Yes, that’s right, Jorge Bonifacio became just the 18^th Royals rookie in the 49 years the team has been in existence to hit 10 home runs in a season. Before we get too deep into this, I just want everyone to know that I will pursue legal action if my shirt idea is stolen to commemorate this event.

“Bonifac10” is mine and you can’t have it.

The pitch that history was made on was an 82 MPH slider from Chris Sale on a 2-2 offering in the ninth inning. It sailed 436 feet just to the left of center field to begin the Royals comeback off the Red Sox ace, a comeback that was thwarted by a Travis Wood game ending double play. Memorable? Yeah, I’d say so.

Bonifacio joins an illustrious list of Royals greats who have achieved the feat that includes three players he’s proud to call a teammate. He wouldn’t say it, but this was the crowning moment of his big league career to date.

Such greats as Carlos Febles, Angel Berroa and Jon Nunnally have preceded Bonifacio in this milestone. So yeah, I’d say this is a big deal.

Here’s the list:

Twice, it’s happened by multiple players in the same season (1969 and 1999, so look out 2029). There are some fun names on that list. Who could forget Bob “The Hammer” Hamelin and his ridiculous rookie season that the strike cut short? I’m still convinced that if not for that strike, he would have been the guy to break Balboni’s record at some point. It might not have been in 1994, though it might have, but I remember stories about how the strike and the time off led to him getting even more out of shape.

Best Player

That’s clearly Carlos Beltran, who is putting the finishing touches on a Hall of Fame career right now. He is a .280/.352/.490 hitter with 431 career home runs (by far the most of any Royals rookie to pop 10 in a season). His defense has taken a hit as he’s aged, but man was he good. And he could really steal a base back in the day.

I think Alex Gordon should at least get an honorable mention because while he’s not Beltran, he’s had a really, really good career with the Royals. Plus, I don’t see a ring on Beltran’s finger anywhere.

Worst Player

There are far too many great candidates for this, but I’d have to go with Ken Harvey. The .274/.322/.411 lifetime batting line doesn’t tell the story as it occurred during such an incredible offensive era that those numbers aren’t even at the beginning of passable. Oh yeah, he fought the tarp and the tarp won. He was a poor defensive first baseman too, which is sort of like saying he was the heaviest dude at fat camp. Bet you thought we’d moved on from Hamelin.

Biggest What If

It’s clearly Bo here, even though the career numbers are just sort of whatever. He never really learned to work a walk, but in 1990 his walk rate went up while his strikeout rate dropped. If his .272/.342/.523 line was an indication of things to come, he was about to take off. Of course, he got hurt playing football and played parts of just three more seasons with the White Sox and Angels and now we’ll never know. Mark Quinn should get an honorable mention here, mostly because I wonder if there could be a season with 600 plate appearances and zero walks drawn.

Where will Bonifacio fit in? That’s up in the air, much like all 10 of his home runs. But we know he joined a sacred group last night, and for that, he should be celebrated.

Outfielders

Carlos Beltran – This would be a pretty good story at the very least. There’s been rumors of Beltran’s return to the Royals since the offseason he signed with the Yankees, and there’s even more stories now about him coming back next year to take over the DH role. For now, though, the Royals have a need in the outfield where Beltran technically plays. His defense isn’t what you’d call good, which is kind of sad because we still remember him as one of the better center fielders, but he can stand out there, which is nice. He doesn’t work a walk like he used to, but he still has legitimate power and he’s not just a creation of Yankee Stadium. He hasn’t hit as many home runs away from there, but he’s hit well. This one makes some sense as he’s a pending free agent. He is owed about $7 million the rest of the year, so that may be an obstacle for the Royals.

