KC Royals: Don’t forget about Seuly Matias just yet

After a home run-filled 2018, this KC Royals minor league outfield prospect had a disappointing 2019. Don’t sleep on him, though.

Seuly Matias shot up the prospect watch list after he clubbed 31 blasts with the Lexington Legends in just 94 games in 2018.  There were some warning signs, though, with only 63 runs batted in, 131 strikeouts in just 338 at-bats, and an on-base percentage of .303. He did not turn 20 years old until September of that season, leaving a lot of time for improvement.

A promotion to the Wilmington Blue Rocks and injury-filled summer led to a sharp decline in performance during 2019.  Matias’ slash was .148/.259/.307 and he struck out in nearly one out of every two plate appearances.

At his young age, Matias still has time on his side to regain the pop that delighted many fans back in A-Ball.  While he needs to improve on his contact, his raw talent keeps him listed as the No. 14 overall prospect in the KC Royals organization.

Extra work put in during the fall instructional league included an individualized plan to get Matias on track with his entire plate approach.  Unfortunately losing most, if not all, of the 2020 season will delay the opportunity to see the results.  The good news is he still seems to have big-league power during sessions this spring.

The 2019 season needs to be treated as an asterisk on his record and we will wait until the next time he is able to play full-time and stay healthy.  That will be a true gauge to his progression as the Royals continue to work on making him more than a one-tool talent at the plate.

With a team seeking outfield talent for the future, Matias can also bring an arm rated as 70, which is even higher than his power grade.  That would make a great combination in spacious Kauffman Stadium and even those deep fences would not be able to contain his fly balls when he bats.