The Kansas City Royals are only five years removed from a World Series Championship (which as a Mets fan, I still can’t get over). The team lost most of its star power since then, but is starting to look better. Still, I have the Royals ranked at number 26.

Don’t let that ranking fool you, this Royals lineup isn’t bad. Whit Merrifield is an all-star who has been the heart of this team since he broke into the big leagues. Jorge Soler led the American League with 48 home runs and should remain a force in the middle of the lineup. Pair that with the return of catcher Salvador Perez, who missed all of 2019 following Tommy John surgery and this lineup looks good on paper.

The biggest issue with this team is pitching. Their rotation wasn’t terrible last year, but their combined earned run average (ERA) was 5.30, which is part of the reason why they rank so low.

They did well in the 2018 draft by selecting two key members of the 2017 National Champion Florida Gators in the first round, Brady Singer and Jackson Kowar. Singer is the more complete pitcher of the two and was projected to be the top pick in the draft until Casey Mize cemented himself as the sure fire number one pick. The Royals must have been thrilled when Singer fell to them at number 18.

As for Kowar, he has a high upside and has performed well in two minor league seasons, sporting a 3.50 ERA across three levels. The biggest key for Kowar will be limiting the long ball, as he surrendered 12 last season in 148.1 innings of work.

Overall, the Royals farm system ranks tenth in baseball according to Bleacher Report. The top name in their system is 2019 number two overall pick Bobby Witt Jr., who is currently the tenth ranked prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects. He should only get better as he progresses through the minors.

This Royals team could be a sneaky and easily finish better than where I have them ranked, but until their pitching staff improves, it makes sense to keep them near the bottom of baseball.

Top Acquisition – Maikel Franco

Biggest loss – Nobody notable

MVP – Whit Merrifield

Projected Finish – 4th in AL Central

Projected Lineup:

1. Whit Merrifield, CF
2. Adalberto Mondesi, SS
3. Hunter Dozier, RF
4. Jorge Soler, DH
5. Salvador Perez, C
6. Alex Gordon, LF
7. Maikel Franco, 3B
8. Ryan O’Hearn, 1B
9. Nicky Lopez, 2B

Projected Rotation:

1. Brad Keller
2. Danny Duffy
3. Jakob Junis
4. Mike Montgomery
5. Glenn Sparkman

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Twitter: @B_Murphy_MU