Despite the loss, the Royals were able to ease some off-season concerns in the first series of the season

The Royals’ off-season was widely considered a good one by fans, and the expectations for the season were very high. The team made significant additions this off-season with guys like Jonathan India, Carlos Estévez, and Mark Cahna, who all will have a significant role this season. Coming off the best season the Royals have had since their 2015 World Series, and after their performance last season, the buzz is high in Kansas City about what the Royals could do this season.

Even with these changes, no team is perfect, and as we got closer to the start of the season, Royals’ fans had some concerns. There was a lack of velocity in the bullpen from several guys, injury concerns and struggles in the outfield throughout spring training, which raised concern for a lot of fans. But as the season kicked off with a 1-2 series loss, the Royals were able to quiet many of these concerns in their first 3 games of the season.

Bullpen

Even I can admit guilt when it comes to having had doubts about the Royals’ bullpen with velocity dips from top guys like Carlos Estévez and Lucas Erceg. There were also concerns about Hunter Harvey’s return from injury this season, but all three guys locked down the back end of game one, giving up 0 runs in the 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th innings. Estévez and Erceg doubled down, giving up no runs in game two as well. Their impressive performance helped allow the Royals to bring the game back in the 9^th to tie it up and send the game to extra innings on opening day and helped close the game on Saturday.

Estévez was still not hitting the velocity numbers he was posting last season, but was impressive in the 9^th inning, getting out relatively untouched twice. I still have my concerns, particularly with Estévez’s dip in velocity, and as he returns from injury, only time will tell if he can be effective with less power or if the velocity comes back. Lucas Erceg also saw a dip in velocity this spring, but over the last few days, he looked as good as ever and quickly silenced any concern.

The most impactful of them all is Hunter Harvey, who was a part of a major trade last offseason but missed most of the year with a back injury. Harvey looked off last year, and back injuries are touchy, so there was no guarantee of his healthy return. Harvey looked great in his return with his fastball velocity returning and his splitter being effective as well. All three guys silenced the critics fast and showed that they are more than capable of being effective this season.

Lineup/depth

The lineup was not perfect, and they surely have not silenced the concerns in the outfield, but the team did show flashes to give fans hope for the rest of the year.

***Warning… Performances this early into the season do not mean much, especially for hitters***

The infield looked good, with Vinnie hitting a clean home run on opening day, Massey hitting the ball hard, and Bobby looking like the MVP-caliber player we saw last year. Seeing Massey hit well was a nice sign and shows some depth for the team, especially with India playing third. Massey will need to remain healthy, which has always been a concern with him, but when he’s healthy, he showed us yet again what he is capable of.

The Royals’ other “second baseman”, Jonathan India, played well both at the plate and in the field in his first game at third base and left field with the Royals. India hit the ball hard a couple of times and posted two hits and a walk in game two. He did have an error in left field that was not ideal by any stretch, but I think fans can expect him to improve out there with time. At the end of the third game, India was hit in the face with a fastball and exited the game, but returned to the lineup yesterday against the Brewers, notching three hits in the Royals’ 11-1 win.

As far as the hitters go, these are just words on a page and don’t mean a whole lot as we will continue to see how things pan out as the season goes on. Baseball is all about consistency, and one series is not even close to enough of a sample size to know anything conclusive about how the season will go. But the flashes from Michael Massey, Vinnie Pasquantino, and other infielders are a great sign for the Royals. They will hope the infield continues their success and returns to last season’s form, and that they will see improvement from their outfielders as well.  

_{Image credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports}