Kansas City Royals: Adalberto Mondesi proving to be real deal
The Kansas City Royals were patient with Adalberto Mondesi and it appears that patience is paying off. The 23 year old infielder has been sensational this season.
After beginning the season with an injury, it didn’t look like 2018 would be a step up from Adalberto Mondesi‘s previous two seasons in the big leagues. Fortunately, the young infielder has shown that he could be the real deal for this Kansas City Royals team moving forward.
Prior to Saturday evening’s game, Mondesi was slashing .286/.315/.471 with eight home runs and 27 RBI in 221 plate appearances. Not only has his offensive production been a whole other story from seasons past, but Mondesi is showcasing his electric speed, already having swiped 23 bags thus far.
In 2016 and 2017, Mondesi wasn’t hitting well at all. He batted .185 in 2016 throughout 149 plate appearances and batted just .170 in only 60 plate appearances last year. His issue was striking out, as he recorded 48 strikeouts as a rookie in 2016. In comparison, he has 57 this year and has had way more playing time this season.
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Mondesi’s progression is a wonderful sight to see after how badly he struggled the last two seasons. He’s one of the best hitters for the Royals right now and is also a clutch defender, spending time at both shortstop and second base.
Mondesi has spent most of his time at shortstop this season, but played 12 games at second base. He’ll be the (almost) every day shortstop from now on because as much as we joke about it, the Royals aren’t going to re-sign Alcides Escobar after this season. If they do, he’d only be a bench player.
There’s a chance that Mondesi could spend time at second base in the future as well. That’s where he initially was put, but Whit Merrifield has emerged as a legitimate star for the Kansas City Royals. The Royals still might decide to trade Merrifield though due to his age and the fact that his trade value will never be any higher.
If Merrifield is traded, Nicky Lopez and Mondesi could both play shortstop and second base. Merrifield could also spend time in the outfield if he’s not traded, which would open things up for Lopez to play in the next few years as well.
Back to Mondesi though, the kid has been fun to watch this year. He has power, he has speed, and he plays some nasty defense. That’s the type of baseball the Royals love to see from their players and it’s very possible that Adalberto Mondesi becomes a star for the organization.