The Roster That Doesn't Work

The Royals have A LOT of work to do this offseason, and it'll be fascinating to se how they go about it.

We’ve grown accustomed over the years to rosters that don’t make sense. Some of them have a couple of spots that make you crinkle your nose and think about while others just don’t work entirely. I think the roster the Royals are using right now lands somewhere in the middle, but that’s largely because there are pieces in place that you feel good about being a part of a winning team in the future. So in some ways the problems that they have moving forward are good problems. Having good players around the diamond can lead to having to make tough decisions, which is why this upcoming offseason is such a big one for this organization.

And adding to the mystery of what this winter will bring is that we simply don’t know who is going to be calling the shots. For years, we had a pretty good idea of how Dayton Moore would operate as general manager. The offseason was fairly easy to predict. We may get the individual moves wrong, but the impetus behind the moves was predictable. After Moore became the president of baseball operations and JJ Picollo was promoted to general manager, there was at least some ambiguity on how the offseason would go, but it felt like a Moore offseason. Then at the deadline, it seemed, to me at least, that the dynamic had shifted and the moves made were those by Picollo instead.

And now, I think we’re looking at more uncertainty because I think there’s a chance Moore isn’t even part of any decisions. He absolutely will not be fired, but I could see a very real scenario where he steps away from his duties to focus on the Urban Youth Academy or the See You in the Major Leagues initiative or another of his projects. Ostensibly, he’ll have been fired in this scenario, but that will never be the public explanation for his departure. So we really don’t know. I know that many of you will comment that you’ll believe it when you see it and that you don’t trust this organization to get it right. And that’s plenty fair. Just remember, I’m writing here from the side of what I think needs to be done and not whether or not it will be. Though I think they’re going to have to be very busy.

And here’s why.

They have too many outfielders, too many catchers and too many infielders. But they also don’t have enough starting pitchers or relievers and they don’t have nearly enough certainty at any of the positions where they have too many players. It’s a mess. That mess can be turned into a positive, but it’s a mess.

I want to break this down by position, but that even starts to create a bigger web because this player can play here or there or even over there, which is great, but putting that player there makes that other player move to the other spot, which then displaces a third player and, well, you get it. So I’m going to look at each player and what they bring to the table and where they can play. If you didn’t already know that there’s a mess on the Royals hands, you’ll see it after this. I’m going to list them alphabetically, FYI.

Hunter Dozier

Positions: 1B, 3B, LF, RF
Options: N/A

Of course he’s first. I think the Dozier disdain is a little bit excessive, but maybe it’s because there isn’t as much to complain about with the offense these days, so the guy playing regularly and not hitting gets the bulk of it. And he isn’t hitting. And when he doesn’t hit, he has zero value because he’s bad defensively as well. I wrote this on Wednesday that even as one of his biggest supporters, he can’t be playing regularly. I maintain there’s a potential spot for him in a lineup that is very lefty-heavy, but I also think they’re going to have to eat some of that contract at some point.

Nate Eaton

Positions: 2B, 3B, LF, CF, RF
Options: 2

I like Eaton a lot, but I also don’t think he’s quite big league ready and there are worse results than him back in the minors to start the season in 2023. He’s an excellent outfield defender and I’ve still heard from some that he’s even better at third (though that sort of negates his speed). As a right-handed bat, it’s tempting to want to fit him in with the lefties, but he’s one of those guys who has options and might suffer for it. Though, again, I think he could use a little more time anyway.

Maikel Garcia

Positions: 2B, SS
Options: 2

The Royals like Garcia and his ability to play shortstop and I think he’s getting lost in the conversation about how to structure the infield moving forward. He’s shown more power this season in the minors and has hit pretty well in AAA. Like Eaton, he could probably use a little more time, but unlike Eaton, there’s a path to a spot for him that makes some sense, so I could see him starting at shortstop for the big league club next year.

Tyler Gentry

Positions: LF, RF
Options: Will be 3 once added to the 40-man

I added Gentry to this list because everything I’ve heard about him from people in the know is that he’s going to be in camp next year with a shot to win the right field job. He’s torn up AA, so the odds are that he won’t be on the roster to start the season, but he absolutely could be. I’ve brought up the lefty thing twice now and here’s a third time. Gentry hits right-handed, has solid power, works walks and doesn’t swing and miss a ton. When he gets to the big leagues, he might be a perfect complement to the rest of the lineup.

