In my post yesterday, I looked at four Royals non-roster invitees who have gotten off to encouraging starts in Spring Training.
In today’s post, I will look at four Royals players on the 40-man roster who have started off slow in the Cactus League as of Sunday, March 3rd. Granted, Cactus League performance must always be taken with a grain of salt. When it comes to veterans, it typically is about focusing on processes rather than performance.
That said, should some of the rough performances we have seen thus far this spring be a reason for worry for Royals fans? Or is it just a blip that will be corrected by Opening Day on March 28th?
Let’s look at two hitters and two pitchers who have been struggling and what Royals fans should take away from each of their Cactus League starts individually.
*All Cactus League stats as of March 3rd.
Garrett Hampson, UT
2024 Cactus League stats: 15 AB; .133/.188/.267; .455 OPS; 2 2B; 1 BB; 7 K.
Hampson leads all Royals hitters in at-bats this spring in Cactus League (actually, he’s tied for first with Nelson Velazquez). The Royals acquired Hampson to be a “super utility” player who can play multiple positions in the infield and outfield in 2024. While his deal was an inexpensive one (only one year, $2 million), many Royals fans wondered why JJ Picollo would acquire Hampson when options like Nick Loftin and Samad Taylor existed on the 40-man roster at the time (Taylor was eventually traded away to Seattle).
Hampson has played a lot this spring in the outfield, particularly in center field, which is surprising considering that he mostly played in the infield with the Marlins in 2023.
According to Savant, he played 317 innings in the infield (2B, 3B, and SS) compared to 254 innings in the outfield (CF, RF, LF). This spring with the Royals, though, most of Hampson’s innings have been in center field, which hints that the Royals may consider him as an option at that position on days when the Royals are facing left-handed starting pitchers (which in turn would send Kyle Isbel to the bench).
Manager Matt Quatraro is likely giving Hampson a lot of playing time to ensure he can get comfortable playing multiple positions in the infield and outfield in 2024. Hampson has shown to be solid in the outfield in the past, as he posted +3 OAA in 2020 and +6 OAA in 2021, with the Rockies at the center field position. While he has regressed a bit over the past two years (-1 OAA in 2022 and 2023 combined), that position may be his best spot defensively in the outfield, which will be important considering the challenges of Kauffman Stadium’s outfield dimensions.
Royals fans shouldn’t be as worried about Hampson’s defense. Rather, it’s his bat that has been inconsistent over his career. While he did post a 101 wRC+ with the Marlins last year, according to Fangraphs, he posted three straight seasons of a 64 wRC+ from 2019 to 2021 and in 2022 he sported a 54 wRC+, which led to him being non-tendered by the Rockies following that year.
Hampson has gotten off to a slow start in Cactus League play this year, as he only has two hits in 15 at-bats. That also includes 7 strikeouts to only one walk, which results in a BB/K ratio of 0.14. Hampson has a history of questionable plate discipline (career BB/K ratio of 0.30), so this isn’t an encouraging spring start, especially with Loftin looking much better at the plate (.300 average; 2:1 BB/K ratio).
Even though Hampson isn’t off to a good start, it’s unlikely that he’s a candidate to be cut from the Opening Day roster. Hampson has a guaranteed deal and no Minor League options remaining. That pretty much guarantees him a spot on the active roster, even if he may not be the best option in the utility role in the long term.
That said, the short-term and cheap nature of Hampson’s deal makes him an early DFA candidate should this spring carry over into the regular season. If Hampson’s posting similar numbers in April and May, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him off the 40-man roster by June, ala Hunter Dozier in 2023 and Chris Owings in 2019.
Nelson Velazquez, OF
2024 Cactus League stats: 15 AB; .133/.188/.133; .321 OPS; 1 BB; 3 K.
Velazquez came over from the Cubs in a Trade Deadline deal that sent reliever Jose Cuas to Chicago. It ended up being a huge boost for the Royals, as the former Cubs prospect mashed down the stretch in Kansas City.
In 40 games and 147 plate appearances with the Royals, Velazquez collected 14 home runs and 28 RBIs and posted an OPS of .878. Thus, it’s not surprising that Velazquez entered Spring Training as a favorite to be the Royals’ Opening Day right fielder or designated hitter, even after the acquisition of Hunter Renfroe.
Renfroe hasn’t seen much time in the lineup this spring, as he has been dealing with a minor back issue (though he did make his debut a couple of games ago). As a result, Velazquez has been getting a lot of plate appearances and innings in the outfield.
Unfortunately, the results haven’t been stellar in Cactus League play.
Much like Hampson, Velazquez only has two hits in 15 at-bats. Unlike the new Royals utility man, he hasn’t collected an extra-base hit yet this spring. The strikeouts aren’t as bad as Hampson’s (3 K; 0.33 BB/K ratio). That said, the former Cub has a history of struggling with strikeouts and plate discipline. Last year, he sported a K rate of 28.5% and a BB/K ratio of 0.27 between the Cubs and Royals combined.
If Velazquez is sporting big-fly consistency, then the Royals can live with those high-strikeout numbers. On the flip side, if the power isn’t there, then it’s harder to justify regular at-bats for Velazquez, especially since he struggles to hit for average and he’s mediocre defensively.
