Royals could learn from Tigers’ example

< Previous page

“The morale here is the best I’ve ever been around,” says Steve Williams, a Royals scout who came over from Detroit two years ago. “Everybody’s a part of this. There are some organizations where player development and scouting, they’re never on the same page.

“What we’re doing here, we’re all on the same page.”

•••

The Tigers grab headlines with the big trade and the climb back from near-historical failings, but the better division-rival example may be in Cleveland.

After all, according to one estimate, the Indians’ total payroll during 2003-07 was within $5 million of the Royals’.

If the Royals do make the playoffs, it’s likely to be in the financial David-vs.-Goliath situation that the division champion Indians saw last year, defeating the $190 million Yankees and losing to the $143 million Red Sox.

The degree of difficulty the Royals face now isn’t much different than what the Indians have overcome.

“Probably very similar,” says Cleveland GM Mark Shapiro. “You look at our payrolls, they’ve been almost identical the last few years.”

The Indians’ current run of success comes as the payoff to a gutsy sale of the team’s top talent shortly after Shapiro took over after the 2001 season. He traded for Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner, developed Fausto Carmona and held on to Jhonny Peralta.

Many expect Sabathia to go to the highest bidder, but the Indians were proactive in locking up Sizemore at a discount rate — something the Royals may try to do with their best young players.

There are certain advantages the Indians enjoy — better big-league talent when Shapiro took over, bigger market, more revenue from the ballpark — but they’ve also done it without the high draft picks of Kansas City.

Cleveland’s only top-10 pick since Shapiro took over was No. 6 in 2004 (Jeremy Sowers), though they’ve had multiple first-rounders in 2002, 2003 and 2005.

Over that same period, since 2002, the Royals have picked sixth in 2002 (Zack Greinke), fifth in 2003 (Chris Lubanski), second in 2005 (Alex Gordon), first in 2006 (Luke Hochevar), and second in 2007 (Mike Moustakas). They had multiple first-rounders in 2003 and 2004.

Both teams have more similarities than differences, especially when judged against Detroit. The Tigers have traded 12 prospects in the last two years, something Moore says the Royals just can’t do, at least not now.

“We can’t do that either,” Shapiro says. “We were in on all those trades this winter, but they wanted big-league talent back, too. We always have to be conscious of managing our roster, of balancing young talent with older talent. We need to maintain an efficient roster.

“We need guys performing who aren’t making a lot of money, to balance the guys getting older and getting paid.”

•••

Kaline’s ready to go outside now, to shake some hands, pose for pictures, and help these new Tigers run through drills. There sure are more fans here now than there used to be, and why not?

The Tigers are a dream mix of enthusiasm, both young and old.

“You look around this team, and man, everything looks good,” Granderson says.

“Now it seems like everyone wants to come here to play for the Tigers,” Carlos Guillen says.

Even after losing the division to Cleveland last year, the Tigers are the consensus baddest dude on the AL Central block. They’ll play all summer to sellout crowds, there to watch a lineup that features seven All-Stars and a rotation topped by the ultra-filthy Verlander.

Dombrowski won’t bite when asked whether the Tigers’ plan can be duplicated in Kansas City. But he does think the label of small market is far from a death sentence.

“I can’t speak to what their situation would be from a financial perspective,” Dombrowski says. “I can just speak market perspective. A few years ago, people were talking about us like we were small market.”

< Previous page

To reach Sam Mellinger, national baseball reporter for The Star, call 816-234-4365 or send e-mail to smellinger@kcstar.com.