Kansas City Royals Top 15 Prospects After 2015 Season

Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

12. Brett Eibner

Brett Eibner has seemingly tantalized Kansas City Royals fans for the past few seasons with his power potential. He has never exhibited the type of raw power that Ryan O’Hearn has, but consistently reached double digit home runs during his minor league career. However, his high strikeout rate minimized the damage that Eibner was truly able to do with his bat.

This season, however, Eibner became a much more complete player. He finished the season with 23 home runs, and produced his first season with a batting average above .245. Overall, Eibner produced a .303/.364/.514 batting line, to go along with 23 doubles and ten stolen bases. Eibner’s potential seems to have finally manifested itself.

The biggest difference came with the improved contact rate. Prior to this season, Eibner had a career 29.7% strikeout rate, which decreased to 18.3% during the 2015 campaign. Yes, Eibner’s walk rate decreased from his previous career mark of 11.8% to 8.8% this season, but that may actually be a positive sign. Eibner appears to have become more aggressive at the plate, attacking the zone instead of passively waiting for the perfect pitch.

It may be that Brett Eibner is never more than a fourth outfielder for the Kansas City Royals, but he certainly turned that potential into production this season. Come Spring Training, he may get a very long look to take one of the reserve outfield positions.

Next: The Curve is the Key