Kansas City Royals: Right field is a mystery heading into spring training
Right field has long been an issue for the Kansas City Royals and that continues on as spring training inches closer. Who will be the Royals’ main right fielder in 2019?
From Nori Aoki to Alex Rios to Jorge Soler to Jorge Bonifacio, the Kansas City Royals have had several right fielders over the last few years. It’s been a position that they’ve struggled to find consistency at and it’ll be one of the positions the Royals are looking to find a starter for come spring training.
The Royals have a plethora of outfielders on their roster right now, but it seems all too likely that Alex Gordon and recently signed Billy Hamilton will be in left and center respectively. Gordon is in the final year of his contract while Hamilton is also on a one-year deal. Both guys are good defensive outfielders.
That leaves right field open, but the Royals have more than enough options to try and fill that vacant spot.
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Jorge Soler was brought to Kansas City via trade in the 2016 season and has split time between the outfield and being the designated hitter. Soler was having a great 2018 campaign before getting injured in late June and missing the rest of the season. Injuries have plagued Soler throughout his entire major league career.
Brett Phillips was also brought to Kansas City through a trade, but the good news with him is that he has options left. The Royals could (and should) send Phillips to Omaha to start the year because he was not very good at the plate last season.
Phillips would be an ideal candidate to have in center field after 2019 when the Billy Hamilton experiment is over with. He showed some promise in center last year, but he has to work on his hitting in the minors before he can be a full-time answer.
Jorge Bonifacio is a young, promising player, who disappointed in 2018. Bonifacio served an 80-game suspension last year, but never looked like the player we saw tear it up as a rookie the season prior. He does have options, so sending him to the minors could be the route the Royals go with, unless Bonifacio is utilized as a bench player and an occasional designated hitter.
Lastly, there’s Brian Goodwin, who the Royals acquired from the Nationals last year. Goodwin was okay in 2018, but dealt with some injuries. While Goodwin was a nice piece for the Royals, he’s pushing 30 and won’t be a part of the rebuild. It wouldn’t be shocking if he were either traded or DFA’d moving forward.
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Jorge Soler has two years remaining on his contract, so he’d be who I’d predict would get most of the starts in right field. Bonifacio, however, is a young player and could definitely help this team through their rebuild.
Who would get your vote to start in right field in the 2019 season?