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The Cleveland Guardians play the first game in their history this afternoon in Kansas City. The Royals are coming off a 74-88 season. The Indians dominated the Royals last year, winning 14 of 19 games. The Royals were 26-24 against left-handed pitching and only 48-64 against RHP’s, so the Guardians’ starters match up well against this team.
Last year the Indians were 52-31 against teams under .500 and 28-51 against teams over .500. Part of that was their 14-5 record against the Royals.
The Royals finished 24th in scoring and 21st in team ERA last season. As a team the Royals crushed the ball this spring, hitting .319/.931. Salvadore Perez had a monster season last year, hitting 48 home runs and 121 RBI's. His OPS of. 859 was nearly 100 points higher than the next closest regular. Second baseman Nicky Lopez hit .300/.744 last year with a WAR of 4.3, second only to Perez's 5.2. Whit Merrifield was third at 3.5.
Carlos Santana hit .214/.660. He hit .196 in August and .146 in September. I read that the shift has the biggest negative effect on left-handed pull hitters and we're seeing that with Carlos. He's swinging the bat well this spring, however.
I see some similarity between the Royals and the Guardians. Both teams basically stood pat in the off-season and are counting on the prospects they've been developing to step in and start paying dividends this year. The Royals did sign Zack Greinke, however, gambling that he's still got something left in the tank like they did with Santana last year.
The Athletic had this preview of the Royals' season:
Bobby Witt Jr.’s debut will be monumental. Seeing if Salvador Perez can duplicate his 2021 performance will be a joy. But if this 2022 Royals season is going to be about the club taking steps forward, it’s going to be about the pitching.
Can Brad Keller perform the way he did in the 2020 shortened season? Can Kris Bubic maintain the consistency he showed at the end of 2021? Can Carlos Hernández cement his 2021 impression? Can Daniel Lynch, Jackson Kowar, Jonathan Heasley and Angel Zerpa, among others, emerge as stalwarts of a big-league staff?
If they can, the Royals’ vision of sustained success will crystallize.
For those reasons — and the presence of beloved veterans such as Zack Greinke and Whit Merrifield doesn’t hurt — it’s an exciting time in Kansas City.
Some predictions by The Athletic:
The Royals will have the best defense in the American League.
Kris Bubic will be the Royals’ most effective starter.
Bobby Witt Jr. will hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases.
Andrew Benintendi will be the Royals’ most productive hitter not named Salvador Perez.
Where they’ll finish: 80-82
FanGraphs projects the Royals to go 75-87 in 2022. Last year, the club went 74-88. The addition of Witt should help the Royals’ chances. So should the health of players such as Mondesi, Carlos Santana and Hunter Dozier. That said, the Royals’ record here is going to be all about the pitching. Can Keller, Singer, Bubic, Lynch and Kowar take steps forward? How big of steps will they take? An 80-82 projection stems largely from what Bubic and Lynch showed during spring training, but it’s also most likely going to require some unforeseen developments from other arms.
From MLB.com:
The Royals made a significant step forward last season in getting several young pitching prospects from the 2018 MLB Draft to the Majors. Brady Singer and Kris Bubic had debuted in 2020. Daniel Lynch, Jackson Kowar and Jonathan Heasley were all promoted in ’21. Add in Brad Keller and Carlos Hernández, and the Royals believe they have several starters of their future ready to make an impact.
Great unknown: The lineup depth
On paper, the Royals believe they have a well-rounded lineup with hitters one through nine -- power, speed and on-base percentage. But there are some questions that need to be answered: Will Hunter Dozier, a power hitter, bounce back from his .680 OPS season? Will Carlos Santana, known for his power and for being an on-base machine, look more like the dangerous hitter we saw in the first half now that he’s healthy? Will second baseman Nicky Lopez, a contact and on-base hitter, repeat his .300-average season? Will shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, who impacts the game with his power and speed, stay healthy after playing just 35 games in 2021?
We mentioned how speedy the Royals are earlier. They also play great defense, with Gold Glove-caliber players at almost every position. Speed and defense don’t win alone, but they certainly help. If what we see on paper translates to the regular season, and if the Royals can avoid the long losing streaks (remember the 11-game skid last season?), they have a chance to compete in October.
