Outside of shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., third baseman Maikel Garcia, first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and catcher Salvador Perez, last season’s offense showed little pop or consistency.
The two additions the Royals made to their offense were signing outfielder Lane Thomas and trading outfielder Isaac Collins. Both add some depth to a woeful outfield, but neither qualifies as a significant addition.
Royals rely on too many things to properly execute their offense
Thomas will certainly add to the outfield depth and provide a right-handed platoon for incumbent center fielder Kyle Isbel. Thomas’ split against lefties is .292/.359/.500, which is significantly better than Isabel’s numbers against lefties. Isabel is toothless against lefties, hitting just .228/.295/.586. Thomas can also play corner, making him a true fourth outfielder.
Collins finished fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year race last season, and the switch-hitter will certainly be used as the everyday left fielder. He’ll be a big improvement over the lineup of stiffs Kansas City used a year ago. However, neither player will add much strength to the lineup.
The Royals are banking on big improvements from Jonathan India, whose 2025 slash line of .233/.323/.346 was the worst of his career by any measure. Kansas City also hopes that young slugger Jac Caglianone is much closer to the hitter he was in the minors (.308/.377/.547) than he showed in his rookie year in the majors (.157/.237/.295).
The Royals also have a rookie catcher in Carter Jensen, who they hope can take over for the aging Perez. During a brief call-up last September, Jensen impressed with a slash line of .300/.391/.550. He hit three home runs and six doubles in just 60 at-bats. While it seems unlikely those numbers will be repeated for a full season, the Royals are counting on him to have an offensive presence as a catcher and design hitter.
Finally, the Royals are relying on some big ifs. If Perez can hold off Father Time for another season, if Garcia can at least match his breakout 2025 season, if Pasquantino can remain an RBI machine and if Witt can remain a superstar, then the offense will be great.
Considering all these questions, and the hopes for improvements from Caglianone and India, with Jensen being good and Collins and Thomas stabilizing the outfield, it seems doubtful that all of these things can happen in the same season.
The biggest problem is that there is no quality depth to cover injuries, nor is there immediate help in the upper minors. The Royals will be in big trouble if anything happens to Witt, Pasquantino or Garcia.
Kansas City has plenty of pitching depth from which it could have secured an impact bat, but it seemed unwilling to make a trade. It also allows free agent after free agent to sign elsewhere. Austin Hays signed an affordable one-year contract worth $6 million with the White Sox. That seemed like something the Royals could afford.
Willi Castro signed a two-year, $12.8 million contract with the Rockies. The Royals could have made a similar deal. These are just a few examples of players who could have helped the Royals this season.
If all goes well, they are in for an incredible season. If a few things go wrong, 2026 might not turn out so well.
#Royals #banking #lot #hopes #ifs #improve #offensive #production