Farm system product Carlos Beltran won the AL Rookie of the Year Award, while Carlos Febles also impressed. Jeremy Giambi held his own, and if they stick with him his power will appear shortly. The Royals have one of the best outfielders in the minor leagues in Dee Brown and should put a strong everyday lineup on the field for years to come.

The next step is developing a pitching staff, especially the bullpen. This is easier said than done, but Kansas City has material to work with in the system. The 1998 and '99 draft classes focused on pitching, giving the Royals one of the best collections of young mound talent in baseball today.

The raw basis for success is here, but until stable ownership is found, the Royals will continue to fight on an uneven playing field. At least they have some ammunition, unlike some of their small-revenue brethren.

Kansas City expended their two first-round picks on fireballing college pitchers: Kyle Snyder of North Carolina, and Mike MacDougal of Wake Forest. Both throw in the mid-90s, as do supplemental first-rounder Jay Gerhke of Pepperdine and second-rounder Wes Obermueller of the University of Iowa. That's four first-round quality college arms in one draft, quite a haul, although Obermueller is very raw.

Another supplemental pick was used on Jimmy Gobble, a projectable high school pitcher from Virginia. High school pitching is risky, but with that cornucopia of college pitchers, Gobble won't kill the draft if he doesn't develop. Also impressive was Brian Sanches of Lamar University, who doesn't throw as hard as those other guys, but was very impressive in his debut. He was drafted in the second round.

Two college hitters had impressive debuts: Ken Harvey, a first baseman from the University of Nebraska drafted in the fifth round, and Mark Ellis, a shortstop from Florida drafted in the ninth round. Harvey is compared to Frank Thomas as a hitter, while Ellis showed excellent fundamentals and a surprising bat in the Northwest League.

2) Jeff Austin, RHP: 1998 first-rounder from Stanford. Austin has a low-90s fastball, good breaking stuff, and sharp control. He should reach the majors in 2000.

3) Junior Guerrero, RHP: An overlooked gem, Guerrero struck out 181 Class A hitters. He throws hard and he throws strikes. Watch him.

4) Dan Reichert, RHP: Breezed through the Pacific Coast League, which isn't easy, but got roughed up in the majors before getting hit with a line drive. If healthy, he remains a fine prospect.

5) Robbie Morrison, RHP: Hard-nosed reliever with a good arm, could see bullpen work and should be able to do the job.

Mark Quinn, OF: Old for a prospect, turns 26 in May, but has proven his bat is for real. Could hold an outfield spot if Brown isn't ready, or DH.

Chad Durbin, RHP: Doesn't get the press clippings of other guys in the system, but has a live arm and throws strikes.

Chris George, LHP: Posted 142/53 K/BB ratio at Class A Wilmington. Classy left-hander compared to Tom Glavine.

Ben Cordova, OF: Left-handed hitter with patience and power potential.