled with control, and last year battled injuries.  He will be 29 years old for the duration of the season and is probably the biggest wild-card in the rotation.  When at his best, he is a high strikeout, low hit-rate, high walk-rate pitcher.  If we split the difference between what would be a successful season, or a disappointing season for Sanchez, it might look something like this:

Innings: 175

ERA: 4.10

WHIP: 1.35

K: 185

To put it into perspective, in 2010, Zack Greinke’s last season with the Royals, he posted these numbers:

Innings: 220

ERA: 4.17

WHIP: 1.245

K: 181

Sanchez has the potential to do much more than the numbers listed above.  But if he gives the Royals something along those lines, that will make him a solid contributor to the rotation.

Projected #3 starter-Bruce Chen:

Chen would probably be the biggest candidate for regression out of this group, mainly due to his age.  He will turn 35 midway through the season.    He has also spent a significant amount of time on the Disabled List the last two seasons, which has cut into his Innings Pitched #’s and is definite cause for concern. I have a feeling that Dayton Moore might like a mulligan on the decision to give Chen a 2 year deal for $9,000,000.  If you assume Chen hits the DL for his normal stint in 2012, with a bit of regression, it is reasonable to expect his 2012 numbers to look like this:

Innings: 145

ERA: 3.97

WHIP: 1.40

K: 95

If Chen can make it 145 innings, and put up these type of numbers, he probably slots as more of a #5 starter on a playoff team.  If we ever again have to say that Bruce Chen was the best pitcher on the staff, that will mean things have gone terribly wrong.

Projected #4 starter-Felipe Paulino:

Why the Royals were trying to act as if there was any question as to whether Paulino would be in the rotation at the beginning of the season, is still a mystery.  At least Ned Yost is now conceding that Paulino has a “leg up” in the competition for the rotation spot.  What Paulino did last year is likely the most under-appreciated part of the Royals 2011 campaign.  Paulino will be 29 in October, so he is another who is in what should be the prime of his career.  Despite a paltry win total, he posted an excellent 8.6K/9 innings.  His 4.11 ERA and his 1.372 WHIP should both come down in 2012, as the BABIP (Batting Average on Balls In Play) stats show that an abnormal # of balls dropped for hits last year.  Paulino started 20 games last year, and averaged just over 6 innings per start.  If he is able to start 32 games, that should put him right around 200 innings for the season.  Call me optimistic, but this is what I expect from Paulino this season, with the potential for more:

Innings: 198

ERA: 3.80

WHIP: 1.25

K: 190

This would make Paulino another solid #2-like starter for a championship team, which he is certainly capable of becoming.  If only the Royals could find a #1 starter (hint, hint)

Projected #5 starter-Danny Duffy

It is looking more and more likely that the #5 spot in the rotation will end up going to Duffy, though this is not a certainty yet. Duffy just turned 23 in December, so he has youth on his side.  As a rookie in 2011, he showed promise, but also struggled to go deep into ballgames and pitch his way out of jams.  There was one game though, last year, in which Duffy gave Royals fans a taste of what he could become.  That was on June 19 against the St. Louis Cardinals, when Duffy struck out 9 batters in 3 2/3 innings.  This game showed the reasons both why Duffy has such promise, and why he still had a little ways to go.  While he only walked 1 batter, he gave up 6 hits and let his pitch count get all the way up to 90 before being pulled with 2 outs in the 4th.  If Duffy can adjust his approach this year to not always pitching for the strikeout, learning how to finish a batters off, and pitching more efficiently, he is the guy who could step up and be the ace of this staff.  I expect Duffy to take a huge step forward this year, and for his numbers to look something like this:

Innings: 170

ERA: 3.65

WHIP: 1.35

K: 132

It would make sense that the Royals would continue to be careful with Duffy.  If “The Process” is to come to fruition, Danny Duffy is going to need to be a big part of that.  If he can put up numbers close to those above, that will put him in great position for a true “breakout” campaign in 2013.

While this Royals team is missing the true “ace” starter that they had in Zack Greinke, one could argue that top to bottom, this is the best rotation the Royals have had in over a decade.  While injuries could play a role in this, there is also more starting pitching depth in the organization than at any other time in recent history.  Whether it’s Luis Mendoza, Aaron Crow, Mike Montgomery, Nate Adcock, or someone else, the Royals should be able to keep things afloat should one or more of these guys go down.   This group of starting pitchers will be one of the more interesting things to monitor as we get rolling in 2012.

