The odds were certainly against the Royals on Saturday as they faced Detroit ace Tarik Skubal. Unsurprisingly, the reigning AL Cy Young award winner was masterful at Kaffuman yesterday afternoon.
One would think that with that kind of line, the Royals lost. Thankfully, Michael Wacha was just as masterful, carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning. He ended up going seven innings and allowed zero runs, one hit, one walk, while striking out six in the no-decision.
In a pitcher’s duel in front of over 35,000 fans at Kauffman, the Royals ended up coming through in the bottom of the eighth, as Vinnie Pasquantino‘s clutch single off Tigers reliever Beau Brieske provided the game’s lone run.
Instead of trying to avoid the sweep (as was the case in the previous series against Cincinnati), the Royals have an opportunity to take the series against the division-leading Tigers. That could be a nice boost for the Royals, especially with upcoming visits to St. Louis and the South Side of Chicago looming this week.
Thus, with the Royals having a chance to take the series on Sunday, let’s take a look at a few stories from Saturday in this edition of the “Jottings”.
Royals Honor Moustakas With Retirement Ceremony
Two years ago, the Royals honored Lorenzo Cain by signing him to a one-day contract to let him retire as a Royal. This year, they did he same with former third baseman Mike Moustakas, having his ceremony Saturday afternoon at Kauffman.
It was a heartfelt and nostalgic event before the first pitch. Moose’s family was in attendance, in addition to former Royals players (Jason Vargas, Alex Gordon, and Eric Hosmer) and personnel (manager Ned Yost and general manager Dayton Moore).
To see Moose honored was special to me personally as a Royals fan. I was bummed I wasn’t able to attend his ceremony (and the Saturday game) in person.
Even though many Royals fans gravitated toward Hosmer during their last competitive era (2012-2017), Moose was always my favorite Royal of the bunch. He approached the game in a hard-nosed fashion, but he seemed like a great teammate and always seemed generous with fans and the media. He didn’t have the outgoing charisma of Hosmer or Salvador Perez, but there was something incredibly likable about Moose and how he carried himself as a Royals ballplayer.
He also showed Royals fans why it’s essential to be patient with young players, especially highly touted prospects. His career didn’t get off to the most fantastic start (unlike Hosmer). Many were willing to call him a “bust” as late as 2014, when he posted a 75 wRC+, according to Fangraphs. However, he had a strong postseason performance in 2014, and he parlayed that into six-straight 100+ wRC+ seasons.
A full recording of Moose’s retirement ceremony can be found on YouTube via the MLB channel.
Congratulations, Moose! I look forward to his next ceremony when he gets enshrined in the Royals Hall of Fame.
Is Loftin for Real?
With the Royals looking for any spark on the offensive side of things, Nick Loftin has seemed to come at the perfect time.
Even though Vinnie’s hit drove in the winning run, it was Loftin’s double off Brieske that got the Royals in scoring position for the first time on Saturday.
In addition to coming up with two hits on Saturday, Loftin also showcased some impressive leather in the outfield. He made a diving catch on a Riley Greene pop fly that seemed uncatchable at the time (until Loftin dove from out of nowhere).
The sample at the MLB level is small, but Loftin is impressing fans and is deserving of more at-bats this season.
In four games and 14 plate appearances, he is hitting .333 with an .857 OPS. He has scored two runs, collected an RBI, and stolen a base. Furthermore, his Statcast metrics have been impressive in this early sample, as demonstrated in his TJ Stats summary card.
The issue with Loftin is that he doesn’t generate high-end exit velocity, and his subpar 90th EV and Max EV this season confirm that. Thus, it’s highly likely that his 18.2% barrel rate will eventually regress sharply as he gets more at-bats.
Nonetheless, Loftin brings a disciplined approach, even though it doesn’t result in many walks. His BB/K ratio is 0.50, and his ratio last season was 0.79 in 148 plate appearances.
Considering the free-swinging approach of many Royals hitters in the lineup, Loftin brings a breath of fresh air (as well as some encouraging defensive versatility).
Lopez Hits for the Cycle in Arizona
The Arizona Complex League, which is primarily for rookies or players fresh from the Dominican Summer League, is in full swing. One player who has stuck out so far in Surprise is outfielder Daniel Jose Lopez, who hit for the cycle on Saturday.
The 19-year-old Venezuelan outfielder isn’t a highly-rated prospect, though Fangraphs rated him as the 18th-best prospect in their Royals Top Prospects list for 2025. Here’s what Fangraphs said about the teenager in their latest report.
Lopez has one of the more projectable builds of any rookie-level prospect at a strapping 6-foot-3 or so. He posted a 77% contact rate in the 2024 DSL, his second tour of that circuit. He is a .274/.365/.422 career hitter in the minors in parts of three rookie ball seasons, and Lopez has a chance to grow into impact power as his wide receiver-esque frame matures. He isn’t an explosive, quick-twitch athlete in center, but his strides eat up a ton of ground. It is more likely that Lopez ends up in right field than in center, but he’s currently splitting his reps between the two.
At his size, DJL’s lever length might eventually be a problem against mature velocity. He’s on time to square a bunch of 91 mph fastballs right now, but his swing is bottom-hand dominant and might be vulnerable down the road. He’s still an exciting, high-variance developmental outfielder with big long-term power ceiling, enough that he might be a good player even if he starts striking out more at the upper levels.
Even with this recent cycle, Lopez’s Stateside debut hasn’t been gaudy.
In 18 games and 76 plate appearances, Lopez has a slash of .243/.280/.429 with a .709 OPS. He has one home run, scored 12 runs, stolen four bases, and collected 12 RBI. After posting a 17.7% strikeout rate in 175 plate appearances in the Dominican Summer League last season, his K rate has increased to 21.1% in the ACL. Furthermore, his walk rate has also declined from 11.4% in the DSL to 5.3%.
Granted, some of that could be attributed to better pitching, as arms in the ACL tend to be significantly more polished than those in the DSL (especially since they are older in Arizona). Thus, this could be a standard adjustment for Lopez with the step-up in competition.
Still, Lopez is an intriguing talent who has the profile that the Royals’ player development has had success with. While he still has a long way to go as a prospect (I still am not ready to add him to my Top-30 Royals Prospects list), he could make some noise later in the season, especially if he’s able to improve his plate discipline and decision-making in the ACL.
Photo Credit: Ed Zurga/Getty Images