Matt Kartozian – USA TODAY Sports
Minor leaguers Brett Eibner and Jose Martinez have both experienced interesting career paths through the system, and both enjoyed ridiculously good offensive seasons in 2015. The Kansas City Royals must answer questions regarding the corner outfield positions in 2016, but they shouldn’t forget about the talent already under club control.
While Martinez has only recently turned scouts’ heads, Eibner already has a few productive pro seasons under his belt. The 26-year-old Eibner began to bring his offensive game together in 2013 when he hit 19 home runs and posted a .781 OPS in Double-A. He progressed in 2014 after a promotion to Triple-A Omaha, where he went deep seven times in 74 games and finished the season at that level with a .697 OPS.
It wasn’t until 2015 when Eibner really got hot. As well as drastically reducing his strikeout rate, he posted an incredible .303/.364/.514 slash line and a .878 OPS. Any more of that kind of production, and KC will be forced to give Eibner a chance at major league playing time.
Martinez, on the other hand, posted even better numbers than Eibner last year, but probably still needs more time to prove himself. He was employed by three different clubs alone in 2014, and actually batted at least .305 in each of those stints. However, prior to 2014, he couldn’t record an OPS above .767 at any level higher than the Appalachian Rookie League. Last season, with Triple-A Omaha, Martinez finished with a 1.024 OPS.
If either guy continues to hit anything close to their 2015 numbers next season, KC’s management would be crazy not to give them a shot. The Royals’ core is strong enough to absorb a failed experiment even if either outfielder struggles against big league pitching. Jarrod Dyson and Paulo Orlando aren’t going anywhere, so giving one of the red-hot minor leaguers a chance is worth the minor risk.
Their production last year will probably be enough to stop KC from breaking the bank on a free agent outfielder, while opting instead to trust their in-house guys or spend a smaller chunk on a budget free agent.
Doug LaCerte is www.RantSports.com’s Kansas City Royals beat writer. Follow him on Twitter @DLaC67, “like” him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google.
