Christian Colon

While serving once again as a utility infielder, Colon hit .231 with one home run and zero steals in 147 at-bats in 2016. Colon fared slightly better in 19 games for Triple-A Omaha, hitting .273 but with two steals. He has never flashed much power, maxing out at 13 home runs back in 2013. Colon did show a little speed earlier in his career, stealing 26 bases in 2012, but either that speed is gone or Kansas City is reluctant to let him run. The thrifty Royals appear to be looking to fill their starting second-base job internally, so Colon should have an opportunity to compete for playing time in spring training against the likes of Whit Merrifield and Raul Mondesi. Both probably have a leg up on Colon given their respective abilities at the dish and in the field.

Colon began 2015 as the primary reserve infield option for the Royals, but had some troubles at the plate during his first stretch with the major league club. Through July 3, Colon hit only .244 with a slugging percentage (.295) even lower than his anemic OBP (.306), which prompted the Royals to option him to Triple-A Omaha. After being called up at the beginning of September, Colon managed to bring his batting average up to a respectable .290 in limited at-bats, but the power was still missing. Colon appears to have a path to playing time at second base with Ben Zobrist out of the picture, but he will need to hit more consistently and tap into some some power in spring training to wrestle away the lion's share of the workload from Omar Infante.

Colon saw his first taste of major league action in 2014, as injuries to Omar Infante and the heavy slumping of Mike Moustakas left reps available at both second and third base. He had to compete with second baseman Johnny Giavotella for playing time, but ended up logging eight more plate appearances than his infield counterpart. Colon's season was cut short by a broken finger suffered September 2, but he was able to return for limited work in the playoffs, though he was left off the World Series roster in favor of the veteran experience of Jayson Nix. When healthy, Colon provided the Royals with a solid .864 OPS, but his advancement in the organization will likely be limited by the steady play of Alcides Escobar, who plays his natural position at shortstop. Colon may be able to crack the Opening Day roster as a utility player, but in all likelihood he'll start off at Triple-A Omaha, where he slashed .311/.366/.433 with 15 steals and eight homers in 2014.

With a strong need for second base help at the major league level, the Royals fast-tracked their first-round pick (fourth overall) from the 2010 draft to Triple-A at the end of the 2012 season, and after a short period of success, opted to leave him there to continue working against stronger competition. His development went as expected, with a slight increase in power and diminished rates in walks and strikeouts, neither of which were out of the ordinary. However, with Johnny Giavotella still manning the keystone at the Triple-A level, Colon stayed at his natural shortstop position which continues to be blocked at the major league level by Alcides Escobar. Colon has very limited upside for power but does possess decent speed, which with his typically high contact rates and above-average walk rate leading to a high on-base percentage, could prove dangerous at the big league level. With the addition of Omar Infante in free agency, it's unclear how Colon fits into the Royals' near-term plans.

Taken with the fourth overall pick in the 2010 draft, Colon has yet to impress with his work at the plate even though he had been fast-tracked to Triple-A this past season. He spent most of 2012 at the Double-A level where he hit .289 with five home runs, 12 stolen bases and a .364 OBP over 315 plate appearances, but his lack of power and mediocre speed do not exactly scream upside. On the plus side, he does not strike out very often and he has an above-average walk rate, so he should be able to maintain strong on-base totals even at the higher levels. He will begin the season in the minors as the Royals plan to try him out at second base with Alcides Escobar firmly entrenched at shortstop, but whether it is at Triple or Double-A will be determined by how the big league keystone job pans out and where he will be able to log the most playing time at the position.

After a promising debut at High-A Wilmington, Colon fell flat at Double-A Northwest Arkansas as he produced a .257/.325/.342 batting line with eight home runs and 17 stolen bases. For most shortstops those numbers might be acceptable, but Colon was the fourth overall pick in the 2010 draft, so expectations are elevated. He'll need to develop more power or speed if he's going to become a legitimate fantasy prospect. At 22 years old, there's still time, but Colon will need to get moving quick. A move to second base could be in the works with Alcides Escobar locked in a short in Kansas City, but the Royals have at least one more year of development before Colon is on their radar.

The fourth overall pick in the 2010 draft, Colon held his own in 60 games at High-A Wilmington last season, batting .278/.326/.380. He won't likely begin the this year above Double-A. There has been talk of moving Colon from shortstop to second base as well, though the Royals seem lukewarm about the idea. The trade for shortstop Alcides Escobar will likely have KC at least entertaining the idea of shifting Colon.