|
 |
 |
Once again in 2026 the Royals offense got off to an abysmal start, driven mostly by abject failure with runners in scoring position. Over the first two months of the season the Royals offense was ranked 26th out of 30 with an 88 WRC+. Since June 1st they rank 13th with a WRC+ of 107.
Sadly, games in April and May still count and for the season Royals hitters have combined for a 95 WRC+, 21st out of 30 teams. Despite the fences being moved in at the K they have hit only 97 home runs, a total that ranks 25th in the game. The fact that their team batting average of .246 ranks 10th is more an indictment of the modern game than a trophy for Alec Zumwalt’s mantle.
Let’s grade the hitters ….
It’s hard to say that Bobby Baseball is having a bit of a down year when he leads the American League with 4.8 bWAR, but that’s kind of how it feels. It’s unfair to Witt, but his incredible 2024 season set the bar so high that even hitting .286 with a team-leading .816 OPS leaves the fans wanting more. I think that is mostly due to his sporadic power this year.
Witt has 13 HRs putting him on pace for about 22 on the season. He’s had stretches as long as 27 games without a homer. His SLG is .461, down 40 points from 2025 and 127 points from that MVP caliber 2024 season.
Am I worried about Bobby Witt Jr’s physical tools and performance? No I am not. Am I worried about the cumulative effect of losing on his frustration level and mental approach? Yes, yes I am. The last thing you want is your franchise player counting the days until he can get out of town.
Jac Caglianone B+
Cags is hitting .260 with a .782 OPS and a team-leading 15 HRs. Like most KC hitters he has been streaky. Cags started June with a 9 game stretch where he went 16-30 (.533) with 3 HR, 8 RBI, and 5 walks. In the 27 games since then he’s hitting .225 with 5 walks and 35 strikeouts. His strikeout rate for the season has ballooned to 29.2%, 7 points higher than his very bad rookie season. The walk rate (7.2%) is down from 2025. I’ll be watching Cags closely in the second half.
Carter Jensen B
The 22 year old catcher leads the Royals with 49 RBI. He’s batting .236 with a .724 OPS and 13 HR. If I told you before the season that Jensen and Lane Thomas would have the same OPS at the All Star break, would you think Carter was having a good year? Jensen is going in to the second half of the season ice cold, he’s hitting .132 with a preposterously low .451 OPS in the month of July. Here’s Carter talking with MLB Network about his first half….
Lane Thomas B
Pressed into regular duty in CF after Kyle Isbel’s injury, Thomas has been decent for the Royals. He came to KC with the reputation of raking left-handed pitching, and he has .272 with a .372 SLG and .427 SLG against southpaws in 2026. Overall he’s hitting .234 with a .724 OPS. He’s produced 7 HR and 31 RBI. Royals fans should hope Thomas goes on a tear in the next two weeks to bolster his trade value.
Michael Massey B-
Massey has hit .260 with a .722 OPS in the first half. Massey doesn’t walk much (5.7%) and that is reflected in a sub-par .299 on base percentage. He continues to provide outstanding defense at second base, Massey is tied for third among all second basemen with 8 Outs Above Average. Most importantly, he’s been healthy.
Isaac Collins C+
The beginning of his Royals tenure was rough for Isaac Collins. He did not look comfortable at all in LF at the K, and his OPS was hovering in the low 600’s. Since June 1st Collins has picked it up at the plate, he’s hitting .273 with a .360 OPS and .427 SLG over that span.
Vinnie Pasquantino D
The Pasquatch is a notorious slow starter, but in 2026 we did not see his customary surge in May. I think you can probably attribute some of that to the hamate bone issue that landed him on the injured list for several weeks. He’s only played in two games since returning, going 1-7.
Vinnie’s power seems to have deserted him, and he’s been howlingly bad against lefties (BA .145, OPS .401). Hamate injuries can be really tough to bounce back from, hopefully we’ll see some positive signs from Vinnie in the second half.
Maikel Garcia D-
If you know what the hell is going on with Garcia please let me know. He went on the 10 day injured list June 23rd with a mysterious muscle in his left hand and evidently dropped off the face of the earth. The Royals haven’t updated his status in almost two weeks. Here is what they said about Garcia on July 4th…
Before the injury Garcia was seriously underperforming expectations for a guy coming off an All-Star berth and $57M contract extension. He’s hitting .261 with only 3 HR and an OPS of .693. I’ve made clear before my concerns with Garcia’s attitude and effort level, nothing I’ve seen so far in 2026 has disabused me of those concerns.
