How Royals' infield looks early in spring

The Royals are returning a pair of elite fielders in their middle infield this season. They’ll see a familiar face at third base. And they’ve welcomed a new teammate -- who was a longtime opponent -- to anchor first base for the next two years. The infield bench remains an intriguing roster battle in Spring Training.

Let’s break down how it could all look in 2021:

First base: Carlos Santana
Santana has spent two days in a Royals uniform, and already the club is excited about the kind of player and leader they have in the 34-year-old slugger. The Royals were looking to improve their on-base percentage this season, and Santana seems like the perfect fit to accomplish that goal. He has a career 15.5 percent walk rate and has never had a season below 13.2 percent.

The Royals finished last season with a .309 on-base percentage, the fourth worst in the Majors. Santana will likely help fix that despite coming off a down year in 2020, hitting just .199. But Kansas City signed him to be a dependable bat in the middle of the order and is optimistic that the 2020 batting average struggle was because of a small sample size and strange year and not a sign of things to come.

Second base: Nicky Lopez
Lopez clearly has the glove to be the everyday second baseman, and there’s no reason to doubt the Royals will start the season with him in that role. The 25-year-old only has 594 career plate appearances over the past two years but has underwhelmed at the plate, with a .586 career OPS.

Lopez was a high on-base player in the Minors, striking out only 3.6 percent at the time of his big league promotion in 2019. At the end of that season, he struck out only 12.7 percent of the time.

That offseason, he bulked up, wanting to add more power. But his numbers were affected: He struck out 21.4 percent of the time in 2020 and hit one home run in the 60-game season compared to the two he hit in 103 games in ’19. Royals manager Mike Matheny has talked at length about players changing their game to follow trends, like hitting more home runs. While there’s value in that approach for players built for power, players like Lopez, whose game is to get on base and to run, might compensate those strengths if they try to follow.

“I think Nicky fell into that trap,” Matheny said. “A lot of players do. How do we get them rerouted and get buy-in that this is the player we need you to be in order for us to be successful and trust us that we’re trying to make you successful at the same time?”

The Royals sent Lopez into this past offseason with that message -- just be the player you’re meant to be. They have other weapons in the lineup that bring power; Lopez needs to get on base and use his speed to help those other hitters.

“It’s going to be a conscious, consistent reminder,” Matheny said. “There’s so many little things that contribute to winning baseball that don’t get rewarded. And one of those is being this kind of player. I still believe that we as an industry can celebrate better guys that do this, to point out how important that piece of the puzzle that is. Hopefully Nicky buys in.”

Third base: Hunter Dozier
Dozier had a breakout offensive year in 2019, slashing .279/.348/.522 with 26 home runs, 84 RBIs, 75 runs scored and a Major League-leading 10 triples in 139 games. But he never fully got back on track in 2020 after contracting COVID-19 at the end of Summer Camp. He admitted the effects of the virus lingered after he rejoined the team, and in 44 games, he hit .228 with a .736 OPS and six home runs. His chase rate -- 24.4 percent of pitches outside the zone, according to Fangraphs -- got better, though, suggesting that if he can regain his strength for 2021, his numbers will look more like 2019.

“Looking at the season and was like, ‘Man, I’m only going to have about 40 games to play unless we get in the playoffs.’” Dozier said. “And I definitely put more pressure on myself. I think a lot of guys put pressure on themselves because it was a 60-game season and you didn’t have time to really go work through some slumps that everyone goes through during the course of a normal season.”

The Royals need Dozier to bounce back. It’ll make the lineup significantly more dangerous and powerful with the additions of Santana and Andrew Benintendi, as well as a full, healthy season from catcher Salvador Perez.

Shortstop: Adalberto Mondesi
Mondesi is coming off a healthy offseason and a monster end to the 2020 season. In the final month, he slashed .356/.408/.667 across 100 plate appearances, with six home runs and 20 RBIs. No one expects that kind of production for 162 games, but it did leave the 25-year-old with momentum heading into the offseason and now entering spring.

Mondesi has struggled with consistent contact in his career, and a breakthrough season in 2019 was derailed and ultimately cut short by a left shoulder injury. The Royals have had unwavering faith in their shortstop and hope that the momentum from the end of 2020 can help this season.

“What he did was unbelievable,” Matheny said. “As good of a representation of talent as I’ve ever seen in baseball. Period. We know that there’s something there to take one step closer towards consistency. That’s what we’re looking for, is how can we help him get into a place that takes a step toward doing what we know he can do a little more often than what he’s done it.”

The backup competition
The real roster battle on the infield will be among the Opening Day bench pieces. Start with Hanser Alberto, who signed a Minor League deal with Kansas City after two years with Baltimore. Alberto gives the Royals all kinds of options in their infield, as he can play second base, third base, shortstop and even has seen some time in the outfield.

“I think that’s a sneaky good sign, just for the record,” Matheny said. “This guy is a good player. He brings a lot of versatility where he can play on the infield. And then you take in all the intangibles, too. Talk about a player who is highly regarded by everybody that he’s ever been around, any team he’s ever been with -- that’s this guy.”

Alberto crushes left-handed pitching: He has a .350/.367/.464 slash line, good for an .831 OPS, against lefties in his five-year Major League career. That’s valuable as a pinch-hitter or as a platoon player.

Before Santana came aboard, it looked as though either Ryan O’Hearn or Ryan McBroom could get a shot at first or third base in 2021, depending on where the Royals wanted Dozier. Now, it’s more likely O’Hearn and McBroom will be competing for one or two bench spots with the ability to play the corner infield and the corner outfield.

Matheny said he talked to both O’Hearn and McBroom right before the Royals signed Santana to let them know what was coming and what they can take from it.

“For you to let this hit you in the gut and keep you there -- they care too much for it not to bother them some,” Matheny said. “But don’t sit there for too long. We’re going to be as honest as we can. This was a decision we felt was best for our team right now. Just know that we believe in you as players, and go get yourselves ready to compete to help us, to help yourself that you can be the best player that you can be.”

Other bench candidates to keep an eye on in spring include shortstop Lucius Fox and third basemen Kelvin Gutierrez and Emmanuel Rivera. All three could see time in the Majors at some point in 2021 and provide solid depth for the Royals' infield. And, of course, don’t forget shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., the Royals’ top prospect who isn’t expected to be in Kansas City this year but is worth watching throughout the spring for a glimpse into the future.