The education of Jorge Soler: Royals newcomer learning under outfield guru Rusty Kuntz

Jorge Soler’s lips curled into a smile as he listened to the question. The words needed no translation. The inquiry was about power, and Soler nodded his head, even as catching coach Pedro Grifol stood at his side, ready to interpret the question into his first language.

It was just after 8:30 a.m. on Friday morning. Soler, a 24-year-old outfielder, was standing inside a media room adjacent to the Royals clubhouse. A bank of cameras and reporters lined up just feet away.

The Royals media relations team had set up a make-shift press conference to accommodate Soler, the club’s most intriguing acquisition of the offseason. It took just a few questions before the topic turned to Soler’s power, the tool that birthed his professional career and compelled the Royals to trade one season of closer Wade Davis for four years of potential and possibility.

“He’s not going to predict how many homers he’s going to hit,” Grifol said, translating for Soler. “But he’s going to work extremely hard both defensively and offensively to be able to help this team win.”

The answer offered a fairly apt summation of Soler’s first days in camp. The first thing you notice is the power, of course, the tree-trunk legs, the bulging biceps, the body that looks like it once belonged to Bo Jackson. Take one look at Soler, and you see a baseball player born to punish baseballs. But inspect a little closer, and you realize this: That might be the easy part.

The Royals believe that Soler has the potential to be a force in the middle of the lineup, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound slugger capable of threatening Steve Balboni’s franchise record of 36 homers in a season. They are less confident in Soler’s ability to cover adequate ground in right field. So in the week before position players were set to report to camp, Soler began daily sessions with Rusty Kuntz, the club’s first-base coach and resident outfield instructor.

For a week, they would meet together at 10 a.m., working through footwork drills and ironing out other details. On most days, they were joined by infielder Christian Colon, who served as an extra interpreter. The goal: Set a foundation of footwork. Get a little better each day.

Rusty Kuntz on new Royal Jorge Soler: 'He's a coach's dream' 

Kuntz called Soler a “coach’s dream” because of his attentiveness and ability to pick up on concepts. But as the Royals prepared for their first full-squad workout on Friday morning, Royals manager Ned Yost offered a slightly more tepid endorsement of Solder’s defense.

“What everybody talks about is that they think he can be an average defender under Rusty,” Yost said. “He’s already made some strides on his drops and his routes to the ball with Rusty. He’s a very quick learner.”

That the generally optimistic Yost set “average” as the goal for Soler perhaps illustrates the challenge ahead. Club officials remain confident in the teaching ability of Kuntz, who once helped Alex Gordon transform into a Gold Glove left fielder. But for now, the Royals are setting modest goals for Soler.

“His biggest thing is the footwork and getting that quick turn down, and getting the read and the route, which increases the range,” Kuntz said. “And those are the three things that we’re trying to put together right now.”

In three seasons in Chicago with the Cubs, Soler offered tantalizing glimpses of his prodigious power — even as he struggled through injuries and sporadic playing time. He clubbed 27 homers and posted a .434 slugging percentage in 682 at-bats across three years. He shredded opposing pitchers in the 2015 postseason. He helped the 2016 Cubs win the franchise’s first World Series championship in 108 years.

And yet, his defense still rated as somewhere below average. Soler gained a reputation for taking bad routes and making poor decisions. The latter often stopped him from making use of an arm that Kuntz refers to as “huge.” When Soler begins to understand situations, Kuntz said, his arm could become a potent weapon. But that aspect of his game will come with time.

“He’s going to learn that stuff as we go along,” Kuntz said. “But my big thing right now is it’s all about the feet and footwork.”

In his first days in Royals camp, Soler seemed to take to his new surroundings. He is lockering in a corner with Salvador Perez and Kelvin Herrera. Soler spends most mornings towering over teammates in a blue hooded sweatshirt with the sleeves cut off. A native of Cuba, he is still mastering the English language. But teammates say he’s already added something intangible to the clubhouse.

“His energy, his smile, his enthusiasm, all that kind of stuff,” Kuntz said. “He’s trying to get better every day, and in my opinion, he’s doing a great job.”

As his makeshift press conference wrapped up on Friday, Soler offered another smile. In just 4 minutes and 32 seconds, he had tried to convey his appreciation for the opportunity in Kansas City. If he can stay healthy, he will get the chance to play every day. That never came in Chicago, but it could come now. Which leads to another goal: If he can prove himself in the outfield, he can finally show that he’s a complete player.

“It’s very important for him to prove he can play every day,” Grifol said, interpreting for Soler. “That’s why he’s working hard in the field. That’s why he’s working hard in the training room to make sure he doesn’t have any injury, any setbacks. That’s what he’s working hard for.”

This story was originally published February 17, 2017 at 9:19 PM with the headline "The education of Jorge Soler: Royals newcomer learning under outfield guru Rusty Kuntz."