Head Scratching Move

Okay, now I'm confused. Just one day after releasing Chip Ambres, making it really clear that Aaron Guiel all but had the fourth outfielder job nailed down, the Royals cut Guiel, handing that job to Shane Costa instead.

Nothing against Costa, but I don't understand this move at all.

Look, they can both play all three outfield spot and they both bat left-handed, but that's where the similarities end. As talented as he is and as powerful a physique as he's built, Costa simply hasn't proved he can play in the major leagues. In his entire minor league career, his 6'1", 205-pound frame has managed the grand total of just 16 home runs in over 800 at-bats. His minor league slugging percentage is a lukewarm .440, and Costa's on-base percentage at his last five stops in the minors have been on a downward trend - .444, .400, .364, .349, .188.

Costa is still just 24-years old, and can certainly benefit from being a regular outfielder in Omaha. The guy tallied less than 400 at-bats last year despite being one of the organization's more highly touted outfield prospects, and has only one other season, 2004, where he cracked that barrier. He could use some repetitions, preferably with a hitting coach that helps him develop a power stroke. Sitting on the bench in Kansas City and getting three plate appearances each week isn't going to do anything toward developing this kid.

Meanwhile, Guiel is cheap enough, his teammates like him, fans love him (you don't find many Canadian bench players with their own fan club website), and, most importantly, he's better than Costa. He's long since proven that Triple A pitching is no match for him, racking up minor league on-base numbers like .371, .438, .516, .500, .408 and .443, and a career slugging percentage of .515. Last year, between Omaha and Kansas City, Guiel hit 34 homers, drove in 102 runs while scoring 112, got on base at a .368 clip and slugged .522. Putting a 33-year old Guiel back in Triple A is like putting Tom Hanks in some community theater production of "Same Time Next Year". Been there, done that, nothing left to prove.

I don't get this move at all.

Other Royals Notes:

• On a more positive note, the Royals staff during Spring Training posted the fewest walks per game of any team in Arizona. To steal from new pitching coach Bob McClure, "That's huge", in more ways than one. First, there are the obvious performance benefits to having fewer base runners, more alert defenders, and so on. Just as importantly, it might mean that McClure is a pitching coach who can stay more than one or two seasons. The carousel at that post in recent years has been embarrassing, and almost certainly has contributed to the organization's habitual failure to develop young pitchers. They need guidance, guys, so stop finding new coaches with new philosophies every year.