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 Nicky Lopez (1) – Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /

Unquestionably, Merrifield’s best position on the diamond is at second base. Unfortunately (in a rather paradoxical sort of way), he’s probably also the Royals’ best option in right field and center field. That means Merrifield won’t be worth his max value to the Royals as Matheny will be forced to pull him off his best position.

Here are the Royals’ other options for second base along with their career slash lines:

Nicky Lopez (25), 548 at-bats, .228/.279/.307, 57 OPS+
Hanser Alberto (28), 925 at-bats, .278/.300/.377, 81 OPS+

An alternative for right field would be the 24-year-old Olivares, on whom we touched in the last slide. In only 96 career at-bats, he’s slashed .240/.267/.375 for a 74 OPS+. Jorge Soler played eight games in right field last season while Dozier appeared in 18. Both Soler and Dozier, though, are better suited elsewhere.

Ultimately, it comes down to this question: would you rather have Lopez or Alberto at second base with Merrifield in right field OR Merrifield at second base with Olivares in right field?

Like with the question on center field, there’s no solid answer. Regardless of the choice, this will be the second glaring hole in the Royals 2021 lineup.

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