Kyle Isbel

Positions: LF, CF, RF
Options: 1

I don’t quite know what to make of Isbel. He looked good last September after he made some minor league adjustments, but it seems like he’s shifted back to his previous stance at least and the results haven’t been great. I think he was hurt by some bad ball/strike calls early and started swinging a lot. He was also hitting just about everything hard without success and that sort of ended too. But at the same time, he’s shown to be an elite outfield defender who can play well at all three spots, which has some value. He does have an option left next season, so there’s some room to maneuver, but he’s sort of at a crossroads.

Nick Loftin

Positions: 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF
Options: Will be 3 once added to the 40-man

I was expecting more from Loftin this season. It’s not that he’s had a bad year, but I thought he was really going to break out and he just hasn’t. I wonder how much of that is the fact that he was shifted to center field back when the Royals didn’t have any options and had to learn a new position. Or how much of it is simply that he is who he is? He hasn’t really hit yet in AAA, so even though he’ll likely be in big league camp this spring, he’s probably full on ticketed for the minors to start next season, but he’ll need to be added to the 40-man after next year if they don’t to lose him and I’d wager he’d be a pretty early Rule 5 pick if they don’t add him.

Nicky Lopez

Positions: 2B, 3B, SS
Options: 3

I think we were all interested to see how Lopez followed up his breakout 2021. There was an awful lot of good fortune buoying his numbers, but he also played an excellent shortstop and showed an ability to work a walk and get on base in ways that didn’t require luck. Both his walk rate and his BABIP have dipped and he’s back to being a nearly unplayable hitter at the bottom of a lineup. But there’s value in being able to play three infield positions well and having some speed an an ability to put bat on ball, so maybe there’s a spot even though he shouldn’t be playing too much in the future. Or maybe he’s the guy they stick at shortstop while Garcia develops.

Michael Massey

Position: 2B
Options: 3

I don’t believe Massey is a difference-maker, but I do believe he’s a solid player who will become a fan favorite pretty quickly. He’s limited to second base, no matter what his time at third tells you. He just doesn’t have the arm for it. But he is a very good defender there and he can hit. Plus, when they start to limit the shift, he’ll probably benefit quite a bit from that. He doesn’t walk enough for me, but he might hit enough to be able to sit at the top of a lineup if the Royals want to move Melendez down to the middle. He’s going to strike out some because there’s a little swing and miss in his game, but I also think we’ve seen what kind of doubles power he can have, which is nice in Kauffman Stadium.

MJ Melendez

Positions: C, LF, RF
Options: 2

The Royals have a good problem to have a catcher who can hit 40+ home runs and Salvador Perez. I kid, I kid. They both can hit 40+ homers as they showed in 2021. Melendez has hit a bit of a wall here in the last couple of weeks, but 15 homers as a rookie, catching in the big leagues for the first time and learning a new position in the outfield is challenging. He also leads the team in walks despite not debuting until early May. After play on Wednesday, he was 33rd in baseball, so it’s not necessarily an indictment on the team either. Among players with at least 100 plate appearances, his walk rate is 22nd in all of baseball. Melendez is an answer, we just don’t know where yet.

Adalberto Mondesi

Positions: 2B, 3B, SS
Options: N/A

Ahh yes, Mondesi. JJ Picollo recently mentioned that they’d approach next year as they approached this year, which is to say Mondesi at shortstop with Bobby Witt Jr. at third. I’m not sure I buy that. From all I can tell, Mondesi hasn’t been anywhere to be seen for months. Guys tend to rehab and are with their teams, at least at home. It sort of depends on the day, but right now I’m falling in the camp that this feels like lip service. If you ask me tomorrow, I might say that I’ll believe they move on after they move on. The good news is that with Garcia and Lopez as well as Witt, they are positioned to give Mondesi another shot and deal with it quite easily if it fails again.

Edward Olivares

Positions: LF, CF, RF
Options: 1

Olivares has kind of been the forgotten man because he’s missed so much time with two different quad injuries this season. But he was awesome in spring training and played quite well in the big leagues this year as well. It’s a shame that he didn’t get a real chance this year because he was getting a real chance before his injuries and taking advantage of them, even slotting at the top of the lineup. Not to beat a dead horse with this left-handed thing, but Olivares from the right side is useful to this team, even if it’s in a bit of a platoon situation.

Vinnie Pasquantino

Position: 1B
Options: 3

People were excited about Pasquantino before the season, but when he came out of the gates like he did in the minors this year, the excitement ratcheted up quite a bit. He handled AAA like it was nothing and then even though his numbers weren’t great in the big leagues to start, it was pretty clear that as long as he stayed the course, it was just a matter of time before he got it going. And he did. Then he got hurt. So we’ll see how he reacts to the shoulder injury, but he’s hit just fine on his rehab stint and I’d guess we see him back in the lineup this weekend at Kauffman Stadium. He’s part of the future.

