KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When it comes to evaluating the greatness of an outfielder, it’s worth listening to a man who has played and coached the position professionally since 1977.
Rusty Kuntz has been doing this for 44 years now. He’s seen so many great ones that he can differentiate running styles and arm angles and aptitude.
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This brings us to Royals center fielder Michael A. Taylor, a 6-foot-4, 215-pounder whom the Royals signed Wednesday to a two-year, $9 million extension with $500,000 in incentives, per sources.
What does Kuntz think about Taylor’s abilities?
“I’m seeing the reads of Ken Griffey Jr., the running motion of Devon White, and it’s hard to compare his arm,” Kuntz said Wednesday on the field at Kauffman Stadium. “His arm stroke is beautiful. It’s just beautiful.”
Oh.
Anything else?
Kuntz had much more to say. His thoughts help explain why the Royals made this move, and what it means for the club. So here is some added insight with his answers to four questions about Taylor’s new deal:
Why did the Royals commit to him as a long-term option?
“We don’t have anything to replace that caliber of center fielder within our system,” Kuntz said, “and there’s hardly anybody in the big leagues you could find to replace what he brings from a defensive standpoint.”
That’s a thought based on the eye test as well as defensive metrics. Taylor leads all qualified major leaguers in defensive runs saved (20*) and UZR (12.9). He also ranks first among outfielders in outs above average (+15).
(* The Royals’ previous best by a center fielder was Lorenzo Cain, at +17, in 2013).
Production of that caliber isn’t an accident, according to Kuntz. It goes beyond Taylor’s ability to read baseballs off bats and run at a speed that’s been tracked at 20 mph. There are subtler skills. There’s Taylor’s pregame workload, which he keeps to a minimum.
“He knows what he needs to do every day to prepare himself for 7 o’clock,” Kuntz said. “For him, you just leave him alone and let him be him.”
There’s Taylor’s pregame scouting, which has reached such an impressive level that he and Kuntz don’t have to meet anymore.
“He knows exactly where he needs to stand,” Kuntz said. “This is Outfield Coach 101: What you see is what I need you to move on. I’m always like, ‘I’m going to put you in a spot where analytics and my charts say.’ (Taylor) has enough savvy to say, ‘I don’t see that; I see this.’ You’ll see him in counts and situations where all of the sudden he’ll move, and lo and behold, there the ball is.”
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When Taylor returns to the dugout, Kuntz will ask him why he moved to that certain spot. Taylor will respond with a reference to Salvador Perez’s glove location, or a pitcher’s command issue, or the way the hitter was swinging. Often, Taylor’s response sounds like this: The only place that guy could swing and put the ball in play was there, so I moved there.
“His brain is always going click, click, click, click, click, click, click,” Kuntz said. “You’re going, ‘Boom, that’s what we’re looking for.’”
Unlike the center fielders since Cain left the Royals, and even Cain to a degree, especially early on, Taylor also has maintained his health. Taylor played his 139th game Thursday night, establishing a career high.
“He’s almost put that, ‘We need two center fielders’ to rest,” Kuntz said. “There are days where he needs a blow, but it’s not like in the past, where your center fielder needed at least three days a week off.”
Combined — the athletic ability, the cerebral nature and his production at the ballpark that has the largest outfield acreage in the American League — tell the tale of why the Royals started kicking around this extension possibility at the start of the second half.
Royals president of baseball operations Dayton Moore said that the baseball operations reached a conclusion at that point: “We all understand and appreciate his talent. And how that talent is able to flourish here at Kauffman Stadium has been proven. He’s one of the elite center fielders in the game.”
Why did Taylor sign this extension rather than enter free agency?
Extensions take two to tango, of course, and Taylor acknowledged Wednesday he knew this was where he wanted to be long ago.
“Early in spring training,” Taylor said, “I felt like this was the right place for me.”
The Royals’ organization offered a blend of what he wanted: to play for an organization committed to winning; an organization that was angled in a positive direction; and an organization that values people. Each is important to him, especially that last one, as evidenced by what happened a day after he signed his extension.
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Two hours before Thursday’s game, Taylor left the clubhouse and headed toward the stands behind the first-base dugout, where a group of children from an organization called Uplifting Athletes sat and listened to him speak. Taylor and his wife, Brianna, hosted the group. Taylor signed autographs, took pictures and spent time with them.
