Kansas City Royals Prospect Profile: Paulo Orlando

Right now, the Kansas City Royals roster seems to be set. The only questions heading into the season involve their primary lefty reliever, the backup catcher and whether or not the Royals will keep an eight man bullpen. It is that quest to be the 25th man on the Opening Day roster that may be the most hotly contested.

For all the names that have been mentioned as a possibility to slide onto the roster in that role, one that has seemingly been overlooked is minor league veteran Paulo Orlando. The now 29 year old career minor leaguer certainly earned some attention last season with his .301/.355/.415 batting line, hitting 21 doubles and stealing 34 bases for the Omaha Storm Chasers.

That solid play has continued thus far during Spring Training. Orlando has produced a .467/.467/.800 batting line, with a triple and a home run among his seven hits. Yes, this is a small sample size of 15 at bats, but it is still a nice start to his time in the Cactus League.

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One possible advantage that Paulo Orlando could have for that final roster spot is his ability to play all three outfield positions. While primarily a center fielder, Orlando has 273 games in right and another 163 in left. He certainly has the positional flexibility that the Kansas City Royals covet, able to fill in anywhere in the outfield with relative ease.

Orlando also fits the Kansas City Royals offensive profile. As a player with more speed and an ability to slash the ball into the gaps, Orlando will never be a middle of the order bat. Nor would Orlando be the type of player that really profiles into a long term starting role. However, he could fit well as a fourth or fifth outfielder, playing a couple of times a week to give the starters a day off.

Chances are, unless Jarrod Dyson or one of the starting outfielders gets hurt, Paulo Orlando will begin the season once again in Omaha. However, he could be a mid-season callup in case of injury, and may well make his major league debut in September at the latest.

It has been a long time coming for Paulo Orlando, but he may finally be on the verge of making his major league debut.

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