Cleveland Indians: Learning more about the 2018 Royals

We caught up with Jordan Foote of Kings of Kauffman so Cleveland Indians fans can learn more about the 2018 Kansas City Royals.

The Cleveland Indians enter the 2018 season as the overwhelming favorites to win the American League Central for the third straight season. The Minnesota Twins seem to be the top contender, but the Kansas City Royals may think they have some magic left.

We caught up with Jordan Foote of Kings of Kauffman to gain some insight into this Royals team.

1. What are your expectations for the Royals this season?

JF: At the beginning of the offseason, many prepared for the worst. Expectations were the majority of the “core-four” (Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar) would all depart Kansas City. 2018 was anticipated to be a rebuilding year. Fast forward a couple of months – now Escobar and Moustakas have returned to Kansas City.

In addition to those two players, the team signed veterans Jon Jay and Lucas Duda to occupy spots on the team and in the lineup. With that said, it’s still going to be a rough year for this team. Following up an 80-win season with similar production without our two best players (Hosmer, Cain) is going to be extremely difficult. There will be plenty of new faces on the team throughout the year.

2. Who is one under-the-radar player Indians fans should know about?

JF: Jorge Soler. At this point, he isn’t as under-the-radar as many others, but he’s still a very overlooked name. He has yet to play a full major-league season and has immense potential that has yet to be tapped into. Soler’s been working very hard this offseason and believes this is his year to make that leap and become an everyday player, so everyone in Royals Nation is hopeful he’s right. He has insane power potential and as long as he can stay healthy, he’ll be a name to keep an eye on this year.

3. Who is the one player that will give Indians fans nightmares in 2018?

JF: Whit Merrifield. He’s a late bloomer (first full MLB season came last season at the age of 28), but he definitely broke through in 2017. Hitting .288 with 19 home runs and 78 RBIs, Merrifield can do everything well at the plate. He also led the American League in stolen bases last year, so he’s a demon on the basepaths. When you throw in his ability to play nearly every position on the diamond, he really makes for a great player to have on your team – and a scary one to play against.

4. Which new member of the Royals will have the best season in 2018?

JF: If I had to bet on it, I’d go with Jon Jay. We have lots of guys who can come up from the farm system and make an impact but in terms of free agent acquisitions, Jay makes a lot of sense. He has a knack for getting hits and finding ways to affect the game on defense as well. Lucas Duda is an intriguing pick but it’s likely Jay sees a bit more playing time than him.

5. Where will the Royals finish in the division and what will be their final record?

JF: Before our January/February moves, many expected the team to lose 90+ games this season.

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Although I don’t think this is a playoff contender (or even a .500 team), I’ll predict a 74-88 record and a third-place finish in the AL Central.