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Kansas City Royals: Most surprising players in 2018

By Leigh Oleszczak

KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 14: Salvador Perez #13 celebrates with Whit Merrifield #15 and members of the Kansas City Royals as he celebrates his walk-off grand slam against the Minnesota Twins in the ninth inning at Kauffman Stadium on September 14, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 14: Salvador Perez #13 celebrates with Whit Merrifield #15 and members of the Kansas City Royals as he celebrates his walk-off grand slam against the Minnesota Twins in the ninth inning at Kauffman Stadium on September 14, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /
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Adalberto Mondesi #27 of the Kansas City Royals (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
Adalberto Mondesi #27 of the Kansas City Royals (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

MOST SURPRISING ROYALS IN 2018 – NUMBER ONE: ADALBERTO MONDESI

While Brad Keller could have easily been the most surprising player, I went with Adalberto Mondesi here. Mondesi hadn’t been anything to write home about in his first few seasons and the expectations were dwindling. Would Mondesi ever be able to achieve success in the major leagues?

One of the biggest issues prior to this season was that Mondesi wasn’t hitting well and was striking out at an alarming rate. Another was his inability to stay healthy, which caused him to miss the first few months of the 2018 season.

When Mondesi finally got to Kansas City in mid June, the Royals were out of any type of playoff race, but that didn’t stop the kid from getting hot at the plate. Mondesi finished the 2018 season with a slash line of .276/.306/.498 with 14 home runs and 37 RBI in 275 at bats.

Similar to Whit Merrifield, Mondesi wasn’t just fun to watch at the plate, but on the base paths as well. The 23 year old had 32 stolen bases and showed that he can absolutely FLY around the bases.

We all know the Royals love speed and good defense and Mondesi possesses both qualities. He will undoubtedly be the shortstop of the future moving forward and he also has the ability to play second base and occasionally DH from time to time too.

After watching him this season, there’s no doubt about it, folks. Adalberto Mondesi is the real deal and could become a superstar in this league. He was the most surprising player for the Royals in 2018.

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