Kansas City Royals: Projecting positional player stats for 2020 season

Designated Hitter

• Jorge Soler (2020 Steamer projection) – .257/.349/.503 with 66 extra base hits (35 home runs) – 2.2 WAR

We finally got to see what a full season of health could do for Jorge Soler and wow was it stunning. Soler shattered the Royals franchise single season home run record and another season of full health could see him return to the 40-home run mark.

Soler was one of the most feared hitters in the second half of the 2019 and pitchers will likely be cutting down on the number of fastballs they throw Soler in 2020. Soler is working on becoming a more reliable asset in the field and could see more time in outfield for the Royals during the 2020 season. As it stands, keeping him healthy is the number one priority for the Royals training staff.

If Soler is able to carry over his 2019 second half production (.299/.411/.665 with 25 home runs) into 2020, the sky is the limit for his production. Another season of +3.5 WAR could push Soler into a very favorable position for a long-term contract.

Utility

• Matt Reynolds (2020 Steamer projection) – .242/.317/.371 with 4 extra base hits (1 home run) – 0.1 WAR

Matt Reynolds, along with Kelvin Gutierrez, Erick Mejia and Humberto Arteaga, are the choices to fill the utility role for the Royals in 2020. Reynolds and Mejia each possess the ability to play all over the diamond and have the upper hand to break spring training camp on the major league roster.

There isn’t a great deal of expectation for the utility role to provide much in terms of offensive production outside of providing a day off here and there for the everyday regulars. Reynolds hit much better in the high minors than Gutierrez, Mejia, and Arteaga playing multiple positions.

If Reynolds is able to produce above replacement level, he will be an excellent minor league free agent signing for Dayton Moore this offseason.