Kansas City Royals: Perfect lineup for 2021 season

Here’s my “perfect” 2021 Kansas City Royals lineup with further breakdown afterward.

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1. Andrew Benintendi, LF (L)
2. Whit Merrifield, RF (R)
3. Carlos Santana, 1B (B)
4. Jorge Soler, DH (R)
5. Salvador Perez, C (R)
6. Adalberto Mondesi, SS (B)
7. Hunter Dozier, 3B (R)
8. Michael Taylor, CF (R)
9. Nicky Lopez, 2B (L)

I’ve Benintendi leading off for two reasons. First, I think he’ll post a higher on-base percentage than Merrifield, and because he bats left-handed he’s apt to face more right-handed starting pitchers. Maybe you don’t care about such match-ups, but I do, and the Royals do, as they specifically sought out a guy like Benintendi because he bats left-handed.

Next is Merrifield. He’s solid when it comes to power and getting on base. Like the rest of the Royals since the Dawn of Man, he could walk more. And note I’ve got him in right field. That answers part of the presented question on the second slide.

Newcomer Santana slots in third. Santana, unlike his new teammates, is a patient hitter who knows how to take a walk. For a strong minute there, I considered batting him second.

The slugger Jorge Soler bats clean-up, protecting Santana and ready to pounce on pitchers who throw around the former Clevelander. Soler’s power numbers dipped last season after an incredible 2019; expect those figures to rebound in the longer season, which just so happens to be his walk-year, too.

Behind Soler comes Perez, who absolutely scorched earth last season. After missing all of 2019, Perez returned with a vengeance, posting career-highs in batting average (.333), slugging percentage (.633), and OPS (.986). If that Salvador Perez returns in 2021, watch out.

After two right-handed hitters, I’m going with the switch-hitting Adalberto Mondesi, who returns at the team’s shortstop. Mondesi started very slowly last year, but with over 100 plate appearances in September and October, he came alive, absolutely destroying the baseball. In that timeframe, he slashed .356/.408/.667 for a 1.075 OPS. He collected 60 total bases during that time–39 more than he had collected in his first 133 plate appearances!

Next is Dozier, whom I’m slotting at third base. The Royals, like most of the rest of the Majors, had a chance to upgrade at third, but passed. Now, with Maikel Franco gone, third goes to Dozier, the former first-round pick who posted a slightly above-average OPS last year. He provides the bottom-third of the lineup with some pop while receiving absolutely no protection from the next two batters.

The last two spots really come down to hiding the lineup’s worst two hitters. Taylor gets the nod in centerfield and hits eighth while Lopez and his glove get the call at second base while rounding out the scorecard. It’s not exciting, but rarely is the bottom of any lineup.

There you have it. That’s my perfect 2021 Kansas City Royals lineup. Let me know what you think, and let me know how you’d sort these fellas.