After a years-long rebuilding process, the Royals opened a competitive window for the middle portions of the previous decade. From 2013 to 2017, the club had five straight seasons of at least 80 wins, including back-to-back trips to the World Series in 2014 and 2015, emerging victorious in the latter season. In 2018, that competitive window slammed shut as the team lost 104 games, and then 103 games the following year.
Of course, one benefit of such miserable losing seasons is higher draft picks. In the 2019 MLB draft, the Orioles held the first selection on the heels of their 47-win season, opting for Adley Rutschman with that pick. The second pick went to the Royals, who chose Bobby Witt Jr., a shortstop from Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville, Texas who was still a couple of weeks away from his 19th birthday.
The Royals quickly agreed to terms with Witt and put him to work right away, as he got into 37 rookie ball games that year. After that short assignment, Witt was ranked the 24th-best prospect in the league by Baseball America. 2020 was a lost season, in a sense, due to the pandemic wiping out the minor league seasons. However, Witt was evidently so impressive at the team’s alternate training site and in next year’s spring training that he was under consideration to be called up to the big leagues to start the 2021 season. It would have been an incredibly ambitious move to call up a 20-year-old with no experience above rookie ball, but the club ultimately decided against it, assigning Witt to Double-A to get more in-game experience after the lost 2020 campaign.
While spending 2021 in the minors, Witt could scarcely have had a better year. In 61 Double-A games, he hit .295/.369/.570, wRC+ of 145. A promotion to Triple-A didn’t slow him down, as he slashed .285/.352/.581 for a wRC+ of 142 in 62 games. Baseball America now ranks him the third-best prospect in the sport, behind only Rutschman and Julio Rodriguez. While it’s unclear how serious the Royals were about promoting Witt a year ago, there’s no question he’s pounding on the door now.
Witt is primarily a shortstop, having played most of his games there so far, but the Royals also tried him out at third a bit. In 2021, he played in 102 games at shortstop and 18 at the hot corner. That extra bit of flexibility could help him crack the roster, as the big league team has far more question marks than answers at this point.
Adalberto Mondesi was supposed to be the team’s shortstop of the future after a tremendous breakout campaign in 2018. In that year, Mondesi hit .276/.306/.498, with 14 home runs and 32 stolen bases in just 75 games. However, that power seemed to slip away from him over the next two campaigns, as he hit 16 homers over 161 games between 2019 and 2020, producing a combined line of .260/.292/.421. He still had the speed, though, notching 67 stolen bases in that time. Then 2021 saw Mondesi sidelined by a series of injuries, limiting him to just 10 games over the first five months of the season. In an interview in August, Royals general manager Dayton Moore candidly admitted that the club no longer viewed Mondesi as an everyday player that they would expect to play 100-plus games a year. Mondesi returned to the club in September, having been moved to third base, seeing action in 25 more games before the season ended.
The reason Mondesi was moved to third was because, in his absence, Nicky Lopez had a nice season and took over the shortstop position. Lopez played 151 games, providing excellent defense and speed, racking up 22 stolen bases on the year. Although his bat was adequate enough to put up a wRC+ of 106, it was largely powerless and BABIP-driven, as evidenced by two homers on the season and his overall line of .300/.365/.378. Despite his excellent defense at short, he could move to second if needed, as he has 133 games of MLB experience there over the past three seasons.
Whit Merrifield spent most of 2021 at second base, but can also play the outfield. If Lopez, Witt and Mondesi are all healthy and lined up in the infield, Merrifield might become the regular right fielder, with Michael A. Taylor in center and Andrew Benintendi in left, and Kyle Isbel and Edward Olivares on hand for further depth.
