I will hold off on commenting on Witt @ 3rd - like he said it was day one of week one. When healthy that trio should cover ground, provide some versatility and be major contributors on offence. If only we could say that about all 4 infield positions.
The infield defense will be legit. No matter the alignment. Nice to be able to say that after the adventures at the hot corner the last couple of years.
1st - I thought Jacob Junis had all the talent to be a solid starter. I hope he gets that chance in SF. I hated to see him go.
2nd - I am with you on Witt Jr staying at SS long term. I also am also probably the biggest Emanuel Rivera fan in KC. I really thought this season would be Lopez SS, Witt Jr. 3B, Merrifield 2B, Mondesi, UTL, and Rivera UTL. Then next year it would be Rivera 3B, Witt Jr. SS, Lopez 2B, and Mondesi still UTL. My rationale is Mondesi will eventually get injured and Merrifield will either get traded or not have his option picked up with Massey, Lofton, etc presenting themselves as legitimate MLB options. This gave us one season status quo before moving on to other prospects.
Merrifield is the wild card here, isn’t he. It made so much sense to trade him a couple of years ago. The Royals don’t regret holding on to him, but perhaps that would’ve been best for the franchise in the long term.
I thought last trade deadline when Seattle was looking for a 2B and a reliever, we could have traded Merrifield and Scott Barlow for OF Taylor Trammel. Obviously didn't happen.
I will hold off on commenting on Witt @ 3rd - like he said it was day one of week one. When healthy that trio should cover ground, provide some versatility and be major contributors on offence. If only we could say that about all 4 infield positions.
The infield defense will be legit. No matter the alignment. Nice to be able to say that after the adventures at the hot corner the last couple of years.
1st - I thought Jacob Junis had all the talent to be a solid starter. I hope he gets that chance in SF. I hated to see him go.
2nd - I am with you on Witt Jr staying at SS long term. I also am also probably the biggest Emanuel Rivera fan in KC. I really thought this season would be Lopez SS, Witt Jr. 3B, Merrifield 2B, Mondesi, UTL, and Rivera UTL. Then next year it would be Rivera 3B, Witt Jr. SS, Lopez 2B, and Mondesi still UTL. My rationale is Mondesi will eventually get injured and Merrifield will either get traded or not have his option picked up with Massey, Lofton, etc presenting themselves as legitimate MLB options. This gave us one season status quo before moving on to other prospects.
Merrifield is the wild card here, isn’t he. It made so much sense to trade him a couple of years ago. The Royals don’t regret holding on to him, but perhaps that would’ve been best for the franchise in the long term.
I thought last trade deadline when Seattle was looking for a 2B and a reliever, we could have traded Merrifield and Scott Barlow for OF Taylor Trammel. Obviously didn't happen.
Totally agree with you on Witt. I don't think you mess with a promising superstar. I would also love to see Isbel in cf instead of Taylor.
Can’t disagree there. Would love to see what Isbel could bring. But Taylor on a two-year deal…let’s just say the Royals love their CF defense.
Carlos Santana taking Bobby under his wing is good, but the Royals should really consider signing Jeff Francoeur for his veteran presence.