Projecting the KC Royals’ Opening Day starting lineup

Shortstop: Adalberto Mondesi

Perhaps the greatest beneficiary of the 2020 regular season having a delayed start is Adalberto Mondesi. The young, sensational shortstop has been rehabbing from shoulder surgery and was iffy for Opening Day so now that baseball is pushed into May, he should be more than ready to go for the KC Royals.

Mondesi played a career-high 102 games last season despite missing significant time with a nagging shoulder injury. In those games, he put together a solid season, albeit a step back from the year before. His .263/.291/.424 line with 10 triples, nine home runs, and 62 RBIs was solid, but not quite what the Royals had hoped for.

The potential is there for Mondesi to become one of baseball’s best players. On the other hand, he has some legitimate red flags. His health and his approach at the plate will ultimately either cap his ceiling before we know it or allow him to break through into stardom.

Mondesi possesses some impressive raw power. His speed is second to almost no one and he makes some amazing plays at short. On the other hand, he strikes out a ton and has yet to put together a complete season of baseball. Nevertheless, he’s already a good player and will be the everyday man for KC in 2020 and beyond.