FOX SPORTS KANSAS CITY AND THE ROYALS ANNOUNCE TELECAST CHANGES

KANSAS CITY, MO (December 2, 2011) — The Kansas City Royals and FOX Sports Kansas City today announced the contracts of analyst Frank White and producer Kevin Shank will not be renewed for the 2012 season.

“FOX Sports Kansas City and the Kansas City Royals appreciate Frank White stepping into a larger role as game analyst the last three seasons. He shifted from a planned part-time role to a near full-time role and performed admirably in the booth at a time of need. We also want to thank Kevin Shank for his years of leadership as producer of Royals telecasts. FOX Sports Kansas City has decided to go in a different direction with these positions next year. A search for their replacements will begin immediately.”

Photo courtesy of Minda Haas

Jeff Montgomery held his tongue long enough. For 10 years he quietly watched as the Royals lost nearly 1000 games. He was gone, but not forgotten. He was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2003. But he contented himself with raising four children and observing his former team’s losing ways from afar.

During the post-Jeff Montgomery decade of 2000 to 2009, the Royals won 672 games, lost 948, had one winning season, and posted a “winning” percentage of .414.

In 2010, however, the former relief pitcher decided it was time to start talking again. He began providing pre and post-game commentary for the Royals’ TV broadcasts, first on a trial basis, and now full-time going into 2011.

Montgomery played 12 seasons with KC, notching 304 saves and playing in three All-Star games. He spoke about his playing career and his new broadcasting venture in a previous article on I-70baseball.com.

Like the average Royals’ fan, Montgomery suffered through the promises of “rebuilding” and “youth movements” with very little to show when it was all over. But as he moves into a new phase of his career, he believes the Royals are moving into a new phase of their history as well, one in which things are finally being done the right way.

“It’s been a very frustrating period,” Montgomery said recently. “I think the most difficult part is that there have been on-again, off-again movements toward rebuilding the organization. The Royals fans have been given promises that we’re going to go young and we’re going to build. The problem with that is that it’s a very time consuming process.”

Montgomery will be watching first-hand as the Royals attempt to transition the top-rated farm system in baseball into a competitive major league team. Under the direction of Dayton Moore, the team is working to develop a home-grown cast that can matriculate together to the big leagues.

At the time of Montgomery’s retirement in 1999, the Royals were launching a youth-movement that appeared headed for success. In 2000 the lineup consisted of Mike Sweeney (26 years old), Carlos Febles (24), Mark Quinn (26) Carlos Beltran (23), Jermaine Dye (26) and Johnny Damon (26). Salary demands forced the Royals to part with a few of those key pieces, but yet the team amazingly succeeded in 2003 to post 83 wins, narrowly missing the playoffs. That success proved to be fool’s gold, Montgomery said, causing the team to lose sight of its long-range plan.

“You know, in 2003, the Royals had a winning record – the only time in about 16 or 17 seasons that that’s happened. But after that, going into the 2004 season, they kind of got off track. They brought in Juan Gonzalez and traded for Benito Santiago, and tried to win again. And everybody expected that, and it was a huge disappointment. And as a result of that, it kind of threw that plan off track again.”

Montgomery believes that Moore’s approach – to stockpile quality pitchers in the minor leagues and to eschew quick free-agent fixes – will be successful.

“In 2006, when Dayton Moore came in, he was essentially given the time and the flexibility to start from scratch, focusing primarily on pitching,” said Montgomery. “As Dayton put it, pitching is the currency of baseball. We’re going to add arms to the organization at the minor league level, at the major league level. We’re going to build around pitching, just like when he was involved in the rebirth of the Atlanta Braves going back a couple of decades ago.”

When Moore signed on with the Braves in 1994 as a scout, the team was enjoying the fruits of the labor of developing Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Steve Avery. The current Royals boast a handful of talented pitchers in the minor leagues that Montgomery envisions developing into quality major leaguers.

As many of the Royals’ prize prospects have climbed to the Double A and Triple A levels of the system, Montgomery believes fans won’t have to wait much longer.

“I think right now the organization is about 80 to 85% through that process, but they are not going to defer, and try to bring in guys that are going to get them off that track,” he said. “They are so close. I’ve compared it to running a marathon. They are about 25 miles into their marathon race and they’ve just got a little bit to go. There’s no guarantee they’re going to finish this race, but they’re getting close. And there’s no reason to get off course now.”

Montgomery knows this is same song, umpteenth verse to long-suffering KC fans. But he believes this time it’s different.

