Kansas City Royals: Adalberto Mondesi ties major league mark

On Saturday, Kansas City Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi tied a major league record with his third consecutive game with at least one homer and one steal.

Not much has gone right for the Kansas City Royals this season. Even though they have won five consecutive games, the Royals still hold a 19-28 record entering Sunday’s action, the fourth worst in the American League. This was to be expected, especially as the rebuild continues to mark forward.

But there have been some signs of hope lately. Brady Singer fired 7.2 no hit innings before his bid for history came to an end. Kris Bubic had been pitching well of late, and finally picked up his first major league victory.

And then there is Adalberto Mondesi. He had struggled for most of the season, but has begun to find himself at the plate as of late. That has been apparent as Mondesi has become the second player in MLB history to hit a homer and steal a base in three consecutive games, joining Bobby Abreu on that very short list.

Even with this streak included, Mondesi has had a miserable 2020 campaign. He has produced a .213/.249/.331 batting line, hitting four homers and six doubles, walking just seven times with 57 strikeouts in 179 plate appearances. At the very least, he leads the American League with 16 steals, although he also leads the league in being caught stealing six times.

However, Mondesi has looked a lot closer to the player that the Royals had hoped for over the past week. He has produced a .269/.345/.654 batting line, hitting three homers and stealing five bases in 29 plate appearances. While his ten strikeouts are alarming, Mondesi has also walked three times in that span.

That lack of plate discipline has held Mondesi back thus far in the majors, as he has a career 4.1% walk rate and a 29.8% strikeout rate. If he could become more selective at the plate and make more consistent contact, Mondesi could be a star. He has displayed hints of the player he could be with this stretch serving as another reminder.

Adalberto Mondesi tied a major league record with his third consecutive game with at least one homer and one stolen base. The Kansas City Royals have to hope that this is a sign of the future.