Promotion to majors eludes duo

One was Kansas City's minor league player of the year, hitting 37 homers between Classes AA and AAA. The other blasted seven big league homers in a month.

Often the kinds of seasons first basemen Kila Ka'aihue and Ryan Shealy put together in 2008 would lead to a big league job the following year. A platoon maybe, of the left-handed hitting Ka'aihue and the right-handed Shealy? One or the other winning the big league job for himself in spring training?

Try neither.

When the Royals traded for Mike Jacobs on Oct. 30, with the previous season still fresh in their minds, Ka'aihue and Shealy were effectively blocked. Jacobs had 32 homers and 93 RBIs with Florida and Kansas City's plans likely included carrying designated hitter Billy Butler as a backup first baseman.

The trade made it a near certainty that both Ka'aihue and Shealy would return to Class AAA Omaha to start this season, and they should figure prominently in the middle of the batting order tonight when Omaha opens the season in a 7:35 p.m. game at Albuquerque.

"Either one of them could play in the big leagues right now," Omaha hitting coach Tommy Gregg said. "But they're good guys and they understand the business part of it. It's my job to keep them in the right frame of mind while they're here."

Ka'aihue kept opposing pitchers in an altered state of mind for most of last season, hitting 26 homers by late July - good enough to lead the Class AA Texas League even though he spent the final month hitting another 11 homers in Omaha.

The 25-year-old former Nebraska recruit from Hawaii said he had no problem when the Jacobs deal was made.

"I didn't think, going into this year, that I was going to make that (big league) team anyway," Ka'aihue said. "And with the September that Shealy had, I thought he was going to make the team and Ross (Gload, since traded) was still there. Billy had been there the last two years. I still thought I was at least third in line and was going to come here anyway."

Shealy's Omaha return wasn't quite as certain.

Kansas City's 2007 opening day starter at first, he appeared lost in the shuffle before re-
emerging in September by hitting .301 and driving in 20 runs in 20 games. He is better defensively than either Jacobs or Butler, and might have been kept as a power bat on the bench and late-inning defensive replacement. Also, since he was out of minor league options, he had to clear waivers before being returned to the minors.

The Royals waited until the final week of the spring before cutting him, and he went unclaimed.

"It's definitely frustrating, to play well for a month straight and then not make the team the next year," Shealy said. "But I'm not the first player who's had that happen. You just have to move on, battle, and try to get back there."

Ka'aihue will likely play first base five days a week, with Shealy playing there the other two, Omaha manager Mike Jirschele said. When not playing first, the other will likely be in the lineup as the Royals' designated hitter.

The serious Ka'aihue, 6-foot-3 and 221 pounds, produced his huge season under Gregg's watch last year at Class AA Northwest Arkansas. He had hit only .199 at that level in 2006, then spent half of 2007 back in Class A.

"I think a lot of guys get mixed up in what their role is as a hitter," Gregg said. "I think Kila thought the organization wanted him to mainly be a power hitter. Last year, I think he was convinced that being a balanced hitter was better than hitting the ball out of the park. The power comes when you're hitting for an average, putting good swings on pitches that you can handle and being patient enough to get those pitches."

Shealy, 6-5 and 240, has spent a good chunk of the past four years dominating at the Class AAA level. Frustration and injuries contributed to a slow start with Omaha last year, but he picked it up and hit .312 with 14 homers and 49 RBIs from June 7 through Sept. 1, cementing a late-season callup.

"I was trying to hit a five-run home run with every swing, trying to prove that I didn't feel I belonged here," Shealy said, referring to his early-season struggles last year. "But in this game, pretty much the harder you try the worse you do."

The good-natured Shealy said he's feeling fine and won't put added pressure on himself to produce this time around.

"Ryno is always fine," Jirschele said. "He enjoys playing baseball."

Gregg is just getting to know Shealy, but adjustments for Class AAA hitters are slight anyway.

"When your swing feels good, we don't mess with it," Gregg said. "We just want to maintain what they're doing on a daily basis.

"I just told him you can never be satisfied."

If nothing else, that point was driven home last October.

• Contact the writer: 444-1027, rob.white@owh.com

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