Mark Teahen, OF, Kansas City Royals

March 23, 2007 @ 16:00:00

By Steve Ungrey
Edited by Nicholas Minnix

It used to be that the Kansas City Royals had to scrimp and fish through the bargain bins to find castoff players and those who were on the downside of their careers.

Those days have long since passed. The Royals have a player with a bright future in outfielder Mark Teahen. However, the arrival of another up-and-coming superstar has affected Teahen, who is entering just his third full season with the Royals.

Background

Do you wonder if Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane regrets letting Teahen get away? Teahen began with the Oakland farm system before a 2004 three-way deal that sent Teahen to the Royals and outfielder Carlos Beltran from Kansas City to the Houston Astros. Teahen was originally the heir apparent to the third base job in Oakland and served as insurance in case Eric Chavez wasn't inked to a long-term contract.

Teahen played with Kansas City in 2005 following a successful stint at Triple-A Omaha late in 2004 and a decent showing in spring training the following year. While his numbers weren't the best right away, he showed positive signs of becoming a key member of the KC infield. After a revolving door at third base went through Kauffman Stadium following George Brett's retirement, it looked like Teahen would soon establish himself.

Debuting in 2005, Teahen immediately took a liking to the majors with a .246 batting average, seven homers and 55 RBI in 447 at-bats. The numbers weren't great, but he began to adjust in September, hitting .295. Improvement came quickly the following year, with his average and power numbers rising to .290-18-69. Even more impressive was that all of it came in just 109 games. Teahen was struggling in the beginning of the year, hitting just .195 with two homers in 77 at-bats. Kansas City sent him down, and he got the message. In his return to the bigs, in early June, Teahen batted .313 with 16 home runs and eight steals.

Table: Mark Teahen Career Statstics (2005-2006)

Year	G	AB	AVG	HR	RBI	R	SB
2005	130	447	.246	7	55	60	7
2006	109	393	.290	18	69	70	10

Teahen has cut down on his strikeouts a bit, falling from 107 in 2005 to 85 a year ago. He is a minimal source of speed, having stolen seven bases in 2005 and 10 in 2006. His fielding and defense have also improved over that time (20 errors in 2005, 14 in 2006. Eventually, though, Teahen tore the labrum in his right shoulder, forcing him to have surgery Sept. 8 and ending his season.

A New Face

Just when it looked as if Teahen would settle in for the long haul, Kansas City was faced with a potential problem. It seemed the most hyped third baseman since - well, George Brett - was due for a 2007 arrival in Kauffman. His name was Alex Gordon, and all of the fantasy magazines were projecting him to be a super-stud five-tool player. Although the Royals were ecstatic to have Gordon coming aboard, there was one big problem: what to do with Teahen.

The solution turned out to be simpler than many expected. Recognizing outfielder Reggie Sanders was advancing in age and fighting numerous nagging injuries, a plan eventually was hatched where Teahen would go to the outfield if Gordon made the parent club. That became reality the week of March 19, when Royals management announced Gordon, after a torrid spring, had made the 25-man roster and would start Opening Day.

The plan is to start Teahen in right, with Sanders moving to a backup role, assuming he is not traded. Teahen can also play some center and may spell outfielder David DeJesus on some days. There has even been speculation that Teahen could start in center. DeJesus (illness) has missed a few days with the flu, and Teahen has reportedly been impressive during his fill-in duty. Don't forget, Teahen can also play third, so if Gordon finds that his first cup of coffee has a bitter taste and needs a little more seasoning in Omaha, then Teahen can step back to his natural position.

Fantasy Outlook

From a fantasy standpoint, Teahen will likely gain position flexibility, if only for one season. Being able to play third base and outfield will help those who are in a fantasy bind and wondering where Teahen should go. Unless Gordon completely bombs at third base, which many are predicting will not happen, Teahen should stay in the outfield all season and see at least 130-140 games of action, barring injury. Expect an average approaching .300 and perhaps a dozen steals. With his budding power he could easily produce 20-plus home runs.

There are not necessarily many people projecting huge leaps in terms of Teahen's draft status, because Teahen only has two years of full experience under his belt. However, fantasy owners are aware of him. On average, Teahen has gone in the 12th round in mixed league drafts. Teahen should combine with Gordon to usher in the next phase of the improvement in Kansas City, and it can only get better from there.

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Steve Ungrey

Steve Ungrey has been playing fantasy baseball since 1994. An avid baseball nut, he may be one of the only people who starts the spring training countdown immediately after the final out of the World Series. If there's a fantasy baseball or baseball preview magazine for 2003, chances are he has it. A sportswriter at The Grand Rapids Press, Steve has written for KFFL since 2001, concentrating on improving the site's baseball coverage but also helping the site with its unparalleled football coverage.

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