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Kansas City Royals: Five storylines to watch in 2019

By Leigh Oleszczak

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Jakob Junis gets a pat on the head from second baseman Whit Merrifield as third baseman Mike Moustakas and catcher Drew Butera look on while Junis waits to be relieved in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, May 6, 2018, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/TNS via Getty Images)
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Jakob Junis gets a pat on the head from second baseman Whit Merrifield as third baseman Mike Moustakas and catcher Drew Butera look on while Junis waits to be relieved in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, May 6, 2018, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/TNS via Getty Images) /
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Salvador Perez #13 and Brad Keller #56 of the Kansas City Royals Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Salvador Perez #13 and Brad Keller #56 of the Kansas City Royals Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

Kansas City Royals fans aren’t expecting to contend in 2019, but seeing some improvements among their young players would be nice.

These five storylines are going to be big talking points for the Royals this upcoming season. Alex Gordon is on the final year of his contract and he was a legend for Kansas City and the organization during that World Series run. He’s been disappointing since signing his mega contract, but hopefully the final year goes well for him.

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Speaking of going well, the Royals need to see development from Hunter Dozier, Ryan O’Hearn, and Brett Phillips if they want the rebuild to go smoothly. Dozier and Phillips struggled offensively last year, but O’Hearn was a nice surprise.

The bullpen will have to be much better in 2019. They had their fair share of struggles this past season to the tune of a 5.04 ERA, but there was potential there for sure.

One of the biggest talking points this season will be about potential players the Royals can trade off. The two main ones being Salvador Perez and Whit Merrifield. Both guys are pushing 30 and both provide the ability to be an impact player for whatever team were to trade for them.

Lastly, the Royals need to see their young starting pitchers show up big time this year. Brad Keller can’t regress after his dominating 2018 campaign and Jakob Junis has to play like a two or three in the rotation.

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These will be things to watch for this upcoming season, but another one of note will be if Danny Duffy can respond after a lackluster 2018 season. Duffy has always been injury prone, but he has to be the “ace” of this team and help the younger players develop.

What else should we be watching for in 2019, Royals fans?

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