Adalberto Mondesi

Another year, another season down the drain due to injuries for Mondesi. Former Royals GM Dayton Moore said in August 2021 that the infielder couldn't be counted on as an everyday player, and that was confirmed again in 2022 as he played in only 15 games before he suffered a torn ACL in May. Mondesi played in all but one game during the shortened 2020 campaign, but he's otherwise been unable to remain off the injured list since he made his MLB debut in 2016. He has 119 steals over the past five seasons despite the limited action and his .255 average during that stretch is respectable, though his 4.4 percent walk rate is poor. Mondesi will turn 28 years old in July and is entering his final year of arbitration, which prompted the Royals to move on, trading him to the Red Sox. Boston's middle infield is a mess with Trevor Story out after elbow surgery and Xander Bogaerts now in San Diego, so it's about as favorable landing spot as possible for Mondesi. Even if he manages to begin the season as a starter, the injury concerns leave Mondesi as nothing more than a late-round dart throw, albeit with some upside on the basepaths.

"No, you can't [count on Mondesi as an everyday player]," GM Dayton Moore told 610 Sports Radio in Kansas City last August. "We're learning that we're going to have to manage his workloads in ways that he may not be a guy that plays more than 100 games," Moore said. Mondesi was limited to 35 games in 2021 due a variety of injuries, most notably hamstring and oblique issues (he strained both his right and left oblique). He's exceeded 75 games at the major-league level once so far, reaching 102 games in 2019. When on the field last season, his performance was on par with what we've seen in the past; a strikeout rate right around 30%, a middling walk rate around 5%, a ton of speed. The respectable pop he'd shown in the past was conspicuous by its absence, with the oblique trouble most likely to blame. Front office types give us all kinds of hyperbole, but we advise taking Moore at his word on this one, as it's not an everyday profile anyway. The 3B-eligibility now helps Mondesi's case, if only somewhat.

Coming into a short season, we knew anything was possible. What we did not expect was to see Mondesi have two different seasons within the same one. Mondesi finished August with a .186/.211/.240 slash line, scoring 11 runs and going 8-for-13 in the steals department. That is far from the line people were hoping for taking him in the top 3-4 rounds of 2020 drafts. September was a completely different story as he hit .356/.408/.667 with six homers, 22 runs scored, 20 RBI and 16 steals in 19 attempts on the bases. Many fantasy champions likely have him to thank for that amazing September. However, on the whole, it was yet another season of a sub-.300 OBP and a continued slide down from his 2018 season. The walks are still rare and the strikeout continue to be too high, but the speed allows him to beat out most infield contact for hits. High-risk/high-reward is the name of the game, with the risk being higher.

The dream of a 70- or even 80-steal season died in July when Mondesi suffered a left shoulder subluxation shortly after his return from a groin injury. He had been running wild over the first few months, stealing 27 bags in 30 attempts. He continued to run in September until he hurt his shoulder again. Mondesi was sent for surgery in October and given a 5-to-6 month timetable, but he is expected to be ready for Opening Day. On top of the injury, there's still the question as to whether Mondesi can hit. In 2018, Mondesi was able to overcome downright bad plate discipline and slug close to .500, but the quality of his connections deteriorated last season (5.4 Brls/PA, 87.9 avg. exit velocity). His xwOBA ranked in the bottom 17th percentile among players with 100 PA. Speed is extremely scarce and Mondesi can carry the day in that category, but he needs to hit enough for it to really matter.

Mondesi floundered in his prior big-league cameos and failed to unseat Alcides Escobar for a starting gig last spring, but the Royals held the 23-year-old in high esteem due to his top-flight speed and plus raw power. He rewarded that faith once he resurfaced in the majors in mid-June, racking up 32 steals and 30 extra-base hits in only 75 games. There's no denying Mondesi boasts truly elite tools that compare favorably with any player, but his unrefined plate approach makes the sustainability of his 2018 success more questionable. His free-swinging ways will no doubt ding his outlook in OBP leagues, though there's reason to hope his wheels and loud contact (43.1% hard-hit rate) can prop up his BABIP and in turn batting average. Regardless, it's clear Mondesi backers will have to pay full freight to figure out what happens in 2019, as his huge second half will prompt some to chase the dream of what a full season of production might look like.

