KC Royals: 5 players with the most to prove at spring training
By Travis Neely
KC Royals with the most to prove – No. 4: Kelvin Gutierrez
Kelvin Gutierrez has already played in 24 games for the Royals and is looking to appear in more this upcoming season. Over the offseason, he posted some extremely solid numbers in the Dominican Winter League where he hit .396 in 53 at-bats.
His numbers in that league are worth noting and could easily follow him into spring training. Currently, 26-year-old Gutierrez is ready to play at the big league level and could possibly step in and fill the everyday third base role.
The argument will be is he going to replace Hunter Dozier? The short answer is he’s not replacing him rather he’s giving Mike Matheny the opportunity to move Dozier into right field and shift Whit Merrifield back to second base in the event Nicky Lopez initially struggles.
This flexibility is going to be the reason the Royals are going to be a hard team to compete with this season. Matheny will be able to plug and play almost daily to ensure he keeps hot bats in the lineup.
KC Royals with the most to prove – No. 3: Nicky Lopez
Nicky Lopez will indeed be a part of the 26-man roster, it’s now whether or not he’ll be in the starting lineup. He will at the least be the backup middle infielder that would cover for Adelberto Mondesi if he were to have to spend some time on the injured list at any point during the season.
Lopez’s plate production has been good enough to make him the everyday second baseman for the Royals last season. With the flexibility of both Hunter Dozier (outfield and third base) and Whit Merrifield (outfield and second base), Matheny will have options.
The best scenario for both the Royals and Lopez is for the second basemen to have a stellar spring training. Lopez hits from the left side of the plate, and the other options of shuffling players involve only players that hit from the right side. Having the one additional bat from the left side is a luxury the Royals will want.
Hanser Alberto was definitely brought in to relieve Lopez against left-handed bats, indicating that Dayton Moore and the Royals know Lopez isn’t developing to the level they’d like.