Kansas City Royals: Most surprising players in 2018

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Adalberto Mondesi #27 of the Kansas City Royals (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /

When a team loses 100 games, it can be tough to find the positives, but these players were all positives for the Royals in 2018.

It showed in the second half of the season too, as the team would get hot at times and remind us of the good ol’ days. They had some really fun walk-off wins (one big one included Ryan O’Hearn hitting the game-tying home run and Hunter Dozier hitting the walk-off moments later) and really looked to be growing together as a team.

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While 2019 probably won’t result in a winning season, the Kansas City Royals should be A LITTLE more competitive. Does this mean they’ll be in playoff contention? No, but they shouldn’t lose 100 games next year and their young guys will have another season under their belts to make mistakes and develop as a team.

Adalberto Mondesi and Brad Keller were the two most surprising players for the Royals this season and both guys will be crucial in the team turning things around in the next few years.

If Mondesi can become a superstar at shortstop and at the plate and if Keller can become an ace for the staff, this team could be really special in the coming years. Those are two big IFs though.

Either guy could have been considered the most surprising player, but I went with Mondesi. He was a top prospect for the organization, but honestly… I had started to lose hope that he’d ever remain healthy enough to make an impact.

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With Keller being a Rule-5 guy, it would have been easy to put him at number one, but Mondesi’s numbers this year were just outrageously good. He was a freak when it came to stealing bases and hit 14 home runs in limited action. He has the makings of a superstar and we don’t get those in Kansas City very often.

Who do you think was the Royals’ most surprising player in 2018?

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