Tonights Royals lineup versus the White Sox features a welcome change for many Royals fans as Alcides Escobar has been shifted from the leadoff role to the number 2 spot in the batting order. Taking his place will be Whit Merrifield.

Escobar has struggled mightily offensively for a couple of seasons now, and his slide continued this season where he is sporting a lowly .248/.274/.295 slash.

Never one to work a walk, Escobar's on base percentage has always struggled and he has a lifetime .297 on base percentage, a curiously low number for a teams leadoff hitter.

During the current 7 game losing streak, Escobar only has 3 hits and no walks in 30 plate appearances, good for a .103 on base %

Merrifield by contrast has continued to impress and currently has a .315/.333/.411 line for the Royals after hitting .278/.342/.458 for AAA Omaha to start the season. Primarily playing second base in place of Omar Infante, Whit has provided one of the few sparks for the Royals during the current losing streak. Tonight he will play outfield while Christian Colon makes his return the big league club playing second base.

By some metrics including the Fangraphs Offensive Runs Above Average stat, Escobar ranks at or near the bottom in all of MLB in offensive production. Should his struggles continue, it would seem fitting that sooner rather than later he may find himself at the bottom of the order.

By contrast, while the Royals continue batting Escobar at the top of their order, the White Sox Designated for assignment Jimmy Rollins today, who offensively has been stronger than any of the Royals middle infielders not named Whit.

Jimmy Rollins 14-16

233/304/370 3.9 bWAR Alcides Escobar 14-16

266/300/338 2.4 bWAR Omar Infante

238/269/328 -0.1 WAR#Royals — Luke G (@LG_Royals) June 10, 2016

In other news, it was also announced that the Royals will skip Chris Young's scheduled start tomorrow and Danny Duffy will pitch instead. Young will next pitch on Tuesday in Kansas City. Young has a 6.37 ERA on the season, and has allowed 13 home runs in his last 6 games, only 4 of which were starts.

Previous Post Yordano Ventura Suspended Yordano Ventura has been suspended 9 games by Major League Baseball for his involvement in the benches clearing brawl with the Baltimore Orioles. Ventura hit Orioles slugger Manny Machado with a pitch in the side, causing Machado to charge the mound and both dugouts to ... Read more Tweet Next Post Royals DFA Infante Nearly three hours before the series finale with the Cleveland Indians, Kansas City finally did the inevitable: They designated Omar Infante for assignment. The Royals signed Infante to a 4-year deal before the 2014 season for just over $30 million, and will eat about ... Read more

Facebook Comments

comments