Charlie Blackmon – It seems like Blackmon has been on the market for about 10 years, but that’s simply not true, so stop thinking it. He can hit, he can play a serviceable center field (but I think he’d be better in a corner in Kansas City) and he can give you some pop. There’s always a concern with Colorado guys, but Blackmon doesn’t have as big of a home/road split this year as you’d probably expect. He’s currently in his first year of arbitration and is owed a little more than $1.5 million the rest of this year before he has two more arbitration years coming up. My guess is those will cost about $16 million, but he could also be traded again. I think he’s going to cost a lot, but he could fill a void the Royals have had in right field for awhile and fill it for the next few seasons.

Jay Bruce – This is another guy who has seemingly been on every trade list for years. He almost got traded before the season, but it was nixed by a bad physical by Michael Saunders. All Bruce has done is turn in one of the best offensive years of his career. He’s never going to be mistaken for a batting champ, but he’s hit much better this year and that’s made his OBP worthwhile. He doesn’t walk that much, but he does strike out less than you’d think (still a fair amount). One thing I liked about him last year that I like about him again is that he doesn’t make that much soft contact. I almost wonder if he’d be a better hitter in a bigger park because he has enough power to hit it out of every park. Getting some deeper gaps might help him out. It won’t help him defensively, though the scouting reports and the metrics disagree on Bruce. He’s owed about $6 million the rest of this season and there’s a $13 million option for next year. He’ll be in demand. This is a fit that I don’t think looks as good on paper as it would on the field, but I also think it’s a longshot given Bruce’s popularity in this market.

Kole Calhoun – I’m not even sure if Calhoun gets traded, but as I mentioned when going over the pitchers, the Angels really need to regroup their farm system. Dealing Calhoun would make some sense, though it would probably weaken them even more than they’d prefer while they still have that Trout guy. Calhoun is a little like Alex Gordon. He plays excellent defense (in right field, though), works a walk and has some power. He doesn’t strike out quite as much as Gordon and he’s a few years younger, but they’re kind of similar to me. He’s due to make about $1.5 million the rest of this year and then has three more years of arbitration, so he won’t be cheap, costing presumably about $22-$25 million over those three seasons, but given the control, I’d be willing to give up a fair amount for Calhoun than some of the other rentals.

Khris Davis – I mentioned Davis before the season and before he was traded to the A’s, and here he is again. The game is power and that’s really about it. He doesn’t hit for much of an average and he doesn’t walk very much. But he does hit for power. Did I mention he has power? This is not a great option. He’s only played left field in the big leagues, and he doesn’t play it well. If anything, this would be a situation where the Royals could look to him to hold down right field and then shift to the DH spot next year. The A’s gave up a couple decent prospects to get him and would likely want at least that in return, which I don’t think is worth it personally.

Carlos Gonzalez – Here’s probably the best position player on the trade market, so that immediately puts the Royals at a disadvantage, though if the Rockies find themselves especially keen on someone like Jorge Bonifacio, I could see a deal finding its way to the surface. Coors Field makes Gonzalez a monster, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a good player outside of there. He plays quality defense and can still hit enough to make a difference. The power doesn’t play nearly as well outside of Coors, but I still think he’s probably a 16-22 home run guy away from that great environment. He’s not cheap. He’s owed around $8 million the rest of this year and $20 million next year. I don’t see the Royals paying that or giving up a different prospect to get the Rockies to pay some of it, but he’s available, so here he is.

Brandon Guyer – I’m not a fan, but if the Rays are open for business, Guyer will draw some attention. He’s not especially good defensively and he’s not much of a hitter, but he gets on base using the skill of getting hit by a pitched baseball. I would imagine acquiring Guyer would be with the hopes of catching lightning in a bottle and him getting hot at the right time. Also, he probably wouldn’t cost too much to pick up. Plus, he actually does hit lefties very well, so that could be a fit for him with the Royals. He’s owed a bit more than $500k the rest of this year and then has two more years of arbitration. I could see a fit, I guess, but it would be a pretty meh acquisition.

Nick Markakis – This right here might be my least favorite name on the list for the Royals to acquire unless it comes at basically no cost. He works walks, but that’s pretty much it at this point in his career. It’s not that the skill of working a walk isn’t valuable, but the Royals need more than that. This year, his average has plummeted and he still doesn’t have any power. Plus, he’s not especially good defensively anymore, and he is owed about $27 million more through 2018. Please don’t do this, Royals.