“The difference I think now is that there is not just one or two guys in the minor leagues that everyone is banking on. If you go back over the years, there was Zack Greinke who everyone said was going to be a standout pitcher, which he turned out to be. There was Alex Gordon, the college player of the year, who everyone expected to become the next George Brett. So far that has not occurred.
But the difference again now is that there are literally dozens of players. The organization is very rich in young talent both from a pitching standpoint and from an offensive standpoint. There are going to be some busts along the way. Some of those guys are not going to work out. They’re going to become injured or they’re not going to play to the level everyone expects them to.

“But if you’ve got such a large amount of players who have all got such a high level of expectations, some percentage is going to hit, and you don’t have to have all of them. You’ve got a deep enough system now, that even if only a fraction of them hit, you’re going to be ok.”

Just as Frank White is cutting his official ties to the Royals franchise, another member of the team’s hall of fame is becoming more visible in his respective role.

Jeff Montgomery, reliever on the Royals’ squads of 1988 to 1999, is back with the team after keeping a low profile for a decade. Montgomery has lived in Kansas City since his retirement, raising four children and suffering silently from a distance as the team collapsed.

Montgomery’s relationship with the Royals was rekindled last season when announcer Jamie Quirk traded his microphone for a Houston Astros uniform after the 2009 season.

“I was approached by a Royals official to see if I’d like to have my name thrown into the hat (to replace Quirk),” Montgomery said. “They had an opening, and they asked and I said I’d like to give it a shot – it really kind of presented itself to me.”

While Montgomery’s experience in front of the camera was limited to his work on the mound, he took to broadcasting. After pouring his energy into being a full-time father, he says he is ready for the new challenge of pre and post game commentator.

“It’s given me a chance to become officially reconnected with the ball club so I enjoy that,” Montgomery said. “I want to work hard to get better. If I’m going to do it, I’d like to turn it into a sort of ‘semi-second career.’”

Montgomery returned mid-season in 2010 to the field where he saved 304 games, and was three times named an All-Star. Though his teams never qualified for the playoffs, he played in an era when the Royals were an exciting, competitive team. He hopes the same qualities that made him successful as a player will help him succeed as a commentator. Looking back to his playing days, Montgomery describes himself as patient, consistent, hard working and faithful to the team concept.

“Everyone who’s given the opportunity to play on the professional level has some ability,” Montgomery said. “I think (my success came from) the ability to identify my strengths and work off of my strengths or my assets, as opposed to trying to be a cookie-cutter type guy and do what everyone else did. I just focused on doing what I did best.”
The native of Wellston, OH was drafted by Cincinnati in the 9^th round of the 1983 draft after starring at Marshall University. He worked his way up through the minors before reaching the big leagues in 1987 at age 25.

“What got me there was patience, and a willingness to get better at every level,” Montgomery said. “I just focused on going from being a good A ball player to being a good Double A ball player, and so on and so forth. It was just a matter of moving up the system, and eventually being given the opportunity to play at the major league level, and establish myself as a consistent, contributing major league pitcher and becoming a consistent player year in and year out.

“Like a lot of guys, my first day in the big leagues was a special thing. I grew up in Ohio and was originally drafted by the Reds. And I made my debut as a Cincinnati Red. Playing for Pete Rose was a big milestone for me.”

Montgomery didn’t set any worlds on fire in his first season – pitching mainly in relief and running up a 6.52 ERA. In February of 1988, the Reds decided to deal him to KC for outfielder Van Snider. The change of scenery was just what he needed.

Just three seasons removed from a world’s championship, the Royals were trying to hold together their nucleus of George White, Frank White and Willie Wilson while adding talented youngsters like Bo Jackson, Danny Tartabull, Kurt Stillwell and Kevin Seitzer. The team finished above .500 in five of Montgomery’s first seven seasons in KC.

“I have great memories from playing in those days when baseball in Kansas City was on a high note,” the right-handed reliever said. “We were packing the stadium and having a lot of fun. It was (a highlight) having a chance to play with some phenomenal players in the Royal Blue. George Brett obviously number one, but also the Willie Wilsons and the Frank Whites, and the Bret Saberhagens.”

Montgomery was no slouch in his own right. He proved himself in 1989, notching 18 saves with a phenomenal 1.37 ERA. His save totals increased each year until 1993, when his 45 saves and 2.27 ERA earned him his second straight All-Star spot and some MVP support.

Montgomery’s 304 saves rank 19^th on the all-time list: they were all recorded during his 12 seasons in a KC uniform, placing him first on the team’s list. He names his 300^th save and being inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame in 2003 as his greatest personal achievements.

Montgomery doesn’t, however, consider his career extraordinary or his abilities overwhelming.