When Mondesi returned in September and took over at third, he bumped off Hunter Dozier, who was in the midst of an incredibly inconsistent season. Dozier seemed to break out in 2019, hitting 26 home runs and slashing .279/.348/.522, wRC+ of 123. In 2020, his production dropped a bit but was still above average, coming in at .228/.344/.392, wRC+ of 104. In 2021, the first half of the season was dismal, as he was sitting on a line of .147/.214/.357 at the end of June. In July, he bounced back with a month of hitting .304/.389/.443. August saw him turn right around in the other direction and hit .216/.262/.330, but then he finished strong over September and October, with marks of .272/.346/.576 over the final month-plus. After losing the hot corner to Mondesi, he bounced between first base, designated hitter and the corner outfield spots.
Carlos Santana, signed to a two-year deal a year ago, had the worst year of his career in 2021, hitting .214/.319/.342. Some of that production could perhaps be attributed to a quad strain that was hampering him down the stretch, but his numbers before the injury weren’t great either. The team might consider moving the final year of his contract, which still guarantees him $10.5MM, but it won’t be easy after that tepid campaign, especially since he’ll turn 36 in April.
The first base situation could also be further crowded by the arrival of Nick Pratto. Much like Witt, he spent 2021 almost evenly between Double-A and Triple-A. He hit 36 home runs on the year, slashing .265/.385/.602, for a wRC+ of 156. He’s only ever played first base in the minors, except for three Triple-A games in right field this year.
Given all of this positional flexibility, the Royals can surely make it work one way or another. If they prefer Witt at third, he can play beside Lopez and Merrifield, with Mondesi becoming a super-utility option that can have his workload managed. If they want Witt at short, they could slide Lopez to the keystone and Merrifield to the outfield. The first base/DH mix might be a little crowded, but only temporarily, as Santana and Benintendi are free agents after 2022. As the season goes on, there will inevitably be injuries that make the game of musical chairs less crowded. But with the imminent arrival of both Witt and Pratto, along with Asa Lacy and many other young pitchers, Royals fans have reasons to be optimistic about the club topping the 74 wins they managed in 2021.
Service time
But in all serisousness, there really isn’t a major reason right this moment why he shouldn’t start 2022 on the major league roster unless service time isn’t fixed in the new CBA. It’s not like he played 10 games at Triple-A. He had 285 plate apperarances and had a .933 OPS.
Bingo… only thing holding him back.
There is not a player on the roster with his talent. I do believe we see him in 2022 without a doubt. He would have to really stink it up in spring to not be in KC.
Service time considerations do not factor into any decisions made by the Kansas City Royals. Quite simply, they do not play the service time game. If a player is ready, he’s getting the nod. Barring a highly unlikely disastrous spring training, Bobby Witt Jr will be in KC’s opening day lineup.
There is zero chance they game his (or anyone else’s) service time…
Agreed. I’m not a Royals fan, but I appreciate how differently their front office seems to operate. They’ve made a lot of decisions over the years that I’ve respected as an outsider, like calling guys up regardless of service time, signing extensions (and a 2nd extension with Perez), and bringing back guys like Holland and Davis past their prime (which I’ve read as a move that both sides were fans of, for reasons both related to and unrelated to winning). If I were a player not looking to play in one of the major cities (LA, SF, CHI, NY, or Boston for example), they would be one of my favored destinations.
As I agree in most cases with the Royals front office, this one I do not. They were trying to get another year of control. Plain and simple.
Trying to get another year of control when the Witt had never played a game above A ball, combined with the fact that MANY prospects have a good spring but then crap the bed come April and May? Dude I’m a cardinals fan that wishes Mo would take some pointers from GMDM… when Mondesi was there #1 prospect he was brought up during the World Series as a 20 year old… Singer and Bubic…. Two of there best pitching prospects since Grienke started the year with the club in 2020 less then two years after being 1st round picks… the performance this year of Lynch And Kiera definitely could have been sent down and yet they were allowed to figure it out in the majors… the Royals may be the only team in baseball that great or suck don’t care about service time…
Kowar
None of these guys have had the tools that Bobby Witt Jr has had though. That is what you are failing to understand.
I agree with you that the royals are great when it comes to not manipulating the service time bs. I just don’t think they used those same expectations here.
The other young guys this season were needed. Also were the royals actually going anywhere last year. They definitely played some great ball with their youth. They needed that experience. Bobby Witt Jr is one of those players where experience is not going to be the problem. This guy has the sauce.
