KC Royals: Five players who need to finish 2019 strong
By Cody Rickman
The season is winding down and the KC Royals are at the stage of evaluating players for the roster for 2020 and beyond. Who needs to put together a strong finish in the last month of the 2019 season?
September is a month for front office staffs across the MLB who find themselves out of contention for the playoffs to evaluate their rosters for the upcoming season. The Kansas City Royals find themselves tied with the third worst record in the MLB, and it is time to see who is capable of contributing on the Royals roster in 2020 and beyond.
The following five players need to put together strong finish for the 2019 season to generate confidence with managerial and front office staff.
MEIBRYS VILORIA (CATCHER)
2019 AA: .264/.344/.332, 12 2B, 1 HR, 24 BB, 60 K, 2/2 SBs (220 ABs)
2019 MLB: .229/.278/.325, 5 2B, 1 HR, 6 BB, 25 K, 0/1 SB (83 ABs)
After seeing tape on Meibrys Viloria in the Arizona Fall League in 2018 where he slashed .225/.415/.325, I felt like he would outperform his scouting projections. He has made solid contact when he’s selective at the plate.
Viloria has some pre-swing movement (pronounced leg kick and busy hands) affecting his timing, but he has the bat speed to project for average power. When I saw him in Arizona for Spring Training I was convinced he would start as the Royals backstop following the Salvador Pérez injury news (before Maldanado signing).
Viloria looked very solid behind the plate. He ripped a nice single into right field off Jose Quintana (lefty on lefty crime). He also made several nice blocks behind the dish and threw out a would be base stealer. Defensively he calls a good game, is a solid receiver, and has a cannon for an arm.
Expectations: If Salvador Pérez comes back healthy, Viloria looks like a very competent back-up. He provides above average defense and a cannon of an arm behind the dish.
He projects to be an average hitter (.250) with potential to reach average power numbers (11-14 HRs) if he gets his timing right. He has shown in spurts he can be selective at the plate with the ability to put the ball in play.