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Kansas City Royals: Eight bold predictions for 2020 season

By Cullen Jekel

Jorge Soler #12 of the Kansas City Royals (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
Jorge Soler #12 of the Kansas City Royals (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /
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Jorge Soler #12 high fives Hunter Dozier #17 of the Kansas City Royals after hitting his second two-run home run of the game (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Jorge Soler #12 high fives Hunter Dozier #17 of the Kansas City Royals after hitting his second two-run home run of the game (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

Bold Prediction No. 2: The Royals Hit 200 or More Home Runs

In 2019, the Kansas City Royals combined to hit a total of 162 home runs, which tied for the team’s third-most amount of home runs hit in a single season. The 2017 squad holds the record with 193 home runs followed by the 1987 team’s 168 home runs.

Well, the 2020 Royals are going to top the 2017 team in that category. Don’t be shocked to see this team surpass the 200 home run mark.

Does that sound like a lot of home runs in a season? 200? I guess it kind of is, considering no Royals team has ever done that before.

Last season, 26 teams hit at least 200 home runs with the league average coming in at 226. The Royals, who finally had a 40-home-run player in Jorge Soler (who nearly reached 50), finished 28th in the Majors in the category.

Despite the baseball (allegedly) reverting to what it was before the 2019 season, I still think the Royals will collectively blast-off against opposing pitchers. Over at RotoChamp, the Royals starting lineup is projected to hit 167 homers with the bench chipping in another 24 homers. According to math, that’s 191, which is just shy of the team record.

Here’s how I’ve got it breaking it down, by position.

  • Salvador Perez, Catcher: 21 home runs.
  • Ryan O’Hearn, 1B: 23 home runs.
  • Nicky Lopez, 2B: 4 home runs.
  • Maikel Franco, 3B: 26 home runs.
  • Adalberto Mondesi, SS: 19 home runs.
  • Alex Gordon, LF: 17 home runs.
  • Whit Merrifield, CF: 19 home runs.
  • Hunter Dozier, RF: 30 home runs.
  • Jorge Soler, DH: 42 home runs.

That right there is 201. Expect role players like Ryan McBroom and Brett Phillips to add a healthy dose of power, too, as RotoChamp suggests.

Simply put, that 2017 team home run record is going down.

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