Surprise, Ariz. ? Angel Berroa hit mostly in the bottom third of the lineup last season, but Kansas City Royals manager Tony Pena announced Sunday that the 2003 AL Rookie of the Year would bat leadoff to begin this season.

Pena said his first four spots would be Berroa, Carlos Beltran, Mike Sweeney and Juan Gonzalez.

Berroa hit in the seventh, eighth or ninth slots in 116 games last season. Near the end of the season, Pena moved Berroa to the top of the order. In 17 games leading off, Berroa hit .323 with a .371 on-base percentage and stole six bases without being caught.

“I think he will do very good in that spot,” Pena said. “You want a leadoff guy to steal bases, and he gets hit a lot (18 hit-by-pitches). When we made the switch last year, he did really well hitting leadoff.”

The Royals went 9-8 when Berroa started as the leadoff hitter.

“I like it,” Berroa said. “But I’ve said before, it doesn’t matter what spot they’ve got me in the lineup. I just want to be in the lineup.”

Berroa said he predicted plenty of fastballs and good pitches to hit with “big guys coming up behind me.”

“I will try to get on base anyway I can,” Berroa said. “I’ll be looking to walk more, to see more pitches and be selective.”

Berroa drew only 29 walks last season, while striking out 100 times in 567 at-bats.

Pena chose Berroa over Aaron Guiel, who started 61 games as a leadoff hitter last season. Guiel hit .310 with a .387 on-base percentage and a .552 slugging percentage while batting leadoff. He hit 13 home runs and 22 doubles, while scoring 51 runs and driving in 40 runs as a leadoff hitter.

Pena said Guiel, who hit 15 home runs in 354 at-bats, could drive the ball out of the park or into the gap. Guiel will bat lower in the order, possibly in the seventh spot.

“I just want my bangers hitting in the first inning,” Pena said.

Beltran batted third during 72 games and cleanup during 24 games last year, while hitting second just 16 games. Beltran has 100 or more RBIs in four of the past five seasons.

“He’ll have another chance at driving in 100 runs, easy,” Pena said.

Gonzalez, who has 1,387 RBIs, will bat cleanup, behind Sweeney, a four-time All-Star pick.

“This is the first time Sweeney’s had a real good hitter behind him,” Pena said. “I think Igor Gonzalez is going to have real big year.”

Pena gives a huge smile on the damage Beltran, Sweeney and Gonzalez could afflict on an opposing pitching staff.

“Oh boy, oh boy,” Pena said in digesting that thought.

Pena said he had not set his lineup after Gonzalez, but that he was giving “serious thought” to hitting Joe Randa fifth. Randa hit a team-high .344 after the All-Star break last season to raise his average to .291.