Wow, great questions and answers both in this mailbag.
I didn't know GMDM, err... PDM had a son who was a first round draft prospect. That's crazy!
Tough situation for the team. If they're wrong about him (either taking him and he fails or not taking him and he's a star) they're going to get a lot of flack. I wonder if this played in at all to the decision to promote Moore (or his decision to accept it)? Not sure how involved with the draft the club president is. Probably a fair bit actually.
I love the idea of Conforto or even a Suzuki to come in and play RF. Maybe Conforto becomes more realistic with draft pick compensation being eliminated for signing a player who received the QO. But this team needs another ready now bat to hit 2-5 somewhere.
I don’t care how likely it is, I just love heading into the season knowing it’s not impossible to see some awesome baseball! Congrats on a year, can’t wait to see how much more it grows in the second year!
Feb 11, 2022·edited Feb 11, 2022Liked by David Lesky
Congratulations on the first year - I just went back into my email to check and I subscribed on 2/11/21, so I guess I've been here from basically the start. Thanks for putting out so much intelligent Royals content.
I'd like to buck the conventional wisdom on Mondesi. I know he's "injury prone"*, and even the team has talked about needing to no longer count on him as an everyday player.
*I don't think it's established that he's any more prone to injury than anyone else. His worst injury was a labrum tear that resulted from him making a terrific effort on a foul ball; they tried to treat it without surgery and that led to him suffering a second, similar injury diving for a ground ball.
Mondy's injuries basically fall into 2 groups:
(1) Shoulder (labrum tear), all traceable to that one play against CWS in July 2019
(2) Various muscle pulls (groin, hamstring, oblique)
He also suffered a shoulder impingement in 2018 that caused him to miss time, which doesn't really fall into either group. However, that hasn't flared back up, so perhaps he has addressed whatever mechanical or conditioning issue was causing it.
Speaking of conditioning.. I'm not Nick Kenney. I am not in the weight room at Kauffman Stadium or in Surprise. Still, is it more likely that his various muscle pulls are caused by him being fragile, or perhaps he isn't being properly prepared to play? He wouldn't be the first young, supremely gifted player to rely on his physical gifts and fail to put in the needed work. That can be addressed. Are Kenney and the Strength & Conditioning team doing the work to put him in a position to succeed? Who knows? Before we write off the most talented player on the team (at least pre-BWJ), I want to know the answer to those questions.
Finally, even if we assume he is more likely to be injured, I'm not certain that using him as a bench player is the right move. Build in depth, be prepared to move people around, but even in that scenario, I want him on the field as much as possible. A huge part of his value is his defense, so play him at SS or 3B, or bite the bullet and convert him to a CF. My ideal lineup would include:
1B: Pratto
2B: Lopez
SS: Mondesi
3B: Witt**
C/DH: Perez/Melendez
CF: Isbel***
LF: Benintendi
RF: Merrifield
**I was surprised that you were thinking of Witt starting lower in the lineup. You're probably right, but eventually he slots in at the 2 or 3 spot this year, right?
***I love your idea to go get a guy like Reynolds (the OBP guy this lineup desperately needs) or even Conforto, as I'm not thrilled with the idea of Isbel being an everyday guy. If they don't add/move anyone of significance, I'd have Dozier, Rivera & MAT as my bench guys, with Whit and Rivera as my backup infielders, and I'd trade Santana for a bag of peanuts.
I've gone back and forth on reasons the Royals would or wouldn't draft Robert at #9. I think I'm still leaning toward "wouldn't," but this would be the ultimate litmus test for just how much the Royals trust the organizational culture they've built since 2007. If they think it's solid enough, and with the way Dayton and JJ do what they think is right, I could see it happening if Robert is there.
Congratulations on a year David. I look forward to opening my inbox every morning, as I am hoping you are there. I sure hope they get something worked out soon,but I am afraid the season is going to start a little late. Looking forward to year 2!!!!!
Congrats on one year! Thanks for all the great Royals content!
Wow, great questions and answers both in this mailbag.
