Mike Moustakas returns to No. 2 in Royals’ batting order, the spot that launched his 2015 breakout

As the Royals opened the regular season at Kauffman Stadium, third baseman Mike Moustakas returned to a familiar role, occupying the No. 2 spot in the batting order. The move was not a surprise. Royals manager Ned Yost hinted during spring training that he preferred Moustakas in the two-hole. The decision, Yost says, was not particularly complicated, either.

“(It was) all the success he had in it last year,” Yost said on Saturday. “He didn’t really lose that spot. It’s just that (Ben) Zobrist was probably a little bit better option” late in the season.

Moustakas began last season as the Royals’ No. 2 hitter, a move that coincided with a career breakthrough. After revamping his swing to utilize all fields, he batted .356 in April. He spent most of the first half of the season batting second before the Royals acquired Zobrist before the trade deadline. Zobrist was a catalyst from the two-spot during the postseason run, while Moustakas moved down in the order.

When Zobrist signed with the Chicago Cubs in the offseason, Yost said he would consider using Moustakas or Alex Gordon to fill the No. 2 hole. According to some conventional measurements, Gordon projects as a more logical fit higher in the order. His career .348 on-base percentage is 45 points higher than Moustakas’ (.303), and he has a longer track record as an offensive weapon. By hitting Gordon second, the Royals could guarantee that his bat sees more use on a regular basis.

But Yost prefers that Gordon occupy a run-producing role in the middle of the order. With Yost electing to use a right-left-right alignment near the top of the order, that slots Gordon into the sixth spot, behind the switch-hitting Kendrys Morales.

“We like Gordy down in a run-producing spot,” Yost said.

Moustakas has shown himself capable of handling the two-spot. He posted a career-high .348 on-base percentage with 22 homers and 34 doubles last season. He collected his first two hits of the season on Friday night, including an opposite-field double to left field.

“He’s a baseball player,” Yost said. “He likes to play the game — hitting the ball the other way, bunting — it just allows him to play his game instead of just getting down in a run-producing spot.

“I like him hitting two,” Yost said. “That’s enough.”

This story was originally published April 9, 2016 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Mike Moustakas returns to No. 2 in Royals’ batting order, the spot that launched his 2015 breakout."