2016 Kansas City Royals Preview & Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. In 2014, the Royals were one swing away from winning the World Series. Last year, they stuck to the same formula and finally brought home the crown. That equation consisted of great relief pitching (2.72 ERA in 539.1 innings), timely hitting (243 runs scored when there are two outs and a running in scoring position), and defending the home field (51-30 at home). Now, they have a target on their back. Expect other teams to try and copy Kansas City in hopes of capturing the trophy in 2016.
ALSO SEE: TEAM PREVIEWS ARCHIVE
Key additions: Ian Kennedy (SP) and Joakim Soria (RP)
Key losses: Johnny Cueto (SP), Alex Rios (OF), and Ben Zobrist (IF/OF)
Projected lineup
1. Alcides Escobar - SS
2. Mike Moustakas - 3B
3. Lorenzo Cain - CF
4. Eric Hosmer - 1B
5. Kendrys Morales - DH
6. Alex Gordon - LF
7. Salvador Perez - C
8. Omar Infante - 2B
9. Jarrod Dyson - RF
Thus far, there have been two changes made to the Royals lineup, and they are so subtle that you might not even notice them. First, Alex Rios is no longer on the roster. However, his spot is filled by Jarrod Dyson. The speedster had 200 at-bats with Kansas City in 2015 and was second on the team in stolen bases (26 SBs). If it isn't Dyson in right, Ned Yost has another speedy option. At the Royals FanFest, Yost suggested that Paulo Orlando could form a platoon with Dyson. For Orlando, 27 of his 60 hits in 2015 went for extra bases...The other slight modification involves the second base position. Ben Zobrist started the fifth and final game of the World Series for KC, but Omar Infante played the most time between the two. Infante's 440 ABs were nearly twice as many as Zobrist's 232 at-bats...A big part of their offense was the ability to cash-in when a runner reached second base. Last year, the Royals manufactured 547 runs when a player was in scoring position (third-most in baseball). Out of those 547 runs scored, 243 of those were with two outs.
Projected rotation
1. Edinson Volquez
2. Yordano Ventura
3. Ian Kennedy
4. Danny Duffy
5. Chris Young
Closer: Wade Davis
While it's not the best news for Kansas City that Johnny Cueto isn't on the roster, it isn't debilitating to the program, either. Cueto was 4-7 with a 4.76 ERA in 13 starts with the Royals in the regular season. In four playoff starts, Cueto was 2-1 and posted a 5.40 ERA...After three years with the Padres, Ian Kennedy joins Kansas City's rotation. He has won at least nine games in five of the past six seasons. The Royals bullpen is the strength of their pitching. They just need pitchers to get through the sixth inning. In four of the last five seasons, Kennedy has compiled at least 17 quality starts per campaign...Speaking of the Kansas City bullpen, a familiar face is back with the team: Joakim Soria. After a three-year absence from the Royals, a little bit has changed. First of all, Wade Davis is the ninth-inning guy. Davis pitched 67.1 innings in 2015 and built a 0.94 ERA while striking out 78 victims in the process. Soria will hopefully improve upon his last stint with the Royals. In 2013, Soria had a 4.03 ERA in 60.1 innings of work. Last year, with the Pirates, Soria acquired an impressive 2.03 ERA in 26.2 innings. Welcome back, Joakim!
Sleeper: Yordano Ventura is the 50th pitcher selected in the NFBC, between Julio Teheran and Collin McHugh. His 4.08 ERA in 2015 was a tremendous drop from Ventura's 3.20 stat two seasons ago. However, he was on fire after the All-Star break. In 15 outings, Ventura was 9-2 and recorded a 3.56 ERA. He also struck out 98 batters in 91 innings of work during that second half stretch.
Top prospects
Kyle Zimmer, SP - The 2012 first round draft pick needed shoulder surgery in October of 2014. Last season, Zimmer pitched in 64 innings, between single and double-A ball, and received a 2.39 ERA. He also punched out 72 batters. On the downside, Zimmer has only pitched more than 100 innings once in his three seasons of professional baseball.
Raul Mondesi, SS - The son of Raul Mondesi made his debut in last year's World Series. While he's a shortstop by trade, Mondesi Jr. did play 18 games of second base in Northwest Arkansas (AA). If Infante isn't producing enough and Christian Colon isn't the solution, then Mondesi might get the boost to the bigs. However, he needs to show that his bat belongs. In 304 at-bats last season, Mondesi recorded a .243 AVG and struck out 88 times.
ALSO SEE: TEAM PREVIEWS ARCHIVE