Steve Pearce – I wanted the Royals to sign Pearce as a platoon partner for Jarrod Dyson back in the winter, but they didn’t listen. He’s currently on the disabled list with a hamstring strain, but he was hitting .322/.393/.540 before getting hurt. Pearce can play outfield, first base and even a little second. You probably don’t want him playing second too often, but with his stick, against a good lefty, that could be worth it. Yes, he crushes lefties. He’s hitting .383/.473/.766 against them in 55 plate appearances. He’s just on a one-year deal and is owed a bit more than $2 million the rest of the way, but he could be a really nice fit.

Josh Reddick – I’m not sure a more perfect player has ever existed at the trade deadline for a team than Reddick for the Royals. They’re on the lookout for a lefty-hitting outfielder. Well, Reddick plays excellent defense in right field, hardly ever strikes out and actually works walks. He has power, but not as much as you’d probably like from your right fielder. Basically he’s about the best Royals fit in baseball and he doesn’t even play for the Royals. He’s also only owed a bit north of $3 million the rest of the season. That’s not to say he’s a perfect player. He really struggles against lefties and he’s already dealt with an injury this season. Still, picking up Reddick and slotting him into the second spot in the batting order could do wonders for this lineup. He’s a free agent after the season, so the cost may not be prohibitive, but he’ll also be coveted by many teams. This one is very interesting to me.

Rickie Weeks – He was once a very good offensive second baseman for the Brewers, but fell on really hard times defensively and his offense declined to make him basically not playable at second. Now he’s an outfielder and after a rough go of it last year, he’s really picked things up and is now hitting decently for the Diamondbacks in a reserve role. The bad news is that his defense is pretty terrible. I don’t even think he’s a real option, but he’s owed next to nothing and the Diamondbacks would probably deal him, so why not include him?

Infielders

Gordon Beckham – You want a second baseman? This could be the best fit out there for the Royals. Beckham never really found it with the White Sox after a promising debut, but he’s doing a nice job in a utility role for the Braves. He works a walk, doesn’t strike out a ton and plays a decent second base. I’m not convinced he’s actually better than Merrifield, but he’s having a better year and is super cheap. I think he’d be a benefit to the Royals and can’t cost much in the way of prospects or money as he’s owed well less than $1 million the rest of the season.

Andres Blanco – Remember when Blanco was considered the shortstop of the future for the Royals and he was in the big leagues at the age of 20? Somehow he resurfaced with the Phillies a couple years ago and has been a valuable utility player for them. He’s seen time at every infield position and a little in the outfield as well. He’s not having nearly as good of a year offensively as he did last year and he’s not the defensive wizard he was coming through the Royals system, but he might be a nice fit as a utility guy in Kansas City. He’ll be a free agent after the season and isn’t making much money. Keep an eye on this one.

Zack Cozart – This is an admittedly imperfect fit, but I’ve heard some things about the Royals having interest. Cozart is a fantastic defensive shortstop with some power that would actually play at Kauffman Stadium (just not as well as in his home bandbox, though he has more homers on the road). The reason it’s imperfect is that the Royals have a shortstop already and neither Cozart nor Escobar has much experience at second base, if any. Still, Cozart would add to the Royals lineup, so if they feel comfortable with moving one of the shortstops to the other side of the bag, they could have something. He’s signed cheaply this year with a little less than $1.5 million remaining and then has a year of arbitration left before hitting free agency. The demand for him isn’t as high as I would have thought, but he’s a solid player, so he won’t be able to be acquired cheaply. I don’t see it happening, but it’s an interesting name to think about.

Daniel Descalso – I’m not spending much time on this. He’s not especially good in any facet, but he’s hitting well this year and can play multiple positions. And he’s cheap. So there’s that.

