2018 will be a rebuilding year for the Kansas City Royals, who saw much of their 2015 World Series championship core depart in free agency. Despite losing Alcides Escobar, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, and Lorenzo Cain, there are reasons to be optimistic in Kansas City for 2018.
This Royals roster is built around a group of scrappy young players looking to prove their worth in the big leagues. There is no doubt that the leader of this team is All-Star catcher Salvador Perez, who won the World Series MVP award during Kansas City’s historic 2015 season. Gold Glove left fielder Alex Gordon will look to bounce back from a down year at the plate, while Jorge Bonifacio and Whit Merrifield will aim to build off of their strong 2017 campaigns. Both Bonifacio and Merrifield’s production came as an unexpected surprise last year. Veteran Brandon Moss is a more than capable source of power and first baseman to act as a placeholder for Kansas City in 2018.
Some top prospects to look out for in 2018 are Hunter Dozier, Bubba Starling, and Richard Lovelady. Before getting hurt for much of 2017, Dozier was a monster at the plate in the minor leagues. As for Bubba Starling, he struggled for much of his minor league career before finally starting to put everything together last season. The Royals hope he can show glimpses of his potential in 2018 as Lorenzo Cain’s replacement. And lastly Richard Lovelady has the potential to become a dominant left handed option in the bullpen for manager Ned Yost. 2018 will be an important year in terms of developing young prospects at the major league level.
Behind Danny Duffy in the starting rotation, the Royals will rely on improvement from veteran starters Jason Hammel and Ian Kennedy. Fireballer Kelvin Herrera will once again man the ninth inning for Kansas City.
Watch the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium in one of Kansas City’s top luxury suites. A Royals suite features first-class amenities such as HDTVs, interior/exterior seating, in-suite catering options and a dedicated suite attendant. With a Royals luxury box, guests will also receive VIP parking, private entry into Kauffman Stadium, and exclusive access to VIP club areas. Most Kansas City Royals suites includes 20 tickets and 4 VIP parking passes.