At the front of the clubhouse here, a row of locker stalls that once belonged to stars has been re-assigned to younger players. This is where Eric Hosmer made his home each spring, not far from the lockers of Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain, just around the corner from the front doorway.
On Wednesday morning, as Royals pitchers and catchers prepared for their first day of spring camp, catcher Salvador Perez stood in a corner of the clubhouse and gazed over at the empty wall.
“I knew these guys when I was 16 years old, 17 years old,” he said.