The last game of the 2017 season was the “royal” sendoff for the core of the club that reached two World Series. Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas, Alcides Escobar and Jason Vargas were toasted as departing heroes. Tears were shed at the perceived end of an era.

How are those players doing today, and how does the Royals’ replacement plan look? This week, I’m taking a look at each of the five players celebrated on the last day of 2017 and what the Royals are doing at their respective positions:

Read Monday’s look at Eric Hosmer and the Royals’ plan to replace him.

Tuesday – Alcides Escobar, SS: When the Royals said goodbye to Escobar last October, no one really believed he would attract much attention as a free agent. Therefore it wasn’t much of a surprise that he was available at a bargain basement price.

But it was disappointing that he was brought back because (apparently) the club didn’t believe Adalberto Mondesi was ready to replace him. Escobar wore fans out by getting all of the starts at short through the All-Star break. Finally Mondesi was given a shot, and he displayed the potential the Royals had hoped for.

Escobar played 140 games, coming to the plate 485 times. But in seasons past, he has averaged 598 at bats per season, playing essentially every game.

Mondesi played in 75 games, coming to the plate 275 times. His combination of power and speed is shocking. He hit 14 homers, many of which traveled more than 400 feet, and he stole 32 bases, in less than half a season.

Projected out to an Escobar-like 600 at bats, Mondesi would have hit about 30 homers and steal 70 bases this season. No one with 30 homers has ever stolen more than 52 (Barry Bonds in 1990).

There are still some issues Mondesi will have to work through. Like Escobar, Mondesi has yet to figure out how to get on base consistently enough. Mondesi’s on-base percentage in 2017 (.306) isn’t enough better than Esky’s anemic .279 in 5,307 career at bats as a Royal. And unlike Escobar, Mondesi is striking out way too much. His rate of a strikeout every 3.57 at bats is not just worse than Esky’s rate of one every 6.8 at bats, it’s cause of considerable alarm.

But the upside is off the charts. Escobar hit 36 homers in eight seasons as a Royal. He averaged a home run every 130 at bats. This season, Mondesi hit a homer once every 19.6 at bats.

In less than half a year, Mondesi produced a crazy 3.2 WAR. Escobar has been below 0.6 WAR each of the past four seasons. The Royals must be licking their chops over Mondesi’s potential and will see a huge upgrade at the shortstop position moving forward.