The outfield is where some define the Royals' identity.
Its spacious home lawn illustrates Kauffman Stadium's pitcher-friendly personality. Its dazzling dives and leaps typified the defense Kansas City became known for. It houses the face of the franchise, the atypical No. 3 hitter and the once-powerful newcomer.
The collective success (and health) of the outfielders will be vital to Kansas City's success this year as it tries to build on the best season in the franchise's last three decades. And that's good news, considering the trio of Alex Gordon, Lorenzo Cain and Alex Rios have the potential to be one of the best outfield combinations in the big leagues.
Gordon is entering the last year before he could leave as a free agent. Cain is coming off a career year, while Rios enters the fold after one of his worst seasons as a major leaguer. Here's a look at Kansas City's outfield.
THE STARTERS: Alex Gordon, Lorenzo Cain, Alex Rios
Gordon, widely praised as the game's premier defensive left fielder, is rehabbing his right wrist after offseason surgery and hasn't appeared in a Cactus League game yet. He has told reporters that he plans to be in the Royals' Opening Day lineup.
The 31-year-old is coming off a season in which he finished 12th in the American League's Most Valuable Player voting, was named an All-Star for the second time and collected his fourth straight Gold Glove. But this season could potentially be his last with Kansas City, dependent on if he chooses to pick up his player option for 2016.
Cain, meanwhile, is still under club control for the next three seasons, and that's great news for the Royals. The center fielder grabbed the national spotlight during last year's American League Championship Series, going 8 for 15 at the plate and earning MVP honors. In 2014, his bat caught up to his superb glove, slashing .301/.339/.412 with 28 stolen bases in a career-high 133 games.
He has never played a full season with Kansas City, plagued by groin and oblique injuries that sent him to the disabled list. Cain could again put up career-high numbers in 2015, especially if he sticks as Ned Yost's No. 3 hitter.
Rios will be counted on to replace Nori Aoki in right field, and figures to slot somewhere in the middle of the lineup, although he could see time at the No. 2 hole as well. Rios, 34, hit only four home runs in 131 games for Texas last season, a shockingly low number for someone who hit 25 homers in 2012. But Rios was battling a thumb injury that hampered his production and should thrive with the Royals' running game as well. He has 244 steals in 11 major league seasons.
THE BACKUP: Jarrod Dyson
Dyson may be the best fourth outfielder in baseball, but if he sees a significant amount of starts this season, something went wrong for Kansas City. Dyson is a speedy, light-hitting outfielder who started 66 games for the Royals last season but slashed .269/.324/.327 and had only nine extra-base hits in 290 plate appearances.
After serving as a late-game defensive replacement a year ago, Dyson will likely have a diminished role this season with Rios manning right field instead of Aoki. Still, Dyson remains a serviceable backup and a solid insurance policy for any of the three players in front of him on the depth chart.
WHO'S NEXT? Lane Adams, Jorge Bonifacio, Reymond Fuentes, Brett Eibner, Terrance Gore, Paulo Orlando, Bubba Starling
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Royals fans might be most familiar with Gore (because of his late-season call-up last year) and Starling (because of his local background and high expectations). But those two players are probably the least major league-ready outfielders of the group listed above. Gore owns a .237 career average in the minors and Starling hasn't advanced past high-A Wilmington, where he slashed .216/.304/.336 in 2014.
Adams, Bonifacio, Fuentes and Orlando are all on the Royals' 40-man roster and could see time in the majors this season. Fuentes is the most experienced of the four, appearing in 23 games last season with San Diego. Adams made his major league debut in September for Kansas City, while Bonifacio and Orlando have yet to reach the bigs.
Eibner, a 26-year-old former second-round draft pick, has been a surprise for the Royals this spring as a non-roster invitee. In eight Cactus League games, he has gone 10 for 17 (.588) with two home runs.
You can follow Matthew DeFranks on Twitter at @MDeFranks or email him at matthew.defranks@gmail.com.
