KC Royals: A Look At Internal Options For Right Field

The KC Royals general manager Dayton Moore looks like he intends to fill the team’s hole at right field with internal options rather than seeking help on the free-agent market to replace the departed Alex Rios.

Such a decision would  make sense given the Kansas City Royals budget constraints and the wealth of internal options capable of playing right field. Further, Alex Rios was hardly stellar last season and the KC Royals still had the best record in the American League. Whether a single player emerges as the right field regular, or manager Ned Yost ends up deploying a platoon, they won’t have to meet a high performance bar to replace last year’s production.

Filling right field with internal options not only makes sense from a fiscal standpoint, it also fits the goal of player development. While the Kansas City Royals are in “win now” mode after taking the American League pennant the last two seasons, the team needs to give some of their minor league prospects the chance to establish themselves at the major-league level.

Franchise stalwarts Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, and Wade Davis all stand to become free agents after the 2017 season. If the KC Royals are to have any hope of maintaining their success, they will need to develop young talent today so that they can be ready to take over as lineup mainstays when many of the current cornerstones figure to leave.

If none of the below options show they can do the job, Moore can always seek a deadline deal to fill a hole. Of course, he hopes such a trade won’t be needed because he’s already compromised his prospect pipeline with last season’s Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist deals.

Opening up one spot for prospects should not kill the Kansas City Royals title hopes, while developing cost controlled talent.

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