“I was not a real standout guy, but just a more consistent, reliable guy,” Montgomery said. “Every year I went to spring training, I wanted my manager to know that he could count on me for 162 games, to be there day in and day out for my team.

“I think I was able to be a consistent, reliable closer and play at a high level for a period of time of about seven or eight years and put up some nice numbers but never had one season where I was more dominant that the others.”

Montgomery regrets that he never was able to bring playoff baseball back to Kansas City. He hopes as an announcer he’ll be describing playoff games soon and he is excited to see the direction the team is moving.

A second article will contain Montgomery’s perceptions of the Royals’ rebuilding efforts.

“It’s been a very frustrating period,” he acknowledged. “They are so close. I’ve compared it to running a marathon. They are about 25 miles into their marathon race and they’ve just got a little bit to go. There’s no guarantee they’re going to finish this race, but they’re getting close. And there’s no reason to get off course now.”

Continuing the look at the men who have played for both Missouri franchises, we examine the career of Danny Jackson.

The Kansas City Royals drafted Jackson with the number one pick in the January (secondary) phase of the 1982 amateur draft. Jackson was born in San Antonio but attended secondary school in Aurora Colorado, and was playing for Trinidad Junior College (also in Colorado) when the Royals selected him. He zoomed through the minors and made his major league debut on 9/11/1983 in Minnesota, throwing 3 shutout innings in middle relief and getting the win. He bounced between Kansas City and their AAA affiliate in Omaha in 1984, but became a full-time member of the rotation in 1985.

Jackson was a workhorse for the World Champs. He tied for third (with Mark Gubicza) on the team in wins (14), and was third among the starters in ERA (3.42) and innings pitched (208). Despite that success he wasn’t one of the three starters manager Dick Howser initially selected to pitch in the ALCS. When the Royals went down 3-1 in that series to Toronto, Howser passed up his game two starter Bud Black and gave the ball to Jackson for the final Kansas City home game. Danny was fantastic, scattering 8 hits over 8 shutout innings and beating Jimmy Key 2-0. His start began the Royals improbable comeback to win the AL, as they took games 6 and 7 from Toronto in Toronto.

Jackson’s success in that series was rewarded in the World Series, as he got the Game 1 start. He pitched well, allowing 2 runs in his seven innings, but Cardinal lefty John Tudor was better, and Jackson lost Game 1 3-1. He found himself the starter in another Game 5, with his team down in games 3-1 again. The Royals jumped on Bob Forsch for 4 runs in the first 2 innings, and Jackson cruised to a 6-1 victory. Kansas City came back to win in seven games. Other than Bret Saberhagen, Jackson was the best pitcher the Royals had against St Louis.

His 1985, 1986, and 1987 statistics are fairly similar in terms of innings pitched, home runs allowed, strikeout to walk ratio, and so on. Unfortunately, that consistency did not translate to success in terms of games won. Jackson was one game under .500 in 1986 (11-12), then suffered a 9-18 season the following year. Royal management must have thought Jackson was a flash in the pan, with the flash being his 1985 season, because they traded him to the Cincinnati Reds following the 1987 season.

Jackson responded with his finest season as a pitcher, winning 23 games and finishing second in the NL Cy Young voting to Orel Hershiser. He returned to the post season two years later with those Reds, helping them knock out the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NLCS (he won Game 3, and left Game 6 tied 1-1). He did not have much success in the World Series, but the Reds swept Oakland’s Bash Brothers, giving Jackson his second World Series title.

He was a free agent after the 1990 season, and signed on with the Chicago Cubs. He missed all of May and all of July 1991 to injury, and so threw the fewest innings he had since his 1983 call-up (70.2). He was healthier and threw better in 1992, but the Cubs decided he was expendable and traded him to the Pirates in July. He pitched fairly well for the Pirates down the stretch, but was cuffed around in his lone NLCS appearance, not surviving the second inning of a game Pittsburgh eventually lost 13-5. The Pirates left him unprotected in the 1992 expansion draft and Florida grabbed him, however he never played for the Marlins as they traded him to Philadelphia the same day.

Jackson enjoyed his best back-to-back seasons with the Phillies, helping Philadelphia to an improbably NL title in 1993 and finishing 6th in the Cy Young voting in 1994. A free agent after the 1994 season, he signed a 3-year, $10 million deal to join the Cardinals. By this point, Jackson had won a league title in both leagues, and pitched in 3 World Series, over a nine-year span. Unfortunately the magic carpet ride was over.

