Kansas City Royals: Perfect lineup for 2021 season

Sep 21, 2020; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (13) and right fielder Whit Merrifield (15) celebrate after scoring in the sixth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

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Kansas City Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield (15) – Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

Time to construct the perfect lineup for the Kansas City Royals for 2021.

For the 2021 season, the Kansas City Royals have several new faces, guys signed through free agency or acquired via trade. Likewise, the Royals enter the season for the first time since 2007 without Alex Gordon.

What’s the best lineup for the Royals, then? Where will guys like Andrew Benintendi, Carlos Santana, and Michael Taylor slot in? Where do returning Royals like Whit Merrifield and Salvador Perez and Hunter Dozier fit?

There are holes. Don’t get me wrong about that: there are problems with even the most perfect Royals lineup, as funny as that may sound. There will be tough decisions for manager Mike Matheny to make on a daily basis as far as who hits where and takes what spot in the field.

Before getting to the team’s perfect lineup, as I see it, let’s first talk about glaring problems that will stick with this club throughout the season.

The first problem involves center field.

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