My biggest thing out of this, in Dayton Moore I trust. I am going to just let him do his thing like he has been.
Not alot of people know that Jackson Kowar was scraping his curve ball last year for a slider. He was using a new pitch when he got called up and it showed. He got rocked because he wasn’t even good with the new pitch yet.
All the hate of Kowar will change when he comes back with better control of that pitch. I see big things out of him next year. Just not sure if it will be in the rotation or the bullpen.
@jay13 … Write what you know 😉
With all due respect, you don’t know service time. And that’s cool, there’s a whole lot I don’t know. Something every day lol. But I can absolutely promise you that I know service time and the manipulation of it — inside and out. You contradicted my post with points that either made no sense or were completely irrelevant. I hope this clears it up for you without it looking like I’m attacking you, cause I’m not.
(No need to tell me this reply is way too long. I typed it. I’m well aware of that lol. And I’m sorry I take too long to explain things!)
First, you said, “They were trying to get another year of control. Plain and simple.”
So you are plainly (and simply) saying this was a clear case of service time manipulation by the Royals. You are the only person who I’ve ever seen make this claim. It’s not even a concept that makes any sense on any level. I’ll just give you 2 reasons to show you why your statement makes no sense, the first of which someone else touched on:
1). Going into spring training this past season, Witt had a grand total of 37 professional baseball games played. EVER. All at Rookie-level. That’s below A-ball. That’s below everything. A little over a month at Rookie-level in the Arizona Complex League was the sum total of his professional baseball experience coming into this year. So by sending him to the minors out of spring training, it’s a very safe bet to assume it wasn’t because the Royals “were trying to get another year of control.” It was because he had yet to play an inning of pro ball above the Arizona Complex League lol. And he had only played 37 games there!
Contrast that with some of the most talked about incidents of service time manipulation in recent years:
Ronald Acuña, Jr: 259 pro games at 5 levels
Vladimir Guerrero, Jr: 289 games / 5 levels
Kris Bryant: 181 games / 5 levels
And I’ll even give the biggest outlier of a player who both fast-tracked to the majors AND had their club manipulate the service time to delay free agency by a year:
Bryce Harper: 130 games / 3 levels
Again:
Bobby Witt, Jr: 37 games / 1 level (basement level lol)
All these other guys with similar pedigrees play entire season or seasons at multiple levels including the top minor league levels.
Do you really think the Royals sent the kid down to the minors because “they were trying to get another year of control. Plain and simple.”? I mean, cause that’s what you said.
But what the heck. Let’s say you’re right. That he was ready to make the jump straight from the Arizona Complex League to MLB but the Royals had decided it was time to get with the times and game service time, contradicting a decades long policy to not do that. Say they had decided to gain another year of control so they sent him down.
I’m giving you this point even though it makes no sense.
And now I’m taking it away lol.
2). To gain an extra year of service time, the Royals only had to leave him in the minors this season for ~2 weeks (He would need to not be on the MLB roster for the first 11-13 games, so they could have had him go play in a handful of minor league games). 11-13 games into the MLB season (it varies), the Royals then could have called Witt up (this is like mid-April lol) and he could have played literally every inning the rest of the season and it would not count as a year of service time.
Why? There are 187 days (not games) in the regular season of MLB. A player must spend 172 days on the major league roster (or injured list) for it to be considered a year of service time. So if a team sends a player down for just over 2 weeks (11-13 games usually, but it’s DAYS not GAMES that count), they can then bring him up and play him the rest of the year and under current rules, it does not count as a year of service time. A player needs 6 years of service time to reach free agency, but free agency isn’t granted until the end of the season in which the 6 years was reached.
Kris Bryant was more than ready to debut for the Cubs coming out of spring training in 2015. Everyone knew he had been penciled into the lineup for months. But after spring training the Cubs decided he “needed to work on his defense” in the minors for about 16 days. Which amounted to 8 minor league games. His “defense was fixed” and he was recalled.
