Organizational report: Royals look to defend World Series title

Sports Weekly takes an in-depth look at each major league organization during the offseason, from the major leagues to the farm system. We start with teams with the worst records and move up.

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OK, the Kansas City Royals want to know, what do they have to do to silence their critics?

Go 162-0?

Win 10 World Series in a row?

The Royals have been predicted to be a downtrodden team the last two years. Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA standings projected they would win 72 games in 2015 after they won the American League pennant in 2014. They wound up winning their first World Series in 30 years.

This year, the folks at FanGraphs predicted another losing season (79-83) in January.

What’s a gritty, blue-collar team to do?

“We have the opportunity to go back-to-back,” Kansas City manager Ned Yost said before alluding to how the Royals left the tying run on third base in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series. “We were 90 feet short of fighting for a three-peat right now. It’s a hungry group.”

They’ve got their core returning from a year ago, brought in free agent starter Ian Kennedy and reliever Joakim Soria, brought back free agent outfielder Alex Gordon and think this year’s team will be just as talented as the others during their two-year postseason run.

“I never paid much to predictions, regardless of what is predicted, but I know our team can win in a multiple number of ways,” general manager Dayton Moore told Paste BN Sports. “We can play defense. We have speed, speed you can’t mask. We’re able to steal a base, take the extra base, run down balls in the outfield. The bullpen remains very strong. The rotation, as far as depth, is probably the best since we’ve been here (10 years).

“And we feel that all of our players are capable of having a better year than in 2015.”

The Royals will be stunned if they’re not again playing deep into October.

“The big thing, too, is our team chemistry,” Moore says. “A culture that exists. There’s a strong sense of unity and togetherness. The players are the ones that create that environment, and Ned Yost and the coaches do a great job helping sustain that.”

The Royals shelled out $72 million to Gordon over the four years to strengthen that bond. Gordon might be their most popular player since George Brett.

“Alex is the pillar of our clubhouse,” Moore says. “He handles the ups and down in a very consistent way. He’s always a performer, getting that big hit when we need it.”

Such as his game-tying, ninth-inning homer in Game 1 of the World Series off New York Mets closer Jeurys Familia. It shifted the momentum to the Royals, who won in 14 innings. It was the same momentum boost Kirk Gibson’s homer delivered in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, vaulting the Los Angeles Dodgers past the heavily favored Oakland Athletics.

And less than a week later, it was over, with the Royals winning the World Series in five games, and coming back home to a victory parade estimated at 850,000 people, bigger than the population of Kansas City, Mo.

“We didn’t really know what to expect,” Moore says. “I listened to Mayor (Sly) James, and he thought there would be 200,000 to 250,000. We thought that would be spectacular. But to see the crowd come out like it did, it showed how much it meant to our community. I was so proud of being part of it.”

Their biggest concern entering this season is getting more innings out of their starters to ease the stress on their vaunted bullpen. The rotation finished last in the American League with 9122/3 innings, and it was tied with the Texas Rangers for the worst WHIP (1.37). It was 12th in ERA (4.34).

The Royals were rescued by their bullpen, which yielded a league-low 2.72 ERA and pitched a league-high 5391/3 innings.

“That’s why it was important for us to get a guy like Ian Kennedy, who can give us innings right out of the gate,” Moore says. “We need a deeper and more consistent rotation. We feel on paper we have that.”

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Where the Royals stand at each position (*prospect):

Catcher: The Royals are set with World Series MVP Salvador Perez for the next four years but added backup experience by acquiring veteran Tony Cruz from the St. Louis Cardinals and bringing back Drew Butera. Perez will will earn $2 million this season as part of his original five-year, $7 million deal before the 2012 season. It also includes three club options through 2019 worth a total of $14.75 million. Perez, who lost 10 pounds in the offseason, has three All-Star appearances and three Gold Glove awards.

Depth chart: Perez, Butera, Cruz, Parker Morin, *Chase Vallot.

First base:

Eric Hosmer is a three-time Gold Glove winner who set career bests with 93 RBI, 98 runs and a .363 on-base percentage in 2016. He also has been a clutch performer, driving in 28 go-ahead runs, the fourth most in the AL. The Royals have him under contract for two more years before he’s eligible for free agency. Their first baseman of the future is prospect Ryan O’Hearn.

Depth chart: Hosmer, Kendrys Morales, Cody Decker, *O’Hearn.

Second base: The Royals are hoping Omar Infante shows drastic improvement, as they owe him $17.5 million over the next two seasons. He produced career lows in 2015, batting .220 with a .234 on-base percentage and .552 on-base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS). They could turn to Christian Colon, the World Series Game 5 hero who can play any infield position. They could also used prospect Raul Mondesi, 20, who made his major league debut in the World Series. He’s projected to be Alcides Escobar’s successor, but they could see if he can adapt to second base.

Depth chart: Infante, Colon, Ramon Torres, Corey Toups, *Mondesi.

Third base: Mike Moustakas, 27, had a breakout season, earning his first All-Star appearance. He set career highs in nearly every major offensive category, including 22 home runs and 82 RBI. He had a combined 45 multihit games in 2013 and 2014 but had 43 last season. The Royals have little depth behind Moustakas. They will likely use 23-year-old Cheslor Cuthbert as his backup, yet he has just 19 games of major league experience.

Depth chart: Moustakas, Cuthbert, Hunter Dozier, *Wander Franco.

