Kansas City Royals: Second Base Competition for 2017

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Kansas City Royals second baseman Raul Mondesi (27) makes the force out – Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

RAUL MONDESI JR.

Raul Mondesi Jr. is an interesting case because he’s not a second baseman. His preferred position is at shortstop, where the Royals have Alcides Escobar for at least one more season.

With three other guys in the running to be the second baseman, Mondesi should spend some time hitting and improving his plate discipline.

With that in mind, the Royals called up Mondesi to provide some type of spark to the club this past season. Mondesi wasn’t great at the plate, but he played second base frequently, and did okay.

I could see this going either way for Mondesi if I’m being perfectly honest. He’s fast and can be a very effective player on defense, but I’m not sure if the kid is ready yet. I also am not sure if it’s best to have him on the Opening Day roster, when he struggled to hit last season.

With that said, I predict the Royals will start Raul off in the minor leagues and bring him up later on. With three other guys in the running to be the second baseman, Mondesi should spend some time hitting and improving his plate discipline. He’ll get his time to shine in 2018 after Escobar has likely moved on from Kansas City.

If Mondesi does win the job though, then hey, good for him. Any young guy that can come in and make an impact is a-okay with me and I bet Royals fans would be just fine with that decision.

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