KC Royals: Adalberto Mondesi named MLB’s AL player of the week

The KC Royals season is over, but there were plenty of good things to take away from the season, especially a turnaround from one important player.

When the 2020 season started, there were high hopes for the KC Royals. They had some young players that could make a difference and when paired with a shortened 2020 season with an expanded playoffs roster, there was a chance that they could find a way to make it to the postseason.

While that, unfortunately, didn’t happen, the Royals still ended with a record of 26-34, not terribly far out of contention and closer to .500 that many probably thought. The Royals had a few bad stretches where their losses sealed the deal on their season, and along with that, injuries and COVID keeping players out hindered the season as well.

One player that could have helped them team push through the losses was Adalberto Mondesi. Unfortunately, he hit a slump that caused him to struggle for a good deal of the season. It wasn’t long ago that Mike Gillespie called for a break for Mondesi, and not long after that, he got a day off.

Whether it was that break that flipped a switch with the shortstop or something else, we may never know. But, Mondesi showed his true colors to end the season. In fact, he turned things around well enough to be picked as MLB’s American League Player of the Week for the final week of baseball.

David Adler at MLB.com shared the update and shed some light on the stat line that Mondesi put up over his final week.

"Mondesi led MLB for the week in batting average (.615), on-base percentage (.655) and slugging percentage (1.154), as well as runs scored (10) and stolen bases (five). He finished the season with 24 steals to lead the Majors."

The resurgence Mondedsi saw to end the season was incredible, and he was doing things that few other players are able to do. With his bat and his speed and defense, Mondesi could be elite, though, one week as the player of the week is not enough to prove everything.

Still, Mondesi somehow managed to end the season with a slash of .256/.294/.416 along with 22 RBIs, 24 stolen bases, and 33 runs. While more is expected from a player like Mondesi, considering his long slump, his ability to raise his numbers as high as he did is unexpected.

Especially unexpected may have been his 24 steals. With an on-base percentage of .294, Mondesi didn’t have as many chances as others to steal base, but still, he led the majors. Mondesi truly made the best of his situation, and it’s likely he can do it again in 2021.

While the reason for the slump may be unknown, the fact that Mondesi showed an awesome recovery will be remembered. His chances were starting to run out, but with his resurgence in the last few weeks of the 2020 season, Mondesi will hopefully be back on track to finally have his breakout season in 2021.

Adalberto Mondesi was chosen as the American League Player of the Week for the final week of baseball.