Those are the types of things he values, and that meshes with how Moore discusses the game.
“I admire who Michael is as a person and man,” Moore said Wednesday. “He represents this game extremely well. Those things are so vital for this community and the next generation. He models a lot of things well that you want to be seen in the next generation.”
What does this mean for the Royals’ 2022 roster?
A few spots are now set. Perez will catch, Taylor will play center field and, barring anything unforeseen, Andrew Benintendi will play left field. That leaves first base, second base, shortstop, third base, right field and designated hitter open.
Here’s what’s possible at each spot:
First base: Carlos Santana, whom the Royals owe $10.5 million in 2022, is in line to start here or at designated hitter, unless the Royals deal him this offseason. It’s easy to be down on his production this season, especially with the way he’s finished. But an offseason in Miami and working with Royals special assignment hitting coach Mike Tosar might benefit him immensely. If it’s not Santana, Hunter Dozier has played first. Then there are two prospects who might force their way onto the roster: Nick Pratto and MJ Melendez. Both can play the position, though Pratto is a potential Gold Glove award winner at this spot.
Second base: Whit Merrifield might win a Gold Glove award this season. His value is highest when he plays second base, and he loves the position. If the Royals move him to right field, Nicky Lopez will likely slot in here; but it’s hard to imagine any other option.
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Shortstop: Lopez leads all MLB players in outs above average (+22) this season, so his Gold Glove chances are pretty clear-cut. His defense will also translate at second base, and his ability to play every day, which he’s shown this season, will be hard to pass up — even if Adalberto Mondesi or Bobby Witt Jr. could slot in seamlessly.
Third base: Mondesi has finished this season at third base, but Witt has also played the position this season at Triple-A Omaha. Witt might be the most likely player to fill this spot, which raises questions about where Mondesi would play. Maybe he’ll bounce around as a super-utility-type option.
Right field: Dozier played some right field in 2021, and so has Kyle Isbel. Merrifield has played some right field in the past. Mondesi hasn’t played it, but adding him to an outfield of Benintendi and Taylor would be tough to beat with an infield full of a couple of shortstops.
Designated hitter: All these positions work in tandem. If Merrifield bumps Dozier from right field, he might fit here. Or maybe Dozier plays first, and Santana serves as an on-base weapon from this spot if he can find his early 2021 form. Or maybe Melendez’s or Pratto’s bat is important enough. All options remain on the table.
Whatever route the Royals choose, Kuntz imagined a circumstance in which Witt, Mondesi and Lopez — three plus shortstops — played in the infield, shifting around the diamond. Their range, Kuntz observed, would allow the outfield to play deeper, and to cover more ground.
Is there another level in Taylor’s hitting ability?
Defense dictated this signing, especially with the Royals having a bevy of young starting pitchers. But offense does matter. How do the Royals view the offensive future of Taylor, who has a 79 wRC+ in 2021?
“The athletic talent is off the charts all by itself, which leads you to believe that some of the things we’ve seen — like Opening Day, with the ball carrying to the opposite field,” manager Mike Matheny said, “those things aren’t made up. They’re real. He was able to do that. And it’s a little slippery slope. I think he’s been through this before, where people have seen some of the power and said, ‘Let’s tap into more of that!’ Which has gotten him away from being that well-rounded hitter.
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“I do believe that (coaches) Terry Bradshaw and John Mabry have been able to develop trust and a relationship to have a good foundation. And you look at some of the overhauls he’s made in his swing, that consistency in his foundation is going to lead to more consistency with the hard-hit rate, which will translate into power.”
Taylor’s contact rates have increased from the season’s first half (63.6 percent) to the second half (76 percent). Pitch recognition and selection might affect his overall numbers more than anything. Maybe a different pregame plan would help. That, or more specified pregame work.
Regardless, the Royals will roll with a player whom FanGraphs’ WAR-to-dollars algorithm values at $15.5 million for the 2021 season. That’s how stellar his defense is.
On Wednesday night, Taylor fired a throw 97.6 mph toward home. Hearing this Thursday, Kuntz laughed and then said: “Does he wear a cape?”
(Top photo of Michael A. Taylor and Rusty Kuntz: William Purnell / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
