Out on the front sidewalk, a row of Royals Hall of Fame banners greet visitors here at the club’s spring training complex. They hang from the top of a two-story batting cage. The portraits include names like Brett and White and Wilson. Every morning, they are the first thing Royals players see as they walk to the clubhouse entrance.
It was here, on a quiet morning in early February, that Raul Mondesi thought of his friend. He remembered his smile and his dreams and his generous side. He looked up at the banners and couldn’t shake the thought: Yordano Ventura was going to be up there someday.