[KChiefs1]

http://www.si.com/mlb/2016/03/01/thr...s-strike-zones

1. Kansas City Royals

Yes, winning the World Series helps, but Kansas City would top this list even if it lost to the Mets last fall. The Royals have the advantage of homegrown talent, many of whom have played together since the minor leagues. But they also have a well-defined, unselfish way of playing baseball (athleticism, defense, putting the ball in play and a deep bullpen).

“I’ve never been around a team like this in my life,” manager Ned Yost said. “Every single one of them wants what’s best for the team. Mike Moustakas, a run producer, is asked to hit second. Alex Gordon, an All-Star, is asked to bat eighth. Chris Young goes back and forth between starting and the bullpen. Jarrod Dyson, Paulo Orlando … nobody [complains]. It doesn’t matter who it is, they all are willing to do whatever it takes to win.
“And [GM] Dayton [Moore] has done a great job bringing in only the guys who fit in. We do a lot of due diligence. No matter who it is—Kendrys Morales, Ben Zobrist, Johnny Cueto, Ian Kennedy—we make sure we ask around about their character. And there have been times we have flat out said ‘no’ and walked away from a player for that reason.

“Years ago in Milwaukee, I remember we had a guy that people warned me about. I was like, ‘He’ll be fine here. We’ll change him around our group.’ Well, he was a disaster. And I vowed ‘Never again.’”



• Outfielder Jose Martinez is no kid prospect; he is 27 years old and played independent ball as recently as 2014 for the Rockford Aviators. But now he’s on Kansas City's 40-man roster in its big league camp, which speaks to the amazing year he had last season: .384/.461/.563 for Omaha, the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate. Martinez is an odd player. He is 6'7" but does not have plus power or speed, nor does he walk all that much. What he does have is a knack for getting the barrel to the baseball. “All I know is that he can hit,” Yost said. “Every day I’d get the minor league report and it was, ‘two hits, three hits, two hits…’ After a while, it gets your attention.”