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Kansas City Royals: Brian Goodwin great acquisition for Royals

By Leigh Oleszczak

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 28: Brian Goodwin #25 of the Kansas City Royals in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 28, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. Kansas City Royals defeated the New York Yankees 10-5. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 28: Brian Goodwin #25 of the Kansas City Royals in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 28, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. Kansas City Royals defeated the New York Yankees 10-5. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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The 2018 season has been bleak for the Kansas City Royals, but newly acquired outfielder Brian Goodwin has been a bright spot during his short time with the team.

It’s been confusing seeing the Kansas City Royals continuing to add a slew of outfielders, but so far, Brian Goodwin has been pretty darn good. Now it’s certainly worth noting that it’s still VERY early into Goodwin’s KC tenure, but Royals fans should take what they can get.

As of Monday afternoon, Goodwin is slashing .471/.471/.706 with one home run and four RBI in 17 at bats. Yes, it’s still early for the new Royal, but after seeing some questionable trades turn out to be duds, it’s nice to see some sparks from a newly acquired outfielder.

Goodwin has been a much more enjoyable player to have around over Paulo Orlando, who despite being a part of that Royals prominent run, isn’t the answer anymore. Goodwin is also five years younger than Orlando, which is worth noting.

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The Royals have plenty of outfield help at the moment, but Goodwin is listed on the Royals’ official depth chart as the left fielder and center fielder. He’s behind Alex Gordon on the left field depth chart and behind Rosell Herrera in center.

It’ll be interesting to see how the organization utilizes all of their outfielders for the duration of the season. Gordon is making a lot of money, so that’s really the only reason to continue starting him in left field, but Goodwin is making a case to get more starts out there.

We all know Goodwin isn’t going to bat .471 forever, but he’s been fun to watch so far. The Royals could end up having a decent outfield over the next few years, as Gordon has one more year left on his original deal, so Goodwin could be slotted in there after Gordon’s time as a Royal comes to an end.

It’s crazy after seeing Goodwin’s impressive beginning in Kansas City and wondering how it was so easy for the club to acquire him. They got him in a trade with the Washington Nationals in exchange for reliever Jacob Condra-Bogan.

The Royals probably could have used Condra-Bogan during their rebuild, but at the same time, they’re getting production out of Goodwin, so as of now, the trade looks fine. It certainly helps that Brian Goodwin doesn’t hit free agency until 2023, which is likely why the Royals felt comfortable giving up a prospect to acquire a major leaguer.

It’s still early into Brian Goodwin’s Kansas City Royals career, but as of now, fans should be excited with what they’re seeing from the former Nationals outfielder.

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