I would take the over but I wouldn't feel good about it. Hoch needs to start clean innings, but that doesn't mean Ned won't try to force the square peg into the round hole.

official

Excellent. If you would have told me this before Spring Training, I wouldn't have believed it. Hoch to the pen and Mendoza the #5 starter.

We have a very solid starting rotation. Best since when...1985?

Yes best starting rotation since the 80's IMO!

As long as Davis and Santana improve from last year, and Guthrie is more like the 2nd half vs the 1 half and Shields doesn't get hurt. This is the Royals though and thinking about that makes me dizzy.

Credit to Mendoza. He really won that spot...he was beast all spring.

Dang it, people! Stop getting me all optimistic for the season! I'm still bracing for 90+ losses. /royalsway

We had a pretty salty rotation in the early 90's with Cone, Appier Gubs and Gordon

Nice move. I might have to change my prediction to 90 wins now!

2013 spring training stats:

Chen - 13.2 IP, 7.90 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 7HR, 3BB, 12K

Mendoza - 11IP, 0.82 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 0HR, 2BB, 8K

This is the manager who continues to use Tim Collins in lefty-on-lefty matchups. Despite all the evidence showing he has reverse splits.

Ned Yost is a great example of an old-school baseball man who continues trying to rhomboid pegs into square holes because they both have 4 sides.

I was just thinking about this. We drafted David Cone and traded him. Got him back and traded him again. We got jack shit for him both times. Ed Hearn was the "Center Piece" of the trade the first time we got rid of Cone. He had all of 35 ML AB's with KC ROFL

I got perez as my fantasy catcher last night and i got cain on the bench.

Ed Hearn was a good player. He unfortunately suffered a career ending injury right after we traded for him. He was like the Percy Snow of the KC Royals.

I never draft Royals in baseball or Chiefs in football so I don't have to hate them later in the season. I don't know how others do it. Good luck to you though.