Kansas City Royals Questions for the 2015 Season

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Can the Kansas City Royals score enough?

Over the past two seasons, the Royals magic number has been four runs. That was never more evident than at the beginning of last season, when the Royals were 14-0 when scoring four runs or more, while going 0-15 when scoring under that threshold. We know what the target is.

Getting that fourth run has been a challenge, especially with the Royals offense geared towards contact and speed. Instead of being able to turn a game around with one swing of the bat, the Royals have typically needed to string three or four hits together to post a crooked number.

In an attempt to add more power to the lineup, the Royals added Alex Rios and Kendrys Morales. Both have been solid power hitters in the past before having disappointing 2014 seasons, as Rios was hampered by injuries and Morales never got on track after missing the first two months of the season. But will those players be enough, and the hoped for progression of Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez be enough?

The Royals are certainly hoping that it is. If last season was truly an anomaly caused by injuries, then they could be at least respectable in the power department.

Next: Looking for signs of progression

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Speaking of Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas….

Will Hosmer and Moustakas finally have that breakout season?

It seems like the Royals have been waiting for Hosmer and Moustakas to become the players that envisioned in the minors for quite some time now. While Hosmer has at least developed into a Gold Glove first baseman, the continued presence of Moustakas has been quite the source of discussion among Royals fans.

Offensively, Eric Hosmer has shown signs of being that player. He had a nice four months to end the 2013 season, when he .318/.367/.494 batting line with 16 home runs. There is the hope that Hosmer can, perhaps, have a run like that throughout an entire season.

Mike Moustakas, meanwhile, has had the occasional strong week or two, but never has gotten on track. While he did perform better after his stint in the minor leagues last season, is the .235/.289/.377 batting line that Moustakas posted from over the final four months of the regular season his ceiling?

The Kansas City Royals are certainly hoping that the surge that both players had in the postseason will carry over this year. For the Royals offense to get where they want it to be, both Hosmer and Moustakas need to take that step forward. In a thoroughly unconventional way, the Royals may be able to get that to happen with Moustakas, as the Royals are considering batting him second.

The Royals are still looking for that breakout campaign, but it may be that both Erick Hosmer and Mike Moustakas just are what they have been through this point in their careers.

Next: We all need a day off sometime

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Will the Royals be able to limit Salvador Perez’s workload?

Last season, Salvador Perez appeared in 150 games. That workload tied Perez for 54th in games played among position players last year. His 146 games behind the plate were ten more than Jonathan Lucroy, who had the second highest total in games caught last year, and 16 more than Mike Zunino, the who caught the second most games in the American League.

It is no wonder that the bumps and bruises associated with being behind the plate caught up with Perez. Battling fatigue and a minor concussion during the second half of the season, Perez produced a .229/.236/.360 batting line with six home runs after the All-Star Break, drawing only three walks and striking out 46 times in 259 at bats.

Now thrust into more of a leadership role on the Royals, it is going to be tempting to keep him in the lineup. However, in order to maximize his effectiveness, Salvador Perez needs to get more days off, something which Ned Yost has realized. The only question is, how will they manage to get him that rest?

There may be a bit more of Erik Kratz in the lineup than we were accustomed to last season. Kratz, acquired with Liam Hendriks for Danny Valencia, appeared in 13 games for the Royals last year, with only five starts behind the plate. If Perez is going to get partial days off and slot in as the designated hitter, Kratz will need to make more than two starts a month.

It is certainly tempting to put Salvador Perez, a Gold Glove catcher with a solid bat, behind the plate every day. However, a little less Perez may lead to a far more effective player during the dog days of summer.

Next: Filling some large shoes

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Can the Royals replace James Shields?

For the most part, when people ask how the Kansas City Royals will replace James Shields, they look at his overall numbers. In actuality, while Shields pitched well, his 3.21 ERA and 1.181 WHiP are not exactly impossible to replicate. In fact, free agent acquisition Edinson Volquez posted similar numbers, with his 3.04 ERA and 1.230 WHiP.

What may be difficult to replace is the sheer workload that Shields was able to undertake. He pitched 227 innings last season, and along with Jason Vargas and Jeremy Guthrie, were great at limiting how much the Royals bullpen was used. Volquez, meanwhile, pitched only 192.2 innings last season, only the second time he pitched more than 190 innings in a year.

These innings will likely come from one of two places. First, Yordano Ventura and Danny Duffy are going to have the training wheels taken off, letting them pitch for as long as they are effective. Ned Yost will no longer need to worry about managing their workloads, which should see a nice boost in innings from the rotation. As it was last year, the Royals 986.2 innings from their starters were eighth most in baseball; with Ventura and Duffy allowed to pitch longer, that number could well increase.

Another area where the innings could come from is the deeper bullpen. While the Royals Cerberus remains in place, the team brought back Jason Frasor and Luke Hochevar. If both players perform as they have previously, the Royals bullpen will now be a lot more than three deep.

The Royals should be able to replace James Shields’ production. Replacing the innings may prove to be just as easy.

Next: Speaking of the Bullpen Cerberus

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Can Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland do it again?

A major part of the reason why the Kansas City Royals made it to the World Series was the three headed monster of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland. The trio were virtually untouchable, combining for a 1.28 ERA and a 0.969 WHiP. They struck out 258 batters in 204.1 innings, while allowing only 69 walks. Even more impressive, that trio allowed only three home runs all year.

It is virtually impossible that those three will perform at the same level in 2015. While Davis has been solid during his time as a reliever, no one expected that he would suddenly become the best set up man in the game. Herrera bounced back from a disappointing 2013 season, where he allowed nine homers in 58.1 innings.

Even though it is likely that Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera will regress, at least to some degree this season, the Royals may well have the depth to survive. Whereas last season, they needed all three to perform at that level, the Royals should have the arms to be able to withstand sudden ineffectiveness. Even if Holland struggles, Davis could slot in and close.

The Royals are truly in an enviable position with their bullpen. While other teams have what may be, at best, referred to as a dumpster fire in their relief corps, the Royals should have quite the assembly line of high octane arms.

Next: Five Royals Prospects to Watch in 2015