One of the more intriguing stories this Spring Training has been the Royals’ decision to work Michael Massey and Maikel Garcia in the outfield. It appears that the Royals want to maximize the athleticism and ability of their two young infielders, and they are at a stage in their development where they are still open to playing multiple new positions at the Major League level.
On Sunday against the Padres, both were in the Royals’ lineup at the top of the batting order and played left and center field, respectively.
Neither player has much experience at the MLB level in the outfield. Massey has never played the outfield in Kansas City since debuting in 2022. Garcia played one game in RF last season, but that was on an emergency end (he only collected one inning at the position).
That said, with Adam Frazier and Garrett Hampson both gone, manager Matt Quatraro is likely looking for players with position flexibility, especially with the arrival of Jonathan India from Cincinnati. Furthermore, the Royals need more production from their outfield in 2025. While there is still hope that MJ Melendez will take another step in his development this year and that Hunter Renfroe can bounce back after a down offensive season in 2024, the Royals must maximize their roster to help in this area.
Can Massey and Garcia not only handle innings in the outfield defensively but also be “solutions” for Quatraro and the Royals roster-wise this season? Let’s dive into the Statcast fielding data and the outlooks for Massey and Garcia, not just this year but beyond.
Will Time in the Outfield Help Massey’s Long-Term Outlook?
Massey emerged as a dependable player for the Royals in 2024 due to his bat.
In 356 plate appearances, he hit .259 with 14 home runs and a .743 OPS. One could argue that Massey was the Royals’ fourth-best hitter last year behind Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, and Salvador Perez.
That said, he only played in 100 regular-season games last season, down from 129 in 2023. A big reason for that was a nagging back injury that landed him on the IL twice. As Anne Rogers wrote about last year, this back issue is something that Massey will likely have to deal with again, not just this year but going forward.
Here’s what she said in the July 4th piece:
Twice this year, Massey has been on the injured list with a lower-back injury, a chronic issue that he’s dealt with before and will likely have to manage. On June 24, he returned to the Royals’ active roster with a caveat: He would only serve as the designated hitter in games until he’s ready to play second base. The reason is because Massey’s point of injury was when he bends forward and backward, not when he’s rotating his back side to side.
The last sentence from that quote really stands out because it suggests that Massey may need to rethink what his fielding role could look like in the Major Leagues long term.
On one end, Massey has taken great strides to improve defensively in his three seasons with the Royals. After posting a -4 OAA in his rookie season in 2022, he produced a +3 OAA in 2023 and a +4 OAA in 2024. Thus, the former Illinois product has seen an 11-out turnaround defensively over the past two seasons since his rough debut campaign.
A move to the outfield could help preserve Massey’s health, especially since bending forward and backward is an issue for his back. While that motion is still inevitable (he’ll have to field groundball base hits, after all), it’s a lot less frequent in the outfield than it is at the keystone position. Massey in the outfield also keeps the designated hitter position open, which the Royals also need for Salvy when he needs a break behind the plate.
OAA plot data via Statcast seems to hint that Massey has the athleticism to handle a move to the outfield. In the chart below, Royals fans can see that Massey was pretty adept in making plays going back in the outfield area last season, especially toward center field.
Massey also seemed to excel on plays toward the hole as a second baseman. He posted his best OAA mark (+3) and success rate (85%) on plays toward the 1B/2B hole last season.
Thus, Massey has the skill set to handle a corner outfield spot in Kansas City at least semi-regularly (with LF being the most likely destination). He has the lateral ability and instincts to make the transition adequately, much like Alex Gordon when the future Royals Hall of Famer went from the hot corner to left field midway through his career.
Massey also hit 14 home runs in 100 games, thus making him a candidate to hit 20+ homers in a single season if he can play closer to 162 games in a given year. That kind of hitting profile certainly sticks for an outfielder.
Seeing time in the outfield could help Massey achieve that goal of playing more games in a season. Not only will that maximize Massey’s overall impact as an MLB player, but it will also improve the Royals’ lineup in 2025 and beyond.
Can Garcia Handle a Utility Role?
While Massey’s possible move to the outfield is fueled by his injury concerns, Garcia’s outfield scenario is fueled by the Royals’ desire to maximize his utility as a player.
In David Lesky’s latest roster projection on “Inside the Crown,” he discussed how the Royals have long liked the idea of Garcia playing the outfield, and the arrival of India makes the infield situation much more complicated than a year ago.
