Japanese style in Kansas City

As the Major League season opens in Japan this week, the Kansas City Royals are preparing for the season with a manager who won a championship in Japan.

Compared to the hurdles Trey Hillman faced in his indoctrination into Japanese baseball, taking over a team in essentially a 20-year slump should be a piece of cake.

“I knew nothing,” Hillman told ESPN about his experience in 2003, when he took over as manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters. “I studied as much as I could about the Japanese game before I came over. I scoured the Internet. I talked to players who had played over here. And I watched Tom Selleck in "Mr. Baseball" about 15 times, looking for little things that I might find when I arrived."

Hillman, who managed in the Yankees' organization before heading to the Far East, is bringing a more fundamental approach to the Royals. Expect the Royals to bunt more and do the little things better than the typical American League team.

"It's the same situation as I dealt with in the past. I'm accountable for wins and losses,” Hillman told ESPN.com. “I go into that knowing that and do the best I can with the pieces that I have.”

Other Royals storylines:

• Hillman took something with him from Japan: middle reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta. He signed a two-year deal to be a setup reliever in Kansas City.
• The Royals hate to think that a 21-year-old is a full-time designated hitter, which is why Billy Butler is getting a crash course at first base.
• With a 15-game suspension likely in Jose Guillen's future, Joey Gathright is going to get a chance for regular playing time in the outfield. He's been impressive in spring training.

Photo: Yabuta Yasuhiko of the Kansas City Royals pitches during a spring-training game on Feb. 27, 2008 in Surprise, Ariz. (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)

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