Notes: Few seats open on KC bench
02/21/2006
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The squeeze for seats on the Royals bench will be tight this spring.
Manager Buddy Bell said he plans to go with 12 pitchers, leaving just four spots for reserves.
Matt Stairs is a lock because he'll be a frequently used designated hitter, first baseman and outfielder. One spot will be filled by a catcher, Paul Bako.
An infielder will be needed and Esteban German is considered the favorite, but Joe McEwing also covets the role.
A fourth outfield spot apparently will be a battle between Chip Ambres and Aaron Guiel.
"We had 12 pitchers last year," Bell said. "That's pretty typical. The Angels were the only team that didn't have 12 last year, at least the only one I can think of."
Gotay goes high: Ruben Gotay, the surprise winner of the second-base job last spring, checked in from Puerto Rico.
Gotay had a busy winter, batting .269 in 40 games for Carolina in the Puerto Rican League. He had 39 hits and drew 32 walks for an on-base percentage of .407.
Moving into the Caribbean Series, Gotay hit .368 (7-for-19) in five games. The team was 2-4 and finished third behind champion Venezuela.
Gotay believes he improved his range at second base.
"I think I'm getting pretty good at it," he said.
He's booked to play second base this season at Triple-A Omaha.
Huber checks in: First baseman Justin Huber, who has the longest commute to camp, arrived from Australia.
"I have four months off for the first time so I'm keen to get going," he said.
Huber will play with the Aussie team in the World Baseball Classic in a bracket against Italy, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.
Although the first full-squad workout isn't until Friday, almost everyone has reported. Two regulars were among the missing: Mike Sweeney and Reggie Sanders.
Extra innings: Before the Cactus League season gets started, the Royals will play some intrasquad innings to give their pitchers some work.
They'll have a full-blown game on Feb. 28 at Surprise Stadium. Then, on March 1, they'll play about half a game at the complex.
Source: http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The squeeze for seats on the Royals bench will be tight this spring.
Manager Buddy Bell said he plans to go with 12 pitchers, leaving just four spots for reserves.
Matt Stairs is a lock because he'll be a frequently used designated hitter, first baseman and outfielder. One spot will be filled by a catcher, Paul Bako.
An infielder will be needed and Esteban German is considered the favorite, but Joe McEwing also covets the role.
A fourth outfield spot apparently will be a battle between Chip Ambres and Aaron Guiel.
"We had 12 pitchers last year," Bell said. "That's pretty typical. The Angels were the only team that didn't have 12 last year, at least the only one I can think of."
Gotay goes high: Ruben Gotay, the surprise winner of the second-base job last spring, checked in from Puerto Rico.
Gotay had a busy winter, batting .269 in 40 games for Carolina in the Puerto Rican League. He had 39 hits and drew 32 walks for an on-base percentage of .407.
Moving into the Caribbean Series, Gotay hit .368 (7-for-19) in five games. The team was 2-4 and finished third behind champion Venezuela.
Gotay believes he improved his range at second base.
"I think I'm getting pretty good at it," he said.
He's booked to play second base this season at Triple-A Omaha.
Huber checks in: First baseman Justin Huber, who has the longest commute to camp, arrived from Australia.
"I have four months off for the first time so I'm keen to get going," he said.
Huber will play with the Aussie team in the World Baseball Classic in a bracket against Italy, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.
Although the first full-squad workout isn't until Friday, almost everyone has reported. Two regulars were among the missing: Mike Sweeney and Reggie Sanders.
Extra innings: Before the Cactus League season gets started, the Royals will play some intrasquad innings to give their pitchers some work.
They'll have a full-blown game on Feb. 28 at Surprise Stadium. Then, on March 1, they'll play about half a game at the complex.
Source: http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/
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