Fans generally expected a rough year for the Kansas City Royals. Of course, that was when we thought there would be a bevy of first-time major league players in the lineup. Since then, Dayton Moore has added Lucas Duda, Jon Jay, and Mike Moustakas into the fold.
At a glance, the team resembles a competent squad. With every new (or returning) face, though, predictions for the season change as well.
First, let’s take a guess at what the Opening Day lineup should look like:
Whit Merrifield – 2B
Jon Jay – CF
Salvador Perez – C
Mike Moustakas – 3B
Jorge Soler – DH
Lucas Duda – 1B
Jorge Bonifacio – RF
Alex Gordon – LF
Alcides Escobar – SS
A lineup that originally projected to have just one left-handed bat prior to the recent signings (Gordon) is now quite balanced.