--RHP Daniel Cortes, who is considered the Royals' top pitching prospect, struggled in his first two starts in the Arizona Fall League, going 0-1 with a 17.36 ERA. He permitted nine earned runs and 14 hits, including three home runs, in 4 2/3 innings.
--OF Joe Dickerson was hitting .281 with a .476 slugging percentage for the Surprise Rafters in the Arizona Fall League. He had one home run and one triple. --LHP Ben Swaggerty was 1-1 with a 4.09 ERA in seven relief appearances with North Shore in Hawaii Winter Baseball, but in his past three outings, he had not allowed a hit in five innings while striking out nine.
--Derick Ladnier, who was fired Sept. 9 as the Royals' scouting director, landed a job as a national cross-checker and a special assistant to Nationals general manager Jim Bowden. Ladnier, who was the Kansas City scouting director for eight years, was offered another job in the Royals organization but opted to explore outside opportunities.
--RHP Jason Godin was 1-1 with a 5.70 ERA in four starts with North Shore in Hawaii Winter Baseball. He had allowed 10 hits while striking out 16 in 12 innings in his past three starts.
BY THE NUMBERS: 36-24 -- The Royals' record when the opponent started a left-hander in 2008.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Dave (Owen, 2008 bench coach) and I both came into the American League last season virtually blind from an experience standpoint." -- Royals manager Trey Hillman on hiring former Blue Jays manager John Gibbons as his bench coach and moving Owen to third base coach.
