On Royals' roster, Mondesi can make history
The Royals submitted their roster on Tuesday for the World Series with just one change, but it could be a historic one.
Minor League infielder Raul Mondesi was added in place of outfielder Terrance Gore on the active roster, and the 20-year-old Mondesi would be making his Major League debut should he appear in a game. The World Series will get underway tonight from Kauffman Stadium (7:30 p.m. ET air time on FOX, 8 p.m. ET game time), with Mets right-hander Matt Harvey toeing the rubber against Royals right-hander Edinson Volquez.
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Mondesi, ranked as the team's No. 1 prospect and No. 33 overall according to MLBPipeline.com, would be the first player in baseball history to make his Major League debut in the World Series. Coincidentally, the Mets had a player on their National League Championship Series roster -- infielder Matt Reynolds -- who also had not yet appeared in the Majors. Mondesi, the son of former Major Leaguer Raul Mondesi, has never played above Double-A, while Reynolds has never played above Triple-A.
Mondesi's full name is Raul Adalberto Mondesi, but even though his father's name is Raul Ramon Mondesi and he has an older brother named Raul Mondesi Jr. (a former Minor Leaguer in the Rays and Brewers systems), Raul Adalberto is sometimes referred to as Raul Mondesi Jr. In fact, his Twitter handle is @raulmondesijr, while the name displayed on the page is Raul A. Mondesi.
If Mondesi plays, he would become the second player in the modern era to make his Major League debut in the postseason. Mark Kiger made two pinch-running appearances for Oakland in the 2006 American League Championship Series against Detroit.
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In 81 games for Double-A Northwest Arkansas this season, Mondesi hit .243 with 36 runs, 11 doubles, five triples, six home runs, 33 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. He's considered a middle infielder, but he can play multiple positions, including the outfield. Mondesi has great speed, and he also gives Kansas City more versatility for double-switches.
In order to make room for Mondesi on the 40-man roster, the Royals designated right-hander Joba Chamberlain for assignment.
Pitchers (11)
Johnny Cueto
Wade Davis
Danny Duffy
Kelvin Herrera
Luke Hochevar
Ryan Madson
Kris Medlen
Franklin Morales
Yordano Ventura
Edinson Volquez
Chris Young
Catchers (2)
Drew Butera
Salvador Perez
Infielders (7)
Christian Colon
Alcides Escobar
Eric Hosmer
Raul Mondesi
Kendrys Morales
Mike Moustakas
Ben Zobrist
Outfielders (5)
Lorenzo Cain
Jarrod Dyson
Alex Gordon
Paulo Orlando
Alex Rios