Kansas City Royals: Five questions to answer in Spring Training

FIVE QUESTIONS TO ANSWER IN SPRING TRAINING

NUMBER 2 – WHO WILL PLAY RIGHT FIELD?

It feels like this question is asked every year for the Royals and this year is no different. While it’d be pretty cool if Bryce Harper came to Kansas City, I can nearly guarantee that won’t be happening for a variety reasons, which I won’t dive into here.

The Royals have plenty of options for right field, but who will get the nod there? We can be almost certain that Alex Gordon will play left field and Billy Hamilton will man center, so once again, that leaves right field to be a mystery.

I mentioned Jorge Soler earlier and he’d be the leading candidate, assuming he can stay healthy. He isn’t a great defender, but he did show some improvement last year.

Jorge Bonifacio went the opposite direction. After having an impressive rookie campaign in 2017, Bonifacio struggled in 2018 after being suspended for 80 games and returning in mid July. He has a shot to play in right for sure.

Brian Goodwin is another name to watch, though probably the least likely to win the job. He could be a candidate to DFA at some point, as the Royals simply might not have a role for him.

The Royals are fortunate to have Whit Merrifield on their team as well, who can play in the outfield. If Nicky Lopez gets his MLB call-up this season (which he likely will early on in the year), perhaps Merrifield can play in the outfield on days when Lopez mans second base.

The right field struggles in Kansas City continue and hopefully a decent one emerges out of Spring Training.