SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The only position battle in Royals camp has been quite intense this spring.
When camp opened in mid-February, the general thinking was that Christian Colon and Whit Merrifield would battle for the starting second-base job, with third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert a long-shot candidate because he was learning a new position.
Then 21-year-old Raul Mondesi, who spent two months with the Royals last season, bulldozed his way into the conversation by mashing the ball in just about every game he played early on.