Of course the wild card is the short spring training and how it will affect the pitching over the first month or so as the starters work their way up to a normal pitch count. The bullpens may have a lot to say about how this series plays out.
Last year the Indians were 52-31 against teams under .500 and 28-51 against teams over .500. Part of that was their 14-5 record against the Royals.
The Royals finished 24th in scoring and 21st in team ERA last season. As a team the Royals crushed the ball this spring, hitting .319/.931. Salvadore Perez had a monster season last year, hitting 48 home runs and 121 RBI's. His OPS of. 859 was nearly 100 points higher than the next closest regular. Second baseman Nicky Lopez hit .300/.744 last year with a WAR of 4.3, second only to Perez's 5.2. Whit Merrifield was third at 3.5.
Carlos Santana hit .214/.660. He hit .196 in August and .146 in September. I read that the shift has the biggest negative effect on left-handed pull hitters and we're seeing that with Carlos. He's swinging the bat well this spring, however.
I see some similarity between the Royals and the Guardians. Both teams basically stood pat in the off-season and are counting on the prospects they've been developing to step in and start paying dividends this year. The Royals did sign Zack Greinke, however, gambling that he's still got something left in the tank like they did with Santana last year.
The Athletic had this preview of the Royals' season:
Bobby Witt Jr.’s debut will be monumental. Seeing if Salvador Perez can duplicate his 2021 performance will be a joy. But if this 2022 Royals season is going to be about the club taking steps forward, it’s going to be about the pitching.
Can Brad Keller perform the way he did in the 2020 shortened season? Can Kris Bubic maintain the consistency he showed at the end of 2021? Can Carlos Hernández cement his 2021 impression? Can Daniel Lynch, Jackson Kowar, Jonathan Heasley and Angel Zerpa, among others, emerge as stalwarts of a big-league staff?
If they can, the Royals’ vision of sustained success will crystallize.
For those reasons — and the presence of beloved veterans such as Zack Greinke and Whit Merrifield doesn’t hurt — it’s an exciting time in Kansas City.
Some predictions by The Athletic:
The Royals will have the best defense in the American League.
Kris Bubic will be the Royals’ most effective starter.
Bobby Witt Jr. will hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases.
Andrew Benintendi will be the Royals’ most productive hitter not named Salvador Perez.
Where they’ll finish: 80-82
FanGraphs projects the Royals to go 75-87 in 2022. Last year, the club went 74-88. The addition of Witt should help the Royals’ chances. So should the health of players such as Mondesi, Carlos Santana and Hunter Dozier. That said, the Royals’ record here is going to be all about the pitching. Can Keller, Singer, Bubic, Lynch and Kowar take steps forward? How big of steps will they take? An 80-82 projection stems largely from what Bubic and Lynch showed during spring training, but it’s also most likely going to require some unforeseen developments from other arms.
From MLB.com:
The Royals made a significant step forward last season in getting several young pitching prospects from the 2018 MLB Draft to the Majors. Brady Singer and Kris Bubic had debuted in 2020. Daniel Lynch, Jackson Kowar and Jonathan Heasley were all promoted in ’21. Add in Brad Keller and Carlos Hernández, and the Royals believe they have several starters of their future ready to make an impact.
Great unknown: The lineup depth
On paper, the Royals believe they have a well-rounded lineup with hitters one through nine -- power, speed and on-base percentage. But there are some questions that need to be answered: Will Hunter Dozier, a power hitter, bounce back from his .680 OPS season? Will Carlos Santana, known for his power and for being an on-base machine, look more like the dangerous hitter we saw in the first half now that he’s healthy? Will second baseman Nicky Lopez, a contact and on-base hitter, repeat his .300-average season? Will shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, who impacts the game with his power and speed, stay healthy after playing just 35 games in 2021?
We mentioned how speedy the Royals are earlier. They also play great defense, with Gold Glove-caliber players at almost every position. Speed and defense don’t win alone, but they certainly help. If what we see on paper translates to the regular season, and if the Royals can avoid the long losing streaks (remember the 11-game skid last season?), they have a chance to compete in October.
Of course the wild card is the short spring training and how it will affect the pitching over the first month or so as the starters work their way up to a normal pitch count. The bullpens may have a lot to say about how this series plays out.
