There’s no question that MJ Melendez has been one of the Royals’ most disappointing players this season. After hitting 17 home runs and slashing .206/.273/.400 with an 86 wRC+ in 451 plate appearances last season, the 26-year-old outfielder, trying out a new swing in Spring Training, got off to a brutal start. In only 17… Read More The Royals Should Let MJ Melendez Prove Himself For Remainder of 2025
I wasn’t planning to post a recap of any sort after yesterday’s loss (crashed early due to time difference adjustment and jet lag). However, this morning, I woke up a little more even-keeled and was about to share a thread on some thoughts about the game on Bluesky. The thread got long, and I decided… Read More Positive and Negative Takeaways From the Royals’ Walk-Off Loss to the Marlins
The Royals lost a brutal game on Friday night against the Chicago White Sox in front of a sold-out crowd at the Rate Field that was celebrating Mexican Heritage Night. The Royals and White Sox were tied at two going into the 8th inning. Furthermore, Kansas City looked to be primed to take the lead… Read More Royals Fans Shouldn’t Adjust Expectations With This Team Just Yet (But It’s Getting Close)
The Royals have continued their hot play in this homestand, as they won their fourth-straight game at Kauffman and fifth in a row to improve their record to 13-14. Kansas City only scored two runs against the visiting Astros on a chilly Friday night. Nonetheless, that was more than enough for Seth Lugo, who threw… Read More Are the Royals Having a Baserunning Problem This Season?
There’s no question that manager Matt Quatraro has been a key part in turning around the Royals’ fortunes since taking over as manager in 2023. After a 56-106 debut season, he led the Royals to an 86-76 season in 2024. That included not just making the postseason, but also a Wild Card series victory over… Read More Do Managers Affect An Umpire’s Strike Zone? (And How Does Matt Quatraro Rank?)
The Royals’ bullpen has been a significant upgrade from what fans saw a year ago, especially at the beginning of the 2024 season. One Royals reliever, though, who’s gotten off to a rough start in 2025, is Sam Long. In five games and 4.1 IP, the 29-year-old lefty reliever has a 12.46 ERA and 2.77… Read More The Royals’ Peculiar Case With Sam Long
No Royals position player is more polarizing now than MJ Melendez, Kansas City’s 26-year-old outfielder. A second-round pick in the 2017 draft and a former Top-5 prospect in the Royals system, it’s been an up-and-down career for Melendez at the Major League level. In 418 games and 1,606 plate appearances, Melendez has a career slash… Read More Can the Royals Help Get MJ Melendez Back to Who He Was?
The Royals lost their 2025 opener 7-4 in extra innings to the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday. That marks the third-straight Opening Day loss for Kansas City, as they lost to the Twins at Kauffman in the previous two seasons (2023 and 2024). Even though the result was disappointing, Opening Day at Kauffman Stadium remains an… Read More Five Takeaways From the Royals’ Opening Day Against the Guardians
The Royals have five Cactus League games remaining, including split-squad contests today against the Mariners and Athletics. At this point, GM JJ Picollo and manager Matt Quatraro seem to be in the final days of roster deliberation. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Opening Day roster announcements either Sunday or Monday, even though two Spring… Read More Predicting the Royals’ 2025 Opening Day Roster (Final Edition)
At the start of Spring Training at the end of February, I shared my initial predictions for the Royals’ Opening Day roster. Now that we are a couple of weeks into the Cactus League season (with 19 games of Spring Training game data), I figured it would be time to re-examine the roster and determine… Read More Predicting the Royals’ 2025 Opening Day Roster (Version 2.0)