Chen still a possibility

Dick Kaegel has reported that the Royals are considering Bruce Chen for the 2011 rotation.


"We're still open-minded with that. He performed very well with us last year and he showed us what he had, and we've got a comfort level there," - Dayton Moore

I wouldn't hate this. Zach Miner apparently won't be ready until June, which I didn't realize after he was signed. Miner was still a good pickup but he isn't an option for the fifth starter job. Chen had a fine season last year, surprising a lot of people (especially me), and with a much improved team defense it wouldn't surprise me to see him replicate his 2010 success.

Year	W	L	ERA	IP	BB	SO	ERA+	WHIP	H/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB	WAR
2010	12	7	4.17	140.1	57	98	101	1.375	8.7	3.7	6.3	1.72	2.1

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Chen has a career 95 ERA+ but has posted ERA+'s above 100 in three of the four seasons he's pitched more than 100 innings, though they've been fairly scattered (2000, 2005, 2010).
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Moore also told Kaegel that Lorenzo Cain is unlikely to start the season with the Royals. I find this slightly disappointing but I'd rather see him play everyday in Omaha than sit behind Melky Cabrera in Kansas City. It's becoming evident that the roster in the second half will look markedly different than that on opening day. Some of you would like to skip 2011 and bring on 2012 already, and I understand that, but I think you're going to enjoy watching this team after the all star break.