This could be the year for the Royals -- really

Every spring my Kansas City friends say, "You know, I really think the Royals could get back to the playoffs this year." (I'm paraphrasing, and I still used quotes and I know that's wrong, but come on, it's a blog... lighten up). They're joking, but only half-joking. You can see it in their eyes, that little glimmer of hope that accompanies every April, whether you're a spoiled Yankees fan or a long-suffering Royals fan.

Usually I just nod and smile and say something like, "Yeah, you never know, this could be the year. Stranger things have happened." I don't want to crush that glimmer of hope. Of course, what I'm actually thinking is, "Right, the Royals are in the playoffs this year, just as long as all the other teams come down with five-month dystentary."

But this year, when I say this could be the year, I actually mean it. As of Wednesday, the Royals were in a three-way tie for first place in the AL Central and I actually think that could hold up. The three teams at the top were only 7-6 and I think that sort of winning percentage is probably going to be good enough to stay in the race. Win 85 games and you've got a real chance to take the division this year. Win 90 and you're in really good shape.

There's no dominant team in the Central this season. Every squad has flaws. The Twins were picked by many pundits to win it, and, though I'd love to see it happen, I have my doubts. The Twins have five solid starting pitchers, but no dominant ones (unless Francisco Liriano returns to his pre-reconstructive elbow surgery form, which is kind of like asking Hendrix to be the same guitarist after breaking all his fingers.). The Twins also have bullpen questions (aside from Joe Nathan) and not a lot of power in the lineup. Maybe I'm overly pessimistic about them right now because, as I write this, they're getting blasted by the Red Sox. But I just don't see them dominating this division.

Of course, the Twins could still end up on top because no other Central team is particularly scary either. The White Sox have power hitters and a couple good starters, but their on-base percentage could be dismal this year. The Tigers have bought themselves a loaded offense, but haven't proved they can pitch and field consistently enough to be a playoff team. Cleveland has no starting pitching beyond Cliff Lee, who is flaming out like Britney Spears so far this year.

That leaves the Royals, and while they still have weaknesses, they're not nearly as glaring as they used to be. They're still power-starved, but signing Mike Jacobs has helped. He had four homers in his first 13 games as a Royal and, even if his batting average falls below .250 like last year, he'll still be a bargain. The Royals smartly bought power at a time when it had gone out of vogue, getting a 30-homer guy like Jacobs for $3.275 million per year (yes, that's considered a bargain now for a Major League power hitter and yes, that's fairly ridiculous to anyone who has a real job).

Bringing in Coco Crisp was another savvy move. Not only does he have an adorable name that the Kauffman kiddies will love, he also makes KC's outfield defense doubly better. He shores up the centerfield spot and also frees up David DeJesus to go to one of the corner spots, where he's well above average.

So the Royals have some power, but not as much as the White Sox or Tigers. They've improved their fielding, but they're still not up to the Twins' standard in that category. The Royals have something that no one else in the Central has, though: Gil Meche and Zack Greinke. Unless Lee recovers his Cy Young form, they look like they might be the best two starting pitchers in the whole division, and they happen to play for the same team. Right now it looks like no one else in the Central will have a 1-2 punch as good as Meche/Greinke.

I'll be the first to admit I was skeptical when the Royals signed Meche for more than $11 mill. per year. I figured they'd grossly overpaid for a guy who'd only once had an ERA better than 4.48 in six seasons with Seattle. I'll be the first to admit he's proved me wrong. His first two seasons with KC his ERA was 3.67 and 3.98. In his first three starts this season it's 2.25 and he's striking out more than four batters for every one he walks. He looks like a true ace, and yet he hasn't been KC's best pitcher in the first few weeks of 2009.

That honor goes to Greinke, who has been the best pitcher in all the Majors. He's 3-0, has not given up a single run and is striking out more than a batter per inning. His stuff is dominant -- mid-90s fastball with multiple above average breaking pitches -- and he's only 25. I watch Meche's success with a little bit of resentment, because he's making me look foolish for doubting him. But I can't be anything but happy for Greinke. The struggle with depression that nearly derailed his career is well-documented and seeing him overcome it so decisively is inspiring. Watch enough of his interviews and you get the impression he's a really thoughtful guy with a clever, dry sense of humor (for a list of quippy Greinke quotes, check out this site, after you're done reading my blog, of course: http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?p=5656495 ).

With Meche and Greinke pitching back-to-back, the Royals have a special slump-stopper. Every other team in the Central is likely to have a five-game losing streak at some point in the season. The Royals may not, simply because Meche and Greinke aren't likely to lose back-to-back games very often. That alone could be the difference in a division race that looks wide-open and likely to be tight.

Let's just say the Royals take advantage of the weak division and make the playoffs. Now let's get crazy. Who's to say KC can't win the whole thing? As a team the Royals are set up even better for the playoffs than the regular season. They can pitch guys on short rest and set up a three-man rotation of Meche, Greinke and Kyle Davies. That way, if a series goes seven games, the Royals have Meche or Greinke on the hill for five of them. Davies, though a bit overshadowed, has been no slouch himself this season, with a three-start ERA of 2.89. With that kind of starting pitching the Royals should be in every game, and would just need a couple timely hits to win.

There probably aren't a whole lot of ESPN-types ready to call the Royals a darkhorse World Series team, but I'll go there. This could be the year. Stranger things have happened. And I'm not just saying that -- this year I actually mean it.