GM: Royals Focusing on Relievers, Outfield Bats

The Royals have been one in all baseball’s greatest turnaround tales in 2024, presently sitting 9 video games over .500 and in possession of the second Wild Card spot within the American League. At 5 video games again of the division-leading Guardians and a half-game up on the third-place Twins, they’re in a tightly contested race for his or her division as nicely.

Royals normal supervisor J.J. Picollo joined Jayson Stark and Doug Glanville on The Windup podcast yesterday to debate an aggressive offseason that noticed Kansas Metropolis signal 9 free brokers for greater than $100MM in whole ensures earlier than signing franchise shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to an 11-year, $288.7MM extension. Royals followers, particularly, will need to hearken to the wonderful, roughly 45-minute interview in full to listen to concerning the work to ascertain a brand new id for the group, some inner-workings on that Witt extension and loads of anecdotes stemming from Picollo’s prolonged profession within the business.

However Stark famous late within the dialog that given the Royals’ efficiency and the timing of the chat, he’d be remiss to not inquire concerning the Royals’ deadline wants. Picollo, naturally, didn’t tip his hand in an excessive amount of element however did talk about his want to deepen the bullpen and add a bat that’s able to taking part in each the outfield and the infield in an effort to elongate the lineup.

“A few of our reduction corps is beginning to pitch to the capabilities and skills we’ve seen previously,” Picollo mentioned of his reduction corps. “That’s going to be useful, which is able to assist put items of the puzzle collectively, however getting deeper in our bullpen to come back alongside of these guys, I believe, can be nice. Whether or not or not it’s a more in-depth — that’s going to be very tough for anyone — there’s solely going to be so lots of them, and the competitors will likely be steep. But when we will get deeper and be extra dependable in our bullpen, that might be nice. I’ve talked previously about strikeouts. We’re extra of a matchup bullpen with out essentially the large energy. Now, we do have a pair guys we predict may match the invoice internally however haven’t completed it fairly but.”

The Royals certainly lack the kind of energy arms that proliferate the late innings of contemporary MLB video games. The Kansas Metropolis bullpen’s 93.6 mph common fastball (per Statcast) is tied for fourth-slowest in MLB. The one entrenched Royals relievers who’ve averaged 95 mph or higher on their heater this season are James McArthur and Angel Zerpa. Righties Carlos Hernandez, Dan Altavilla and Will Klein have every averaged 96.7 mph or higher, however none has thrown even six innings with the large league membership.

McArthur, Klein and Hernandez are seemingly among the many names to which Picollo alluded when suggesting that the group has energy arms in home that might ultimately match that invoice however haven’t completed so at a constant stage. Hernandez had an enormous first half in 2023 and averages almost 99 mph on his blazing heater, however has struggled with subpar command and troubles protecting the ball within the park. McArthur had a dominant end in 2023 and an enormous first month in 2024, however he’s sitting on a 7.20 ERA in 15 frames for the reason that calendar flipped to Might. Klein is among the group’s high bullpen prospects however has walked almost 16% of his opponents in Triple-A Omaha this 12 months.

Kansas Metropolis has gotten significantly shaky outcomes from its two free-agent additions to the bullpen. Left-hander Will Smith and righty Chris Stratton each have pitched to ERAs north of 5.00. Stratton’s 29 1/3 innings are tops within the Royals’ bullpen, however he’s strolling a career-worst 15.2% of his opponents and sitting at 92.2 mph together with his heater — his lowest mark since transferring from a beginning position to a bullpen gig again in 2018. Smith’s 91.4 mph fastball velocity can be a career-low, as is that this 12 months’s 17.4% strikeout price.

It’s possible that the Royals might look to improve over both of these veteran additions to the pitching workers. Nevertheless, Stratton signed two-year, $8MM cope with a stunning participant choice standing because the second season of that contract. That would afford him an extended leash, because the Royals know they’re on the hook for $4MM to him subsequent season except he can flip issues round and put himself in place to show down that second-year choice. Smith is on a one-year, $5MM deal however has pitched higher of late, with simply two earned runs allowed over his previous 14 2/3 innings.

With regard to the offense, it appears the Royals are open-minded as to the place a brand new bat might slot into the defensive alignment. Picollo talked about at a number of factors all through the interview that the Royals want extra manufacturing from the outfield — as we recently detailed at length for MLBTR Front Office subscribers — however concentrating on a pure outfielder isn’t essentially set in stone.

“Offensively, you at all times need to add a bat someplace — lengthen your lineup,” the GM defined. “…We have now three or 4 guys which are within the lineup each day, and we combine and match loads, so it doesn’t essentially have to be an outfielder, however someone who might play outfield and infield can be superb. Simply one other bat that we might lengthen our lineup out and get slightly extra manufacturing within the again half of our lineup.”

No group in Main League Baseball has acquired much less manufacturing from its outfield in 2024 than the Royals, whose collective has turned in a .210/.271/.345 batting line. The ensuing 72 wRC+ (indicating they’ve been 28% worse than league-average on the plate) is the bottom within the recreation. Hunter Renfroe, Kyle Isbel and MJ Melendez lead the Royals in outfield appearances, however of the 262 MLB hitters with at the very least 150 plate appearances this season, that trio ranks 218th (Renfroe), 238th (Isbel) and 250th (Melendez) when it comes to wRC+.

The Kansas Metropolis infield has been way more productive, led by the aforementioned Witt, their just lately prolonged famous person shortstop. Witt is a bona fide MVP candidate, whereas second baseman Michael Massey was quietly robust (.294/.306/.529) in 110 plate appearances earlier than touchdown on the IL with a again damage late final month. First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino has been barely higher than common, and whereas third baseman Maikel Garcia hasn’t hit a lot (.247/.299/.365), he’s performed plus protection and offered excellent worth on the basepaths (17-for-17 in steals).

One widespread theme among the many Royals’ high hitters is handedness. Pasquantino is the one wholesome left-handed bat who’s offered even near league-average offense. Melendez, Isbel, Adam Frazier and switch-hitting Drew Waters (who was optioned to Omaha as I wrote this) have all floundered on the plate. Massey, who simply went on a minor league rehab task this week, will add one other fascinating left-handed bat when he returns. Even then, Kansas Metropolis will nonetheless have a predominantly right-handed lineup. Picollo didn’t specify, however including a left-handed bat — or at the very least a switch-hitter who supplies extra from the left facet of the dish — would appear significantly prudent.

Nevertheless issues shake out, Picollo’s feedback clearly underscored a powerful want to proceed the energetic offseason mindset into this 12 months’s deadline. He famous that the followers in Kansas Metropolis should see that stage of aggression however mentioned the motivation is about greater than that.

“I additionally take into consideration the gamers who dedicated to coming to Kansas Metropolis and acquired right into a imaginative and prescient that we had, which included profitable and doubtlessly attending to the playoffs,” mentioned Picollo. “So that you do really feel a necessity to assist complement what we have already got and the motivation that possession had this offseason in signing these gamers.”