Vinnie Pasquantino’s Results Are Finally Matching His Process
Vinnie Pasquantino is producing at a really solid level for the Kansas City Royals, but that didn't always appear to be the case on the surface.
Through 16 games (66 plate appearances), Pasquantino was hitting just .182 with an 87 wRC+. He accompanied those stats with a .127 ISO and a .309 SLG — far from what the Royals were expecting to see when they called him up on June 28. Despite having a solid process and hitting the ball hard, the results weren't showing for the 'Italian Nightmare.'
Since then, however, things have been looking way up for him.
In his last 25 games, Pasquantino's batting average is .305 and his wRC+ is 144. His power production is shining through as well, as he's added five home runs, a .211 ISO and a .516 SLG during that span as well. The game is beginning to slow down for Pasquantino, and he's emerged as one of the best hitters in the Royals' lineup. It's still very early in his rookie campaign, though, so what should realistic expectations be?
FanGraphs projects a 129 wRC+ and a .269/.340/.475 slash line over the rest of the season, and the Royals would certainly take that. A lot of Pasquantino's early struggles simply came from small sample size noise and some rotten luck, so he's a good candidate to be a productive hitter for the remainder of the year. Sustaining that .305 average and 144 wRC+ is unlikely, but Pasquantino's overall approach at the plate gives him a relatively high floor over an extended period of time.
Heading into play on Sunday, per the Royals' pregame notes, Pasquantino had recorded the second-most outs of 350 feet or more since making his big-league debut. He'd have double-digit home runs if he played in some other smaller parks. His average exit velocity is 11th in the American League, per Baseball Savant. Among all players with at least 100 batted ball events, his barrel-per-plate-appearance rate (Brls/PA%) ranks in the 92nd percentile in all of baseball. Pasquantino has been making extremely loud contact, and that seems mostly replicable moving forward.
The other elements of Pasquantino's game that can't be ignored are his abilities to draw walks and limit strikeouts. Of all current Royals players with at least 100 plate appearances this season, he's second in BB% (10.0%) behind only MJ Melendez. (Nick Pratto is ahead of Pasquantino but is only at 95 plate appearances and both Carlos Santana and Andrew Benintendi have been traded.) Additionally, under those same parameters, Pasquantino is tied with Nicky Lopez for the lowest K% (14.1%) on the team. Across his entire minor league career, Pasquantino walked 12.1% of the time while striking out at a 13.2% clip. This isn't a hot streak: it's simply who he is.
When you think about a player who combines a patient and mature approach at the plate with truly impressive raw power and the ability to hit the ball hard consistently, you don't arrive at the destination of Pasquantino's first few weeks. You likely arrive at the tear he's been on since mid-July, and for good reason. It remains to be seen whether his fortunes will turn back around or how legit this new level of productivity is but if the numbers do fade in the future, they shouldn't be gone for long.
It's finally happening. Vinnie Pasquantino is here to stay, and the stats are beginning to show it. The results are starting to match the process.