Mondesi has flopped in a few brief auditions at the big-league level, but nevertheless there is some buzz surrounding the 22-year-old given his speed and path to everyday playing time in 2018. His pedigree as the son of a former All-Star and success at the Triple-A level help as well (.370 wOBA, 119 wRC+ last season). He still needs to learn how to take a walk (5.0 percent walk rate), and the offensive numbers last year were clearly propped up by the favorable run-scoring environments of the PCL (.373 BABIP). But Mondesi did make strides in terms of making contact (24.1 percent) and the quality of that contact was much improved (.234 ISO). It seemed obvious that Mondesi would step in at shortstop this season, but in a bizarre move, the Royals brought Alcides Escobar back on a one-year deal to play shortstop in 2018. If Mondesi can find a way to earn regular playing time at shortstop or second base, the new ball in MLB puts 10-20 home runs well within reach for the youngster. Only four shortstops reached 10 homers and 20 steals last season (Elvis Andrus, Jose Reyes, Jean Segura and Trea Turner). Unfortunately, it sounds like he may have to open the year back at Triple-A, so caution is advised when drafting Mondesi in single-season leagues.

Between his capricious youth, switch-hitting stick and flashy defensive chops as a middle infielder, Mondesi offers an exciting package of tools. His bat showed flashes of being an impact tool for the first time in the minors this past season, but his ultimate offensive potential is still up in the air. Since the vast majority of fantasy games are predicated solely on offensive contributions, the stage is set for Mondesi to disappoint his backers, at least for the next couple seasons. Complicating matters further, Mondesi served a 50-game suspension for a positive PED test in 2016. His plate development will likely take time, and he'll probably have to earn his education at the highest level, given that his defense is ready to contribute right now. This element gives Mondesi some extra intrigue in dynasty formats, but there is a non-zero chance that his bat continues to be a work in progress in 2017 even if the Royals hand him the keys to shortstop or second base.

The switch-hitting shortstop’s offensive numbers once again fell short of his name value in 2015, but Mondesi’s extreme youth (over five years younger than the average player at Double-A) makes it difficult to read too much into his .243/.279/.372 slash line in the Texas League. The jump from High-A to Double-A is a significant one, so the fact that Mondesi’s wOBA jumped from .278 to .293 is impressive. He also managed more steals (19) in 81 games than he did last season (17) in 110 games against lesser competition, so there are certainly signs of growth. After missing the first five weeks of 2015 with a back strain, Mondesi could return to Double-A Northwest Arkansas at the outset of the 2016 campaign, but he should make it to Triple-A by the time that he turns 21 on July 27. At maturity, Mondesi should display 15-homer power with enough speed to steal 30 bases over a full season, but it will be the development of his hit tool that will determine if he is a good fantasy shortstop or a great one.

Mondesi may be one of the more promising prospects in the Royals' organization, but the Dominican native largely struggled at the plate in 2014 for High-A Wilmington. He showed flashes of potential, however, as the switch-hitting infielder was able to tally five home runs over a seven-game stretch in mid-August. Though he hasn't been able to hit for average just yet, Mondesi will be just 19 years old for the majority of 2015, so there remains plenty of time to work on his pitch recognition, an area that has given him trouble in the past. Regarded as one of the better defensive infielders in the organization, he has the potential to challenge Alcides Escobar for a job as early as 2017, placing him firmly on the radar in dynasty formats.

The 18-year-old shortstop prospect impressed a number of scouts and personnel directors last year as he appeared in 125 games for Low-A Lexington of the South Atlantic League and hit .261 with seven home runs and 24 stolen bases. He still has plenty of growing to do, on a physical level, but he looks strong defensively. While his numbers are not overly impressive, he didn't appear overmatched despite being among the youngest players at his level. He makes strong contact from both sides of the plate and should open the 2014 season at High-A Wilmington where he'll be tested by older and stronger pitchers. Considering where he is in his development, he's still a few years away, however, dynasty league owners will want to scoop him up now and stash him away.