As we are one month from Opening Day, with so much optimism surrounding the 2012 version of the Kansas City Royals, and all of the young stars that project to be in this years Opening Day lineup, we must remember some of the players that graced the Opening Day lineup card in years past that made us ask, “WTF?!?!?”

Ahhhhhhhh….Opening Day…when hope springs eternal. The only day (presumably) when parents write fake doctor’s notes to pull kids out of school to go to the ballpark. When playoff dreams have yet to be shattered, and every team still has a chance to win the World Series.

Kansas City Royals fans have been no exception to this tradition over the years, even if the optimism is usually gone within the first week of the season. There is no denying that there is something very special about Opening Day. Every hitter who had a good season the year before is expected to pick up where he left off the previous year; every pitcher who couldn’t get anybody out the year before is expected to turn it around (he’s changed his arm angle!); and mediocre players are expected to take that next step to stardom. On Opening Day, the injuries have yet to occur (usually), and fans have no idea who is going to continue to suck, or go back to sucking. It is all roses until that first crooked number goes up on the scoreboard next to the opposing team’s name. It is for this reason, that there is no greater buzz-kill than when your favorite team decides to pencil names into an Opening Day lineup card that don’t just put all optimism to the test, but crush it to pieces before the first pitch is ever thrown, and force you to scream at the top of your lungs, “WTF?!?!?!?!?”

It is one thing for a manager to be forced to write out a lineup card full of obscure names in September. If the team is out of the race and playing guys recently brought up from the minor leagues (Royals fans are very used to this over the years), this is acceptable. If a team has been ravaged with injuries and it is a Sunday in June on get-away day, it is moderately acceptable to place a fair amount of obscurity on the lineup card (Cardinals fans are very used to this over the LaRussa years). More-so than probably any other organization in baseball, though, the Royals have sent either Trey Hillman, or Buddy Bell, or Tony Pena, or Tony Muser, or Bob Boone, or any of the other skippers of the Royals’ “Stink Era” out to home plate with a lineup card on Opening Day with at least one name on it that makes a fan wonder what in the hell the organization was thinking all off-season. In this column, we will take a look, position-by-position, at the Royals All-Time “WTF” Opening Day Lineup.

Catcher: Hector Ortiz (2001)

Ortiz was drafted as a 19-year-old prospect out of Puerto Rico by the Dodgers in 1988. However, he did not see his first big league action until, after bouncing around with several teams, he landed with the Royals in 1998. That tells you a lot about the Royals’ catching situation at that time. After getting the Opening Day nod in 2001, Ortiz became a part of the 4-headed catching monster that was he, A.J. Hinch, Gregg Zaun, and Brent Mayne for the rest of that season.

1st Base: Ross Gload (2008)

It’s been said before in this column, that it isn’t Ross Gload’s fault that he is Ross Gload. In this case, it is most definitely the Royals’ fault that they didn’t have a more suitable option for a starting 1st Baseman on opening day than a career utility-player. This is completely inexcusable.

2nd Base: Mark Teahen (2009)

How ridiculous does this experiment now seem in hindsight? This poor guy went from being a highly regarded 3rd Baseman, to Right-Field, to Left-Field, to 2nd Base, traded to the White Sox to play 3rd Base again, and is now completely irrelevant. Makes you wonder what he could have done had he never been moved off of 3rd.

3rd Base: Willie Bloomquist (2010)

With Alex Gordon unavailable, the Royals were forced to choose between Bloomquist and Alberto Callaspo to start at 3rd on Opening Day. They chose Bloomquist, and clearly regretted it. He went 0-4 with 3 strikeouts, and missed a routine pop-up early in the game that helped continue a Detroit Tigers rally. Callaspo started at 3rd from that point forward and Bloomquist went back to his rightful role as a utility infielder.

Shortstop: Felix Martinez (1998)

Sandwiched in between Jay Bell and Rey Sanchez, was something called Felix Martinez. He only received 98 plate appearances, while Shane Halter led all Royals’ Shortstops in plate appearances that year with 226. Clearly the shortstop position was a disaster for the Royals in 1998.

Left-Field: Ross Gload (2007)

-See Ross Gload explanation for 1st Base position

Center-Field: Rick Ankiel (2010)

This may have been the only time that Dayton Moore figuratively slapped Royals fans in the face. The guy never wanted to play with the Royals, the Royals still over-paid to get him, he acted like a jerk the whole time he was with the team, suspiciously injured his ankle walking to the field in Spring Training, and under-performed when he did play that year (which was rarely).