Kris Bryant played in 151 games for the Cubs in 2015. But it isn’t GAMES that determine a service year it is DAYS. To count as a service year, the player must be on the roster or IL for at least 172 of the 187 days. Kris Bryant was on the roster for 171 of the 187 regular season days. So at the end of the 2020 season, Bryant had 5 years and 171 days service time, a day short of the 6 years needed for free agency. He hit 6 years service time on the first day of the 2021 season. But remember, free agency isn’t granted until the END of the season in which they reach it. And this is why Kris Bryant became a feee agent this offseason, and not after last season. And this is how teams manipulate or game a player’s service time.
That is NOT what happened to Bobby Witt, Jr this season. He remained in the minors all year. And he will NOT start next season in the minors. I was absolutely, 100% correct the first time. I’ll say it again:
“Service time considerations do not factor into any decisions made by the Kansas City Royals”
It is a strictly enforced POLICY by the Kansas City Royals to NEVER game any player’s service time. And that includes BWJ. He’s on the opening day roster.
Well Jay, I think there is about a zero percent chance you are still reading this. No one is lol. But if you are, I absolutely love your post about Jackson Kowar and I completely agree with you.
Yeah I felt sorry for poor Jackson ! here he did so well in AAA gets called up and then just has so many difficulties, It could be he might be a better bullpen guy. Perhaps he could even be a long relief guy (Kind of like Chris Young in game one of the 2015 World Series)
I read everything and I agree with you. I will go more into what I meant.
I am saying the royals have not had a talent of Bobby Witts caliber. So they are going to play it safe and try to keep as much club control as they can. Unless they sign him to some extension before he sets foot on the field, they are going to wait to bring him up until they can get more control over him.
Now the AL central is really open for the taking. The White Sox are not as strong as some think and they are the cream of the division. The rest of the division needs to have huge years from guys and their pitching(as do the royals).
I’m on board with Witt Jr staring right away this year and watching him flourish. I just don’t know if that is the way the FO and Moore will handle it. Thank you for info on service time.
Very true and very thorough. I’m not sure why people think anyone with only limited rookie ball experience should be promoted and skip the minor leagues entirely. That just doesn’t happen and would probably just slow his progression by forcing him to learn entirely at MLB level
Royals seem to be one of those organizations (including Padres, Rockies, Cardinals and Dodgers) that don’t do service time manipulation.
Traded for Pratto in my dynasty league this last season, hoping he continues to develop and becomes a presence in the middle of that lineup
So basically, no one is really blocking Bobby Witt. If he is really as good as advertised, he will find a place to play and the Royals will find a place for him to play.
From comments that Dayton made sometime ago, Witt will be given every chance to win the SS job in Spring Training. (The Royals don’t give players positions, they earn them.)
Mondesi and Lopez will be moved around the same way Merrifield has for years. View the teams position player line-up like that of the Dodgers or Rays – they’ll try to solidify C and SS (the 2 most important defensive positions) and work around the remainder each day depending on such criteria as who’s healthy, who needs some rest, who hits well against the opponents starting pitcher, etc. And like those 2 teams, I expect that many times players will be inserted during the game to replace others for strategic reasons – the Royals of 2014-16 often did this with 2-3 positions.
It should be a fun team to watch. Success, or lack thereof, will depend on how the pitching staff evolves.
Well other than someone like Alex Gordon who still was going to be playing left field Until he retired. Yes most positions are competitions.. I’m still a little miffed about 2017 when Mondesi was given the second base job **based on spring training statistics** while Whit Merrifield was demoted to AAA (where he end up hitting 400 after nine games). meanwhile, in Kansas City mondesi was hitting under 200, showing that he was definitely not ready. Makes you wonder what the kc record would have been if mondesi would have been in AAA for the full season of 2017 instead of being the starting second baseman in kc For the first two or so weeks. Might have had a few more wins (likely no playoffs but I bet you the record may have been over .500). Probably would not have been swept by the twins in the first series of the year, too.)
