Royals Trio Of Sluggers Recognized On Exclusive MLB Top 50 Hitters List
A thrilling 2024 season for the Kansas City Royals is nearing its dramatic finish.
With a cushy five-game advantage over their Wild Card pursuers, the Royals should be back in the playoffs for the first time since their World Series championship in 2019. A season after losing 106 games, Kansas City has shocked most baseball fans with their success in 2024.
A key reason for the Royals' impending playoff berth has been the star power in their lineup. That earned them national recognition on an exclusive list of the game's top batsmen this year.
On Friday, Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly included Royals stars Vinnie Pasquantino, Salvador Perez, and Bobby Witt Jr. on the site's Top 50 hitters list for the 2024 season.
Pasquantino, who recently underwent surgery to repair a fractured thumb and won't return during the regular season, had a strong year with 19 home runs, 97 RBI, and a .760 OPS/110 OPS+. The Royals hope to have him back at some point in the playoffs.
"Though he's currently on the injured list with a right thumb fracture, Pasquantino deserves to be on this list. He's driven in 97 runs this season and has an MLB-best 13 sacrifice flies," Kelly said.
Perez, who is now 34 and is the last remaining member of the 2015 World Series team, came in at number 33. He has the second-highest OPS among all qualified catchers at .815. He's also racked up 148 hits, 26 homers, and 101 RBI.
"Perez remains one of the best-hitting catchers in the sport for a Kansas City team that looks like it could finally return to the postseason. The four-time Silver Slugger Award winner has clubbed 26 home runs and driven in 101 runs," Kelly said.
Witt, who many believe will finish second behind the New York Yankees' Aaron Judge in Most Valuable Player voting, came in at number four. He's been the second-most valuable player in all of baseball by WAR as well, with 9.0 as of Friday afternoon.
"In just about any other year, Witt would be cruising to an AL MVP. Even when you don't consider his Gold Glove-caliber defense, Witt leads all of baseball in batting average (.333), hits (195) and runs scored (120). He also has 30 homers and 99 RBI for good measure," Kelly said.
Having great hitters helps a team pursue championships, and the Royals are lucky to have a few at their disposal. We'll have to see if it's enough to land them another World Series ring in 2024.
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JACKSON ROBERTS
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