Royals Outlook (Part 1)

I've tried to look at the Wil Myers trade as a good thing, but I simply cannot.  The Royals are making a move to win now, with a roster that is not ready to win now.  This is still and young and developing team that won 72 games last year.  I'm not optimistic about this season or the direction the team is going, but I'm still going to be a fan, and here is part one of my predictions for the Royals.

First Base:  Kila Ka'aihue:  Maybe Hosmer wasn't that bad last year, but maybe he was.  Hosmer did not look like a MLB player last year.  He swung at everything and formed many bad habits.  People believe since he was a top prospect, that he'll bounce back this year no questions asked.  But if you saw him play last year you were never confident he was going to get a hit.  Don't worry though, Jeff Francouer, being the great clubhouse guy that he is, has worked with him so all should be solved.  My prediction: .260/.320/.450  Avg/OBP/Slug.

Second Base:  Chris Getz/ Johnny G:  I don't know who I want to win this job.  Chris Getz doesn't get the ball out of the infield, but plays good defense.  Johnny Giovatella hasn't proven he can hit or play defense, but has a little upside.  Yost always comments that they know Johnny G can hit, really?  In 349 at bats his stat line reads .242/.271/.340, I'm not confident in either player, Getz will probably get the job, get hurt at some point (like he always does) and give Gio another chance.  Good thing Robinson Cano is going to be a free agent, and he loves KC, perfect match.  My Prediction:  .255/.325/.375

Shortstop:  Alcides Escobar:  Escobar was one of the few pleasant surprises for the Royals last year.  He hit .293 last year, which is really good, but can he repeat it?  Another question is, can he improve his walk rate, which was still low last year.  If I could give this team one message it would be improve the team plate discipline.  I know I've mentioned this a lot but I don't get the sense from the Royals that on base percentage means anything, it's not the 1970's guys.  My Prediction .270/.320/.395 +good defense

Third Base:  Mike Moustakas:  He hasn't been criticized or really talked about too much, but he hasn't been that good.  His biggest question coming in was defense and proved that he is a good third baseman.  But he hasn't proven he can hit and to be honest "The Greatest Farm System Ever" isn't looking that good.  I don't know what to expect from him, because he didn't really improve from his rookie year.  My Prediction:  .255/.315/.430

Catcher:  Salvador Perez:  Salvador Perez was supposed to be a defensive catcher who hit .250, problem is he's hitting .311 through two half seasons.  You expect that average to drop this year, the question is how much.  Will he drop to .280, which will make him a top five catcher in baseball with his defense.  Or drop to .250 which would still make him a good catcher and an asset for what the Royals are paying him.  My Prediction:  .270/.325/.450

I will evaluate the outfield/DH, and pitching staff in future posts. Hope you enjoyed this post, let me know if you like the style or anything I can improve on.