Ranking Replacements Within Kansas City Royals Organization

4.) Raul Mondesi

Raul Mondesi has long been the heir apparent to Escobar at shortstop, spending time as the top prospect in the Kansas City Royals organization. He was given a brief look at second base in both 2016 and 2017. He looked completely overmatched, hitting to the tune of a .181/.226/.271 line in 209 plate appearances while also striking out in his lone 2015 World Series at-bat.

The front office has always been high on Mondesi. That was evidenced by the questionable decisions to put him on the World Series roster, as well as handing him the starting second base job out of camp this season. They are going to give him every chance to succeed at the major league level starting with this upcoming season.

But that does not mean that he ultimately will.

While Mondesi definitely has the speed tool down and is capable on defense, his bat has never been anything special up until his stint with Omaha this past season. It may be a wise decision for Moore to try to move him while his prospect value is still relatively high for a player like Trevor Story, plus a pitching prospect. Or for a well-regarded young player at another position and let Ramon Torres man short for the time being.

As fun as that would be, there is no chance of that actually happening. Raul Mondesi will be at shortstop for years to come and will be given the full Esky treatment by Ned Yost next year, flailing away in clutch late-game situations.

Verdict: Not ready; maybe never will be