And Now For Something Completely Different...

So I've been really negative about the Royals lately. And there's good reason for that. They are once again buried in last place and don't look like they will be competitive for the rest of the year. Add to that the flurry of bizarre roster moves and embarrassing on-the-field antics, and things are kind of depressing around Royals nation.

However, believe it or not, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic for the future of this team. Everyone expected the Royals to lose around 100 games this year, so there's no reason to be any less optimistic than last year at this time. In fact, there are a few reasons to be even more optimistic right now. Here are some of those reasons:

• The bullpen. Let's be honest, everyone pretty much expected that our bullpen was going to be terrible this year. Inexperience is the theme, so some struggles should be expected. But what we got instead is the undeniable highlight of this team. What is essentially a group of rookies and Joakim Soria has turned out to be lights out. And the best part is that they're young, and are only going to get better. Do you know how scary that is (for other teams)?
• Danny Duffy. Although he got off to a somewhat shaky start, Duffy continues to get better and better every time he takes the hill. The Royals' starting pitching woes are well documented, so seeing a guy that is going to be a part of the future rotation do well early is really nice. And there's more pitching help on the way. Help that may come as early as next year with Aaron Crow possibly moving to the rotation.
  
• Alcides Escobar. This guy is becoming one of my favorite Royals to watch. Alcides has been wowing with his glove all year, but it wasn't until recently that he started hitting. In fact, since June 1st, he's batting over .300. If Escobar can bat somewhere around .270 and be a steady base stealer, this guy is going to be key in the Royals becoming competitive in the future.
• Young hitters. Eric Hosmer came up and immediately was impressive. He was cruising with a .300 average or better for his first month or so in the big leagues, but he has fallen off lately. However, there is no denying that this guy is going to be a stud. Once he has some time in the majors under his belt and gets a chance to make adjustments, watch out. On the flip side, Mike Moustakas has not looked good for the most part. But once again, he's young and is seeing top-notch pitching for the first time in his life. He's obviously got natural talent and he will definitely get better with experience. And how about Alex Gordon? Once viewed as a bust, all he's done this year is busted out the bat and should of been an All-Star. The Royals are putting together a great young core of hitters, with others such as Johnny Giavotella and Wil Myers on their way as well. This is going to be a scary offense if everything clicks with these young guys.

So Royals fans, try not to be too down during these frustrating days. If you look beyond the horizon just a little bit, there's a hint of something great.