If the Royals think Witt is their shortstop of the future then IMO they should start him at shortstop and move the other players to a different position.
Is this really a question? We all know that the lock out & front office are the only things blocking Bobby Witt Jr.
The guy with fourteen boxes of almonds at Costco
It was actually 17 boxes of Pecans, not almonds
Yep, the Royals are loaded on the infield with Witt and Pratto coming up. Somebody either gets traded or pushing into the outfield which is a little thin. So, here is my trade suggestion which I am sure nobody is going to like.
Royals receive RF Julio Rodriquez
Mariners receive 3B Bobby Witt, Jr
Chew on that a while.
Ok. Rodriguez has less experience in AAA.
Is an OF so less defensive versatility.
Why would they trade a known commodity (they know his strengths and weaknesses unlike the other team) .
Other than that yea both teams are lucky to have the player they hav. Rodriguez looks like a future star.
No thanks. Have no need to chew on that.
We’re not trading Bobby Witt JR. if anything we might trade Mondesi Once the lockout is over.
The answer is absolutely no one but the royals FO. Well… And the lockout.
Twins could use a shortstop. Granted, inter-league trades and all. KC should play Witt no question. What do you want for Mondesi?
If the Twins could get Mondesi that would be great, but I see another rental at SS for this year. IMHO the Twins will struggle all year.
With the infield getting more crowded and Dozier being so inconsistent, I expect a Mondesi/Dozier platoon at third with Mondi also moving around as a much needed utility man. They guy needs to be given spells to stay healthy and Dozier needs spells from his brutal cold streaks. Mondi is still too valuable for a team with hopes of contention
You’re making the assumption that Mondesi will stay healthy. He’ll likely trip over his own baseball cleats laces or something within the first month.
How about some of those inside out burger…juicy Lucy? Send enough for the whole team for two weeks (That would probably about 850 of them) and you’ve got a deal for Mondesi lol
the odd man out here is Dozier. Basically just one good year in the Majors under his belt.
Exactly right, further complicated by that terrible contract they gave him last year.
I agree with ein and dark. Mondesi and Hunter Dozier are potential trade bait. I really thought Adalberto was going to be a star player after his nice 2018 season but he seems to be injury prone at this point. SS will be Witt’s job anyone else can be moved to another position. I am not sold on Hunter Dozier either but I doubt he has little trade value. This will be Bobby Witt Jr’s team once he debuts.
I’d consider trying to ride things out with Mondesi. the injuries suck but he’s still young and has serious potential. unless he’s opposed to an extention or you get a big offer i’d hold him.
The expired CBA is the only thing holding him back. Hopefully the two sides can figure out the service time issue.
Merrifield doesn’t really have the power or defense you want from a corner outfielder so putting him in RF doesn’t make much sense. Barring a trade it seems Witt as the 3B and Mondesi as the utility IF is their best option
Witt plays SS and you move pieces, as needed, according to that mindset.
Its nice to dream on the Royals. If Mondesi and Dozier get right:
DH Perez
C Melendez
1B Santana
2B Mondesi
3B Dozier
SS Witt Jr
LF Benitendi
CF Merrifield
RF Pratto (maybe?)
Could always sign a veteran corner guy to replace Santana and keep Pratto at 1B
You forget we have Michael A taylor in centerfield.
Nick Pratto has NEVER played the outfield (Unless he did it in little league) why would you put him in right field?
He played some games in RF last year. They Royals are obviously thinking about adding flexibility to get his bat in the lineup. Why are you so confident when you say dumb things?
Pratto is regarded as a potential Gold Glove 1B and Nicky Lopez would be Gold Glove caliber at any of the middle infield positions. For those reasons and wanting a reliable defense behind a pitching staff of kids, those guys should see a majority of the time in the lineup. Dozier and Santana should be relegated to minor bench roles or jettisoned. Mondesi should get used to a super utility role. It also would be quite useful if Melendez could be used at 3B for 40-50 games. He played the position in Omaha and is considered a good athlete. Getting 40 from him at 3B, 40 at C and some DH uses could keep his bat in the lineup regularly. However this goes, Royals fans should be amped about the next 5 years for this franchise. .
