From: JOE POSNANSKI

Link: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/royals/story/1060786.html

"You know his story. He was an infielder in high school. He was a walk-on in college. He was told by plenty of people that he did not throw hard enough to be an effective big-league pitcher. He surprised everyone by making the New York Mets’ rotation in 2006. Then he got hurt. Then he got traded. Then he shocked even more people in 2007 by winning 12 games for the Royals and finishing third in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Then, last year, he went through a nightmare season. He lost 16 games. He had a gruesome 5.76 ERA. He gave up 29 home runs. Lefties hit .313 against him. Nothing, it seemed, went right. He lost confidence. Worse, some lost confidence in him. This year, Bannister knows he will need to pitch well in spring training just to make the club."