2017: 80-82 (third place in AL Central)
Last postseason appearance: 2015
Last World Series title: 2015
Falling one win shy of winning it all in 2014 and then following that season up with a World Series title in 2015, Kansas City’s success was beautiful, but it has run its course. 2017 was understood to be the last season in which the Royals had possession of all three of their best offensive players, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain. Unfortunately, the team was unable to do much damage.
Kansas City had a terrible April, going just 7-16, and was never able to own first place in the AL Central over the course of the entire season. They had losing records against the Twins, White Sox and Indians, which made it hard for the Royals to ever gain any momentum.
A team that finished top-five in the AL in ERA from 2013-15, Kansas City finished 10th this past season and 16th in the majors in terms of bullpen ERA. Good pitching had been their identity, and without it, the Royals are just an average ball club.
Eric Hosmer was tremendous in 2017. Will he re-sign with Kansas City? (Photo from Royals Review)
Among the AL teams, the Royals offense finished 11th in slugging and home runs, 12th in OPS, 13th in runs and dead-last in OBP. Salvador Perez was able to hit 27 home runs, but had just a .297 OBP. Mike Moustakas, who finished eighth in home runs with 38, had a .314 OBP.
Luckily for Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain, two players who were hoping for a big payday after the 2017 season, both had tremendous seasons. Hosmer finished fifth in hits, eighth in batting average and ninth in times on base. Hosmer had career highs in batting average, OBP, slugging percentage and hits. Cain hit .300 with 15 home runs, 26 steals and a career-high .363 OBP. He looked a bit more patient in 2017, walking 54 times, which was 17 more than his previous high of 37.
In late January, Cain was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers and signed a five-year deal worth $80 million. Hosmer has yet to be signed, but is reportedly looking for a contract worth more than seven years. Kansas City hopes to bring him back, so we will have to see how things pan out.
Like Hosmer, Moustakas is also yet to be signed, but the Yankees, among others, are rumored to be interested in the third basemen.
Cain is now in Milwaukee, Hosmer is looking for a big contract and Kansas City does not appear interested in bringing back Moustakas. With that said, the Royals’ lineup will have some big shoes to fill.
Salvador Perez will remain behind the plate. If Hosmer is not with the team on Opening Day, expect Cheslor Cuthbert to fill in at first. Cuthbert made his MLB debut in 2015 and hit .231 in 58 games during the 2017 season.
One of the surprises from last season was second baseman Whit Merrifield. Merrifield finished fourth in the MLB in steals and joined Jose Altuve as the only players to hit at least 18 home runs and steal 30 or more bases. Shortstop Alcides Escobar will remain with Kansas City after signing a one-year deal worth $2.5 million.
The most likely candidate to start at third would be Hunter Dozier. Dozier, a former first-round pick, had a horrific 2017 season, but has potential. In 2016, at the Triple-A level, Dozier hit .294 with 15 home runs in 103 games. Clearly, he has produced at the minor league level, so we will see if that translates over to the bigs.
Is 2018 the year for Jorge Soler? (Photo from ESPN.com)
Alex Gordon, who had a dreadful 2017, hitting just .208 with an OBP of .293, will remain in left, while Paulo Orlando is in line to take over for Cain in center. Orlando struggled at the plate last season, hitting just .198 in 39 games. Jorge Bonifacio, who smacked 17 home runs in 113 games, will play right. Bonifacio has some pop and is able to draw a fair amount of walks.
If you are a fantasy baseball guy, make sure to keep an eye on DH Jorge Soler. Soler dealt with injuries in 2017 and was never able to figure it out at the plate, which led to his demotion to Triple-A. In 74 games at Triple-A, Soler mashed 24 home runs with a .388 OBP. Clearly, Soler is talented, and 2018 could be the year where everything comes together.
It doesn’t look like the Royals will be bringing back Jason Vargas, who won a league-high 18 games in 2017. Even if they had Vargas, this staff would still be in trouble.
Danny Duffy will most likely start Opening Day, with Ian Kennedy, who allowed the seventh most home runs last year, following him. Jason Hammel will remain in the rotation after allowing the fourth most hits and fourth most earned runs in the MLB.
The other two spots will most likely go to Nathan Karns, who is recovering from his thoracic outlet surgery in July, and Jakob Junis. Junis went 9-3 with the Royals in 2017 and posted a 1.281 WHIP. Kansas City is also hoping closer Kelvin Herrera can return to the pitcher he was when they were making postseason runs.
In all honesty, Kansas City has one of the weaker farm systems in baseball. They do not have one single prospect in MLB.com’s Top 100 Prospects list. Their 2017 first-round pick, Nick Pratto had a decent Rookie Ball season, but he still needs more time to develop. Pratto is a first baseman who can hit for power and plays tremendous defense.
Khalil Lee is another name to note. The 19-year-old can play all three outfield positions. In 2017, at the A-level, he hit 17 home runs and stole 20 bases.
2018 Prediction: 75-87
With or without Hosmer, this team will struggle on offense. There is not enough skill around the field, and the pitching is weak. At best, this is a third place team in the weak AL Central.
Featured image by MLB.com
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