Kansas City Royals: Three intriguing left-handed bat options
By Nick Stevens
The Kansas City Royals could reunite with outfielder Brian Goodwin.
The list of left-handed hitting outfielders is a bit more impressive, but don’t expect to see the Kansas City Royals bringing in a Kyle Schwarber, Joc Pederson, or even Jurickson Profar this winter, although either one of those three options would certainly be fun to watch.
More realistic options include veterans like a Nick Markakis, Robbie Grossman, or maybe even Eddie Rosario, but re-uniting with Brian Goodwin may not be a bad idea.
Goodwin was with the Kansas City Royals briefly in 2018, going on to have a good 2019 season with the Los Angeles Angels and a solid start to 2020 before being traded to Cincinnati and struggling over his final 20 games of the season.
After recently being non-tendered by the Reds, Goodwin won’t cost much to bring in on a one-year deal and he can play all three outfield positions for Kansas City.
Since leaving the Royals, Goodwin has slashed .258/.327/.469 with 23 home runs, 38 doubles, and a near 10% walk rate. He hits the ball hard, ranking among the upper-half of major league hitters in terms of average exit velocity and barrel percentage, and ranks in the 80th percentile in sprint speed.
While an option like Grossman would provide the OBP skills the Royals want to add, Brian Goodwin is versatile and brings impressive extra-base numbers with him. Splitting time with younger outfielders like Franchy Cordero would help keep both hitters fresh, along with the rest of the starting outfield thanks to Goodwin’s ability to slot in at all three spots.
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The Kansas City Royals may not be challenging for a World Series bid in 2021, but they are one of the more intriguing young and up-and-coming teams in baseball, thanks to a formidable group of pitching prospects. Next year may not bring a very high number of wins, but the Royals will put out a much more interesting team to watch.