Kansas City Royals Questions for the 2015 Season

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Finally, Opening Day is here! It is a day akin to Christmas morning for us baseball fans, as the promise of a new season has come through. Everyone feels as though they are legitimate contenders for the playoffs, with the reasons as to why this is the year echoing through the blogosphere. Certainly, we fans of the Kansas City Royals have that same feeling, especially after last year’s run.

However, there remains some unfinished business. That run through October was amazing, but it was also agonizing to be that close to tying the game, and possibly hoisting the World Series trophy in Kauffman Stadium. If not for Madison Bumgarner, that very well could have happened.

Now that the playoff drought has ended, the Royals appear poised to become a perennial playoff contender. Of course, for that to happen, quite a few things need to go right. While the Royals are in much better shape than they have been in the past, the margin for error in what is expected to be an extremely competitive American League Central is razor thin.

What will be the keys to the Kansas City Royals success this season? What questions do the Royals need to answer as they look to not only defend their American League championship, but to possibly get that elusive final game in the World Series? Let us take a look at the questions the Royals will be facing this season.

Next: Only four runs! That's all we need!

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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 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