Royals Have a Major Question Mark at Leadoff

The other day, Ned Yost mentioned that Alcides Escobar may well be the Royals primary leadoff hitter in 2015. This is a move that I personally do not agree with, given Escobar’s general inability to take a walk and overall lack of on base skills. After all, Escobar has only drawn more than 30 walks once in his five full major league seasons, has never had an on base percentage higher than .331 and has a career on base percentage of .299. The Royals simply need more than that out of their leadoff hitter.

This leads to the question of – who, then, should be the Royals leadoff hitter. Based entirely on the on base percentage category, Alex Gordon would be the best fit of the current Royals, as he got on base at a .351 clip last season, and has a career on base percentage of .345. He draws walks, works the count and has enough speed where he would not be a detriment on the basepaths. The problem with that is, the Royals need his bat in the middle of the lineup, as Gordon also led the Royals in home runs last year.

Aside from Gordon and Escobar, the other possible candidate to lead off for the Royals would be Lorenzo Cain. Cain was third on the Royals in Royals in on base percentage at .339, yet he has a career on base percentage of .326. Like Escobar, Cain just does not draw many walks, with a career high of 33 set in 2013. There is also the concern that Cain may not be able to make it through a full season, given his past injury concerns.

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Last year, the Royals addressed their concerns at the leadoff spot by trading for Nori Aoki. Aoki certainly did his job, slapping singles, working the count and getting on base. However, while the Royals theoretically addressed their power shortage with the signings of Alex Rios and Kendrys Morales, they do not really have someone to replace Aoki atop the lineup.

Maybe the Royals will go back to Alex Gordon as their leadoff hitter, ow that Rios and Morales could bring some pop to the middle of the lineup. Or perhaps they will look closer at Lorenzo Cain in that role. Or maybe Escobar could learn to take a walk every once in a while. Yet, none of these players would really be a clear cut choice.

The Royals have a major question mark in regards to who their leadoff hitter will be. Unfortunately, that question may not be truly answered until the season is ready to begin.

Next: Alcides Escobar Should Not be the Royals Leadoff Hitter