Where is Adalberto Mondesi?

Adalberto Mondesi is with the Kansas City Royals. He debuted for the Royals in 2015

 

For the first time this season, Adalberto Mondesi was eligible for arbitration and was awarded $2.52 million.

He’ll be a free agent after the 2023 season when he’ll be 28 years old. Mondesi’s career numbers are .251/.284/.415 with an OPS+ of 85 in 1,176 plate appearances.

He has one of baseball’s lowest on-base percentages and has struggled to remain healthy owing to injuries.

However, because of his amazing speed and outstanding defense, he remains vital when he plays.

According to Fangraphs, he’s been worth 6.6 WAR since 2018, more than Gleyber Torres, Corey Seager, and Carlos Correa combined.

The Royals will rely on Mondesi’s late-season performance last year if they grant him a long-term contract.

Mondesi hit.376/.424/.706 in his last 22 games, including six home runs, 16 steals, and seven walks.

If the Royals feel that stretch is a portent of things to come, it’s a good idea to sign Mondesi now, before he breaks out and his price skyrockets.

Players like Corey Seager and Carlos Correa both made $7-8 million in their second year of arbitration, so it’s not unrealistic to assume Mondesi might get close to that in 2022.

Let’s assume $5-6 million is a conservative estimate. In their third year of arbitration, Seager and Correa both won well over $10 million, so let’s put Mondesi’s earnings at $8-9 million if he keeps up his current pace.