Kansas City Royals: Can we talk about how good Jorge Soler has been in 2019?

Jorge Soler has blossomed this season with the Kansas City Royals. Did you know that he’s among the best in baseball in several categories?

When the Kansas City Royals acquired Jorge Soler from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Wade Davis, Soler was the odd man out in a crowded Cubs outfield. He had shown the potential of becoming a slugger in this league but was hampered by injuries and strikeouts.

In his first two years with the Royals, Soler was limited to just 96 games because of injuries. This season, we are finally seeing the fruits of a healthy Jorge Soler over the course of a full season. He leads the majors in the number of games played (136).

Soler, 27, is under team control through the 2021 season and should be a prime candidate for new owner John Sherman to re-sign. He’s split his 2019 season playing both as the designated hitter and in the outfield. His versatility in this area has attributed to him playing in so many games this season.

On Friday night, Soler launched his 38th home run on the season, tying Mike Moustakas‘ single-season record set back in 2017. He very nearly broke the record in the bottom half of the 8th inning on a double that hit the top of the centerfield wall. Unless something crazy happens, Soler should easily break that record as we still have a month to go.

Aside from the home runs, Soler is on track to finish with over 100 RBI’s, which would be a first for him, and according to StatCast, he is seeing the ball really well this season. Soler is in the top 3 percent of the majors, connecting with the barrel of the bat in 15.8 percent of his at-bats on average.

Obviously, if you are squaring the ball up well, it results in hitting the ball harder in which he’s in the top 4 percent with an average exit velocity of 92.5 mph. Moreover, his hard-hit percentage is in the top 5 percent with 49.1 percent of his at-bats falling in that category.

Soler, along with a couple of other position players, should be long-term locks for this otherwise lousy roster. Needless to say, John Sherman will have his hands full once he takes ownership.