2017 Pre-Season Profile: Kansas City Royals

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The Kansas City Royals came off two straight trips to the World Series by having a disappointing 2016 season marred by injury.  Do the Royals have one more run in them with their current core?

My 2016 Predictions

2nd in AL Central, WILD CARD, lose in ALDS

The Royals will trade for a starting pitcher before the Trade Deadline.

2016 Results

81-81, 3rd in AL Central

It's really hard to do what the Royals did in 2014 and 2015.  Taking two straight trips to the World Series, winning one, and almost winning another is one of the greatest runs in recent baseball memory.  In 2016, the stars finally stopped aligning for the Royals.  Some key injuries derailed their chances at a third straight trip to the top of the American League.  With that said, a .500 record is still a step up from the depths the Royals have been over the last couple decades.

Additions / Subtractions

The Royals were fairly active over this offseason.  They traded speedy outfielder Jarrod Dyson to the Mariners for starter Nathan Karns, as well as traded closer Wade Davis to the Cubs for outfielder Jorge Soler.  (That brings the "Big Three" bullpen arms that helped make the magical run down to one.)  In free agency, they went out and picked up slugger Brandon Moss and starter Jason Hammel.  The biggest news from the Royals' offseason was the reason Hammel needed to be signed.  Tragedy once again struck the game of baseball as Royals' ace Yordano Ventura was killed in a car accident in the Dominican.  With a team as homegrown as this one, a tragedy like this really hit the Royals' organization hard.  His absence in the clubhouse will be felt more than just his production on the field.

Most Important Hitter

Alex Gordon

One of the bigger storylines for the Royals entering 2017 is the fact that many of the mainstays of the current team have their contracts up at the end of the season.  Salvador Perez has already been re-signed, but the story is Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, and Mike Moustakas can't all stick around for what they are worth.  The oldest and most established member of the Royals' core, as well as the first one the team committed to, is Alex Gordon.  At 33, he is starting to see some decline in his production, but he needs to have a rebound season after a terrible 2016.

Most Important Pitcher

Danny Duffy

An unexpected surprise for the Royals in 2016 was the emergence of Danny Duffy.  He went from swing pitcher, getting time in the bullpen and making a spot start or two, to being the ace of the staff.  Now with the death of Yordano Ventura, Duffy is the closest thing the Royals have to a established starter in their prime.  They need him to pitch like he did down last season if the Royals want to have any chance of succeeding in 2017.  Throughout the run they have been on, the Royals have always struggled to have a dominant rotation despite their dominant bullpen.  Duffy showed potential to be that dominant ace they have been looking for.

Player to Watch

Matt Strahm

Complicating the dilemma facing the Royals next offseason is the fact that their farm system is fairly bare.  They are one of the few teams with the distinction of having no prospects in baseball's top 100 prospects.  Their best prospect, Matt Strahm, got a good taste of the big leagues last season logging 22 innings with a 1.23 ERA out of the bullpen.  The Royals aren't sure yet if he will stay in the bullpen or if he will eventually be a starter.  Either way, he will be a player to keep an eye on throughout the season.

2017 Prediction

2nd in AL Central

This might be the last ride for this current core of Royals' players, but there is just too much talent around the league for them to make the playoffs as the roster currently sits.  Their rotation has declined, and their bullpen is not as formidable as before.  Their lineup is back in tact, but without the pitching, they are probably going to come up just short once again.

Fearless Prediction

Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas will be traded mid-season.

Like I said, the Royals will not be able to re-sign all their stars.  Some are going to walk away from Kansas City at the end of the season for greener pastures and deeper pockets.  By the Trade Deadline, the Royals will most likely decide which they are keeping and which they are going to let walk.  They have already signed Salvador Perez to an extension, an obvious choice.  Of the remaining three, my guess is the next priority will be Eric Hosmer.  If that is the case, that means Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, and Mike Moustakas will probably be left out.  The Royals will quickly realize they will rather get something for these guys instead of letting them walk at the end of the season.  This might be their chance to rebuild the farm system and find their replacements.  I doubt they will trade all three, but two out of the three would be realistic.  They will ride that fine line between contending and rebuilding the last few months of 2017.