Maybe Orioles? What about Nicky Lopez, Carlos Santana and Lacy for Means? Santana a 1 year wash…. Maybe try to flip him at AS break. Lacy will be ready when O’s competitive again.
Way too much for means. Less would be better
Maybe so… I was thinking it gives Royals 10 million in balance sheet relief, clears the way for Witt and gives them a cheap pitcher that would probably be a 3+ WAR player in KC…maybe sub out Lacy for another prospect?
That’s a terrible trade for the Royals. Means is a 3-4 starter, and they’d be giving up an established middle infielder and their top pitching prospect. He is a local kid, and is a proven starter, so there is value for the Royals there, just not for Lopez or Lacy. Perhaps Isbel, Santana, and a lotto ticket such as Yohanse Morel? (Royals cover some of Santana’s contract as well)
I hear you, but I think Means is better than 3-4 when you take him out of Camden Yards/AL East. I now agree that Lacy maybe too big an ask (though he was shaky in his first year), but I still think means for Lopez +Santana makes a lot of sense for Royals as it frees up a space for Witt and gives them another 10 mn to spend.
Lacy could be the filthiest pitcher out of all of our pitching prospects and you want him for Means plus you want more. Hmmmmm, I will pass.
I will be completely honest, I don’t even like Means. Keep him in Baltimore and build.
The Royals would laugh and hang up
Happy bday Julio Rodriguez.
1.Merrifield RF
2.Witt Jr. SS
3.Mondesi 3B
4.Perez C
5.Santana DH
6.Lopez 2B
7.Benintendi LF
8.Pratto 1B
9.Taylor CF
1.Singer
2.Keller
3.Bubic
4.Lacy
5.Lynch
That would be my prefer starting 5 and 9 with Pratto and Lopez starting over McBroom and Dorzier.
McBroom is in Asia. Also swap out Lacy with Hernandez and you’re probably pretty close to what our opening day roster will be. Lacy was abysmal in high A last year, there is pretty much 0 chance even a bounceback effort puts him in KC at all in 2022. Besides, Hernandez was arguably our best starter last year.
Yeah, forgot about Hernández was actually pretty good! Even better!
@mizzourah87
Agreed 100%
unless Asa Lacy has a good spring I don’t think he’s going to be part of the rotation he will likely be in AA or AAA to start the year. this season he was only in high a quad cities and he had a brief injury stint.
Merrifield will be moved. Witt sent down brought back up sometime after the service time allows for another year. You treat gold better than copper. This is a asset a team in the build mode can’t just give away a year of. If Guardians don’t spend Royals are probably third place and a 500 club. Behind Detroit and Chicago for now.
KC fan here. Respectfully disagree. The rotation is too strong – and getting stronger – to waste.
The only thing blocking Witt is service time. If thats fixed he could be on the opening day roster. If not he’ll be up in may.
Witt will be in the bigs next season if he shows up in spring training. Lopez will move over to 2B, the Royals were already playing Mondesi at 3B. I see this as their lineup this upcoming season.
1. Merrifield RF
2. Lopez 2B
3. Witt Jr. SS
4. Perez C
5. Santana DH
6. Benintendi LF
7. Mondesi 3B
8. Pratto 1B
9. Taylor CF
Assuming no roster moves are made once the lockout is over. I could see them trying to package Santana with some prospects to get some form of pitching, and can use DH to rotate Dozier and other OF through to keep them fresh.
I would prefer Mondesi hitting higher because of his pop and speed with Perez protection behind him. I really wish they bring Soler back as well. Lopez would be an excellent number 9 to get OB for the top of the order!
1.Mondesi Jr. 3B
2.Witt Jr. SS
3.Merrifield CF
4.Perez C
5.Santana DH
6.Soler RF
7.Benintendi LF
8.Pratto 1B
9.Lopez 2B
That’s my best bet if they can bring Soler back who hit 40+Homers with them!