The Royals are entering the 2024 season with elevated expectations after the club spent more than $100MM in free agency this winter on top of a massive 11-year extension for franchise shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. With that influx of free agent talent comes increased competition for spots on the club’s Opening Day roster. That excess of talent is particularly clear in the outfield, where manager Matt Quatraro recently indicated to reporters (including MLB.com’s Anne Rogers) that the club’s logjam is likely to result in the club carrying five outfielders on its roster to open the 2024 campaign.
Kansas City signed veteran outfield Hunter Renfroe to be the club’s regular right fielder, and Rogers suggests that glove-first center fielder and former top catching prospect MJ Melendez are the favorites to receive regular playing time on the grass alongside him. That leaves two spots on the bench available for a group that includes Drew Waters, Nelson Velazquez, and Dairon Blanco. A former top prospect in the Braves farm system, Waters was shipped to the Royals midseason back in 2022 and has since slashed a decent .231/.306/.402 in 130 games with the club. Velazquez, meanwhile, joined the club at last year’s trade deadline in a deal with the Cubs and displayed prodigious power down the stretch with 14 home runs in just 40 games. Blanco, 31 next month, is by far the oldest of the trio but performed well in a part-time role last season, going 24-for-29 on the basepaths while slashing .258/.324/.452 in 69 games that saw him spend time in all three outfield spots.
With the club expecting to carry five outfielders on the roster to open the season, that significantly limits the paths to an Opening Day roster spot for other bench options. Veterans Adam Frazier and Garrett Hampson both signed major league deals this past winter and appear locked into utility roles on the bench, and with Melendez now a full-time outfielder the Royals will have to enter the season with Freddy Fermin on the roster as the backup to veteran backstop Salvador Perez. That would seemingly leave little room on the club’s roster for Nick Pratto, the club’s first-round pick in the 2017 draft and a former top prospect. The first baseman has 144 big league games under his belt but has yet to establish himself in the majors, slashing just .216/.295/.364 in a combined 527 trips to the plate during that time.
More from around the American League…
- Astros manager Joe Espada announced to reporters (including MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart) that right-handers Justin Verlander and J.P. France will throw bullpen sessions tomorrow. Espada indicated last week that Verlander’s next bullpen would determine not only whether or not he would then progress to live hitting but also his readiness for Opening Day. If Verlander begins the season on the shelf, it’s possible his spot in the rotation could go to France, assuming that the 28-year-old avoids an injured list stint of his own. The righty impressed with a 3.83 ERA in 136 1/3 innings of work with the big league club last year, almost entirely out of the starting rotation. Should Verlander be healthy enough to make his Opening Day start, France would likely be left to compete for the fifth spot in the club’s rotation with the likes of Ronel Blanco and Brandon Bielak.
- Rays southpaw Brendan McKay made his first professional appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery late in the 2022 season today, and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times spoke to the lefty following the appearance. Per Topkin, McKay expressed satisfaction with his progress, indicating that his curveball is “getting better” while his fastball, which Topkin adds sat at 90 while touching 91, is “in a good spot” to gain more velocity going forward. McKay typically sat at 94 with his heater when he last pitched in the majors in 2019, though the former top prospect and fourth-overall pick of the 2017 draft has dealt with both Tommy John surgery and Thoracic Outlet Syndrome since then. Once a consensus top-30 prospect in the sport, it’s easy to imagine McKay impacting the club’s pitching staff at some point this season if he can remain healthy.
Come on Royals, sign Greinke!
He only played for the Royals last year because he’s old and can’t throw harder than 80 mph. Remember when KC wasn’t good enough for him and he forced a trade? Right before we went to the WS.
I mean in fairness to Greinke they weren’t good enough until the pieces the Brewers traded for him made it to the active roster. If the royals don’t nail that trade on the head like they did, I highly doubt they get to back to back WS
Astros are still cheating. Just doing it quietly now.
So what are they doing?
I like what the Royals did this offseason raising the floor of the club but I still don’t see them winning the division. I mean Jordan Lyles is still penciled into their rotation.
I don’t think they are going to seriously contend next year, but with all the moves they made this offseason they’ll be putting a halfway respectable team on the field. And I think a lot of the guys they signed this offseason will be future trade chips, as their rebuild continues.
It’s the AL Crntral. Everyone is in 1st place opening day.
Lyles will probably get a little time to see if he has pulled it together. But, he could be replaced pretty quickly with someone like Zerpa or Marsh. And Bubic is supposed to be back around June.
This article reads that MJ Melendez is the glove first CF by omitting that particular players name.
…. The evolution of a 40 hr hitting catching prospect to a glove first CF would really be something.
Check out Varsho in Toronto.
Mervyl hit 41 Homers in a minors season…Varsho hit less than 20. But I get why you said it. And yes his name is Mervyl Samuel Melendez (if I spelled it right). Anyone know where the J comes from? Anyone heard of a Mervyl?