Salvador Perez F
2026 has been one kick in the nuts after another for Royals fans. For me, nothing has been worse or more excruciating than watching Father Time finally run down Salvador Perez. It’s been awful. Perez is hitting .209 with a .593 OPS that is the second worst in baseball among qualified hitters. He has 11 HR on the season, but only 2 in his last 37 games. He only needs 4 more to break George Brett’s career record of 317, but now I’m starting to wonder if he gets it done in 2026.
I sure hope he does, because as things stand right now I’m not interested in seeing Salvy out there in 2027. He’s under contract for next season, but my goodness how much worse will things get when he’s another year older? I don’t want to watch that. I think there’s a decent chance Perez retires after this season unless he really heats up in the second half. His Baseball Savant page says it all, nary a glimmer of red to be found…
The Bench Guys
With Garcia on the shelf, Nick Loftin has been pressed into everyday duty at third base. Loftin is hitting .246 with a .750 OPS that is third best among Royal regulars. He’s had some big moments as a pinch hitter as well, but the defense is very bad. Let’s give Loftin a C.
If you asked me who had the highest OPS of any Royal hitter with over 50 at-bats, I would probably not guess Tyler Tolbert. Thanks to his crazy MLB record-tying 12-12 stretch, Tolbert is hitting .370 with a .907 OPS. I really don’t know what to make of the guy. He’s got blazing speed and the baserunning instincts of a water buffalo. The acronym TOOTBLAN was made for Tolbert. I’d like to give him a D, but how can you do that to a guy who is the only player other than Roberto Clemente to have back-to-back 5-5 games? Tolbert gets a B-.
Free-agent acquisition Starling Marte has appeared in less than half of the games so far in 2026, hitting .268 with a .658 OPS. Like Thomas he was brought in primarily to provide veteran presence and to hit against left-handed pitching. He’s done the first part very well, his teammates rave about him in the clubhouse. The second part has been a mixed bag….his average against LHP is a respectable .274 but 21 of his 23 hits against southpaws have been singles resulting in a microscopic .298 SLG. Marte gets a C.
Up Next
The Royals resume action tonight with a 3 game home series against the San Diego Padres. The Padres are 48-48 in the tough NL West that puts them almost as far out of first place (12.5 games) as the Royals are in the AL Central. Their offense has struggled mightily, the Padres are tied for last in baseball with a team WRC+ of 90. First baseman and notorious Royal-killer Ty France leads San Diego with an .815 OPS.
When I say Royal-killer, I mean it. In 39 career games against KC France is hitting .368 with 8 bombs and a 1.049 OPS. France has really raked Michael Wacha, he’s 12-28 against the Royals likely starter Saturday night.
The San Diego rotation ranks 27th with a 4.78 ERA and 25th with a 1.59 WHIP. The Royals better get to San Diego early, because lurking at the back end of their bullpen is the best closer in baseball, Mason Miller. Miller leads the National League with 25 saves and sports a 0.91 ERA and microscopic 0.782 WHIP.
Here are the pitching matchups for the series
Tonight - RHP Seth Lugo (3-6, 4.56) vs RHP Michael King (6-7, 3.41)
In 6 career starts against Kansas City King has a 3.32 ERA, striking out 15 and walking 5. The only Royals with more than 3 ABs against him are Bobby Witt Jr. (2-7) and Salvador Perez (2-10).
Saturday - TBD vs RHP Griffin Canning (1-7, 6.47)
The Royals haven’t announced a starter for tomorrow night’s game, but I don’t see any reason it shouldn’t be Michael Wacha. Yes he threw one inning on Tuesday night in the ASG, but unless there is an unannounced injury I expect Wacha to go.
Canning’s numbers this year are stinky, but he’s been good in the past (2-1, 1.48 ERA) against Kansas City. The Royals haven’t seen him since 2024 when he pitched for the Angels.
Sunday - LHP Noah Cameron (5-7, 4.89) vs RHP German Marquez (4-2, 5.18)
Marquez made three starts against the Royals during his long tenure with the Colorado Rockies and they didn’t go particularly well. He gave up 11 earned runs over 19 innings (6.19 ERA) in those starts along with 3 HRs. When I say “long tenure”, I mean it. In Marquez’s first career start against the Royals he faced a lineup including names like Merrifield, Cain, Hosmer, and Escobar. He’s been around a while.
This is generally the place I tell you what the Royals need to do in the series to get back on track, but that ship has sailed. There’s a cool BWJ bobblehead giveaway each night, so why not head out to the K and take in some ball? I’ll be there on Sunday, hoping to see the Royals wrap up a sweep of San Diego.
As always thank you for reading and sharing the Diamond Chronicles!
| ||||||||||
