KC Royals: 3 reasons for excitement in new Royals’ era

John Sherman’s group completed the purchase of the Kansas City Royals back in November 2019, and has made sure to say all the right things so far.

Plenty has been said about the new majority and controlling owner – who had a minor share, and later became Vice Chairman of the Cleveland Indians for four years. Apparently, he’s not afraid to spend under the right circumstances, but he’s right when he mentions that with a small market revenue the spending must be smart and innovative, so it’s important that smart and innovative personalities surround the staff.

From Jeffrey Flanagan, MLB.com: “I learned a lot in four seasons in Cleveland. We had seven straight winning seasons, and I think we won an average of 94 games the four seasons I was there. But I think as a small-market team, you have to be smarter. You have to evaluate and draft well. We wrapped up some people pre-arbitration, and certainly this team has done some of that. And then, when you have the opportunity, you have to trade away some assets to be able to compete. I think I learned that in Cleveland. I think these guys are pretty optimistic. I think I heard [Matheny] say, ‘It’s not a rebuild. It’s a transformation.’” – John Sherman

Having said that, hiring Mike Matheny came as a surprise, as he didn’t seem too innovative during his days with the St. Louis Cardinals, but he’s certainly heard about the desire to look at concepts such as analytics to gain an advantage. Matheny has been vocal about the newfound knowledge, and even took a course on the subject matter.

Nevertheless, these changes within the organization are a breath of fresh air as change needed to occur. The ballclub has hit rock bottom on consecutive seasons and something has to happen to start winning ballgames at a respectable clip.

Matheny stacked his coaching staff with personnel that have been with the Royal organization for some time, but also added his hitting coach from St. Louis in John Mabry as major league coach. Others such as hitting coach Terry Bradshaw, and pitching coach Cal Eldred, are still rather new to their posts as they’re walking into their third year in the position.

The current Royals roster isn’t supposed to lose 100 games. There’s talent within this construct, and they could make a real splash as soon as this year.

A perfectly constructed batting lineup is key to maximizing each player’s potential and setting everything in motion on a nightly basis. Here’s my preferred lineup going into next season based on the current roster:

1. Adalberto Mondesi – SS (43 SBs)

2. Whit Merrifield – CF (16 HRs, 2019)

3. Jorge Soler – DH (48 HRs, 2019)

4.  Salvador Perez – C (27 HRs, 2018)

5. Hunter Dozier – LF (26 HRs, 2019)

6. Maikel Franco – 3B (17 HRs in 2019, but has slugged 29 HRs with more ABs)

7. Ryan O’Hearn – 1B (14 HRs in 2019, but will certainly surpass 20 HRs with more ABs)

8. Bubba Starling – RF

9. Nicky Lopez – 2B

This is a dangerous lineup, but it all begins with the leadoff spot. Adalberto Mondesi must become the team’s leadoff hitter. Having Merrifield hit in front of Mondesi compares to having David Wright hitting leadoff in front of José Reyes.

This duo can provide a double threat for years to come, but they must have the right order in place. Reyes tormented pitchers the moment he reached base, and it set the tone for the opening frame and the rest of the game, as much attention is placed on a speedster such as him or Mondesi.

It’s not the first time the “Reyes/Mondesi” comparison has been made, and for good reason. They’re both from the Dominican Republic, they play shortstop, and both have incredible speed, so why isn’t he hitting first? His inability to get on base at a “leadoff hitter” rate is understandable, but Reyes endured the same struggles coming up at a similar age as Mondesi. Let’s change things up a bit – what’s the worst that can happen, the team loses 100 games?

After those two comes some power, and the Royals are primed for more of it this season. Last year, only Jorge Soler and Hunter Dozier surpassed the 20-home run mark, and only Merrifield hit more than 15. That’s changing this time around.

Merrifield could hit 20 for the first time in his career, although he doesn’t have to and the team won’t require it. Soler should slug at least 30 (baseball reference projects 33), Dozier can also get to 30, Perez always hits at least 20, Franco has been hovering around 17 the last two seasons, but did hit 29 dingers in 2017. O’Hearn struggled terribly in 2019, and his power numbers suffered as his slugging percentage was the lowest in his professional career (he had a .479 SLG in the minors). However, he’s a walking 20 HRs a year and simply didn’t have enough plate appearances last year for us to discard his production.

The real weapon of the new Kansas City Royals era lies with the young pitching prospects. The baseball world should watch-out once all these players reach the majors.

We may see some of these names make an appearance this season, but pitching is a projected strength in the next few years. All four top KC Royals top pitching prospects, and 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft first rounders in Brady Singer, Daniel Lynch, Jackson Kowar, and Kris Bubic have enjoyed tremendous showings in the minors, let’s just look at the total numbers so far:

LHP Daniel Lynch: 11-3, 2.50 ERA, 157 Ks, 37 BBs, 1.192 WHIP (Class A and High A)

LHP Kris Bubic: 13-8, 2.59 ERA, 238 Ks, 61 BBs, 1.078 WHIP (Class A and High A)

RHP Brady Singer: 12-5, 2.85 ERA, 138 Ks, 39 BBs, 1.187 WHIP (High A and Double A)

RHP Jackson Kowar: 7-11, 3.50 ERA, 166 Ks, 55 BBs, 1.231 WHIP (High A and Double A)

The future is bright, and Royal contention is just a matter of time. It’s possible that half of those players become a bust, and never show true promise, but it’s also possible that all four of them fulfill their full potential with the Royals at least for the next decade.

It has 1990s Atlanta Braves type feel with this talent level as discussed during our introduction. It appears Dayton Moore is trying to follow the blueprint he witnessed first-hand during his time with the Braves organization.

Imagine a pitching rotation of RHP Brady Singer, LHP Daniel Lynch, RHP Brad Keller, LHP Kris Bubic, and RHP Jackson Kowar. I say bring them all up today… but good thing I’m not in charge of making those decisions. They’ll get to Kansas City in due time, and we’ll see what they bring to the table, but their development is paramount.

Nothing is promised. Not a World Series title, not a pennant win, not a playoff run, not a winning season, not even a 100-game losing season. At the end of the day, coaches must strategize and inspire, and players must buy into the system, and put their talents and hard work on display.

The new era of baseball in Kansas City certainly looks promising, and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.