The Royals are underperforming for a second straight season. Someone needs to be held accountable.
Just about a month ago, I sat here and told you the Royals offense was still bad, after being bad for most of last season, and that hitting coach Alec Zumwalt needed to go. A month later, the Royals are in no better position, and they are bad at EVERYTHING.
They are 20-29, tied for last in the division, with the injury-ravaged Tigers. They are the fourth-worst team in all of baseball. They have lost 8 of their last 9 contests. The Boston Red Sox fired their manager, hitting coach, third-base coach, bench coach, assistant hitting coach, and hitting strategy coach after a 10-17 start. And that’s a franchise that has been far better than the Royals the last decade. They now have a better record than Kansas City after walking into Kauffman Stadium and outclassing the Royals for two straight games.
What has gone wrong this season? First off, the offense is still bad, but even when the offense produces, they are one of the worst teams in the league on the bases. They have been caught stealing 15 times, fourth-most in the league. They have been picked off seven times, fifth-most in the league. They have run into outs on the bases 19 times this season, fourth-most in the league. That is 41 outs given away in just 49 games.
And it’s not just this season. Last year, they were picked off 21 times (leading the league), were caught stealing 42 times (fifth-most), and ran into 39 outs on the bases. Who do you hold accountable for that? Vance Wilson? Damon Hollins? Maybe. It has to be someone, right? The team can barely do anything on offense anyways and when they have opportunities, they run themselves out of them. At some point, repeated baserunning mistakes stop being a player issue and become an organizational issue.
Defensively, they have some very good individual defenders like Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia, and Kyle Isbel. But I don’t know how many times I’ve seen Lane Thomas slide for a ball this year and it clank off his glove for a hit, at least three or four? In last night’s game against Boston, he batted twice against a righty, why didn’t Isbel pinch hit either of those times? He is a Gold Glove-caliber centerfielder!
The lineup decisions have been even harder to understand. Continuing to bat Pasquantino and Perez third and fourth every night has become impossible to justify. They are two of the worst hitters in all of baseball. Among 173 qualified hitters, Vinnie Pasquantino ranks 161st by wRC+, Salvador Perez ranks 165th. Salvy is obviously a legend and future Royals Hall of Famer, but he desperately needs to be moved down in the order.
Jac Caglianone was drafted sixth overall in 2024 but is apparently already a platoon bat. Cags is 6-for-35 (.171) against lefties this season, with three extra-base hits. Carter Jensen, who is only 22 years old and a local kid is also getting the same treatment. He is 7-for-34 (.206) with two extra-base hits against lefties this season. By the same token, Pasquantino is 6-for-53 (.113) with a singular extra-base hit against lefties.
So who would you rather see against lefties, Carter and Cags? Or Lane Thomas, Starling Marte and Vinnie Pasquantino? I trust the future and seeing what they got and getting them valuable at bats and experience. Who is to be held accountable for these lineups? Quatraro? The front office who is advising Quatraro on lineups? I don’t know but someone needs to be held accountable.
After crushing the ball all day Saturday, including a titanic blast to right for a homer, Cags sits versus Andre Pallante due in part to his reverse splits? (Which is only partially correct, Pallante doesn’t really have much of a split in each of the last two seasons). On top of that, it didn’t apply to Michael Massey and Nick Loftin, as the left-handed Massey still got the start. Or Vinnie, who got the start, despite being 1-for-11 in his career against Pallante going into the contest.
Is president of baseball operations J.J. Picollo to be held accountable for not being as transactional as promised? The minor league teams in Omaha and Northwest Arkansas doesn’t have much immediate help for the Royals, with rosters full of a lot of older guys that are castaways from other organizations. The potential help is currently at the lower levels in Quad Cities or Columbia . In each of the last two off-seasons, there have been opportunities to help lengthen the lineup, and both times, it hasn’t happened. I don’t want to put all the blame on Picollo, sometimes you just get outbid on a guy, but it definitely hurts that not much help has been brought in to surround Bobby Witt Jr.
To be clear, I have watched a lot of bad Royals baseball in my short 22 years. I’ve always been a huge baseball and Royals fan but was too young to truly appreciate the 2014/15 World Series teams. The last two seasons, I have been extremely high on the Royals to take a step forward after the surprising 2024 playoff run. I had them winning 91 games and the division last season. And this season, I had them winning 90 games, the division and getting to the World Series! What a fool I am to have faith and high expectations for this team!
I’m not saying that the Royals should fire one specific person, I am asking for someone to be held accountable for this catastrophe so far. This team had national hype after the World Baseball Classic. People in the business thought this team would take the division. There is too much talent on the team for them to be this bad. Someone has to be held accountable.
We as fans deserve better, Kansas City!
