Kansas City Royals: Scouts say Royals are better than people think

The Kansas City Royals aren’t playing so well in 2019, but scouts think the team is set up better than most would think despite their poor record so far.

Jason Beck of MLB.com recently wrote an article detailing what scouts like and dislike about each team in the American League Central. Kansas City Royals fans might make a joke about how there’s nothing to like about the Royals this year, but that simply isn’t true.

Here’s what scouts liked about the Royals,

"“K.C.’s better than people think. They’re not in bad shape. I really like [Hunter] Dozier; he’s like a young Mark Trumbo. I love [Whit] Merrifield and the way he plays. I think [Adalberto] Mondesi’s a future All-Star. Kelvin Gutierrez is a good player with upside. Alex Gordon’s a good veteran player who gives you a good at-bat. I really like Danny Duffy. Jake Diekman is really throwing well, a good trade piece; he could be a seventh-inning lefty on a contender down the stretch.”"

Let’s break this down sentence by sentence, shall we?

The Royals really are better than what their record indicates. People who don’t follow them will only see the record and scoff at any mention of them, but the Royals have talented players who can absolutely help in getting them back into the postseason.

Hunter Dozier, Whit Merrifield, Adalberto Mondesi, and Kelvin Gutierrez are all mentioned above and are all players who will be in Kansas City for awhile. Danny Duffy got a shoutout as well despite limited action this season and even Jake Diekman got thrown out there as a potential trade piece.

I agree with all of this! The Royals have players who can be the next Hosmer, Moustakas, Cain, Escobar, etc., but they need time to develop in the big leagues. Right now they’re not playing in big games, but that’ll change in the coming years hopefully.

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Now for the dislikes.

"“Billy Hamilton can run down everything in center field, but he just can’t hit. He’s a role player for me. Jorge Soler is a good hitter, but he’s a better fit down in the order in a good lineup. Their bullpen has some good arms like [Scott] Barlow and [Ian] Kennedy, but I’m not sure about [Wily] Peralta.”"

Again, hard to disagree with much here.

Hopefully Billy Hamilton and his base stealing abilities will catch a contender’s eye come the trade deadline. That’d pave the way for Bubba Starling or Brett Phillips to take over in center field (really rooting for you, Bubba!), but right now those prospects are being blocked by a guy who is hitting .210.

Jorge Soler hasn’t become what the Royals were hoping for when they traded for him a few years ago, but we knew he wasn’t much of a defensive guru at the time of the trade. With how well Dozier has been swinging the bat, he almost has to be the designated hitter, and that forces the Royals to put Soler in the outfield.

Lastly, the bullpen, which has mostly been a train wreck this year. Wily Peralta has been awful and for the most part, when the game comes down to which bullpen is better, Royals fans don’t have a good feeling about who the winner is in that category.

Obviously the biggest takeaway from the article is that scouts think the Kansas City Royals are in better shape than people are giving them credit for. They’re able to get on base and steal bags, which is what makes them fun to watch, but the pitching needs to improve in order for them to be a legitimate contender moving forward.

Fortunately, help is on the way in the minor leagues. At least we hope so.