SURPRISE, Ariz. – Speed and defense. Speed and defense.

Those same characteristics that were the trademarks of the 2014 and '15 Royals World Series teams could be the hallmark of the '19 club as well. At least that has been the goal for general manager Dayton Moore and manager Ned Yost since '18 ended.

What’s the goal?

Moore doesn’t want to use the term "rebuilding" -- he made that clear at his end-of-the-season news conference last October after the Royals lost 104 games. Perhaps a better term is "transition." Gone are almost all the faces from those World Series teams -- Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, etc. The Royals and Moore now want to find out what players they can utilize going forward, such as Brad Keller, Jakob Junis, Jorge Lopez, Heath Fillmyer, Hunter Dozier, Ryan O’Hearn, Jorge Soler and so on. That would be the primary goal. But Moore, admittedly embarrassed by last season, wants to field a far more competitive team as well.

What’s the plan?

As Moore and Co. evaluate what they have going forward, the Royals want to inch toward being at least a .500 team again. To do so, Moore acquired players with elite speed in center fielder Billy Hamilton and designated pinch-runner Terrance Gore to complement Adalberto Mondesi and Whit Merrifield in the running game. Too many runs were given up and too many losses piled up last season with shoddy defense, especially in center field, where Hamilton should be a huge upgrade. Moore also went to work on improving the bullpen, which was one of the worst in baseball in 2018. He re-signed Wily Peralta and signed free-agents Drew Storen, Jake Diekman and Brad Boxberger, hoping to secure the available victories that too often slipped away last season.

What could go wrong?

For all the emphasis on speed, none of it matters if the Royals can’t get on base. That shouldn’t be a problem for table-setters Merrifield and Mondesi. But Hamilton has never been an on-base guy, and the Royals are hoping a new setting and some new voices around him will improve his offensive approach. Also, the Royals left Spring Training last year at this time confident in a bullpen with Blaine Boyer, Brandon Maurer and Justin Grimm. That veteran trio was massively disappointing. Will this season’s batch of relief veterans be any different?

Who might surprise?

Soler has yet to play a full season with the Royals since being acquired from the Cubs for closer Wade Davis in the winter of 2016. If healthy, the Royals are convinced he could be a 30-35 homer guy. Mondesi seems on the verge of stardom and could become a household name. Lopez nearly threw a perfect game toward the end of the season, and has perhaps the highest ceiling of any Royals pitcher. Dozier and O’Hearn raised eyebrows with a strong final two months. And is this the year that Kyle Zimmer, who has been sharp this spring, stays healthy and makes his big league debut? Waiting in wings at Triple-A Omaha are prospects Richard Lovelady, a left-hander, and Nicky Lopez, who can play anywhere in the infield. Both could make their debuts in 2019.