Yunel Escobar – The Royals don’t really need a third baseman or a shortstop and Escobar hasn’t played second base since 2007, but I’ve heard his name mentioned. He’s had a really nice season and does have a history with Dayton Moore as he was a part of the Braves organization way back then. If you feel comfortable putting him at second for two months, he could be a fit. I wouldn’t personally feel comfortable, but a guy who has hit well over .300 with a .370+ OBP since the start of last season isn’t something to turn your nose up at if he becomes available. He’s owed a little more than $3 million the rest of this season, though some of that is paid by Washington. He has a team option for $7 million next year. I don’t think he would require a huge haul, but I’m not sure why the Angels would trade him unless they get an offer that’s more than he’s worth.

Jed Lowrie – You’re not acquiring Lowrie for his defense, but he can really help a lineup out. He’s a quality hitter who will work a walk. Strangely, his power has somewhat disappeared this year. He plays a nearly competent second base, but the offensive upgrade is something that I think would be well worth the risk on his defense. He’s owed about $3.5 million more this year and then is owed $6.5 million next year with a team option for $6 million. He’s not the perfect player for the Royals, but he could hold down second base for the rest of this year and into next year until Mondesi is ready when he can be used as trade bait again.

Eduardo Nunez – This has been a breakout season for Nunez that hasn’t exactly come out of nowhere. It was easy to miss this last season, but Nunez was solid for the Twins last year as well. I’m not sure there’s a great fit here because he doesn’t play much second base, but if he could, this would make some sense. He doesn’t walk much, but he doesn’t strike out hardly at all either. He has tons of speed, so he might fit perfectly at the top of a Ned Yost lineup. He’s very cheap and will be entering his final year of arbitration next season, so the Twins don’t have to move him because the return likely won’t be fantastic anyway, but he could be a fit.

Yangervis Solarte – I don’t think anyone could have predicted that Solarte would have the season he’s had for the Padres. He’s played mostly third, but he has manned second a little bit this season. He’s not going to remind anyone of Roberto Alomar, but he isn’t going to kill you either. He can work a walk and doesn’t strike out much. He’s even developed a little power. He’d actually be a near perfect fit for the number two spot in the batting order, but could moonlight as a leadoff man. I think the Padres would ask a lot as he isn’t even arbitration eligible until next season. He did just turn 29, so there isn’t much additional upside, but he could be a nice plug and play option for the Royals for the next few seasons and, like Lowrie, give them a trade chip if everything works out with the guys already in the organization.

More than a few players don’t excite the experts yet still end up making it in the game. Some even have a big, big impact along the way in terms of value and cost savings while they are young.

That brings us to one of the Royals options for right field, making a move toward breaking with the club following the injury to Jarrod Dyson. A former first-round pick with the Boston Red Sox, Reymond Fuentes is a cousin of former Royal Carlos Beltran and attended the same high school as Beltran. At the time of Fuentes draft, a second Royals connection developed as he drew comparisons to Johnny Damon as a player with a plus hit tool and plus-plus speed. The bloodline didn’t develop quite to the Beltran level, and the comp to Damon hasn’t come through either.

One season after being drafted by the Red Sox, Fuentes was traded as a part of the Adrian Gonzalez deal to the San Diego Padres. Once in the Padres organization Fuentes continued to progress, earning a brief callup in 2013 and leaving him on the verge of a job in the bigs. That all changed in ’14 when a new front office took over and they began looking at a Royals lefty, Kyle Bartsch, as a trade target. The Padres agreed to exchange Fuentes for the reliever who had just finished a season in High-A Wilmington. The move left the bloodline Royal, who was comped to a Royal, in an organization that seemed a perfect fit.

Via J.J. Picollo – “Knowing our roster situation and that Fuentes had options, we liked the upside of getting an everyday player in exchange for a lefty that profiled as a reliever.”

So what type of player can we hope Fuentes becomes?