He was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer before the 1995 season, and had his thyroid removed. The cancer went into remission after the gland removal, allowing Jackson to make a full recovery, but that was not the end of his trouble. Jackson also severely injured his right ankle during spring training in 1995, and although he did recover he was never the same pitcher. Jackson had a rather unique delivery in which he pushed off violently from the rubber and landed full force on his right ankle, sometimes in a heap on the front of the pitcher’s mound. With an unsteady ankle as his landing gear he did not have the same control he once had.

Jackson suffered through a miserable 1995 going 2-12 for a forgettable Cardinals team that finished 19 games under .500. In 1996, Jackson continued to fight the injury bug, throwing only 36.1 innings the whole season. Those Cardinals won the NL Central, sending Danny on his fourth trip to the post-season in 12 years, but he made only one appearance, a three-inning stint in relief of Todd Stottlemyre in Game 5.

After making 4 starts for the Cardinals in 1997, he was traded in June to San Diego for another fading left-hander (Fernando Valenzuela). Jackson finished out the season with the Padres, then retired.

Danny Jackson will be remembered as one of the best left-handed pitchers in the game from 1985-1994. How his career ended won’t change that one bit. Tough, durable, and consistent, he was a significant contributor to three pennant-winning teams over that stretch, starting with the World Champion KC Royals. Of all the games he started over his big-league career (he made 324 starts, not counting the post-season), the biggest by far were the two he made in the 1985 Playoffs. Both Game 5′s, both with his team facing immediate elimination if he did not perform. He allowed one run combined in those two games, and won each one. At the tender age of 23.

Danny Jackson was a quality major league pitcher, but he is a Legend for his performance over 2 weeks in October, 1985.

Taking a look at the Cardinals roster, there are many players here that gives fantasy owners reason to smile. From Albert Pujols to Ryan Franklin, there is plenty of fantasy talent any owner would love to have. Here’s a look at some position players worthy of a roster spot and their currently statistics.

Pujols is usually head of the class in fantasy baseball. On draft day, he is the first or second player taken. During auction drafts, Pujols has been sold for up to $70. The value shows what an owner is willing to pay to get him on their roster. Pujols is on track for another Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Once he gets the Batting Average (BA) up, his overall ranking will improve.

Rasmus has had a very good year so far. He should be active unless teams have a deep outfield lineup. Rasmus has improved so much from last season, any owner should be very satisfied with the statistics he has put up so far.

Holliday started off horrible this season. Many fantasy owners were quick at the trigger to trade him away. The ones that did are now starting to regret that move. He is starting to heat up and should be a active without question. Holliday should put up similar second half numbers as he did last season.

Ludwick is a very streaky hitter. Most owners become frustrated with him. The week he is on the bench, he produces. The week he is in the lineup, he doesn’t produce. Ludwick shouldn’t be active full time in most leagues. Use him as a backup for injuries and off days for open spots.

The Cardinal pitching staff is one of the best in fantasy baseball. Here’s the list worthy of fantasy recognition and should be active on a team’s roster.

Wainwright is the gem of the Cardinals rotation and any fantasy team. He currently is 2^nd in Wins and 4^th in Earned Run Average (ERA). Wainwright is on his way to compete for the Cy Young award this season. Owners expect the best from him every timehe takes the mound. He should be active in all leagues and should never be out of the lineup on start days. Wainwright is too good to sit under any circumstance.

Carpenter is the next gem of the Cardinals rotation. He was well on his way to compete for another Cy Young award except for his last couple starts ballooned the ERA above 3. Carpenter should be active in all leagues. Like Wainwright, he is too good to sit under any circumstance.

Garcia has been a wonderful fantasy surprise. He went undrafted on draft day. Since making the opening day roster he has no let up. The owners who claimed Garcia off the waiver wire are the lucky ones who get to benefit. He currently has the 2^nd best (ERA) in the National League (NL). Owners should be worried about the 2^nd half of the season. Garcia is entering uncharted territory and should be watched. He should be active in all leagues until he starts to show a decline.

Franklin is not the overpowering closer type. He gives owners a trip to the doctor to get a heart pacemaker inserted due to lack of overpowering stuff. Franklin will never strike out the side or in most cases, not even strike anyone out while allowing a couple base-runners. So far he has not disappointed. Fantasy owners are hoping to not revisit last seasons final month of the season when he had trouble recording outs and finishing out the 9^th. With that, he should be active in all leagues.

Stats and rankings courtesy of CBSSports.com

Scott Yerbic brings fantasy analysis to i70baseball.com every Monday for both the Royals and the Cardinals.