I didn't know GMDM, err... PDM had a son who was a first round draft prospect. That's crazy!
Tough situation for the team. If they're wrong about him (either taking him and he fails or not taking him and he's a star) they're going to get a lot of flack. I wonder if this played in at all to the decision to promote Moore (or his decision to accept it)? Not sure how involved with the draft the club president is. Probably a fair bit actually.
I love the idea of Conforto or even a Suzuki to come in and play RF. Maybe Conforto becomes more realistic with draft pick compensation being eliminated for signing a player who received the QO. But this team needs another ready now bat to hit 2-5 somewhere.
Congratulations on your 1 year anniversary! Yours is my favorite Royals blog!
I don’t care how likely it is, I just love heading into the season knowing it’s not impossible to see some awesome baseball! Congrats on a year, can’t wait to see how much more it grows in the second year!
Congratulations on the first year - I just went back into my email to check and I subscribed on 2/11/21, so I guess I've been here from basically the start. Thanks for putting out so much intelligent Royals content.
I'd like to buck the conventional wisdom on Mondesi. I know he's "injury prone"*, and even the team has talked about needing to no longer count on him as an everyday player.
*I don't think it's established that he's any more prone to injury than anyone else. His worst injury was a labrum tear that resulted from him making a terrific effort on a foul ball; they tried to treat it without surgery and that led to him suffering a second, similar injury diving for a ground ball.
Mondy's injuries basically fall into 2 groups:
(1) Shoulder (labrum tear), all traceable to that one play against CWS in July 2019
(2) Various muscle pulls (groin, hamstring, oblique)
He also suffered a shoulder impingement in 2018 that caused him to miss time, which doesn't really fall into either group. However, that hasn't flared back up, so perhaps he has addressed whatever mechanical or conditioning issue was causing it.
Speaking of conditioning.. I'm not Nick Kenney. I am not in the weight room at Kauffman Stadium or in Surprise. Still, is it more likely that his various muscle pulls are caused by him being fragile, or perhaps he isn't being properly prepared to play? He wouldn't be the first young, supremely gifted player to rely on his physical gifts and fail to put in the needed work. That can be addressed. Are Kenney and the Strength & Conditioning team doing the work to put him in a position to succeed? Who knows? Before we write off the most talented player on the team (at least pre-BWJ), I want to know the answer to those questions.
Finally, even if we assume he is more likely to be injured, I'm not certain that using him as a bench player is the right move. Build in depth, be prepared to move people around, but even in that scenario, I want him on the field as much as possible. A huge part of his value is his defense, so play him at SS or 3B, or bite the bullet and convert him to a CF. My ideal lineup would include:
1B: Pratto
2B: Lopez
SS: Mondesi
3B: Witt**
C/DH: Perez/Melendez
CF: Isbel***
LF: Benintendi
RF: Merrifield
**I was surprised that you were thinking of Witt starting lower in the lineup. You're probably right, but eventually he slots in at the 2 or 3 spot this year, right?
***I love your idea to go get a guy like Reynolds (the OBP guy this lineup desperately needs) or even Conforto, as I'm not thrilled with the idea of Isbel being an everyday guy. If they don't add/move anyone of significance, I'd have Dozier, Rivera & MAT as my bench guys, with Whit and Rivera as my backup infielders, and I'd trade Santana for a bag of peanuts.
I've gone back and forth on reasons the Royals would or wouldn't draft Robert at #9. I think I'm still leaning toward "wouldn't," but this would be the ultimate litmus test for just how much the Royals trust the organizational culture they've built since 2007. If they think it's solid enough, and with the way Dayton and JJ do what they think is right, I could see it happening if Robert is there.
Congrats on the one year anniversary bruh. Keep up the outstanding work.
Great article and great first year Lesky! I appreciate all the work you put into this - well earned amigo!
Congratulations on a year David. I look forward to opening my inbox every morning, as I am hoping you are there. I sure hope they get something worked out soon,but I am afraid the season is going to start a little late. Looking forward to year 2!!!!!