KC Royals Spring Training: 3 potential game changers

A trio of possible spring occurrences could alter things for the KC Royals.

The KC Royals, a proud franchise painfully frustrated by uncertainty at several positions for three straight seasons, appear unusually stable as full squad spring workouts begin today. No battles for starting jobs exist among the club’s position players.

A surprise development here and there, however, could improve or jeopardize the best laid plans of General Manager Dayton Moore, who spent the winter acquiring new pieces, and moving around incumbent Royals, to bring an end to the Kansas City rebuild and move his club closer to winning.

Take, for example, the prospect of one more player transaction. Is there another free agent Moore might sign, or a trade he might make, to fill an existing or potential hole? For a team that uncharacteristically made as many offseason moves as the Royals did before last week’s opening of spring camp, another deal would be somewhat surprising.

If something does happen, look for it to be in the starting rotation which, assuming the usual five-man set-up, appears set with Brad Keller, Danny Duffy, Brady Singer, Mike Minor and Kris Bubic. There are thoughts, though, of a six-man rota, and whether Duffy moves to the bullpen (or is traded during the last year of his contract) or Bubic heads to Triple A for a bit more experience, remain open questions. The club may want to obtain insurance against either occurrence.

Still stranded on the free agent market is former Royal Jake Odorizzi, whose big league performance after being traded in 2012 for James Shields and Wade Davis includes a 15-7, 3.51 ERA season for the Twins two years ago, and three other double-digit victory campaigns. Odorizzi may be asking for too much money or too long a contract, but might settle for less of each to pitch in 2021.

Getting anther starter at this point would be a surprise, but not necessarily unwise. What other surprises might be in store?

Poor springs by two players could scramble the KC Royals’ 2021 plans.

Defensively, they leave little, if anything, to be desired. But because their soft bats don’t allow much margin for error, second baseman Nicky Lopez and center fielder Michael A. Taylor may be the least untouchable players in the Kansas City lineup. A dreadful spring by either could change things dramatically for the Royals.

Lopez’s glove is almost flawless; a strong argument can be made that he should have won a Gold Glove last season. His four-year work at the plate in the minors was good—he never dropped below .279 and hit a full-season best .308 in 2018—but has deteriorated so much in two big league campaigns that talk of him platooning, or worse, is open and frequent. His average dropped 39 points last season and he slashed .201/.286/.266 with a 53 OPS+.

Taylor is, at least for now, a slightly better hitter than Lopez, but his career .237/.291/.395 line and 80 OPS+ aren’t what everyday KC Royals centerfielders typically post. Fortunately, his defense is more than just passable.

Considering the wealth of young and minor league pitching they’ll face in the Cactus League, dreadful springs by both players are improbable. But if the bats of either (or both) are unacceptable, the club may have to make moves. Whit Merrifield can step into one of their slots if Lopez or Taylor flop, but he can’t replace both. And moving presumptive right fielder Merrifield to another spot will rock the entire lineup: Hunter Dozier can move to right, but not without leaving third base open, and the Royals simply don’t have another proven third baseman or outfielder.

Chances are Lopez and Taylor won’t have such bad springs that the Royals feel compelled to move in a different direction. After all, spring training play isn’t usually a good measure of immediate future performance. But if either collapses at the plate, things could change quickly for the Royals, and probably not for the better.