Shortstop: The Royals are expecting a dramatic improvement from Escobar, who had eight extra-base hits after the All-Star break. Yet he showcased his talent in the postseason, batting .329 with four doubles, three triples and an inside-the-park homer to lead off Game 1 of the World Series. Certainly, no one can question his durability, as he has played 468 games since the start of the 2013 season.

Depth chart: Escobar, Colon, *Mondesi, *Marten Gasparini.

Designated hitter: Morales had a bounce-back year in his first season with the Royals. It was his finest season since 2009 with the Los Angeles Angels. He had 53 two-out RBI, ranking him second in the major leagues to Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado. He showcased his hitting skills with his a three-homer, 15-total-base game in September. Whenever he needs a break, Perez and Gordon will be used in the DH slot.

Depth chart: Morales, Perez, Gordon, Decker, *O’Hearn.

Left field: The Royals are set with Gordon, a five-time Gold Glove winner who has the most outfield assists since 2011. He figures to bat in the No. 2 hole this year, considering he hit .371 with a .436 on-base percentage and .514 slugging percentage in 35 at-bats there last year. He’ll be entering the year healthy again after rehabbing from his wrist injury before the 2015 season and missing 48 games after straining his groin muscle. Jarrod Dyson will be his primary backup along with Paulo Orlando.

Depth chart: Gordon, Dyson, Orlando, Brett Eibner, *Jorge Bonifacio, *Bubba Starling.

Center field: Lorenzo Cain, a strong defender who finished third in the AL MVP race last season, has become a genuine star. He made his first All-Star team last year and set career highs in virtually every category while batting over .300 for the second consecutive season. Cain was signed to a $17.5 million contract during the winter, locking him up through 2017. The center fielder of the future remains Starling.

Depth chart: Cain, Dyson, Orlando, Terrance Gore,*Starling, Eibner.

Right field: They lost Alex Rios to free agency and likely will use a platoon of Dyson and Orlando. Dyson will have the first shot at the job. They also could turn to Travis Snider as a possible option, and there are several other names in the mix.

Depth chart: Dyson, Orlando, Cain, Snider, Fuentes, *Starling, *O’Hearn.

Starting pitchers: The only returning starters who eclipsed 150 innings last season are Edinson Volquez and Yordano Ventura. Kennedy, who signed a five-year, $70 million contract, has averaged 195 innings in the last six seasons. He replaces Johnny Cueto. They also return Chris Young and Kris Medlen, who returned from Tommy John elbow surgery last season. Danny Duffy likely will the sixth starter and be used out of the bullpen.

Depth chart: RHP Volquez, RHP Ventura, RHP Kennedy, RHP Medlen, RHP Young, LHP Duffy, *RHP Miguel Almonte, *RHP Kyle Zimmer, RHP Dillon Gee, RHP Brooks Pounders, RHP Chris Binford, *RHP Alec Mills, *RHP Jake Junis

Bullpen: The Royals have four potential closers behind All-Star Wade Davis, 30, who might have been the best in the American League in 2015 and who pitched eight scoreless innings in the postseason. They lost setup man Ryan Madson to free agency but picked up Soria (202 career saves, 2.57 ERA). They likely will have Duffy
(81/3 scoreless innings as a reliever last year) in the bullpen to start the season and keep Almonte in Class AAA.

Depth chart: RHP Herrera, RHP Soria, RHP Hochevar, LHP Scott Alexander, LHP David Huff, RHP Peter Moylan, LHP Brian Flynn, LHP Tim Collins, LHP Matt Strahm, *LHP Sam Selman.

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Top five prospects

Excerpted from BaseballHQ.com’s 2016 Minor League Baseball Analyst. To order: baseballhq.com/mlba16.

1. Raul Mondesi, SS: The 20-year-old can impact a game on many levels. His defense stands out; quick actions and smooth feet give him ample range, and he has a strong, accurate arm. Still a bit of a free swinger, he’s not ready for big-league pitching just yet. Plus bat speed, eventual double-digit home run power and speed (19steals in Class AA) are future assets. He is likely to be assigned to Class AA.

2. Kyle Zimmer, RHP: Zimmer has been injured often, but he can be dominant when healthy. He still has a front-line arsenal led by a fastball and sharp curveball, along with a slider and changeup. The 24-year-old owns an impressive 10.8 career strikeout rate (K/9) over four minor league seasons. Zimmer can use his height to pitch downhill, and he throws strikes. The Royals likely will assign him to Class AAA.

3. Miguel Almonte, RHP: The 22-year-old is a power pitcher who was moved to the bullpen in Class AAA in preparation for his big-league call-up. He has an excellent fastball/changeup combination, though his curveball needs more development. His future role hinges on cleaning up his control (2.7 walks per nine innings in the minors) and the development of that third pitch. He has a chance to make the Royals as a reliever.

4. Ashe Russell, RHP: Russell is a quick-armed pitcher with a lean, wiry frame and a high ceiling. He locates his fastball to both sides of the plate, has a slider with potential and will need to develop a changeup to fend off lefty hitters. Russell was mediocre in rookie ball (4.21 ERA), but he’s 19, so there’s plenty of time to work on his inconsistent release point.

5. Nolan Watson, RHP: Like Russell, Watson, 19, is a promising arm from the 2015 draft who was hit hard in his pro debut (4.91 ERA). But Watson has the repertoire and easy velocity that result in significant upside. He could add strength, and an upgrade to his change-up is in order.

Jeremy Deloney