Royals Spring Training Battle: Second Base

The Royals’ second base competition is heating up with all four contenders getting plenty of opportunities to impress during Spring Training.

Since the departure of Omar Infante at the start of June, the Royals have been trying to fill the hole at second base. They failed to find a suitable replacement last season and the battle has carried over to Spring Training.

Whit Merrifield was a 28-year-old rookie with modest production in Triple-A (16 home runs, 63 stolen bases with .286/.334/.409 slash line over 280 games). He provided adequate production for the Royals in the majors last season with 44 runs in 311 at-bats with .282 AVG and just eight stolen bases, but a contending team needs more.

The right-hander is the favorite to win the job, but offers very little fantasy baseball value, except the possibility of some cheap speed if he can bring his Minor League base-stealing skills to the majors. He swiped 52 bags in the minors over the last two years but only nabbed eight in the majors.

Out of the four contenders, Merrifield had the most at-bats at second base last year, and according to Roster Resource, will hit at the bottom of the lineup. It should be noted that he still has two options remaining, so will either make the team as the everyday second baseman or be sent to the minors.

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Christian Colon has even less power than Merrifield. The 27-year-old has one home run and 25 RBI in his three years in the big years. He plays good defense at second base, third base and shortstop, so looks more suitable as a utility bench bat/defensive replacement.

Colon struck out nearly 20% of the time, and with an Isolated Power of .061 ISO, he is one of the 10 weakest hitters in the league.

Even in the deepest leagues, Colon offers no fantasy value. He is a glove-first, glove-second infielder.

Colon has no options remaining, so if the Royals want to keep his defense and positional versatility within the organization, he will make the Opening Day roster.

Cheslor Cuthbert deputized for the injured Mike Moustakas at third base last season, hitting 12 home runs with .274 AVG in 510 at-bats. The production was better than his Minor League numbers suggested. It is unlikely that he will ever be a power hitter but he is only 24-years-old, so could grow into 15-20 home run power.

Like Colon, Cuthbert is out-of-options. Unlike Colon, Cuthbert is defensively challenged at second base, so has been working out with extra reps. If Cuthbert gets the starting second base job, he should be able to offer double-digit home runs with a .270-.280 AVG and will have second and third base eligibility.

It is almost impossible to see a scenario where Cuthbert does not make the Opening Day roster. With Mike Moustakas’s imminent free agency at the end of the season, the Royals need to have a solid backup at third base. An opinion echoed by Rusin Dodd of the Kansas City Star.

"The Royals, like most teams, crave roster inventory, so the option implications could color the organization’s decision."

Raul Mondesi is the player that all fantasy owners should be hoping gets the starting job. The 21-year-old slashed .273/.322/.474 over three levels last season before behind promoted to the majors. In 253 at-bats, he hit 14 doubles, eight triples and seven home runs with 19 stolen bases. Given a full season of at-bats, Mondesi could swipe 35-40 bases.

Mondesi has been significantly younger than his competition at every level he has played. Baseball America was enthusiastic when he debuted last season.

"He is one of the toolsiest shortstops in the game, with plus-plus speed and surprising power for his size. Mondesi has great bat speed and he’s learning to better use the entire field because at times he can get pull-happy. He has also improved at pitch recognition and laying off pitches out of the zone."

Mondesi is the best second baseman in the Royals organization, but he is also their shortstop of the future.

Spring Training numbers matter

Merrifield is hitting better than the other three contenders. He is 17-for-49 with nine extra-base hits, including two home runs. The power is surprising. Cuthbert has only played three games and unsurprisingly, Colon is hitting just .167. Mondesi needs to improve his 1:16 walk to strikeout rate if he is to convince the Royals’ front office that he does not need more time in Triple-A to develop.

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Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, Alcides Escobar and Moustakas will all be free agents at the end of the season, so the Royals’ window to win with their present crop of stars is closing. If they are serious about contending, then Mondesi needs to be their everyday second baseman on Opening Day.

This is the decision that will benefit Royals’ fans and fantasy baseball managers alike. Unfortunately, it seems like an un-Royals decision but so were the offseason acquisitions of sluggers Pete O’Brien and Jorge Soler.