Angel Berroa

Berroa turned around the label of a permanent disappointment with a respectable, but injury-truncated, season at Triple-A Omaha, hitting .300 with eight home runs in 81 games. He has not matched those 15 home runs of his rookie season at any level of play. Plus, he'll already be 30 at season's start and the chances of him being a starting shortstop in the major leagues are looking slim.

When the Royals fired GM Allard Baird and replaced him with Dayton Moore, many were expecting the Berroa era to be over. Baird brought Berroa to Kansas City in the Johnny Damon trade and was a strong proponent of him remaining in the starting lineup. But it didn't end and may continue for a little while longer despite a 2006 during which he set career lows for on-base percentage, slugging and numerous other categories. His defense, both fielding percentage and range, slid below league average. Berroa is well-liked in the organization, but his saving grace has been that the Royals just don't have any other real options. When that changes, so will Berroa's tenure as the starter at short.

Berroa improved in 2005, but his rookie season is starting to look like a fluke. His minor league numbers suggest he played well over his abilities as a rookie, and for two consecutive seasons he hasn't shown any growth. One way to improve would be drawing more than 15 unintentional walks in 159 games. Manager Buddy Bell moved Berroa around in the lineup, using him as a leadoff hitter for an extended period, quite often, attempting to spark some offensive fire from him. His defense also shows lapses of concentration, but he is certainly an adequate shortstop. Expect similar numbers in 2006 and be happily surprised if he shows improvement.

Like Eric Hinske and Ben Grieve before him, the 2003 American League rookie of the year took a stride or two backward after an initial splash. For Berroa, it may not only have been that he overachieved in 2003. In 2004, as the team crumbled around him, his concentration lapsed. Hurting his concentration early in the season might have been a debilitating bout with migraine headaches, which knocked him out of the lineup for two weeks. Offensively, he didn’t pick it up until June. Defensively, he didn’t get in gear until the Royals shipped him out to Double-A Wichita in August. He has some pop, but the 17 home runs he had during his rookie campaign may have been his ceiling.

Handed the shortstop job after waiving Neifi Perez, Berroa responded with unprecedented offense. Just one year prior, he hit .215 in Omaha with sporadic power. Top-quality defense was his reputation after coming over from Oakland in the Johnny Damon trade, but no one knew if he could hit. His first year could have been a spike, but his ability to change his approach throughout the season and keep consistent shows a player with a bright future. Strikeouts and defense were both problems at times, but defense was also a strength as his confidence improved.

It's decision time for the Royals, who are a tad bit nervous turning the shortstop job over to Berroa. A key component to the Johnny Damon trade, Berroa had a terrible 2002. He hit .215 in Omaha, striking out 84 times in 297 at bats. His normally dependable defense also faltered at times. It's his job in 2003 and expectations are fairly low. It's a good situation for him.