KC Royals: Five Things To Watch In Spring Training 2016

Who Will Bat Second?

The Royals lost a very productive second hitter when Ben Zobrist departed due to free agency. They have a pretty solid offense around the two-hole but it remains a question as to who will fill that spot.

Mike Moustakas started out the season in 2015 batting second for the Royals and was very productive from that spot. He also spent time batting sixth last season and was maybe even more productive.

Alex Gordon would appear to be the other candidate to fill the second spot in the lineup. He sees a lot of pitches and has good stats throughout his career in the second spot in the lineup.

There have been recent reports that Mike Moustakas may be the most likely to hit second. Last season, Moustakas showed up to Spring Training and appeared to be trying to hit the ball to the opposite field. If he continues to hit the ball to all parts of the ballpark, then he may have the inside track on the second spot.

Rustin Dodd, the Royals’ beat writer for the Kansas City Star, quoted Ned Yost on the opening:

"“[Moustakas] or Alex, but probably Moose,” Yost said. “We wouldn’t have moved him out of there last year if we didn’t get Ben Zobrist. He had a career year there, so we’ll see how it plays out.”"

Either will be protected by Lorenzo Cain batting behind them and should see good pitches to hit. Both also will likely be successful in either the two or six spots. See a projected lineup with more in-depth breakdowns here.

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