Kansas City Royals' Reymond Fuentes Deserves Serious Playing Time

The Kansas City Royals truly believe Reymond Fuentes will compete with Paulo Orlando for the starting job in right field, and why wouldn’t they? Orlando showed some pop already this March, but his .222 average and .279 on-base percentage won’t wow anyone. Fuentes, however, already posted some eye-popping numbers through 40 spring training at-bats. No player at Royals camp with more than seven at-bats has posted an OPS higher than Fuentes’ 1.275.

Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports that skipper Ned Yost and the rest of KC management won’t commit to either guy yet. Yost stayed very optimistically neutral when asked about this, stating that Fuentes is the impressive hot hand, while Orlando is the trusted commodity. “We know what we have in Paulo,” Yost said. Flanagan’s quick interview ultimately suggested that Yost wants to platoon the two, starting either guy day-by-day based on matchups and who was playing well at the time. Yost certainly has the right to be excited about both possible right fielders, but previous stats indicate that Fuentes may be the Royal who soon becomes a crowd favorite.

A year in Triple-A hints that Fuentes would consistently be a .300 hitter at that level with little variation in effectiveness against right-handers and lefties. Fuentes hits for a better average against lefties but showed more power against righties. This resulted in an .805 OPS against right-handed pitching that was .032 points higher than his OPS against lefties. This compares favorably to Orlando’s 2015 stats, but relating Fuentes’ production in the minors to Orlando’s big-league contributions may be unfair.

However, a quick look at Orlando’s minor-league history shows that Fuentes fared better in the minors, and he did so at a younger age. Over four Triple-A seasons, Orlando compiled a .718 OPS. His last full year at that level came in 2014, when he was 28. Fuentes played his third season of Triple-A ball and his first season as a Storm Chaser in 2015, when he was 24. He posted a .781 OPS with Omaha, which actually lowered his current career OPS at the Triple-A level to .785.

That’s all just statistical jargon that correlates with a simple fact – Fuentes is on pace to be a better big-league contributor at a much younger age. KC suddenly has a red-hot 25-year-old outfielder who’s consistently improved through every level of the farm system. Fuentes also plays smooth defense and should reliably steal bases in the majors, as his 48 swiped bags in just 167 Triple-A games would indicate.

I’m not the only Royals fan who appreciates Orlando and his clutch contributions last season, but the other guy I just described sounds like someone who deserves a long look. Even if Orlando winds up playing just as well, or even a little better than Fuentes, there is intangible value to be gained in grooming a younger outfielder with higher upside. Giving Fuentes more playing time is just plain better for KC’s future.