Kansas City Royals 2019 Outlook- Position Players

The New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13–3 last night to win their 6th Super Bowl. Now, I could take this opportunity to talk about a few NFL-related subjects. It’s compelling to write about the frustration that comes from seeing Boston get to celebrate yet another championship, or about how the Patriots may have benefitted from playing a team many felt were not deserving of being on the big stage. I don’t want to waste energy with that, however. As sad as it may be to embrace, football season is now over. We’re on to one of the best periods of the year for sports fans, March Madness and the beginning of baseball season! With that in mind, today I’m going to outline my thoughts about the upcoming season for the Kansas City Royals. I will be releasing my thoughts on the position players today and will later be posting about the rotation and bullpen.

Last year was highly disappointing following the incredible run of success the organization and city enjoyed from 2014–2017. There were consecutive World Series runs and incredibly strong bonds formed between the players and fans in such a short period of time that seeing players leave and watching a losing product was challenging to accept. The Royals didn’t go out and make any crazy splashes in free agency this offseason, leading many to believe this year may be as rough as last. Maybe it’s a personal bias speaking, but I actually feel the Royals will surprise a lot of people this season. That’s not to say they’ll make a World Series run or even secure a playoff berth, but I think that a Wild Card spot isn’t out of reach. Below I’ll outline what I believe the lineup and rotation should look like, and after doing so maybe I’ll have convinced a few other people that this season will be more of a success than a bummer. So congratulations to the Patriots, enjoy it now because #15 in Red and White is here to put an end to the dynasty and start one of his own. Let’s talk baseball.

My Projected/Ideal Kansas City Royals Opening Day Lineup

1. 2B Whit Merrifield

2. SS Adalberto Mondesi

3. 1B Ryan O’Hearn

4. C Salvador Perez

5. DH Jorge Soler

6. LF Alex Gordon

7. 3B Hunter Dozier

8. RF Brett Phillips

9. CF Billy Hamilton

Role Players

• OF Brian Godwin
• OF Jorge Bonifacio
• IF Chris Owings
• C Cam Gallagher
• OF Terrance Gore

3 Reasons for Hope

1. Getting back to their roots: Two words: Speed and Defense. That was the model that the Royals position players used and excelled at during their runs to the World Series in 2014 and 2015. Over the next couple of years, their style of play seemed to shift in an effort to adjust to the way the rest of the league plays, depending upon some low batting average hitters with slightly better power numbers. The makeup of this years’ roster looks poised to return to the old style. Merrifield, Mondesi, Hamilton, Phillips and Gore all have top-tier speed in the league and this is a team that should be in the top 3 in the league in stolen bases. Defensively there are Gold-Glove caliber players across the field. Perez, Gordon and Hamilton have solidified themselves as some of the best defensive players at their positions and I wouldn’t be shocked to see Phillips and Mondesi reach elite defensive status if they can stay in the lineup and stay healthy, respectively.
2. The Top of the Order: I’m going to be talking about Adalberto Mondesi quite a bit in the positives section as the way the Royals’ season plays out really will hinge on his development. We got a glance at what type of player he could be in this league in the 2nd half of last season, and if that player shows up for a full season this year, this team will be dangerous. Whit Merrifield is the most underrated player in baseball, and I’m not even sure that’s debatable right now. He is the perfect lead-off hitter in this lineup, and should hit over or around 300 once again this year. Both O’Hearn and Soler showed glimpses of incredible power at the plate last year, and we all know at this point that Salvy will deliver enough offensive production from the catcher spot to do his part. If everyone else can follow suit, the top 5 of this batting order could quietly be one of the better ones in the AL.
3. Strong Chemistry: The old “Good clubhouse guys” line is a bit of a cliché in baseball, but if the Royals have success this year, the charisma of the guys in the lineup will absolutely play a part in it. Top to bottom, the roster is full of likable players who all seem to get along very well. The older guys like Gordon, Perez, Merrifield and Owings bring years of professionalism to the table, and are perfect mentors for some of the guys that play every single game with youthful energy (Dozier, Phillips, O’Hearn and Mondesi, in particular.)

Three Reasons to Worry

1. The bottom of the order: While I’m raving about the potential of the top half of the order, the bottom half leaves a lot to be desired from an offensive standpoint. With Alex Gordon regressing over the past couple of years, Hunter Dozier is really the only player that offers decent potential for power. Both Phillips and Hamilton struggled mightily at the plate last year. It will be easier to be patient with Phillips and Dozier due to their relative youth and big-league experience, but if Gordon and Hamilton struggle at the dish once again this year, the critics will quickly become very vocal. The role players are also fairly limited in their offensive capabilities, though Brian Godwin, Jorge Bonifacio and Cam Gallagher all showed flashes at points last year that showed they can be key contributors at the plate if placed in a limited role.
2. Putting the ball in play: This relates heavily to my base-stealing positive. It is undeniable that the Royals have the most speed in the MLB this year, but most of the players who provide that speed are statistically their worst hitters. Hamilton and Phillips are everyday players who flirted around the Mendoza line last year, and Terrance Gore’s ridiculous speed is relegated purely to a situational pinch-runner role because of his struggles at the plate. Even Mondesi has endured tough stretches at the plate where he can look lost in the batters box. Meanwhile, many players on this roster face a big issue of strikeouts. Particularly worth noting are Perez and Soler, who posted strikeout rates of 20% and 26% in 2018, respectively (Per FanGraphs). This years’ team will have to be more disciplined at the plate and find ways to get on base at a higher rate in order to contend.
3. Keeping Pace with the competition: This issue isn’t so much an internal knock on the Royals, but rather a nod to the strength of the A.L. this year. The Central is still the Indians’ to lose and I think the Twins and potentially even the White Sox will show signs of improvement this year. We all know that the East will provide at least two strong World Series contenders in the Yankees and the Red Sox, and it’s a safe bet to assume that at least one of the other three teams in that division will also put together a formidable season with my money being on Toronto (Hello, Vlad Jr.). The Astros will always be in the World Series conversation with the current roster they possess, and the A’s came out of nowhere to earn a surprise Wild Card birth last year and should be strong once again. I haven’t even mentioned the Angels yet, and when you have Mike Trout, you get to be considered a preseason threat. With this many talented teams all fighting for just five playoff spots, the Royals will need everything to go right as far as development from their younger players and consistency from their vets in order to compete.