Raul Mondesi

Position: 2B
Born: 7/27/1995
Height: 6'1
Weight: 185
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Signed as an international free agent (Dominican Republic) on July 27, 2011 (KCR).

Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
CURRENT SEASON STATS: .212 with four homers, 26 RBIs and 16 steals in 60 games between Wilmington (High A), Northwest Arkansas (Double-A) and Omaha (Triple-A).

Info & MLB Debut Date
Recalled from Omaha July 26 when OF Whit Merrifield was sent down.
MLB Debut Date: 7/26/2016

Debut Details
July 26, in a 13-0 loss to the Angels. The starting second baseman, he batted ninth and went 0-for-3 with an error. In his first regular season at-bat against Angels starter Tyler Skaggs, he lined out to center field in the third inning. In the fifth, he lined into a 9-6 double play and in the eighth, he grounded out to first base. (Just for the record? In his actual-debut debut in the World Series, in Game 3 on October 30 against the New York Mets, he pinch-hit for Danny Duffy in the fifth inning and struck out swinging against Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard.)

Player Notes
Mondesi, who signed on the dotted line with the Kansas City Royals on his 16th birthday (not that they were waiting for that day or anything), is sort of a debutante with an asterisk. The powers-that-be here at 2080 debated his inclusion in this package because while it’s technically his MLB ‘regular season’ debut, it’s not really his debut. That’s because (if you’ve been living under a rock or just discovered this thing called baseball this year) last fall he became the first player to ever make his big league debut in the World Series, when he was added to the roster for that last round against the Mets and had one at-bat in Game 3.). While we’re at it, let’s also clarify another popular misconception or, perhaps better put, misnomer. He is NOT “Raul Mondesi Jr.” though you will see him referred to as such in many publications and websites. He IS indeed the 13-year big league veteran’s son, and his name is Raul Mondesi, but so is Mondesi Sr.’s older son, Raul Mondesi Jr. (who played in the low minors of the Brewers system from 2010-2012). This next son is Raul Adalberto Mondesi, but not a junior. Apparently, Raul Sr. simply likes naming his sons after himself. Hey, it worked for George Foreman five times in a row. Mondesi Not. Jr. spent the majority of the 2015 season at Northwest Arkansas where he batted .243 in 81 games, adding six homers, 33 RBIs and 19 steals. This year his numbers were limited and low before his promotion due to being on the sidelines for 50 games due to a suspension for PEDs, but the punishment was reduced from 80 games because he came clean, and had ingested the drugs taking over-the-counter cold medicines (it can happen to the best of us – colds kick out butts). Despite his shining brightly as a shortstop in the minors, it looks like he’ll be at second base with the defending World Champions for a while and despite making an error in his debut, look for him to be golden there as well as he acclimates because the talent is clearly there.

2080 Notes
Mondesi checked in at No. 16 on our Preseason Top 125 Prospect Ranking List and here’s what we had to say about him at the time: “Mondesi’s been pushed aggressively through the Royals’ system, but rightfully so. He has borderline elite speed, is a plus defender, and has the quality upside of an all-star shortstop at the plate. Some adjustments in approach, and some added strength could provide dividends as he continues his advancement through the upper minors this year.” We’ve had a pair of Prospect Spotlights run on Mondesi and you can read both here from different pairs of eyes. You can check out our Prospect Spotlights on Mondesi here and here.