KC Royals: The best and worst 2021 roster additions

The KC Royals took a refreshingly robust approach to improving the club this past winter. That the team brought aboard several players it didn’t have last season wasn’t unusual; the quality and experience of the newcomers, and in three cases returnees, was.

The Royals were quiet at first but, when reports surfaced Nov. 29 of an impending deal with free agent starter Mike Minor, things moved quickly. The club announced the signing of outfielder Michael A. Taylor the next day and surprised the baseball world by wrapping up a two-year deal with first baseman Carlos Santana a week later. Former KC pitcher Ervin Santana returned three weeks after that.

Kansas City continued securing the services of players who weren’t with the team last season by reuniting with legendary reliever Wade Davis in January, signing versatile infielder Hanser Alberto and trading for left fielder Andrew Benintendi in February, and bringing back former Royal Jarrod Dyson in March.

So, how do the eight acquisitions who didn’t play for the Royals last season grade out after Saturday’s 50th game of the season?

Someone has to get the lowest grade, and that someone is Davis. A good Cactus League performance earned Davis a spot on the Opening Day roster, but his stock has plunged after saving the season opener. He’s been charged with runs in eight of 15 appearances, blew a save May 16 against the White Sox, and is 0-2 with a 6.61 ERA. He gets a D.

Who’s the best and worst of the rest?

Two veteran roster returnees have been about average for the KC Royals in 2021.

Ex-Royals Mike Minor and Jarrod Dyson rejoined the club this season and, while they’ve added some value, both get a C+ for the first 50 games.

Minor pitched one season out of the bullpen for the Royals in 2017 before winning 26 games from 2018-19 as a starter for Texas, but was a combined 1-6 for 0-5 for the Rangers and Oakland last season. Kansas City signed Minor hoping he can rebound to his 2018-19 form and buttress and mentor its rotation.

He’s met some expectations by completing at least five innings in all but two of his 10 starts and wining three of his five decisions. But he’s inconsistent. He’s given up four or more runs five times and, until limiting Tampa Bay to just a run in five innings last Wednesday, carried an ERA over 5.00 for most of the campaign. (It’s 4.83 now). Minor is trending upward, though—although he gave up four runs My 21, he fanned nine while giving up only two hits and that one run last Wednesday, and held the White Sox to a run and struck out seven in seven innings May 15.

But until those good games occur more frequently, Minor gets a C+.

So far, Jarrod Dyson has been steady, but not stellar, for the KC Royals.

Kansas City had two main things in mind when it signed Jarrod Dyson during spring training. The Royals needed a backup outfielder with a decent glove and a speedster for critical late-game and extra-inning situations.

Dyson, a Royal from 2010-2016, checked, and continues to check, those boxes. He hasn’t committed an error through 20 games in the field (he’s appeared in 27 total contests), and he’s succeeded in three of four steal attempts.

His bat—he’s hitting just .222 through Saturday—is the only thing preventing Dyson from receiving something better than a C+. The Royals knew they weren’t getting a .300-plus hitter in Dyson, but he’ll need to be a bit better at the plate to improve his grade.

A pair of KC Royals newcomers earn the club’s highest 50-game grades.

The top grades for Kansas City roster additions go to Carlos Santana and Andrew Benintendi.

Finally stabilizing the first base position the Royals hadn’t been able to adequately fill since Eric Hosmer left after 2017 earns Carlos Santana an A. He’s delivered just what the club gave him a two-year contract to: a potent package of power, RBIs, the ability to reach base consistently, and good defense.

Through Saturday’s 50th game, Santana’s .250 average is actually better than his career .248 mark. Much more important, though, are his team-best 34 RBIs, the 10-home runs that tie him with Salvador Perez for the club lead, and his excellent .381 OBP. Proof that he’s hitting in the clutch includes his .283 average with runners in scoring position and the walk-off home run he hit against Detroit a week ago:

And he’s played almost flawless defense.

The KC Royals found a man from Boston to take over left field in 2021.

From the moment Alex Gordon announced his retirement with less than a week of the 2020 season remaining, the Royals knew replacing him wouldn’t be easy. And it wasn’t—not until KC packaged Franchy Cordero, Khalil Lee, and two players to be named later in a three-team deal in February did the club have its man, and the new lefthanded bat General Manager Dayton Moore searched for all winter. Benintendi brought speed, power, and good defense to the Royal outfield.

But Benintendi was an April disappointment. His .225 average and one homer led many to question whether his .266 2019 average, and the .103 he struggled to in an injury-ridden 2020 campaign, were simply outliers for the career .273 hitter with a .353 OBP and three double-digit home run seasons, or the results of his efforts to get stronger after the 2018 campaign.

Fortunately, Benintendi has recovered from April. He’s hitting .333 this month and .282 for the season, and his .346 season OBP is 35 points higher than his April-ending mark. He has 20 hits in his last 20 games.

Benintendi overcame a slow start to reinforce the confidence the Royals have in him. He’s proving he can do what the club needs from its left fielder and has earned his A.

Through the KC Royals’ first 50 games, Carlos Santana and Andrew Benintendi grade out as the club’s top newcomers.