Kansas City Royals: The Teams Potential Right Field Options

When Spring Training started, it seemed that the only outfield position that was needing to be identified was center field. With the signing of Jon Jay, the outfield seemed set. Until recently. 

Saturday night brought some unwanted news to the Kansas City Royals. Assumed right fielder, Jorge Bonifacio failed a PED test resulting in an 80-game suspension. The original outfield of Alex Gordon, Jon Jay, and Bonifacio is no longer a thing to start the season.

Therefore, the Royals seemingly open up auditions again to fill the open position. Many players have impressed during Spring Training, which has not helped answer the question of who gets the spot.

We are going to take a look at possible options. Some that might be most likely to happen, could happen, and the one wild card option.

“Most Likely” Outfield Options

Jorge Soler

Starting with some of the more basic options, Jorge Soler immediate jumps to the top of the list. After being traded for in 2016, Soler was thought to be the Royals right fielder going into the 2017 season.

He also had just six runs-batted-in, and his wRC+ was a dreadful 32. Again, for perspective, the average offensive player scores 100 on the wRC+ scale. Knowing that makes that number even harder to look at. Due to his struggles, Bonifacio was accelerated and eventually won the right field position.

On the positive side, while Soler was in Omaha he did show his upside. Over 74 games, Soler slashed a solid .267/.388/.564 and had 33 extra-base hits, 24 being homeruns. His 145 wRC+ is also something to be excited about.

So far during Spring Training, he has a less than impressive .211 batting average. However, he does have four homeruns.

Whether they decide to put Soler in right field or keep him as the designated hitter, the Royals need the type of performances he had in Omaha to translate to the big leagues. Due to the fact that he was traded for to potentially be the team’s right fielder, I would not be surprised if he gets the early nod when Spring Training breaks.

Paulo Orlando

We all know Paulo Orlando. In 2015 he was seemingly promoted to the fourth outfield spot over Jarrod Dyson, typically coming in as a defensive replacement for Alex Rios. Then in 2016, after playing in 128 games, Orlando posted a surprising .302/.329/.405 slash. Therefore, going into 2017 fans had hopes of what he could do.

Unfortunately, Orlando seemed lost at the plate. Over 39 games, Orlando posted a very disappointing .198/.255/.302 slash. This resulted in him being demoted to Omaha where the unlucky streak continued. After fouling a ball off his leg, Orlando ended up fracturing his shin.

This did limit his playing time in Omaha, but overall he looked promising again. He ended up hitting .306/.375/.414 over 42 games. He has also continued those numbers into Spring Training, hitting .458 so far.

Orlando could be the starting right fielder in 2018, but the drastic difference between 2016 and 2017 may raise a lot of question marks. Who is the real Paulo Orlando?

“Could Be” Outfield Options

Michael Saunders

The Royals added Michael Saunders at the beginning of Spring Training after being released from the Pittsburgh Pirates when they traded for Corey Dickerson. He was a long shot at finding a spot on the Royals 25-man roster, but due to recent events, he might have increased his odds of making the big league roster.

Saunders has actually had a nice Spring Training. He has hit .308 over his eight games and has shown that he can play both left field and right field. That type of versatility can help open up the outfield some.

Originally, I thought signing Saunders could have been for playing center field. However, with the signing of Jay that obviously is not the case. But his ability to play all three outfield positions is enticing. If Saunders continues to impress during Spring Training, I would not be surprised if he is the starting right fielder for the Royals.

The only catch is finding a spot on the 40-man roster for Saunders if he does end up “making” the team.

Tyler Collins

I must admit, I did not think Tyler Collins had much of a chance at being a starter or anything more than just depth for the Royals. I figured that the team had enough depth, that Collins would find himself being pushed into the background.

However, over 15 games he has done everything to not be pushed backward. He has hit .313 and showed that he is a solid defensive outfielder.

I know that Spring Training does not tell the whole story. When you look at his regular season numbers they show that he is far from a .300 hitter. For his career, he has a slash of .235/.299/.380 and last year had a .193/.278/.333 slash over 49 games in Detroit.

Same story as Soler though. In the minors last year he showed his upside. Over 74 games he posted a much more appealing .288/358/.462 slash.

The identity of Collins is still unknown. Based off of how things ended in Detroit, it seems like the environment he was in was not going to work well for him. Maybe being in an environment like the Royals clubhouse will do him some good, and help boost his productivity level.

Final Thoughts

If I had to guess right now, I would say that Saunders gets the nod at right field. I feel like Soler is going to be the teams designated hitter (I do not believe Yost when he says the DH position will be a rotated position. He has said that for years and it has yet to happen) and Orlando seems like the perfect fourth outfielder. Collins could be a guy they stash in Omaha to see if he can consistently hit.

It is a very real possibility that Merrifield is the right fielder come Opening Day. I just believe they will wait to start Mondesi’s service time when the rest of the young core is ready, or close to ready, to make the jump.

So what do you think Royals fans? Do you have an idea of who will be the right fielder during Bonifacio’s suspension? Let us know below!