The boys are puttin’ ball in play.
The Royals surprised the baseball world with post-season runs in 2014 and 2015 with a pretty novel formula at the time - play outstanding defense, put the ball in play and wreak havoc on the bases, and have a shutdown bullpen to protect the lead. While the bullpen still has a long way to go before they are HDH, this year the defense has gotten back to elite levels. But this year’s club is starting to copy the championship Royals in another way - they are getting back to a high-contact approach.
The 2015 Royals were one of the best contact teams ever. They put the ball in play and made things happen, and eventually, their opponents usually screwed things up (looking at you, Carlos Correa/Jose Bautista/Yoenis Cespedes/Lucas Duda)
If you’ve watched the 2024 version, you have probably noticed they’re doing the same thing. The White Sox boot the ball, leading to a big inning. Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. misses a throw at first and it leads to a big rally. Michael Massey hits a line drive off Tigers pitcher Reese Olson, and catcher Jake Rogers flips it to no one at third base, allowing a run to score.
This year’s Royals have the second-lowest strikeout rate in baseball behind only the Astros. It’s early, but it would be their lowest strikeout rate since they won it all in 2015.
We knew Vinnie Pasquantino had a high-contact approach - he has the ninth-lowest strikeout rate in baseball and the sixth-highest contact rate, but those are in line with what he’s done in past seasons. The big improvements have come from Salvador Perez, who has cut his strikeout rate from 23.3 percent to 16.6 percent, and Bobby Witt Jr., who has slashed his strikeout rate from 21.4 percent his rookie season to 17.4 percent last year, and just 16.5 percent this year.
Pitchers have been unable to put Royals hitters away. They have the best OPS in baseball with two strikes against them (.185/.255/.310). They’re also the best-hitting team in baseball when the pitcher is ahead, batting .243/.245/.378.
But this year’s Royals differ from the 2015 version in some respects. The 2015 team had some power, but ultimately finished with the eighth-fewest home runs. This year’s team isn’t just slapping at the ball (although they are fifth in baseball with 43 infield hits), they are hitting the ball hard. They have a 40.9 percent hard-hit rate, good for fifth in baseball, compared to just 32.3 percent in 2015. Bobby and Salvy are each among the top 20 hitters in baseball, but even guys like Vinnie and Maikel Garcia are stinging the ball at a higher rate.
The result has been a team that has been able to string together big innings and “keep the line moving” as they did in 2015. They’ve been able to come up in clutch situations as one of the best-hitting teams with runners in scoring position. They’ve done a lot of their damage late in games, by making hard contact.
The offense still has some flaws. J.J. Picollo has been public about his desire to see more “on-base” in the lineup. The production from the outfielders collectively has been the worst in baseball. But overall the Royals are eighth in baseball in runs scored, right behind the big-dollar Yankees lineup. This team has a lineup that can take different approaches - hit home runs, but also play small ball if they need to. That’s a team that can better withstand dry spells and come up with offense when it's needed most - in October.