Here’s what Lesky says about Garcia’s role and how manager Matt Quatraro may utilize him this season.
This becomes an interesting puzzle, though, because Garcia is going to play. My gut feeling is we’ll see both India and Massey working in as the designated hitter relatively often, at least when Perez or Pasquantino aren’t there. On those days, Garcia seems destined to play at whichever spot is open. I also think he’s going to get time in the outfield. The Royals have been interested in him as an outfielder for some time as well. With two lefty-hitting starting outfielders, if Garcia can prove to be a positive defensively out there, he’ll have options to start there as well and maybe play four or five days a week as a super-utility player. That’s a role that makes a lot of sense for him.
There’s no question that Garcia’s best defensive position at the Major League level has been third base. Over his career, he has accumulated a +17 OAA at the hot corner. At shortstop, he’s also been decent, with a +2 OAA. However, Garcia hasn’t gotten much time at shortstop the past two seasons due to obvious reasons (i.e., Bobby).
Conversely, second base was a much more significant challenge for Garcia last year.
The recently-turned 25-year-old (his birthday was March 3rd) posted a -3 OAA at the keystone position a season ago, and his -4 DRS was also a poor mark there. At second, Garcia primarily on plays when moving toward first base (-3) and back (-1). The Statcast breakdown of how he did at each position also showcased his struggle with moving to second base.
As a second-baseman, Garcia only had a 67% success rate (4% lower than the estimated success rate) and -3 OAA on plays toward the 1B/2B hole. Additionally, he sported a 65% success rate (5% lower than the estimated success rate) and -1 OAA on straight-up plays.
He was much better at third base on plays straight up (73% success rate; +6 OAA). He also demonstrated some issues with plays in the hole, even in the hot corner. On plays toward the SS/3B role, he sported a 61% success rate (3% lower than the expected success rate) and -3 OAA.
What does that Statcast data say about Garcia’s defensive ability?
It illustrates concerns about whether Garcia can consistently make those plays in the gap as an outfielder, especially on 50-50 balls requiring aggressiveness, agility, and communication. Garcia has the agility to succeed and sprint speed (66th percentile via Savant). However, his communication and aggressiveness have been inconsistent, even in the infield.
Case in point? He and John Rave didn’t communicate on a flyball against the Padres on Sunday, and it dropped between them, allowing Padres runs to score.
The OAA plot data also hints at some possible issues Garcia could have with a move to the outfield. He didn’t make plays going back as efficiently or frequently as Massey did a season ago.
Royals fans should feel confident about plays where Garcia has to come in on the ball, as he thrived on those plays in the infield. However, he seemed a little more limited in his plays going back based on the plot data, especially at second base.
Thus, should the Royals abandon the Garcia in center field idea this spring?
Not at all.
Garcia is athletic enough to handle the position and move. He also made a play in his lone outfield appearance a season ago (on a hard-hit line drive from Yordan Alvarez in Houston) despite having done no work in the outfield.
Garcia likely will take a bit more time to adjust in the outfield. He won’t automatically succeed in center field like some utility players who make a move among multiple positions in a season. However, he was new at third base in 2023 and became one of the best defensive players that season. He likely will be better at second in 2025 after some growing pains in 2024.
If the Royals want to play Garcia at center, they need to give him ample opportunities and allow him to live with some of his mistakes.
Should they give him that patience, Garcia could become a utility weapon who plays regularly and solves multiple position problems for Quatraro in the process.
Photo Credit: Adam Hunger / Associated Press
Massey may well find a home in the outfield as a .260-ish/20 homer player who can hit in the #6 hole. Maikel should platoon with Ysbel this year. He can fill in elsewhere when not at cf.
Lost in the conversation is “who’s at third”??? I still support the idea of using one of the two AAA catchers that have shown they can hit. Jensen could start 3b and be third on the catcher depth chart.
It’s definitely an interesting dilemma. I think they like Garcia as a regular 3B but I think him playing CF means they’re hedging their bets. Could see them acquire a 3B midseason and perhaps develop Jensen to make that move sooner rather than later
Well, they keep him AND Mitchell in the lineup. Trade Bonnie and move Salvi to 1b while our new best prospect moves through the system and Salvi goes to DH in ’26 or ’27…