The J is because he is a junior
But he does have a 27-HR season in the majors, and he had a career .899 OPS in the minors.
I didn’t understand this either. Dale Murphy converted from C to CF and was a very good CF but he was not glove first. I think this is the hope for Melendez
Oddly Murphs career looks very much like a catchers the way he became such a diminished version of himself so early. CF can wear one down too tho…ask Andruw Jones knees (even though there is the largely unfair assumption he just quit trying after ATL…which is odd since he played til over 40 internationally and had the worst year of his career the last year he was a Brave). Not to say he didn’t perhaps take his dodger year for granted. Looks like he just didn’t realize the difference in preparation required when you are aging and have bad knees. Enough about Andruw tho.
Im curious i looked and in 2022 mkb.com had Melendez as there #2 prospect (51st league wide) and it says hes is a great defensive catcher a side from his framing. I know Perez is there but why isnt Melendez doing any catching at all if thats the case? Do you think he ever will and why or why not? Im a jays fan so i really dont know alot about him
Can’t help feeling like calling him glove-first is just a misstatement, considering his -11 OAA in the outfield last year. True that Varsho was also a C, but he was on the other end of the range spectrum at +11
Edit: Reading it more, they probably meant to put Isbel since they use “are” after Melendez
Royals article didn’t mention Kyle Isbel who will play CF and Melendez will play LF. I think Waters needs to go to AAA to play every day.
The “glove first center fielder” who remained unnamed.
He the Player to be Named Later, literally.
That would be Kyle Isbell. Apparently proofreading is a lost art now. Waters was slightly better offensively but Isbell plays Gold Glove level defense..
They meant to say Kyle Isbel but somehow left his name out.
Rooting for “2-way McKay”
McKay has had a rough road. It would be awesome for him to finally stay healthy and contribute at the major league level for the Rays.
Having a career ended by injury even before it starts is pretty brutal. Hopefully, the velocity does come back, but being down 5mph 1-1/2yrs after surgery isn’t a great sign IMHO.
Yeah, but 90-91 isn’t the worst thing in the world. If he can command and locate his fastball, he’ll be ok. Health should be his first priority
Agreed. A 90-91 MPH fastball for a LHP with a great curve ball is not overly concerning, especially with the chance to add velocity as he builds up his arm & shoulder strength. Health is obviously the #1 concern for McKay right now. If he can somehow pitch 100+ innings this season, that would have to be considered a big win for him and his unfortunate injury history. Living in Boston, I’m certainly not a Rays fan but I am rooting for this guy.
Melendez is a glove-first center fielder? He’s a horrible left fielder. Get your facts straight. You lose credibility when you haven’t done your research.
That comment has to be satire right. That is so horrifically wrong. Why are we reading articles written by people who don’t even know the players they right about.
I think they meant to put someone else since Melendez is followed by “are” like it’s plural. Probably Isbel, who’s a plus CF?
The Glove first Centerfielder is Kyle Isbell. Melendez isn’t fast enough to play center even if he is fast for a corner outfielder.
I clicked on the link to Anne’s article to clarify the CF confusion. The mystery man is Isbel.
Thanks for your effort in clarifying, monostereo.
No, you lose credibility when you don’t proof read before publishing. I do understand that this is a free site, but reading what you just typed before hitting send is not asking a lot.
Along with Brent Honeywell, him and McKay have been through the injury wringer. Hopefully they’ll both pitch well enough to stick around.
Just so I beat Filihok to it:
The Royals are ruining baseball.
The Royals have 6 outfielders worth keeping. Either Velazquez or Renfro will start in right with the other seeing time as a 4th outfielder and DH. Kyle Isbell is the Glove First Centerfielder who can’t hit. Drew Waters was adequate at the plate last year and adequate in center. The club wants Isbell to hit but that might be more than he’s capable of right now. Melendez who led the Minors with 41 Homer’s in 2021 is the likely Left Fielder. Dairon Blanco has owned AAA and seems to find the Majors no challenge. The knock on him is his age. Blanco does it all and has the speed to play Center. If I were managing I’d start Blanco in Center play Renfro in Left and put Velazquez in Right. I’d look to deal Renfro at the deadline if the team isn’t contending. I’d try Melendez at DH when Perez is catching and rotate him into the corner spots when Fermin catches. Isbell is a good late game defensive replacement. Waters might need another year in AAA to work on his hitting. Nick Pratto could see time in the outfield because he is blocked at First by Pasquantino. He is probably ready to hit Major League pitching and could force his way into playing time somewhere. Injuries will likely play a large part in determining who plays where. The potential is there for them to make major strides on offense. The battle at 2nd base could also be interesting.
Let’s go, McKay!!!
“and Rogers suggests that glove-first center fielder and former top catching prospect MJ Melendez”
Learn how to write. Mr. Deeds. “Meanwhile” has to START the sentence. It can’t come in the middle, set off by commas.