3 Kansas City Royals who could make significant leap in 2020

1. SS Adalberto Mondesi

Mondesi stole 43 bases (second in the American League), hit a tied for major league-leading (with two teammates-Whit Merrifield and Hunter Dozier) 10 triples and drove in 62 with 20 doubles last year. So what could he possibly have to significantly improve, you say?

Mondesi was also caught stealing seven times last year, his second straight season with that number and with a top-10 number (where high is not good of course) of caught stealings in the AL. Plate discipline is also an issue, with 132 strikeouts and just 19 walks in 443 plate appearances last year. A Billy Hamilton-esque .291 on-base percentage will not cut it for someone with Mondesi’s speed, and unlike Hamilton, he can also hit the ball with authority (23 home runs over the last two seasons).

Mondesi will turn 25 soon after the season starts on July 27, like Keller, and 2019 was the first time he topped 300 at-bats in a big-league season. So the young shortstop’s untapped upside can still be tapped. With even a little refinement in his approach at the plate, as a product of comfort and experience as he nears and surpasses 1,000 major league plate appearances (943 right now), Mondesi can absolutely take a star-making step in 2020.