Kansas City Royals: Power Rankings Volume 1 for 2019 season

2. Brad Keller, Starting Pitcher

The 23-year-old Opening Day starter, Keller has started four games this year, and he’s pitched well in all of them. For the year, he’s sporting a 2.45 ERA, 1.091 WHIP, and 3.61 FIP across just over 25 innings pitched. Keller is the only pitcher on the staff with at least two victories. And his strikeouts-per-nine innings has increased to 8.1 from 6.2 a year ago. Hopefully, the progression continues.

1. Alex Gordon, Left Fielder

In the best feel good story of the Royals’ young season, team leader and grisly veteran Alex Gordon is absolutely mashing while he continues playing incredible defense. Case in point: in Monday night’s loss to the White Sox, Gordon followed up hitting a double by making a diving catch in left field while almost doubling-up Chicago’s Tim Anderson.

Already, I’ve seen talk that if Gordon continues this level of play, the Royals might get something out of him at the trade deadline. Get that talk out of here. Gordon isn’t going anywhere. The 35-year-old is worth so much more to this franchise than even his incredible 1.0 WAR through 16 games.

Plus, with his 10-and-5 rights, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Gordon, the former Nebraska Cornhusker with a 2015 World Series ring, veto any deal that materializes, instead deciding to play out his contract and retire a lifetime Royal.