Kansas City Royals: Projecting 2017 Opening Day Lineup

Batting Second: Mike Moustakas

It’s been far too long since we as fans have had to call the park ranger. Hopefully, the long layoff for Mike Moustakas won’t affect his production too much.

Before his injury in 2016, Moustakas got off to a hot start in the home run department. There was some speculation and some hope that he might be able to break Steve Balboni‘s single-season home run record.

[Moose’s] power and baseball knowledge should do a lot to help boost the Royals this season.

His May however, got off to a horrendous start with only one hit and one walk in 17 plate appearances. It worsened when one shallow pop-fly in foul territory would sideline two Royals’ all-stars with injuries.

Assuming that Moustakas doesn’t lose a step and comes back in a Kyle Schwarber-esque fashion, Mike Moustakas should step right back into the two-hole hitter role.

Moustakas spent his 2014-2015 offseason working on hitting the ball to all fields and was an absolute revelation in 2015. Not only did this likely save his career, but it makes him the perfect two-hole hitter.

His ability to go with the pitch instead of trying to pull everything allows him to hit to move the runner when needed. His bat control when bunting will also allow him to keep defenses honest and eliminate the shift.

His power and baseball knowledge should do a lot to help boost the Royals this season. Hopefully the park ranger is called a lot this year.