Kansas City’s Raul Mondesi has always been pretty fast. But when spring training began he was a dark-horse candidate to win the race for the team’s starting second base job.
But on Monday, Royals manager Ned Yost declared Mondesi the runaway winner, announcing that he will start at second base on opening day April 3 at Minnesota.
The switch-hitting Mondesi hit just .185 (25 for 135) last season with the Royals but has had a solid spring, hitting .378, 17 for 45 with three homers and four RBIs entering play Monday.
“He just came in here and has done a great job,” Yost said.