Much like Hampson, it seems unlikely that Velazquez is in danger of losing a spot on the Opening Day roster, especially with Renfroe’s injury concerns. However, Velazquez does have a Minor League option remaining, and Nick Pratto has gotten off to a strong start this spring (.364 average; 1.053 OPS).
If Pratto sees more time in the outfield in Cactus League play, it could be a sign that Pratto could leapfrog Velazquez on the Opening Day roster if things don’t get better for Velazquez at the plate.
Jake Brentz, LHP
2024 Cactus League stats: 3 G; 2.1 IP; 19.29 ERA; 4.71 WHIP; 8 BB; 5 K.
Brentz hasn’t pitched in nearly two years, so it makes sense that he’s struggling this spring and showing a lot of rust. Nonetheless, for a player the Royals gave a guaranteed deal to last offseason, it’s been surprising to see Brentz flounder so much to begin Cactus League play.
Brentz has a history of struggling with command and control, as he sported a walk rate of 13.3% and a K/BB ratio of 2.05 during his last full season in 2021. Unfortunately for Brentz, this spring has been no different thus far.
In three games, Brentz has walked three more batters than he’s struck out, and as a result, he’s given up five runs in 2.1 innings of work this spring. The 29-year-old lefty also has given up a home run and three hits, which shows that it’s not just finding the strike zone that’s a problem but also locating within it.
The Royals lack left-handed bullpen options, so there is an opportunity for Brentz to nab a spot in the bullpen as a low-leverage reliever this spring. The only real competition on the 40-man roster is Josh Taylor, returning this spring after missing most of the 2023 season due to injury. Taylor had looked much better than Brentz in Cactus League play, as he hasn’t allowed a run or walk in three innings of work (though he has given up four hits and has only struck out one).
In addition to Taylor, Brentz has also gotten some competition from Walter Pennington and Evan Sisk this spring, who both primarily pitched in Omaha last year.
Pennington sports strong strikeout potential, while Sisk is more of a groundball-inducing arm. Brentz possesses more upside than either but is more unpredictable, especially with his control issues.
It seems likely that Brentz will begin the year in Omaha, especially since he still has three Minor League options remaining. That could benefit both the Royals and Brentz. With less pressure, Brentz can continue working on his development immediately, and the Royals can utilize someone more polished in the bullpen.
On the other hand, if the control doesn’t get better, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Pennington or Sisk perhaps take his 40-man spot by June or July.
Seth Lugo, RHP
2024 Cactus League stats: 2 G; 4.1 IP; 10.38 ERA; 2.08 WHIP; 3 BB; 4 K.
Lugo was one of the Royals’ biggest free-agent acquisitions this offseason. After the Royals rotation struggled in 2023, Picollo added Lugo (as well as former teammate Michael Wacha) to help solidify the pitching staff and put less pressure on the Royals’ young arms to carry the team in the 2024 season (i.e., Cole Ragans and Brady Singer).
After pitching primary in relief with the Mets from 2018 to 2022, Lugo returned to a starting role in 2023 with the Padres. He had a solid season, as he posted a 3.57 ERA and accumulated a 2.8 fWAR in 26 starts and 146.1 IP, according to Fangraphs. The biggest reason the Royals acquired Lugo on a multi-year deal was that Lugo has limited his walks over his career, which was evident by his 3.89 K/BB ratio with the Padres in 2023.
The 34-year-old right-hander made only two starts this spring but had a nightmare outing against Cleveland on Saturday. He gave up five runs on five hits, including three home runs, against a Guardians lineup that ranked near the bottom of the league last year in home runs hit.
While Lugo struggled against Cleveland, it also sounded like the velocity was strong in the outing, which explains why he could still get three strikeouts on Saturday.
The concerning part about Lugo’s start was that his breaking stuff wasn’t clicking as normal against the Guardians. On the game’s radio broadcast, Royals commentators Steve Stewart and Jake Eisenberg mentioned that Lugo wasn’t getting the break on the curve he normally wants. Thus, it could’ve been Lugo testing out something new with a grip, and Cleveland hitters were taking advantage.
I don’t think Royals fans should panic by any means. The fact that Lugo was hitting 96 MPH with his fastball is a good sign that the stuff is still there. It will be interesting to see how the curve progresses in his next outings this spring.
Will the spin and break return? If it does, Lugo should be right back on track.
If it doesn’t, one has to wonder if he’ll maybe utilize some different pitches at the beginning of the regular season until he figures it out.
Photo Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
The Royals Reporter 
[…] As I mentioned yesterday, we haven’t been impressed with Garrett Hampson and his slow start at the plate. On the flip side, we both really liked what Nick Loftin was doing at the plate. Due to Loftin having a Minor League option, Loftin may likely be the odd man out (especially with Hampson having none remaining). However, a strong spring and April could mean a Loftin call-up by May or June at the latest. […]
LikeLike
[…] Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter writes about Royals players off to slow starts this spring. […]
LikeLike
[…] O’Brien covers four Royals who are off to a slow start this spring: “The concerning part about Lugo’s start was that his breaking stuff wasn’t clicking as […]
LikeLike