Despite Mondesi's slow start in 2017, Royals general manager Dayton Moore said he believes the young second baseman gives the team its best chance to win right now, Sam Mellinger of The Kansas City Star reports.
After a somewhat surprising victory in spring's position battle against Whit Merrifield, Mondesi doesn't look much like a major leaguer so far in the regular season. Through nine games and 30 plate appearances, the 21-year-old is slashing .148/.179/.259 with nine strikeouts. Meanwhile, down on the farm in Omaha, Merrifield is manhandling Triple-A pitchers to the tune of .364/.400/.864 with three home runs through six games. Mondesi has the support of Royals management, and there's no challenging that he's the face of the future. However, something has to give if the trends of Mondesi and Merrifield continue as is.