KC Royals: 3 reasons not to extend Adalberto Mondesi

Adalberto Mondesi needs to show the KC Royals a bit more

That the Royals knew exactly what they might have in Adalberto Mondesi became abundantly clear when, despite his glaring lack of experience, they named him to their 2015 World Series roster. He hadn’t played an inning above Double-A when he pinch-hit in the Series’ third game.

Mondesi’s regular season debut came the next year, but didn’t reflect his potential. He slashed .185/.231/.281 after serving a 50-game PED suspension and spending time in the minors; 2017 wasn’t any better (.170/.214/.245 in 25 games) and he played primarily at Triple-A Omaha.

Mondesi broke through in 2018. Although he didn’t appear in the majors until June and played only 75 times, he displayed his power potential with 14 home runs and hit .276. He hit just .263 in 2019, but tied for the big league lead in triples with 10 and stole 43 bases.

Then came last year’s pandemic-shortened season. Mondesi played every game but one, and managed to prove how well, and how badly, he can hit. He entered September batting .186 with an awful .211 OBP, then exploded with his only six homers of the season and a .356 average to finish at .256. September was great, but Mondesi’s season didn’t come close to matching his capabilities.

His career numbers also aren’t consistent with a player deserving of a big, early extension. Mondesi doesn’t get on base enough—his OBP is a grossly substandard .256, which makes the 99 bases he’s stolen over the past three seasons that much more impressive. His OPS+ is a subpar 84 (it’s only exceeded 100 once), he strikes out almost 30 percent of the time, and his walk rate is just 4.3 percent.

Mondesi can be, and may become, a great player. His body of work at the plate, however, doesn’t yet merit a mega-contract.

Injuries complicate Mondesi’s prospects for a long-term KC Royals deal

Another reason not to extend Mondesi is his injury history. He missed Opening Day in 2018 after right shoulder impingement forced him to the IL. A June 2019 groin injury put him back on the IL, and a left shoulder subluxation sidelined him for over 40 days later in the season.

The Royals returned Mondesi to the lineup Sept. 1, but with significant restrictions—the club directed him not to dive for balls or into bases, an impractical order given Mondesi’s aggressive defense and daring base stealing. The inevitable happened Sept. 22 when Mondesi reinjured his shoulder in a predictable dive for a ground ball. The play ended his season, and required offseason surgery and several months of rehabilitation.

Hopefully, the Royals learned a lesson. Playing Mondesi with only a month left in a 103-loss season—especially with such unrealistic limitations—was foreseeably unwise and could have cost club and player far more than the few games Mondesi missed.

Although he missed only one game last season, 102 weren’t played; given his pre-2020 history, and his willingness to sacrifice immediate safety to make big plays, it’s reasonable to think Mondesi would have injured himself at some point.

But the injury concerns don’t end there. A foot issue delayed Mondesi’s 2021 Cactus League debut by several games, and his oblique injury will, according to mlb.com KC beat writer Anne Rogers, cost him at least a 10-day stay on the IL, if not more:

These injuries should give the Royals pause. Because extensions are typically guaranteed, they should carefully and deliberately weigh Mondesi’s history against any thoughts of inking an immediate long-term deal with him, and proceed cautiously. Principal owner John Sherman and General Manager Dayton Moore owe it to the franchise and its investors not to commit millions upon millions of dollars to a player whose ability to play full, or close to full, seasons is in serious question. Time is not of the essence with Mondesi; KC should first see how 2021 and 2022 go.

Eventually, the KC Royals will probably give Adalberto Mondesi a lucrative long-term contract. For many reasons, however, now is not the time.