Lockout May Not Hurt Loaded Royals

If anybody can find anything good in the lockout that shortened spring training, it might be the Kansas City Royals.

The Royals opened camp belatedly this week with a lineup that is virtually set after a winter flurry of deals. The only competition is in center field, where Jim Eisenreich is pushing Willie Wilson for the starting position after being named Royals player of the year in 1989.

“That’s not to say we can be cavalier,” General Manager John Schuerholz said of the three-week spring session leading up to the April 9 opener in Kansas City.

“We’re not in the position of some other teams that have to make major decisions. But we’re going to have to pay careful attention to our players, keeping close watch on their conditioning to make sure they don’t push themselves too fast and injure themselves.”

The Royals, the first team ever to sport the two reigning Cy Young winners on the same roster, are convinced they can win the American League West after finishing seven games back of Oakland last year.

“We think we have a very legitimate chance to be a championship team,” Schuerholz said. “We’re focused on 1990 and that’s our commitment.”

The Royals made a huge commitment to free agents for the first time in their history, signing National League Cy Young winner Mark Davis to a $3 million contract along with Storm Davis.

Richard Dotson was also signed to be the fifth starter, and Kansas City traded Charlie Leibrandt to Atlanta to get Gerald Perry as designated hitter.

The signing of Mark Davis teams him with American League Cy Young winner Bret Saberhagen, who was virtually unhittable in the last month of last season.

The Royals clubhouse now is occupied by players making widely divergent salaries. Mark Davis, a newcomer, is now the highest paid player on a team that includes such Royals veterans as George Brett and Frank White as well as Saberhagen.

Brett, the franchise player, created a stir in January when he complained the Royals were not paying enough attention to him and that possibly he should be traded if the Royals would not renegotiate his contract.

The Kansas City first baseman later called reporters to his home in an unusual session and apologized for the remarks, saying he and Royals owner Ewing Kauffman had reached an understanding.

The Royals also have an arbitration loser in Bo Jackson, and Eisenreich settled for $475,000, about half of what he was seeking in arbitration.

“In my view, it’s not a problem,” Schuerholz said. “I’m not going to say that there are not professional egos in place. But these guys know the free agent system was created by them for their benefit and if some of their brethren are able to take advantage of it momentarily they know they will maybe have a chance to benefit in the future.”

Brett said he also believed the team would come together.

“Once they get down there with the guys and start playing baseball, I think they’ll be thinking baseball,” Brett said. “We have too much to lose to let petty jealousies affect us.”

On the field, the Royals will lead with what could be the strongest pitching staff in the league.

Saberhagen finished 23-6 last year to set a Royals record for victories. He led the league with a 2.16 earned run average, 12 complete games and 262 1/3 innings.

Saberhagen is followed by fastballer Mark Gubicza, a 15-game winner last year, and Tom Gordon, who won 17 despite a late-season slump. Gubicza says he has recovered from a shoulder injury that bothered him late last season.

Storm Davis is penciled in as the fourth starter to be followed by Dotson.

The Royals traded their only left-handed starter, Leibrandt, for Gerald Perry. Perry, who will be the designated hitter, says he has recovered from a shoulder injury.

One of the effects of signing Mark Davis to be the closer was strengthening the middle-relief corps. Steve Farr and Jeff Montgomery, both right-handers, move down as set-up men for Davis after each saved 18 games last season.

The infield is set with Brett, who drove in 80 runs after missing 35 games with a knee injury, at first, White at second, Kurt Stillwell at short and Kevin Seitzer at third.

Eisenreich may get the nod in center after batting .293 last year while playing all three outfield positions. He drove in 59 runs and stole 27 bases.

Wilson had his fifth straight disappointing season, hitting just .253 in 112 games. Since he batted .301 in 1984, Wilson has hit .278, .269, 279, .262 and .253 while drawing criticism for not walking enough in his leadoff position.

Jackson, who made a memorable throw to cut down a runner at the plate in Seattle last year but had another second-half slide, is in left and Danny Tartabull, still with the team after all those trade rumors, is in right.

Venerable Bob Boone signed to catch a 17th season, although Manager John Wathan may want to work in Mike Macfarlane for seasoning.