MLB Preview 2015: Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals 89-73
Team Overview:
The Royals had a lot go their way last season as they fought off a slow start and fought hard all the way to game 162 just to clinch a road play in game. They were down late in that game only to make an improbable run that landed them in the World Series. Even in the World Series they were one out and potentially 90 feet away from taking the crown. The Royals have made a few changes to the team and now only time will tell if they can get back to the magical run they had in 2014.
Alex Gordon is the leader of the team and while his offensive stats took a small decline this past season he is still one of the better all around outfielders in the game. He is a 4x Gold Glover and I would expect he brings that defensive backbone whether he can pick up his hitting or not. The Royals bring back their core up the middle and their most relied on bats are Catcher Sal Perez, Short stop Alcides Escobar, and Center Fielder Lorenzo Cain. Escobar and Cain are good for a strong average and Perez has enough power to be a key bat in the lineup. Escobar will look to be an every day lead off hitter for the first time in his career after the team lost Nori Aoki this off-season. To help Perez, the Royals will look at Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer to bring the power to the lineup. Moustakas had an excellent post season run that was really able to put them over the top. However, he had a miserable regular season and hit .215 with 15 homers. To put that into perspective his regular season consisted of a home run every 30 at bats and in the post season it turned into one every 10 ABs. No one knows if that will be the spark the former hyped prospect needs but I would look at the post season as a short-term variance because he has three years of MLB experience to show he is an average hitter at best. While Kendrys Morales and Alex Rios are probably past their primes it will be interesting to see what the two can add as new everyday starters who will replace Aoki and Billy Butler in the lineup. Butler was a major piece in this line up and as he started the season slow, the Royals were slow and as he got hot into late July and August so did the Royals. I don’t think it is a direct correlation but it will be interesting to see who can pick up the slack when times get tough.
Butler and Aoki are bigger losses than some may think but the biggest loss is obvious in James Shields. The team assumed last year was Shields’ last run with them and they took advantage by making every move and adjustment needed to round out a winning team with the ace. Shields’ is gone now and the youngster Yordano Ventura will look to step into his place. Ventura had a hot start to last season but saw soreness and fatigue mid way through his rookie campaign. Ventura throws as hard as anyone but if he can’t control his fastball and his arm strength then he will have his off nights and possibly be a candidate for Tommy John before we know it. He certainly could produce along side Danny Duffy, the 25 year old who surprised many when he became a regular and a bright spot in the rotation. Duffy will look to build on that season but Saber Metrics call for a decline so that will be something to keep an eye on. Duffy will more than likely be slotted into the 4th or 5th role in the rotation as veterans round out the bunch. Jason Vargas and Jeremy Guthrie will surely be the 2 and 3 to Ventura. They are both nice veterans but aren’t the most dynamic pitchers either. That speaks the same to Edinson Volquez who had a big time bounce back year for the Pittsburgh Pirates last season. The Pirates have done an incredible job at turning pitchers around so only time will tell if the system or the player made the changes to improve.
With an average and somewhat questionable rotation the team will rely on their biggest savior from last season and that is the loaded bullpen. Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis, and Greg Holland gained instant recognition for shut down performance after shut down performance last post season and all have the stuff to do it again. If they have leads late I don’t count on them losing much.
What To Watch For?
I had touched on it earlier but two of the players that I am watching for are Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas. Both of them will slot in as the corner infield positions, both are under 27 and both were once high ranked prospects. Neither has lived up their title, with the exception that both had excellent 2014 post seasons. Moustakas has had a worse career but as mentioned above he was the key to the lineup in the playoffs. Hosmer has been a decent hitter for average but hasn’t shown the power many projected him to have. With both coming off of a high note and DH Billy Butler gone from the top four in the lineup it will be important for these two to get off to a hot start if the Royals want to compete this season. The team also has a 1B/3B prospect in the minors who could make a major league debut this season. If either Hosmer or Moustakas were to struggle I wouldn’t doubt the short leash being snatched away by split playing time. While I do not have a strong feel on the two, or prospect Cheslor Cuthbert it will certainly be the situation I will look into as the season wears on.
Where Do They Rank?
This, like the Tigers ranking, was really tough for me. There are teams in the Central on the rise and while the Royals may still be rising I don’t see the same magic as last season. James Shields was a leader in the clubhouse and on the field, and brought past post-season experience and a winning mentality to Kansas City. I could be off here but with so much going on for other teams, and more losses than replacements for the Royals I will rank the 2014 World Series runner-ups to finish in 4rd place in their division in 2015.
