The Kansas City Royals captivated the baseball world with their run to the World Series in 2014. With a cast of exciting young players and veteran leadership, the Royals are set to defend their AL crown and make another run at the World Series. Here are 3 Breakout Players To Watch in 2015 that will help Kansas City towards another October appearance.
Eric Hosmer
Eric Hosmer had some huge postseason hits for the Royals last October, but his regular season was the worst of his four year career. Hitting just nine home runs and driving in 58 despite logging 503 at-bats, Hosmer is looking for a return to form in 2015. At just 25 years of age, Hosmer is still developing as a hitter. Spring Training stats need to be taken with a grain of salt, but after hitting .344 this spring, there are signs that Hosmer appears more locked-in and confident at the plate heading into 2015. He may not reach the sky-high expectations he had when he broke into the majors, but Hosmer could make a run at 20 home runs and 80 RBI's for the first time in his career.
Kendrys Morales
Signed to take over the DH role for the departed Billy Butler, Kendrys Morales has bounceback season written all over him. Morales' numbers were depressed last season because he didn't sign with Minnesota until June, at which point he played in just 98 games. Now that he has a starting role from day one, Morales won't have to spend the year getting up to speed at the plate. As long as he stays healthy, Morales is a shoe-in for 20 home runs, 70 RBI's and a .270-.280 average - marks that he has surpassed every time he's played in at least 130 games in a season. Playing a majority of his games at DH will also keep Morales fresh as the season drags on.
Yordano Ventura
Fresh off the heels of a 14 win season, the 23-year-old flamethrower already had a breakout performance in 2014 (which landed him a five-year, $23 million extension). There's reason to believe he can do even better this season however, as Ventura comes into the year as the ace of the Royals staff. Kansas City didn't hold Ventura back in his first full season, but he appears poised to top 200 innings in 2015. Ventura showed glimpses of his ability to dominate major league hitters, a talent that should only get better with each start at the big league level. If he can improve upon his 1.30 WHIP and creep his strikeout totals closer to a punch-out per inning, Ventura has a good chance to finish the year with 18 wins and an ERA around 3.00 - that would put him in the conversation for the AL Cy Young.
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