At the 2009 World Baseball Classic, Sidney Ponson currently of the Kansas City Royals tested positive for Phentermine, a stimulant that is on the banned substance list. As a result, Ponson won’t be able to play in international baseball competition for 24 months.
Ponson, who pitched for the Netherlands in the 2009 WBC, says that he was prescribed Phentermine to lose weight. Major League Baseball won’t suspend him.
On the season, Ponson has pitched like he needs performance enhancer. The 32-year-old from Aruba is 1-5 with a 7.27 ERA. Last year, while splitting time between the Texas Rangers and the New York …read more

No many people consider the Kansas City Royals a threat to do much of anything this season. However, they have one player on their team that gives them a chance — Zack Greinke. The 6-foot-2 right-handed pitcher is currently the best pitcher in baseball.
After four starts, the 25-year-old flamethrower has a 0.00 ERA and has won all four of his starts. His latest win came on Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays. He gave up only three hits, one walk and one unearned run while striking out ten batters. The unearned run was the first run of any kind …read more

-The Cleveland Indians signed Kerry Wood to a two-year contract. Wood will become the closer for the Indians. The contract is believed to be worth more than $20 million.
-The Kansas City Royals have signed Kyle Farnsworth to a two-year contract. Farnsworth, who split 2008 with the Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees, joins a Royals bullpen which has been given a makeover this winter.
-The Detroit Tigers have traded Matt Joyce to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Edwin Jackson. Joyce will have a chance to start for the Rays in the outfield, while Jackson will likely be given …read more

Ambiorix Burgos, a reliever for the New York Mets, was arrested and charged with assault. According to a report, Burgos has been accused of biting and hitting his girlfriend Maria Lopez.
The 24-year-old Ambiorix Burgos hasn’t pitched in the 2008 baseball season due to Tommy John surgery. In 2007, Burgos had a 3.42 ERA and had 19 strikeouts in a little less than 24 innings.
Burgos spent his first two big league seasons with the Kansas City Royals. In 2005, a 3.98 ERA with three wins and two saves. He struggled in 2006 as his ERA raised to …read more

Mitch Maier of the Kansas City Royals suffered three fractures in his face after being hit by a pitch against the Cleveland Indians. Maier was placed on the DL and the Royals called up Joey Gathright to replace him. You can watch a video of Maier getting hit at the end of this entry.
After fouling off a bunt attempt, Maier was again trying to lay down a bunt. However, a pitch came up in in from Indians pitcher Zach Jackson. Maier didn’t have time to get out of the way and the pitch hit him right …read more

This is one of the oddest videos you will ever see from a baseball game. Against the Kansas City Royals, Jason Bay of the Boston Red Sox hit a ball deep into the outfield. Mitch Maier tried to make a leaping catch in the outfield. Instead of coming down with the ball, the ball rolled along the top of the fence. Luckily for the Royals, Ross Gload came along and knocked the ball off the top of the wall before it cleared for a home run.
Players, coaches and broadcasters for both the Royals and the Red …read more

With the Kansas City Royals getting massacred by the Detroit Tigers, the Royals decided to go with Tony Pena, Jr. at pitcher. What made it unique? Pena is a position player. It had been more than ten years since the Royals used a position player at pitcher.
And to top it off, Pena didn’t disappoint. He was actually the best pitcher on the night for the Royals. His 1-2-3 inning featured a strikeout of future Hall of Famer Pudge Rodriguez. Pena, who pitched when he was younger, featured a fastball that topped at in the …read more

Kansas City Royals
The Royals actually have a lot of talented arms. The problem in Kansas City this year is their total lack of hitting. The Royals are 23-34 and they are lucky to be that good with the way they’ve swung the bat. The good news is Jose Guillen has started to heat up so perhaps there is hope for the Royals.
San Diego Padres
The Padres play in a pitcher’s park but that doesn’t totally explain why they are last in the NL in runs scored. Adrian Gonzalez is having a good season but that can’t be …read more

Carlos Guillen is suffering from a severe case of hemorrhoids. A case so severe that manager Jim Leyland says that Guillen’s two errors in Mondays game were no fault of his own. Since that point, Leyland has been using Guillen at DH.
On the season, Guillen is off to a bit of a slow start. He’s hitting .294 with five homers and 23 RBIs. Last season, Guillen finished the year with 21 homers and 102 RBIs.
Guillen’s injury injury is just another pain in the astroturf for the Tigers this season. With a record of 22-31, the …read more

Early in April, every team in the major leagues is feeling good about their chances. Big market, small market – it doesn’t matter. Early April brings optimism from every corner of the baseball world.
However, it doesn’t take long to see which teams are in line for a long, long season. Which teams should start looking toward the 2009 baseball season? Here’s my list of teams that already have no shot at postseason glory.
Washington Nationals
This one is really no surprise. The Nationals were expected to be bad and they are following through on that prophecy. The bad part for Nationals …read more