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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2014
PAGE 7B
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THE DAILY DEBATE
Who should be the Royals' starting right fielder next season?
By Jacob Clemen
@jclemn9
"JUSTIN UPTON"
Heading into the offseason, one of the clear areas of need
for the Kansas City Royals was an impact right fielder. While the Royals were able to make it to the seventh game of the World Series last season, their offense was an area of concern all season.
The expectation was that the Royals would look to sign a free agent to replace Nori Aoki but many of the top free agent outfielders have already been swept up off the market.
Nelson Cruz signed with the Mariners and Torii Hunter returned to the Minnesota Twins. Nick Markakis will replace the recently traded Jason Heyward in Atlanta while Michael Cuddyer will roam right field for the Mets.
This leaves pretty slim pickings for the Royals to choose from. Players like Ichiro Suzuki, Reed Johnson and Endy Chavez aren't exactly in the prime of their careers, and Alex Rios, Michael Morse and Jonny Gomes have solid track
records, but are not the sort of impact bats that will elevate the Royals' offense.
There is, however, a player that could be had via trade that would immediately change the projection for the Kansas City offense: Justin Upton. The Braves have shown a willingness to listen to offers on their star outfielders already having dealt Heyward, Upton is in the final year of his contract and Kansas City has some pieces it could offer to complete a deal.
Now, the Royals would rather not give up assets in order to acquire a player but Upton is the sort of impact bat worth a gamble. The Royals currently have a window to contend for a championship that might not come around again for a long time and they can't sit on their hands waiting for young players to advance through the minor leagues and make an impact in the MLB.
Justin Upton fits in well with what the Royals have in place and also fills a need. He is not an elite defender by any means but should be solid in right field, and any shortcomings he has can be covered by the elite glove and range of centerfielder Lorenzo Cain.
The Royals hit just 95 home runs in the regular season last year and 41 of those came from Alex Gordon, Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer, all left-handed batters. Billy Butler and Salvador Perez provided the power from the right side and with Butter signing with Oakland the Royals need a right-handed power bat.
Over the past three seasons, Upton posted a .266 average, .345 slugging percentage and hit 17, 27 and then 29 homeruns in those seasons. That sort of production would fit nicely sandwiched between Hosmer and Moustakas.
He even has a bit of speed, though his stolen base numbers went down in his two years in Atlanta', that Kansas City would be able to utilize in the manner that carried it deep into the postseason.
The Royals would need to give up some prospects to reach a deal but it shouldn't take much more than what the Cardinals gave up to get Heyward. It could catapult the Royals to favorites to repeat as American League champions.
Edited by Logan Schlossberg
By GJ Melia
@gjmelia
"ALEX RIOS AND JARROD DYSON"
Going into MLB winter meetings, the Kansas City Royals have multiple unanswered questions on the roster. Specifically, the Royals' needs fall in the rightfielder slot. Outfielder Nori Aoki filled the spot for the majority of the year in 2014, but Kansas City did not re-sign him.
The Royals could look at the trade market or free agent pool, which has multiple players to fit the role.
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Melky Cabrera is a viable candidate for the job, but he will be high in the Royals' price range. In addition, he will get offers from other teams. The Blue Jays have also been making a large push to lock-up Cabrera for the next few years.
13 seasons in the league. He will also help the Royals previouly hitting struggles. Rios hit a .280 batting average in one season with Texas, and has a career average of .278.
Another option for Kansas City is going after Texas Rangers outfielder Alex Rios. Many say Rio's best years are behind him, but he has veteran experience with
Rios would be a cheap, viable option for Kansas City, but a name with a history of success. In Rios' best season, he hit 304 with 91 RBIs, 25 home runs and had an on base percentage of .334.
As far as trading goes, outfielder Justin Upton of the Atlanta Braves is one of the best options for Kansas City, but also one of the most difficult to acquire. Getting Upton means the Royals would likely be forced to deal a young starting pitcher, such as Danny Duffy or Yordano Ventura.
The Royals could also go the route of not picking up new players and rely on minor league prospects. Outfieldier Carlos Peguero made four appearances for the Royals in 2014, but spent much of the season with Kansas City's Triple A affiliate, the Omaha Storm Chasers. In those four appearances, Peguero hit .222 with two hits and one RBI.
Outfielder Paulo Orlando has also made appearances with the Storm Chasers, dating back to 2011. Orlando was brought up to Kansas City's 40-man roster following the 2014 season. Orlando hit 63 RBIs and had a .302 batting average with Omaha this past year
Dyson is known for his baserunning, stealing 36 bases in the 2014 regular season. He became a great commodity in the postseason, pinch-running in late game situations.
Rios and Dyson appear to be the most feasible choices for the Royals in 2015.Both are within their price range, and both will be able to produce for Kansas City in the upcoming season.
On the roster now, outfielder Jarrod Dyson would slide into the slot if they were unable to fill it in the offseason. Dyson made appearances throughout the season and playoffs, including starting three World Series games.
Edited by Drew Parks
--the final warmups wearing black short-sleeve T-shirts with the words "I CAN'T BREATHE" in white before Wednesday night's game against No. 10 Kansas.
DAILY DEBATE RESULTS:
Which team deserved the No. 4 playoff spot?
OHIO STATE: 32%
Georgetown players wear 'I Can't Breathe' T-shirts
WASHINGTON, D.C. The Georgetown basketball team is the latest to stage an "I Can't Breathe" protest.
The entire roster emerged for
Players wore the T-shirts during the national anthem and pregame handshakes, then took them off for the announcement of the starting lineups.
BAYLOR: 68%
Associated Press
Many notable athletes have written the message on their warmups in recent days, echoing the last words spoken by Eric Garner as police were attempting to arrest him in New York in July. A grand jury decided last week not to indict the officers involved.
Members of the Georgetown basketball team stand for the National Anthem wearing "I Can't Breathe" t-shirts before the game against Kansas on Wednesday night in Washington.
NICK WASS/ASSOCIATED PRESS
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