Top Prospect Raul Mondesi Could Make Debut in the World Series.
Raul Mondesi is a minor league Shortstop for the Kansas City Royals. He is thought of as the Royals best prospect and one of the top prospects in the game for awhile now. Mondesi is a 6′ 1″, 185 pound 20 year old ballplayer. And he’s a ballplayer in every sense of the word. This year he hit a .243/.279/.372 stat line (Batting Average/On Base %/Slugging) in 81 games this year. His defense is stellar as well. Mondesi actually compares to Alcides Escobar, starting shortstop for KC, very similarly. Stellar defense and similar offense. But the catch, yes there is a catch, is he has never played a single pitch over AA. While he has gone out and performed very well in his four year minors career so far, he has seen nothing like a MLB calibre pitcher.
To have your major league debut in the World Series may seem like something that’s never happened before. That’s because it hasn’t. Throughout MLB’s 100+ year history, not a single player has debuted in the Fall Classic. The chances of Mondesi playing a significant role in the series is slim. Unless a game in Kauffman goes into deep into extras, Mondesi’s best chance of seeing playing time come in New York. The Royals will lose their DH slot in New York. How the Lineup for the Royals will shake up at that point is a question in itself.
The National League game is more strategic than the American League game. Which in turn makes the World Series real tough for some teams given the makeup of a team from league to league is different. Having the pitcher bat brings in a lot of things, such as a double switch. That hold Mondesi’s best chance at a major league debut. A double switch could bring in Mondesi later in the game, possibly as a defensive replacement or to get some speed in the game. Mondesi does have 71 steals to his name so far in his minor league career.
Terrance Gore, a speed demon on the basepaths, is a Kansas City Royals pinch running specialist. Gore is thought of as one of the fastest players in all of baseball. You may remember him from the Royals postseason appearance last year. Mondesi has taken Gore’s spot on the 25 man roster, proving just how much the Royals have faith in Raul Mondesi Jr.
The World Series is a place where logic goes out the books. Anything can happen in the Fall Classic. Mondesi may end up being who brings the title back to KC, the guy who costs his team the title, or he could just be an innocent bystander. Either way it is an interesting decision by Ned Yost and the rest of the coaching staff.
Here’s Mondesi making solid contact and showing off his speed for a triple.
