KC Royals: Cheslor Cuthbert Looking Like Everyday Player

KC Royals rookie third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert lights up the field with his big smile. Behind that toothy grin is one of the hottest young players in baseball. With a double in his first at bat Saturday evening, Cuthbert extended his career-best hitting streak to 12 games.

The 23-year-old Cuthbert has earned his spot on an every day roster, though he lucked out when Mike Moustakas collided with Alex Gordon on May 22. In 2014, the then  21-year-old, Cuthbert raked at Northwest Arkansas (AA) at a .274 clip. In 25 games in Omaha (AAA) that season, he maintained a .264 average. He batted .277 over 104 games in Omaha in 2015 before his first call-up to Kansas City.

Now 23, Cuthbert went back to Omaha to start the 2016 season, hitting .333 with a .402 on-base percentage. WIth the Kansas City Royals, he’s warmed up this July with a .377 average, fourth best in baseball among players with at least 60 at bats this month.

Cuthbert has been a solid defensive replacement for Moustakas since joining the club when Moustakas first went down with a broken finger on May 7. More recently, Cuthbert has picked things up offensively, batting .324 over his last 30 games, .377 over his last 15 games, and batting a blistering .423 in the seven games prior to Saturday’s game against Texas. As his average has increased, so has his slugging percentage at .532/.604/.654 in the same split.

Perhaps most importantly, Cuthbert has become a consistent run producer. He drove in just five runs in his first 79 bats in May. He drove in 15 runs in June, with eight of those RBIs coming in the last seven games of the month. So far in July, he’s driven in 13 runs in just 61 at bats. His 33 RBIs this season rank fifth on the team, and he’s done it in just 63 games and 232 at bats. His nine home runs are fourth on the team, and the players above him (Kendrys Morales 15, Salvador Perez 14, and Eric Hosmer 13), each have at least 315 at bats.

There’s little doubt that Mike Moustakas is a fan favorite for the KC Royals. He’s been exceptional at Fan Fest over the past two seasons, signing more autographs than he’s supposed to. Moose calls can now be heard in virtually every park in which Moustakas plays, and the play on antlers has made at least one fan a minor celebrity.

Moustakas showed great promise in the 2015 world championship season, adding 72 points to his 2014 batting average to finish at .284 with 22 home runs and a career-high 82 RBIs. He never saw consistent playing time in 2016 with the two injuries, batting just .240 in 27 games.

But this is the nature of the game and it always has been: new players must make the most of their time when they get it. Cuthbert is four years younger than Moustakas and, in his more limited plate appearances, has been a better hitter than Moustakas (career .284 average/.768 OPS compared to .247/.707). Throw in a negligible, if any, difference in the field, and there’s nothing to dislike about Cuthbert.

As Kansas City hovers around the .500 mark on the season, it would be easy to blame the losing on all the injuries the KC Royals have had this season. But with players like Cuthbert, Whit Merrifield, Brett Eibner, and Paulo Orlando brilliantly filling in the gaps, it’s clear injuries are not the real reason for 2016 struggles.

Next: Royals Interested In Red Sox Starter Clay Buchholz

It will be interesting to see if Cuthbert and the other young players can stay hot and make a case for being day-to-day players as the regulars get healthy. Even if the Kansas City Royals cannot bounce back for a playoff run, these young players will make the Royals a must-see team the rest of the summer.