3/2 Cactus League Recap

It is not very often that you hear media members or baseball analysts talk about the Kansas City Royals. Quite honestly, it is usually to talk about the payroll differences in teams like Boston or New York and the Royals.

But if you follow prospects in the game, or pay attention to young guys who are earning valuable playing experiences, then you know that Kansas City is probably on their way up the standings in the American League Central.  Kansas City has managed to put together a lineup that features talented young players such as third baseman Mike Moustakas, shortstop Alcides Escobar, left fielder Alex Gordon and designated hitter Billy Butler. But perhaps the player with the biggest upside is first baseman Eric Hosmer.

Hosmer broke into the big leagues with Kansas City in 2011.  Hosmer hit 19 home runs and knocked in 78 runs with a .293 average.  Fantasy baseball experts and other media members projected Hosmer to really break out in 2012, but he fell well short of expectations, hitting a measly .232 with only 14 homers and 60 RBI.  Hosmer is hitting .471 with a homer (which came on Saturday) and seven RBI so far this spring.  With all of the pieces the Royals have put together, Hosmer may be the most important.

Scores from Saturday:

Milwaukee 4, L.A. Angels 3
San Francisco (SS) 9, Chicago Cubs 7
Chicago White Sox 4, Cincinnati 0
Oakland 6, Colorado 3
Seattle 9, L.A. Dodgers 5
San Diego 11, Cleveland 8
Kansas City 9, San Francisco (SS) 5

Notes from Saturday:
Milwaukee got two hits and an RBI from Rickie Weeks and a two-run double from Taylor Green in their win against the Angels.  The Brewers really got to the Angels' C.J. Wilson, who gave up two runs and four hits in his 1 2/3 innings pitched.  Vernon Wells had a solo home run for the Angels in the loss.  The Giants got two RBI from three different players in their split squad win over the Cubs.  Gregor Blanco knocked in two runs on a triple, Adam Duvall hit a two-run home run and Guillermo Quiroz had a two RBI double.  Sergio Romo, the Giants closer, pitched a perfect inning as well.  Dioner Navarro and Steve Clevenger each knocked in two runs for the Cubs in the loss.  The White Sox shut out the Reds on Saturday, with Chicago starter Jose Quintana pitching three innings of perfect baseball while striking out two Cincinnati hitters.  The Reds top prospect and base stealing phenom Billy Hamilton did steal his third base of the spring in the loss.  The White Sox were able to take it to veteran starter Bronson Arroyo, who allowed five hits and two runs in his two innings of work.  Armando Galarraga, who I featured last week, allowed two hits and one run in three innings of work for the Reds.  Josh Reddick launched a three run home run for Oakland in their win over Colorado on Saturday.  Reddick had only been able to earn one hit in eight at-bats before his two hit performance on Saturday.  Nolan Arenado of Colorado also was able to launch a three run bomb in the loss for the Rockies.  Seattle got a two hit, four RBI performance from Franklin Gutierrez, including a two run home run, in their 9-5 win over the Dodgers.  The Dodgers got two hits an and RBI from Andre Ethier in the loss.  San Diego exploded for eleven runs in their win over Cleveland, getting two RBI from a quartet of players, including Logan Forsythe, Cody Ransom, Alexi Amarista and Jaff Decker.  Ransom also had three hits in three-at bats.  Edinson Volquez, who is the Padres best starter, allowed six runs and eight hits in two innings of work.  Nick Swisher and Asdrubal Cabrera each had three hits in three at-bats for the Indians, including a double from each and a triple from Cabrera.  Ryan Raburn had three RBI, including his fourth home run of the spring.  Ubaldo Jimenez, who is slowly losing grip on a roster spot in Cleveland, allowed five runs on seven hits in two innings of work.  And finally the Royals got two RBI from Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas each on Saturday, including a two run bomb by Moustakas.  Jeremy Guthrie allowed two runs on four hits for the Royals as well.  Gary Brown and Hector Sanchez both knocked in two runs for the split squad Giants.  Brown earned his two RBI on a two run homer, which was his only hit of the game, while Sanchez earned his on a triple, which was also his only hit of the game.