A.L. spring preview

TO-DO LIST: Trying to find a way to get CF Brian Hunter on base more often is the top priority. Manager Larry Pettish says the leadoff spot is up for grabs between Hunter. and LF Juan Encarnacion, but Parrish would like to see Hunter retain it. Hunter has to show that his on-base percentage is headed in the right direction after reversing itself last year when it dropped from .331 to .298. Part of the problem was he walked 36 times afar a career high of 66 the year before.... The team must decide on a fifth starter between two righthanders, holdover Bryce Florie and Masao Kida, who was signed out of the Japanese League. Kida was more effective in relief last year and probably will end up in the bullpen. It's vital that LHP Justin Thompson regain his effectiveness against lefthanders, starting in the spring. Lefties (.317) hit him much better than righthanders (.254) last year.... The team also must get used to the aggressive style of Parrish, who is a big proponent of the running game. There aren't many natural basestealers in the lineup, Hunter being the only one, but that won't stop Parrish from expecting his players to be aggressive on the bases.--Tom Gage

Kansas City

SPRING SKINNY: Spring training in Baseball City will be an extended tryout where no job is safe, which is befitting of a team living from season to season without an owner. Manager Tony Muser will need name tags for the first month; the Royals have invited 30 non-roster players to camp and will have close to 70 players competing for 25 roster spots. Muser's challenge: field a competitive team from three groups--rookies, players with a few years in the big leagues and second- and third-tier free agents.

TO-DO LIST: Muser must nail down the rotation as quickly as possible. The biggest struggle will be corning up with innings. Candidates range from the obvious (Kevin Appier, Jose Rosado, Glendon Rusch) to the hopeful (Jeff Suppan, Brian Barber, Pete Smith) to the "rising from the ashes" (Erik Hanson). Indecision about the rotation could. drag down the bullpen, which has shown improvement the past two seasons.... Commitments must be made to Carlos Febles, Jeremy Giambi and Carlos Beltran. The rookies have been penciled in as starters at second base, designated hitter and center field, but write it in ink. These are supposed to be the marquee players of the furore. The Royals should put them out there and let them succeed or fail.... Jeff King should not be traded. The team helped its defense with its offseason moves, but King is still a key bemuse he plays Gold Glove-caliber defense at first and would be playing next to a rookie, Febles, at second. King has been saving errors in the Royals' infield for the past two seasons. The team also needs King's bat after losing Dean Palmer and Jose Offerman.--Luciana Chavez

Minnesota

SPRING SKINNY: There is little veteran presence, but the flip side is there are many opportunities for up-and-coming players. Thanks to the return of C Terry Steinbach, a 12-year veteran, the outlook for a young pitching staff is brighter. The team has some excellent minor league prospects, but the strongest group appears to be at least two years away from the major leagues. Patience will be the organizational byword.