Right-Field: Brandon Berger (2003)

Somehow this guy played 4 seasons in the majors (2001-2004), all with the Royals, and I still have no idea who he was. I do know what I was probably saying when I saw his name in the Opening Day lineup in 2003 though…

Designated-Hitter: Terry Pendleton (1998)

Okay…we all know who Terry Pendleton is, so there is nothing obscure about this. Other than…HE PLAYED FOR THE ROYALS?!?!?!? It was Pendleton’s last season before retiring, as he muddled his way through 257 plate appearances and a .257 average floating between DH and 3rd Base for the 1998 Royals. Clearly this was not a very memorable showing.

Starting Pitcher: Scott Elarton (2006)

As a fan, I am still profoundly insulted by this. He was 10 shades past finished before he ever put the Royals jersey on for the first time. In 2006, he struck out a mind-boggling 49 batters in 114 innings. I remember watching him pitch and just feeling bad for the guy. He always looked like he was pitching in pain, and you always had the feeling his arm could go flying into the 14th row with the next pitch. It was almost as if he had to point to something in the stands to get the batter to look that way, then pitch the ball really quick when the batter wasn’t looking to get anyone out. Elarton put up a 5.34 ERA in those 114 innings in 2006, so naturally, the Royals brought him back in 2007. He threw 37 innings with a 10.46 ERA before the Royals finally showed a bit of mercy and just sent him packing.

Here’s hoping 2010 was the last installment of Royals baseball that will ever contribute to this group, and that we will never again be forced to scream out “WTF?!?!?!?” prior to the first pitch of the Royals season ever being thrown.

After a disappointing summer, the future for three top Royals’ prospects is perhaps looking a little brighter.

The Arizona Fall League hit its midway point last week, and its top prospects were invited to a Rising Stars game, which featured the likes of Bryce Harper and Mike Trout and the top pitchers selected in last June’s draft.

The prospect rich Royals sent three to the Rising Stars game who had fallen short of expectations last season. Great performances by the trio hopefully symbolize their development in the fall league and portend the stardom that was expected from each.

Outfielder Wil Myers, infielder Christian Colon and pitcher Jeremy Jeffress each played a key role in the AFL West’s dominant 11-2 win over the East, which boasted Harper, Trout and the number one pick in the 2011 draft, Gerrit Cole.

Wil Myers had a rough go of it in 2011, but showed in the Rising Stars game he belongs in the upper echelons of outfield prospects. Maybe he hasn’t earned the right to be mentioned with Trout and Harper just yet. But his 3-5 with two RBIs demonstrated his immense potential.

Most rankings of Royals prospects will place Myers in the top two or three for next season. That ranking will be based more on scouts’ opinions of his potential than his 2011 production. Myers battled an injury and never quite conquered the pitching at Double-A Northwest Arkansas. His .254 average, .393 slug and .745 OPS were less than awe-inspiring.

Myers is not going to return to Springdale, however. The subject of much trade banter in recent days, Myers may net the Royals some pitching help. If not, he’ll be moved up to Omaha, where he will most likely spend the entire season, since Alex Gordon and Jeff Francoeur won’t be going anywhere soon.

The West team turned in several good pitching performances, but perhaps none was better than the inning thrown by Jeffress. Jeffress struck out every batter he faced, including Harper.

If Myers’ 2011 season was one of fits and starts, Jeffress’ season went in reverse. Viewed initially as a component in the KC pen, Jeffress earned not one but two demotions before the year was over.

Considering his age (24 years old) and his experience (24 big league appearances), Jeffress’ performance in the All-Star game should come as no surprise. Many of the East squad’s hitters were 20 and 21 year olds – Harper just turned 19.

But wiT. Jeffress, talent is not the concern. Harnessing his stuff is the issue, and three strikeouts with no hits or walks is encouraging regardless of the competition.

Colon singled once in two at-bats. That’s an accomplishment for the thus-far light-hitting first round pick from 2010. But the story behind the story is that Colon played second base in the Rising Stars game. Primarily a shortstop in the Royals’ farm system, a shift to second may be imminent for Colon.

A good showing in some exhibition game against young, inexperienced competition is nothing to jump up and down about. But for three guys desperate for some good news, the Rising Stars game had to be refreshing.

Fans should take notice, with cautious optimism, of one great game for three more of the teams’ many prospects. The minor league cupboard needs to be replenished, and the Royals need for this trio to live up to their billing.