What we learned about the Kansas City Royals in shortened 2020 season

Mondesi isn’t a bust

After such a dominant 2019 season, many thought Adalberto Mondesi had the makings to be a superstar in Kansas City. It wasn’t looking great for the Royals shortstop midway through the season, however, as he was batting well below the Mendoza line and went several games without a hit.

Fortunately, Mondesi finished the season red hot, and batted .615 in the final week of the season per the tweet below. Royals fans were relieved to see this because Mondesi is hopefully going to be a big part of this rebuild and if he hits like he did in the final week of the 2020 season, he’ll be special for them.

Keller the ace

Brad Keller has been terrific for the Royals and proved in 2020 that he can be the ace of this team moving forward. Once a Rule-5 reliever, Keller found his way into the Royals rotation and has shone bright ever since.

This year didn’t start out great for Keller, as he tested positive for COVID-19 and had to miss the first few weeks of the season. He rejoined the team when he had two negative tests and worked his magic on the mound as soon as he was able to pitch.

Keller finished his third MLB season with a 2.63 ERA in nine starts and going 5-3 in that stretch. Even when the Royals were in back-to-back World Series, they didn’t have a true ace (Sorry “Big Game James”) and Keller now gives them that.

Keller, Brady Singer, and Kris Bubic give the Royals a great trio for their rotation next year and if Jackson Kowar and Daniel Lynch can find their ways to the big leagues next year, the Royals very well could have one of the best rotations in the league. Oh, and don’t forget about 2020 first rounder Asa Lacy, who should be ready to contribute in the next few years.