Kansas City Royals: Faces of the franchise

With Eric Hosmer no longer on the Kansas City Royals, there are only a few marketable and recognizable faces left on the team. Which ones are the most likely to be the faces and leaders of the franchise for the foreseeable future?

Eric Hosmer is not walking through the clubhouse door. We’ve established this. Lorenzo Cain isn’t walking through that door, either. The Royals are not the same organization they’ve been the past five years. The farm system is no longer one of the best in baseball. There’s no specific set of players that’ll lead the team back to the postseason. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some faces who can help along the way, though.

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Despite the multitude of things that can (and might) go wrong this season, there are some certainties. Three or four franchise centerpieces remain. Instead of bringing Hosmer back to lead the franchise for five-plus years, it’ll be up to guys such as Salvador Pérez, Alex Gordon, Danny Duffy and Whit Merrifield to step up. Whether or not they’ll do so, though, remains unknown.

Salvador Perez

With Hosmer in KC, Perez was the secondary face of the franchise. Many would think of Perez second when naming Kansas City Royals. With his former teammate out of the picture, this is now Perez’s team. Whether it’s behind the plate or in the batter’s box, Perez consistently brings his A-game. Hitting .268 with 27 home runs last season, no one has any room to question his place as a star in the MLB.

Including this year, Perez is under contract for four more seasons. He’ll be just 31 when his current contract expires. That is a perfect age for players to exit their prime and enter more of a leadership role. Although that’s true, Perez is no ordinary player. Now 27 years old, Perez is the unquestioned leader of the franchise. I believe he’s up to the challenge.

If the Royals begin to give Perez more well-deserved rest throughout the season, he should be able to stay healthy for the remainder of his contract. Out of the four names on this list, he’s by far the highest-regarded player and leader on the squad. That shouldn’t change any time soon.

Alex Gordon

Although his struggles at the plate have turned him into a shell of his former All-Star self, Alex Gordon is the longest-tenured player on the team. That carries a lot of weight, especially with Dayton Moore electing to undergo a youth movement as you’re reading this article.

Regardless of whether or not his bat ever returns, Alex Gordon is among the vocal leaders on this team and is one of few veteran presences in the lineup. A .208 batting average indicates someone who isn’t worth keeping on the team. A $40 million price tag over the next two years is also an indicator of that.

Alex Gordon is more important to the Royals’ success than we give him credit for. No, he hasn’t hit well over the last two years. However, he still offers some of the best defense in baseball and is a voice of reason when things are going wrong. If the team is going to pay him, it might as well keep him in the clubhouse. Until Gordon retires, he’ll always be looked up to. Anyone he plays with will respect him.

Also, who doesn’t enjoy plays like this one?

Danny Duffy

The above tweet speaks for itself. Not only is Danny Duffy one of the better pitchers the team has had in recent years, but he’s one of the best teammates and leaders a club could ask for. DUI incident aside, Duffy is a role model and is extremely beloved in the Kansas City area.

Don’t believe anything I said above? Check out this comment Eric Hosmer made about who the best teammate he’s had was:

“I’m gonna say Duffy. He was always bringing in stuff for the whole team. He’s the pitcher always on the top step when he’s not pitching.”

The proof is in the pudding. Like Perez, Duffy is under contract through 2021. This makes him a franchise centerpiece and someone who should be synonymous with the phrase “Kansas City Royals” over the next few years. If he’s as serious as he sounds about improving himself, the Royals may have one of the best leaders in all of baseball on their hands.

Whit Merrifield

After a solid half-season of work in 2016, Whit Merrifield got invited to spring training the following season to compete for the starting second base job. Raúl Mondesí ended up winning the job, sending Merrifield to AAA for a few weeks. Once he returned, he never looked back.

Hitting .288 last season with 19 home runs, 78 RBIs and leading the AL in stolen bases with 34, Merrifield had a breakout 2017 campaign. We know what to expect of him on the field. It’s time to measure his ability to lead the team.

Although he isn’t the most vocal player in the clubhouse, Merrifield is among the most hard-working and professional players you’ll find anywhere. Those two traits, along with the fact he’s under club control until 2023, make Merrifield a leader and franchise centerpiece until noted otherwise.