Five Objectives Kansas City Royals Must Accomplish for Successful 2018

3.) Have a Trusted Lineup on Opening Day

Last season, the Kansas City Royals made the ill-advised decision to begin the season with Raul Mondesi at second base and Merrifield in Triple-A Omaha. The misguided decision was quickly corrected and likely didn’t keep the team from the postseason. However, it’s the kind of mistake that can’t happen in the future.

To be clear, there needs to be a youth movement and Mondesi will be a big part of that. But somehow not realizing you are sending your best second baseman to the minors is an inexcusable decision. Keeping Christian Colon with the MLB team because he is out of options is the other kind of decision that can’t be made. Basically, the best 25 players in the organization need to be playing with the Kansas City Royals.

Entering an era where winning should be the priority, the franchise needs to build chemistry and confidence at the big-league level. A possible starting lineup could consist of the following:

1. Whit Merrifield, 2B
2. Raul Mondesi, SS
3. Eric Hosmer, 1B
4. Salvador Perez, C
5. Brandon Moss, DH
6. Jorge Soler or Jorge Bonifacio, RF
7. Paulo Orlando or Bubba Starling, CF
8. Cheslor Cuthbert or Hunter Dozier, 3B
9. Alex Gordon, LF

Obviously, that’s not the perfect lineup. But you get the point. Platoons should be utilized, especially at right field and third base, to give multiple players the chance to grow. As the season progresses, Moss and Gordon can increasingly ride the pine in favor of younger players. Whatever the Opening Day roster ends up being, it needs to consist of the best players in the organization cutting their teeth against MLB pitching.