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Kansas City Royals: Opening Day Lineup is Unveiled

By Jesse Holt

KANSAS CITY, MO - APRIL 03: The Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets line the field during the National Anthem ahead of their opening day game at Kauffman Stadium on April 3, 2016 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - APRIL 03: The Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets line the field during the National Anthem ahead of their opening day game at Kauffman Stadium on April 3, 2016 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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After an offseason of speculation, fans of the Kansas City Royals now have a firm answer on the Opening Day lineup for the boys in blue. That lineup, however, is not entirely without surprise.

Wednesday morning on 610 Sports Radio, KC Royals manager Ned Yost formally announced the Opening Day lineup the team will utilize against the Minnesota Twins on April 3rd. The lineup is as follows:

  1. Alex Gordon, LF
  2. Mike Moustakas, 3B
  3. Lorenzo Cain, CF
  4. Eric Hosmer, 1B
  5. Salvador Perez, C
  6. Brandon Moss, DH
  7. Paulo Orlando, RF
  8. Alcides Escobar, SS
  9. Raul Mondesi, 2B

At first glance, the lineup closely resembles what Kansas City Royals fans have become accustomed to. Ned Yost has shown a tendency to not toy around with his lineup night in and night out.

Instead, he largely finds an order that he likes and will stick with it, only deviating due to injury or days off. The trio of Moustakas, Cain, and Hosmer fit in exactly where one would expect based upon prior seasons.

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    The most jarring change between this year and years prior is seeing Alex Gordon atop the lineup. Fans may immediately find themselves temporarily questioning Yost’s sanity due to that move. I can’t argue the fact that last season was a down year offensively for the Nebraska native.

    That being said, I see this as a good move for the Kansas City Royals and I’m not just saying that because my wife’s a card-carrying member of “Gordo Nation”.

    It’s well known that the KC Royals lack a prototypical top-of-the-order hitter. Despite how much fans have enjoyed “Esky Magic” in the past, Alcides Escobar is not the guy for that role.

    Gordon, even in his worst seasons, has shown the ability to get on base with an OBP of .345 for his career. Getting on base produces runs and that is what you want from the guy at the top of your lineup.

    Gordon has rebounded in Spring Training this offseason with an average of .364 and OBP of .462. Couple that with his historical numbers of .277/.352/.449 from the top of the order and you have the potential for early runs with the strong hitters behind Gordon in the lineup.

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    I was initially surprised to see Salvador Perez slotting in above Brandon Moss in the order. I fully expected Moss to occupy the vacancy left by Kendrys Morales this offseason. At second glance, the move makes sense as Yost has long favored alternating rightie-leftie in the lineup. The right-handed Perez batting in front of the left-hitting Moss allows this to happen.

    What’s the Bottom of the Order Look Like?

    Orlando, Escobar, and Mondesi all slot in according to my expectations. Keep in mind that Orlando should be replaced in the everyday lineup by Jorge Soler once recovered from his strained oblique. Yost likely will want Soler to get as many at-bats as possible in order to take advantage of his power.

    I am intrigued by the speed the Royals will showcase at the bottom of their order in Escobar and the blazingly-fast Mondesi. There is definitely strong potential for runs scored by both men provided they get on base.

    One final thought regarding the Kansas City Royals lineup is that while Yost has shown the tendency to not alter his batting order often, there is potential for it to occur in 2017.

    If Soler struggles as he has in Spring Training and Mondesi excels, there is every chance the switch-hitting Mondesi could be moved up in the lineup to see more at-bats. Other than that, I expect the 2017 lineup for the  Royals to largely echo what Ned Yost has planned out for Opening Day.

    KC Kingdom, what is your opinion? Do you like the idea of Alex Gordon leading off each day? What would your dream lineup be for the Kansas City Royals this season? Share your thoughts below!

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