Royals Recent Offensive Struggles In Key Area Could Be Playoff Achilles Heel
The Kansas City Royals are going to make the playoffs, and that's cause for celebration.
Entering play Monday, the Royals were 82-68, putting them 2 1/2 games clear of the struggling Minnesota Twins for the second Wild Card spot, and five games clear of the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners for a playoff spot. ESPN gives them a 97.0% chance to make the postseason.
Coming off a brutal 106-loss 2023 season, this campaign has already been an enormous success for second-year manager Matt Quatraro's club. Bobby Witt Jr. has emerged as a Most Valuable Player candidate, the pitching staff has been shockingly dominant, and the future looks bright in K.C.
However, a recent trend has emerged with the Royals' offense, and it's not a positive one. It also correlates almost exactly with the injury to star first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, who is out until at least early October with a fractured thumb.
According to Anne Rogers of MLB.com, the Royals rank 25th in batting average (.212), slugging percentage (.323), and OPS (.601) with runners in scoring position since Sept. 1. That's a troublesome concern, especially considering the success they had had all season to that point.
The Royals ranked first in average (.291), second in OPS (.828), and third in slugging (.468) in RISP situations through Aug. 31, per Rogers.
It's not only a concerning trend because the playoffs are approaching, but also because of the timing of when the trend began.
Pasquantino's injury occurred on Aug. 29, right as the Royals' seven-game losing streak was ramping up. The Royals may be "only" 7-8 since the injury, but they're scoring just four runs per game in that stretch. The offense is petering out at a time it should be kicking into high gear.
Their playoff spot may be secure, but the Royals would be wise to spend whatever extra time they need in the cages before October to make sure their collective RISP woes don't continue. Hitting in pressure-packed moments can't be your weakness in a month that's all about those moments.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org