To that question I looked at a player that the Royals had and let become a free agent not too long ago, Gregor Blanco. When I brought up that name with Picollo he agreed and said that is who the Royals front office often bring up in talks about Fuentes. The two players’ profiles are somewhat similar in that they both had good contact rates in the minor leagues, have limited power, and use speed as their main tool in their arsenal. Both players also have average arms, making center and left-field their best positions which is a downer for Fuentes considering the Royals already have Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordon manning those outfield spots. The advantages from my eyes are that Fuentes enjoys slightly better raw speed and more power than Blanco while the Giants outfielder possesses a better overall plate approach which converts into a likely higher on base percentage outside batting average.

Picollo – “Fuentes has the ability to play center in our big park but with Cain there already Reymond can make us better defensively in right.”

PECOTA projects the two players TAv nearly identical with a .254 for Blanco versus a .253 for Fuentes with just a 0.6 WARP projected value to Fuentes 0.5. All of that is pretty favorable for Fuentes considering Jarrod Dyson is projected for a .232 TAv and 0.7 WARP with nearly 200 more plate appearances to his credit.

Could Fuentes be a better option than Dyson over the course of the season? That could definitely be the case, and PECOTA agrees quite thoroughly, rating Fuentes Peak 5 year upside significantly higher than Dyson’s. Much of those numbers could be due to Fuentes not having the opportunity to fail in the same way Dyson has thus far, but they also speak to Dyson’s limited offensive upside. While Dyson one of the vocal leaders in the clubhouse Picollo offered that Fuentes fits in quite well in that aspect bringing a “happy go lucky attitude day to day to the clubhouse”.

These comparisons may not be the greatest for Fuentes’ future considering the Royals didn’t necessarily see the value in Blanco when they let him become a free agent for no return and haven’t given Dyson a chance to have a full time job until this season at age 31. Still, at 25 years of age with a chance to play, Fuentes has an opportunity to grasp hold of at least a platoon role that offers more playing opportunity as a left-handed hitter while also putting himself in the mix for a future center field job.

The Royals should consider getting a healthy look at Fuentes at the start of the regular season while Dyson recovers from his injury. At worst, they can fall back to Dyson, and at best they could have an in house 2-3 WARP player who is controllable at a minimum contract and could help Kansas City over the next few seasons. That’s not too shabby of a deal for an organization considering all they had to give up was a High-A LOOGY.

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Profile Photo: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

If you’ll recall, the Royals didn’t need the trade deadline last season to make their team into division winners, but few would argue that they didn’t benefit greatly in their march to a title from their acquisitions. Ben Zobrist and Johnny Cueto were both such vital pieces to a championship team that it’s hard to imagine the 2015 Royals without them. The question is if the Royals will need that boost in 2016. I think they probably will, simply because most teams could benefit from something.

Looking at the roster, the holes are pretty glaring. It’s second base and right field. Everywhere else has established regulars who can be reasonably expected to be good enough to play for a championship baseball team. At second base, the Royals have Omar Infante and Christian Colon (with Raul Mondesi nipping at their heels). In right field, the Royals have Reymond Fuentes, Jarrod Dyson and Paulo Orlando (with Brett Eibner, Jose Martinez, Jorge Bonifacio and Bubba Starling on the horizon). While the young players who are close elicit confidence, the current starters seem like players who could stand to be upgraded from.

Because of all the young talent on the way, I imagine the Royals will be looking for a short-term fix rather than a long-term fix. That said, even if Mondesi is the second baseman next year, there’s a decent chance he’s the shortstop in 2018, so they’ll still need a second baseman. The same is true in the outfield. Bubba Starling may be ready to play right field in 2017, but he seems likely to be the center fielder in 2018 when Cain leaves. There are some non-pending free agents who could probably be had, but with all the young players on the way, let’s just look at those who can hit free agency after the season.

Second Base Possibilities

Aaron Hill – Somehow, it’s been seven years since Hill had his 36-home run season with Toronto. Since then, he’s been pretty up and down throughout his career and has been pretty bad the last two seasons. Now he’s 34 and will play third base for the Brewers. So no, I’m not terribly optimistic that he’ll be a great target, but a rebuilding team like the Brewers would likely be more than willing to trade off a high priced veteran and this one likely wouldn’t cost a ton.