Nick Pratto

Positions: 1B, LF, RF
Options: 2

It hasn’t been as smooth sailing for Pratto as Pasquantino. He’s shown to be an outstanding defensive first baseman. And he’s shown some legitimate power. But the strikeout issues still exist. I don’t quite know what to think of his future. I think he has enough power and his eye is obviously very good, but if he can’t put bat on ball more consistently, can he be counted on long-term? This isn’t me dismissing him, but I think the questions are fair.

Salvador Perez

Position: C
Options: N/A

There isn’t much to say here that you don’t already know and haven’t heard a million times. Health is always a concern with a catcher in his 30s, but he’s also been sort of lucky with some injuries that may have delayed the aging curve some for him. The man has stupid power and if they eliminate framing from catcher metrics with an automated zone, he’ll actually be one of the best defenders too. And he’s under contract for three more years.

Michael A. Taylor

Position: CF
Options: N/A

Taylor is one of the guys I just can’t quite figure out. He changed his approach entirely this season and he was walking more and striking out less. He had reached the plate appearance threshold where you felt like it was real. Then he stopped walking and started striking out again. But now in his last week and a half or so, the power has come for him. Some of the defensive metrics aren’t loving him as much as they loved him last year, but he’s up to 16 defensive runs saved, which is just three off what he did last year, so at least that shows him to b just as good as he was when he was the best in the American League. I just don’t know. They should have traded him and they probably still should, but if he’s a .272/.331/.389 hitter with his defense next year, you can win with that.

Samad Taylor

Positions: 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF
Options: Will be 3 once added to the 40-man

The Royals got Taylor as part of the Merrifield deal and he isn’t going to play again this year. The Blue Jays left him unprotected from the Rule 5 this past year and may have gotten somewhat lucky that there wasn’t a draft, if they cared about keeping him. The Royals may not add him to the 40-man, but I like what he brings to the table and what he can do for a team. He has some speed and some pop and some positional versatility. Do the Royals need the versatility? I mean, probably not, but I think there’s a chance he’s a guy who has some good seasons and why not have them in KC?

Drew Waters

Positions: LF, CF, RF
Options: 2

It’s been fun watching Waters play defense since he was called up. And it’s also been fun watching his approach at the plate. He’s continued to walk like he did in Omaha after the Royals acquired him, but he’s also continued to strike out. But he also isn’t swinging and missing that much, so some of it might be needing to add a little more aggression. He doesn’t have much time out in the outfield to accumulate numbers, but I think he’s the guy in center field moving forward, Taylor or not.

Bobby Witt Jr.

Positions: 3B, SS
Options: 3

Last, but certainly not least, is the centerpiece of this team for the next four to six years. Witt has been great at times, but I don’t think he’s been great overall, which is fine. There’s plenty of time for him to become great. He’s shown an ability to hit and hit for power and if he can fix some of those defensive issues, even if he never starts to walk, he has very real value. I think he will walk a little more, especially as pitchers start to work around him more, but the biggest question for me with Witt is if he plays shortstop or third.

Let’s do a quick position count:

Catcher - 2
First Base - 3
Second Base - 7
Third Base - 7
Shortstop - 6
Left Field - 10
Center Field - 7
Right Field - 9

And, obviously, any can be a designated hitter. Positional flexibility is great, but this is a lot of guys for only a few spots. This is where the 2022/2023 offseason is going to be so important for this franchise moving forward. I listed 18 players above and that doesn’t include Brent Rooker, Ryan O’Hearn (hey, he’s definitely one that until he’s gone, I won’t believe he’s leaving), Sebastian Rivero, Diego Hernandez, Tucker Bradley, John Rave or any number of others who could factor in. Keep in mind that nobody was thinking we’d see Eaton on a list like this, so you just never know.

They’ll be able to stash some of the above in the minors, but this goes back to something we’ve talked about quite a bit. They’re going to need to make a trade or five to alleviate this crunch and turn a roster that doesn’t work into one that does. What concerns me some is that the players who are good enough to bring back the quality they need on the pitching staff or players who they probably no longer feel like they can trade due to their big league success. They do have redundancies, so some strong finishes might alter that equation enough that they can find some deals, but they need to bring in high-end pitching and they need to pare down this position player group. Now the question is how do they do it?

I’m not going to get into all of that today because we have plenty of time to talk about how the future of this franchise is going to shape up and I also kind of want to see who is running point on those decisions as well. But I did want to show just how full up this roster is and how much work needs to be done to get into shape to hopefully be better in 2023.