2016 Pre-Season Profile: Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals have put together one of the best two year stretches any franchise could wish for.  Now that they have reached the highest pinnacle, will they be able to make it three years in a row?

Last Season

My 2015 Prediction: 1st in AL Central, win World Series

2015 Results: 95-67, 1st in AL Central, won World Series

I was so upset that I never got around to writing my 2015 preview article for the Royals, especially after I they won it all.  I think I may have been the only person to correctly predict KC reaching the World Series again, let alone win it.  There was something special about that team that showed they still had something to prove.  They sure proved it!  And I totally nailed it!

2016 Additions / Subtractions

The Royals brought in two rent-a-players at the Trade Deadline last season that helped propel them to the title.  Both of those players, Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist, have moved on.  Also moving on is starting rightfielder Alex Rios, former closer Greg Holland, and reliever Ryan Madson.  Very little was done to replace any of these, with the biggest acquisition of the offseason being Ian Kennedy.  Joakim Soria and Mike Minor were also brought in to add some pitching depth.  They seemed to replace some superstars with lower level talent hoping they pan out.  However, the biggest move of the offseason was re-signing free agent Alex Gordon to the big multi-year deal they Royals usually would run away from.

Most Important Hitter

Salvador Perez

Salvador Perez is the Iron Horse of Catchers.  The last three seasons, he has played 138+ games.  That is an insane workload for a catcher, especially considering how many extra games he has played with the last two postseasons.  He is needed too as he is one of those catchers that doubles as a pitching coach on the field.  With that kind of workload, Perez is due either for a down year at the plate or an injury.  If that happens, the Royals might struggle through the season more than they have the last few years.

Most Important Pitcher

Yordano Ventura

With as good as the Royals have been the last few years, their rotation has not been great.  In 2014, they had James Shields to anchor that rotation.  In 2015, Yordano Ventura tried to be the ace, but they needed to trade for Cueto after Ventura disappointed.  Ventura has all the skills to be an ace and a superstar, but he is struggling putting it all together.  By "replacing" Cueto in the rotation with Kennedy, who is a solid starter but no longer a superstar ace, the Royals are putting the pressure back on Ventura to step up and be the ace.  If he doesn't do it this year, it may never happen for Yordano Ventura.

Player to Watch

Raul A. Mondesi

The strangest move the Royals made last year was to ask Raul A. Mondesi to make his Major League debut in the World Series.  He barely played, but it showed just how much confidence the Royals have in this second generation talent.  The weakest link in the Royals' lineup right now in Omar Infante at second base.  Look for Mondesi to be called up at some point to add some flash and energy to the lineup at second.

2016 Prediction

2nd in AL Central, WILD CARD, lose in ALDS

I correctly called the Royals winning the World Series last year when no one saw it coming.  Now they are much more respected after winning the title, and I have them coming up short.  This team will still play as hard as they have the last few years.  The main difference between the 2016 and 2015/2014 teams is a lack of depth.  They still have Wade Davis and Kelvim Herrera, but Madson and Holland gone loses some of the depth that made that bullpen their super strength.  In rightfield, Nori Aoki played right in 2014 while Alex Rios played there in 2015.  Jarrod Dyson, who was a primary backup the last two seasons, will now be asked to start in right.  His defense and speed is first class, but his bat is nowhere near as strong as the other two.  They will still make the playoffs, but the current lineup will not quite make it back to the top.

Fearless Prediction

The Royals will trade for a starting pitcher before the Trade Deadline.

Ian Kennedy will spend time on the DL.  Yordano Ventura won't look like the ace they are hoping for.  Edinson Volquez will be what he has been his whole career; brilliant and inconsistent.  Their best starting pitcher will once again be the ageless tower, Chris Young.  They will need to bolster their staff again if they want to make another postseason run, especially since their bullpen won't be the unstoppable machine it has been the last few years.  It will be great, just not so historic it will make up for the weak rotation again.  Making that move (maybe bringing back James Shields???) will help put the Royals back into the postseason.