Martin Prado - There were rumors that the Royals were on the verge of acquiring him last season, even after they picked up Zobrist. Prado goes back a long way with Dayton Moore, all the way to his time with the Braves as he was signed as a minor league free agent in 2001. Prado also will play a lot of third base, but has played a relatively high level second base in recent years. He really fits the Royals mold of making a lot of contact. It would be pretty fun to slot him into the 8th spot of a lineup to make it deeper.

Luis Valbuena – Another guy who figures to play third base in 2016. He is not a Royals type player. He works a fair amount of walks, strikes out a lot and hits for some decent power (though Kauffman Stadium might sap that a bit). It’s not that I think the Astros will be out of contention, but that they have even more good young talent on the way and Valbuena might be on the block. I don’t love his defense, but for a couple months, it’d be nice to add his bat.

A couple other guys could be out there. Yunel Escobar from the Angels could play second for a bit, though he hasn’t done much of that. Ruben Tejada could be available once Jhonny Peralta returns. And Neil Walker could be on the block if the Mets don’t repeat their success. I think they will, though, so I doubt he’s available.

Right Field Possibilities

Alejandro De Aza - The odds are that De Aza will be traded long before the Royals start looking, but you never know. He figures to be the fifth outfielder for the Mets this season, and has been a pretty solid player throughout his career. He strikes out a bit more than you’d want, but I’d bet he could be had relatively cheaply.

Carlos Beltran - I don’t think it’s crazy likely that Beltran will be available, but there’s a lot that can go wrong with the Yankees this season. If they find themselves out of the race in July, Beltran could be a fun target to maybe end his career where it began. The guy can still hit, that’s for sure. He could use a ring.

Jay Bruce - Bruce is on every one of these lists every single season. Like De Aza, he could potentially be dealt prior to the time the Royals go looking, but the way the Reds operate, it’s hard to say. What I like about Bruce is that he doesn’t make weak contact too often, but he’s been on a pretty steady decline. He’s not great defensively anymore either, so moving to a more spacious ballpark could be a disaster for him. Still, he’s on the block.

Chris Coghlan - When the Royals were without Alex Gordon, I thought Coghlan would be a good target for them to replace him. Right field may be a different story, but he’s going to be a jack-of-all-trades for the A’s this season. The last time the Royals made a deal with the A’s for one of those, it went pretty well. He works a walk pretty well, makes good contact and would seem to fit in well on this Royals ballclub. I’ve been a fan of Coghlan for a long time. You could probably pencil him into the second base list too, though I’m not sure how much the Royals would like his defense there.

Austin Jackson - What makes Jackson unlikely is that the Royals probably could have had him at any time throughout the winter, but chose not to. Also, he did sign with a division rival, so that makes things a bit more difficult. If he has a good start to the year and the White Sox don’t, though, he might become more attractive and the Royals might be willing to take him on for three months.

Daniel Nava - Nava is another guy who the Royals could have probably had pretty easily. He’s with the Angels now and having a monster spring. He’s not a great player, but he could certainly hold down the fort for a little while and wouldn’t be much to acquire, I wouldn’t think.

Josh Reddick - Both parties between the A’s and Reddick seem to want to get a deal done, but the A’s are unpredictable and will trade anyone at any time if they can improve by the deal. There’s a question of if Reddick would fit in the clubhouse, but his style of play would be a great fit. He plays very good defense, doesn’t strike out a ton and has some pop that the Royals could use.

Shane Victorino - The Cubs will obviously be in contention, but something about Victorino just screams Royals to me if he’s healthy and playing well. The Cubs certainly have the depth to trade him, even if he does have a nice season. He’s just a name to keep an eye on for me.

The Royals don’t have the prospect collateral that they did last year at this time, but that could change as guys step up throughout the season. I do think it would be wise to search for an upgrade, even if it’s just temporary, and the above list is a good start to keep an eye on as the 2016 season gets underway.