Tonight, Kauffman Stadium will host the 2012 All-Star Game. This is big news for baseball in Kansas City; it's the first All-Star Game to be held in town since 1973. But that's not the only reason it's a historic day: For the first time in more than a quarter-century, both teams that take the field there will be playoff-caliber.

Kansas City will be the center of the baseball world for the first time since they won the 1985 World Series. This is unquestionably a good thing — All-Star Games bring attention to the host city and dollars to its local economy, which is why Bud Selig doles them out like doggie biscuits to get teams (and municipalities) to do his bidding. It's also a bad thing, however, because by putting a spotlight on Kansas City, the game also puts a spotlight on its team. And it's impossible to take a good, hard look at the Kansas City Royals without asking, "Shouldn't they be good by now?"

It's not simply that the Royals are working on their 27th consecutive playoff-free season, the longest streak of that kind in professional sports aside from the Washington Nationals — the first-place Washington Nationals. It's that the Royals' current front office was hired to much fanfare six years ago and has so far failed to deliver even a .500 season.

What GM Dayton Moore delivered was a farm system hailed by many as the best collection of prospects in a generation, if not longer. That was 18 months ago. Those were heady times; the Royals made the cover of Baseball America and were featured in Sports Illustrated. They might have lost 95 games in 2010, but they were close. Very close. The conventional wisdom was that the Royals might not be contenders by 2012, but they almost certainly would be better. A lot better.

Eighteen months later, it's clear that building The Best Farm System Ever will forever shape Moore's legacy in Kansas City. It's just not clear whether it's a feather in his cap or an anvil that will flatten it. There is no in-between.

Nine Royals placed on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list last year. Let's check on how they have fared since:

Eric Hosmer (no. 8 on the list) arrived in Kansas City ahead of schedule, getting promoted to the majors on May 6 of last season after hitting .439 for a month in Triple-A. Hosmer went on to finish third in the AL in Rookie of the Year voting, hitting .293/.334/.465 with 19 homers and 11 stolen bases. He was just 21 years old. Scouts adored everything about him — his swing, his swagger, his athleticism, his defense at first base. He wasn't projected to be a star — he was projected to be a superstar, perhaps as soon as this year. Really, the only bad thing you could say about Hosmer was that he was on Bill Simmons's League of Dorks team.

Apparently that was enough. Hosmer is hitting .231/.299/.371 this season. The good news is that everyone says he's hitting balls really hard — they're just finding gloves. The bad news is that HE'S HITTING TWO-THIRTY-ONE.

Mike Moustakas (no. 9) was promoted to the majors a month after Hosmer and struggled mightily for two months. In his first 53 games he hit .182 with one homer. But over the last six weeks of the season, he hit .379/.412/.564, and after showing up to camp this season in the proverbial best shape of his career, Moustakas has hit .268/.327/.490 with outstanding defense at third base. While he wasn't selected, he had a case for being on the field for tonight's All-Star Game. If everyone on this list were playing as well as Moustakas, this would be a very different column.

Wil Myers (no. 10) slipped in the rain and lacerated his knee early last season — no, really — and hit just .254 with eight homers in Double-A. Fully healthy this year, Myers has been arguably the best hitter in the minor leagues. Still just 21, the right fielder has averaged .327/.403/.676 between Double-A and Triple-A, he leads the minors with 27 homers, and he played at Kauffman Stadium on Sunday as part of the Futures Game. He should rank higher than no. 10 on next year's prospect list — that is, if he's still in the minor leagues.

John Lamb (no. 18), a left-handed starter of considerable promise, started the 2011 season in Double-A. Then, in his eighth start, he tore his ulnar collateral ligament. He underwent Tommy John surgery, and — 14 months later — is expected to be back on a mound soon.

Mike Montgomery (no. 19), a left-handed starter of considerable promise, was so impressive in spring training last year that he nearly made the Opening Day roster. Instead, he went to Triple-A, where he put up an ERA above five despite continuing to show potential no. 1 stuff on the mound. He went back to Triple-A this year, and his results have been more in line with his stuff. Unfortunately, this isn't because his ERA has improved — it's 5.69. Instead, his velocity has dropped. No one really knows what's gone wrong with Montgomery, but everyone agrees he's further from the major leagues than he was 18 months ago.

Christian Colon (no. 51) was the fourth overall pick in the 2010 draft, and so made the Top Prospects List almost by default — the top 10 picks in a draft almost always rank as top prospects the following spring, before their weaknesses have been identified and exploited. In Colon's case, his weakness appears to be that he isn't very good. He's a shortstop without a shortstop's range, and he's repeating Double-A this year because he struggled with the bat last season. He was hitting .290/.369/.407 before going on the DL with a toe injury, and while the Royals still think he'll be their second baseman of the future, most scouts peg him more as a super-utility player.

Pouring salt on the wound is that back in 2010, the Royals were rumored to select yet another left-handed pitcher with that pick, only to change their minds hours before the draft because they felt that Colon would agree to their financial terms. The left-hander they would have taken instead: Chris Sale, who has been the best left-handed starter in the league this year, for the AL Central–leading Chicago White Sox, who drafted him 13th.

Danny Duffy (no. 68), a left-handed starter of considerable promise, made it to The Show last May and, despite a 5.64 ERA as a rookie, showed the makings of an above-average starter. He was throwing harder than ever this spring, pitched very well early in the season, and then tore his ulnar collateral ligament in his sixth start. He had Tommy John surgery and he's expected to return sometime next summer.

Jake Odorizzi (no. 69) has steadily worked his way to Triple-A, and for the season has a 3.05 ERA and has struck out 92 batters in 86 innings. Like Myers, he played in the Futures Game at Kauffman Stadium on Sunday. In the short term, he could be promoted to the majors at any time; in...