Should the KC Royals look outside for ideal lefty bat?

The KC Royals appear to be looking for a strong lefthanded bat, but they may have to search outside the organization to find one.

By all accounts, General Manager Dayton Moore wants to add a hefty lefthanded bat to the KC Royals’ lineup. Chances are he envisions a player with pop and power who drives in runs—in other words, a traditional middle of the lineup type.

Kansas City, of course, could use such an addition. Good lefthanded hitters are always handy to have, especially for clubs like the Royals who continually find themselves long on righthanded hitters, yet still strive to avoid too many righty-righty matchups.

But the club would be short on lefthanded bats if the 2021 season started today. Among catcher Salvador Perez, first baseman Carlos Santana, second baseman Nicky Lopez, shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, third baseman Hunter Dozier, left fielder Franchy Cordero, center fielder Michael A. Taylor, right fielder Whit Merrifield and DH Jorge Soler, are two lefties (Lopez and Cordero) and two switch hitters (Mondesi and Santana). Only Santana has consistent power; Mondesi’s remains in development.

Consistent power, usually required of a middle of the order batter but too frequently only a luxury for KC, is primarily provided by Soler and Perez. Of the lefties, Santana has clubbed most of his home runs (175 of 140) as a lefthander, although he slashes better (.276/.379/.452 vs. .235/.360/.443) from the other side of the plate. Mondesi is similar, hitting 20 of his 32 homers as a lefty, but with a righty line of .261/.286/.436 compared to .246/.283/.405 as a lefty.

Ideally, an additional lefthander will possess power, hit for average, get on base and be able to fill the left field hole created by Alex Gordon’s retirement. Can Cordero, or one of the other two lefthanded hitting outfielders on the 40-man roster—Khalil Lee or Nick Heath—fit that entire bill? Or does the club need to look outside the organization?

An exciting young outfielder draws raves, but is he the lefthanded bat the KC Royals need?

It’s difficult not to get excited about Khalil Lee, the KC Royals’ fleet speed merchant who currently ranks eighth among MLB Pipeline’s top Kansas City prospects. He’s fast on base (53 minor league steals in 2019) and in the field, and his spot on last season’s 60-man Player Pool proves how much the club thinks of him.

Aside from anything new that might have developed beneath the shroud of near-secrecy the Royals dropped over last summer’s alternate training site, Lee’s primary strength is his ability to get on base despite a pedestrian batting average. His .366 OBP is over 100 points higher than his .256 average, and hasn’t dropped below .330 in any of his four minor league seasons.

What’s missing from Lee’s repertoire, though, even more than a consistently good average, is power. He hasn’t shown much since 2017, when he hit 17 homers in A ball—he managed six in 2018 and eight in 2019, hardly totals that commend him to a power-preferred spot in a major league lineup.

Lee’s lack of developed power doesn’t bode well for his chances to satisfy Moore’s probably requirements for a new lefthanded bat. But he may be too fast, and get on base too often, to be kept out of the big leagues for long.

The final lefthanded bat on the KC Royals’ 40-man roster may not be the answer.

Not much separates Nick Heath and Khalil Lee. Both are outfielders, of course, and although neither hits for much power, both are fast, get on base better than they hit for average, and steal more than their share of bases.

Both have played for seasons in the minors. Although Heath’s minor league .348 OBP is 18 points lower than Lee’s, it’s still excellent; his .266 average exceeds Lee’s by 10 points, but neither is stellar. Heath stole 60 bases to Lee’s 53 in 2019. Lee’s 37 home runs, skewed considerably by the 17 he hit in 2017, exceed Heath’s by 20, although a 2019 swing adjustment may improve Heath’s power.

But it is those similarities that place Heath in the same boat as Lee when it comes to finding a middle of the order lefthanded bat for Kansas City—they know how to get on base, but probably don’t have the power the club likely prefers.

And Heath didn’t impress at the plate in his major league debut last season. Although it was a small sample size to be sure, he managed just two hits in 13 at bats.

The alternatives for the KC Royals

Of the lefthanded internal candidates for a middle of the order spot, Cordero has the edge. His power is arguably greater, he has big league experience, and Kansas City didn’t acquire him to sit. But he may not be what Moore is looking for.

That leaves the Royals with four options: give Cordero the job; give it to Heath or Lee; search outside the organization; or find ways to exploit the obvious talents Cordero, Lee and Heath possess.

After all, they’re all fast, especially Heath and Lee. Kansas City is a franchise historically built on pitching, speed and defense. Do the Royals really need more power than they have now?

Kansas City’s search for another lefthanded hitter is understandable. Although it might not be exactly what they want, and they might have to alter their 2021 plan a bit, the Royals might have a suitable lefty bat in their own backyard.