Kansas City Royals: Newcomers Keep Royals in Contention

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Former Arizona Diamondbacks and current Kansas City Royals outfielder Peter O’Brien (14) at bat in the fourth inning against the Miami Marlins at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /

PETER O’BRIEN

I wouldn’t have even thought to include Peter O’Brien in this post, but after reading an article from MLB.com, it seemed worth discussing.

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The Royals traded for O’Brien earlier this offseason in exchange for minor league pitcher Sam Lewis. Fans didn’t know either of these names so the trade didn’t seem like a big deal.

Michael Clair of MLB.com, however, wrote that the Royals could be turning Kansas City into “Dinger City” with their recent crop of newcomers. He went into great detail about O’Brien, which I found the most interesting part of his article.

"The Minor League catcher turned-first baseman-slash-outfielder isn’t in the Royals’ current plans for a starting job, but given his home run totals over the last three years — 34, 27, 29 — he just might overpower anyone standing in his way."

Huh. Shows you never know for sure what your team acquired until you really delve into it.

I’m not saying that Peter O’Brien is going to come in and become a stud for the Royals this season, but hey… It’s nice to see that there is potential for him. Perhaps he can wow Ned Yost and the other managers in spring training and earn a spot on the final roster for the regular season.

I’m not banking on O’Brien being a big name in the Royals plans this year, but who knows? The team obviously saw something in him or they wouldn’t have traded for him.

Fingers crossed that something positive comes out of this.

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