2. Kansas City Royals
Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Pitching and timely hitting carried the 2014 upstart Kansas City Royals to an American League pennant, and one of those aspects certainly took a hit during the preseason of the follow-up.
During the postseason run of last year, the Royals were helped by the hard-throwing lefty specialist Tim Collins from the back-end of a dominant bullpen. Collins only made one appearance this spring on March 4, and during that appearance he began experiencing discomfort in his throwing arm. About one week later he was under the knife for a season-ending TJ surgery, illustrating a devastating blow to a star-powered bullpen.
The Royals also took a chance this offseason on the signing of oft-injured Braves starter Kris Medlen, who is recovering from a TJ surgery of his own that took place during last year’s Spring Training. He is only expected to be out into late May or early June, although it is unknown whether or not Medlen will be able to have a substantial role on the Royals’ pitching staff.
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