Royals know Mondesi is a special talent. A breakout required work behind the scenes
The baseball glided through the air for more than six seconds, and a 23-year-old shortstop sprinted around the bases. By the time the ball surpassed the left-centerfield fence, Adalberto Mondesi was just one step shy of second base.
Who knows if this says more about his power or speed — or more likely a combination of both — but it caught the attention of a couple of his teammates Tuesday.
“We’ve seen in spring training his talent and just waiting for it to show,” Royals outfielder Alex Gordon said.
“It’s starting to. His talent level is amazing.”
A day later, during the Royals’ 9-2 win Wednesday to complete a two-game series sweep of visiting Detroit, it was on display once more. Just 18 hours after the towering shot from a right-handed swing, the switch-hitting Mondesi stepped into opposite batter’s box and did it all over again from the left side.
He packaged together perhaps his best game as a big-league player Wednesday, adding a triple, a bases-loaded walk and matching a career high with four RBI.
“I’m just trying to help the team, just doing whatever I can do,” Mondesi said. “Those little things that I know are helping me, I’ll just keep doing.”
Mondesi didn’t elaborate on those little things, but his manager did, and they’re carrying major significance in the development of a young talent.
The raw ability has been evident for quite some time — a potential five-tool player who can impact a game at the plate, in the field or on the base paths — but the behind-the-scenes preparation required work. Mondesi battled injuries during his time in the minor leagues, and as the Royals approached the season, general manager Dayton Moore remarked that Mondesi needed to prove his body could survive a 162-game season. The Royals preferred he spend more time in the training room to prepare for everyday play.
But Mondesi was initially reluctant, even after his June call-up to Kansas City, fearful that being seen with a trainer would imply he was injured again.
“The thing about playing baseball is it’s a grueling sport,” Royals manager Ned Yost said earlier this month. “You don’t just show up and play every day. There’s a lot of maintenance work that goes on inside the training room every day to get ready to play.
“Well, Mondi was always afraid to go in there. If anything was nagging, he’d just work on his own and then get a little worse. I think we finally got to the point where he understands the maintenance part is really, really important. He’s comfortable doing that now. He’s in there every day preparing himself to play.”
The Royals have rewarded his preparation with more regular playing time and a set position in the field. After flopping between the two middle infield spots immediately after his June call-up, Mondesi has not played anywhere but shortstop since Aug. 6. Yost said, “I’m not going to switch him around much anymore.”
The production at the plate has soared since the stability. He is batting .306 over his past 14 starts, adding in three homers, two triples, two doubles and nine RBI.
“He’s like a thoroughbred. He’s a quick-twitch, especially quick, extremely explosive guy. That’s tough on your body,” Yost said. “But he’s done a good job of doing his daily maintenance. You got to maintain, especially when you’re as talented as he is.”
Even after his second-inning blast Wednesday — giving the Royals a 2-1 lead — Mondesi had plenty more in store. In his next at-bat, he looped a ball down the right field line and sprinted around the bases for an easy triple.
More still. In his third trip to the plate, with the two simplest pieces of a cycle remaining, Mondesi brushed aside pitches for a bases-loaded walk.
More yet?
“He’s just coming into his own offensively,” Yost said. “Just scratching the surface.”
This story was originally published August 29, 2018 at 7:27 PM.