Adalberto Mondesi picked for KC Royals breakout by B/R

There are plenty of players ready to have a breakout season, but for the KC Royals, there is one player looking to continue his.

When the season shut down before it really even began, there were many unanswered questions surrounding the KC Royals and many of the players. There were positional battles taking place, prospects who were still hanging around spring training, and a mass of pitchers still trying to fight for their place in the bullpen.

One player who had a big question mark surrounding his play for 2020 was Adalberto Mondesi. Mondesi had his 2019 season cut short due to injury and while the word was that he would be ready to go for 2020, there was still doubt that he would be 100 percent by opening day.

Now that the season was put on hold, Mondesi has had plenty of time to regain his form and continue working towards being ready to go. While there still may be some slight limitations to begin the season initially, it’s likely Mondesi will want to be out in full force.

In an article by Jacob Shafer at Bleacher Report, Mondesi is listed as the player for the Royals to have a breakout during the 60 game season. As Shafer states, some may feel that a breakout happened last year for the speedy shortstop, but with only 102 games played, there is a good chance Mondesi had more to show.

For those that may not remember, in the 102 games that Mondesi played during the 2019 season, he slashed .263/.291/.424, and added 62 RBIs, 10 triples (tied for first in the majors) and 43 stolen bases which put him right at the top of the pack.

Had Mondesi been able to see a full season instead of being out due to injury, he may have put up even better numbers and helped the Royals see a few more wins.

Now, Mondesi has a shortened season ahead of him, and a chance to get back those games he missed. While the Royals are not likely seen as contenders this season, in a short season, anything is possible. If Mondesi is able to continue his progress and “breakout” again for a 60 game stretch, the Royals may pick up a few more wins than previously thought.

The shortened season provides a good chance for Mondesi to regain some strength and get back into baseball. If the prediction from Bleacher Report comes true, Mondesi may just lead baseball in triples and stolen bases for 2020.

There are still a lot of unknowns surrounding the Royals, but one this is for sure, the extra time off has been good for Mondesi to continue his recovery and not push himself. Hopefully, he picks up where he left off and helps push the Royals forward.