Royals Offense Finally Waking Up, Hopefully For Good

Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

It’s no secret that the Royals’ offense has helped immensely during the current 7-game winning streak. Without even looking at the numbers, you’re likely aware that the Royals actually resemble a real major league lineup this month. But if you know me, you know I can’t not look at the numbers, so I did that. They do, in fact, confirm that the Royals’ offense has been good. This is the kind of groundbreaking analysis you’ve come to expect in this space.

Of course I can’t leave it at that, though. So far in June, the Royals’ team wRC+ is 109. That means the hitters have been almost 10% better than a league average offense. I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself here, but if they can maintain something close to the offensive performance they’ve put up, the Royals will have an above average offensive month. The last time the Royals had a month with an above average offense was in July of 2012. That was nearly two years ago, for those of you not near a calendar.

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Additionally, if the Royals stay at their current offensive level, it will be their best month since September of 2011, when they had a wRC+ of 118. That could be a rather large “if,” but it’s certainly worth mentioning.

The Royals aren’t simply slapping singles everywhere, either. Their .154 isolated slugging percentage is the 10th highest in baseball this month. Their 31 doubles give them a tie for the major league lead. And their 11 home runs rank as the 18th highest total in baseball. Progress!

The offense is coming from many different players, as well. Alcides Escobar is leading the way with a 181 wRC+, and he’s reached base in every game this month. Alex Gordon has continued to destroy major league pitching, and Salvador Perez has joined him. Billy Butler has started to look more like Billy Butler, and his results are finally starting to look like Billy Butler’s results – 132 wRC+ since June 1. Even Mike Moustakas has been an above average offensive player, hitting safely in 6 of his last 7 games, and posting a 112 wRC+. Eric Hosmer isn’t getting on base often, but he has hit 3 home runs, so it’s not all bad.

Only Nori Aoki, Omar Infante, and Lorenzo Cain have really struggled in June, although Infante’s currently riding a 6-game hitting streak. Luckily for those three, the rest of the lineup has been able to pick up the slack.

With 14 games to go this month, a lot can happen. Obviously a few of those guys are hitting above their true talent level, so regression could come at any point. Some of this is probably an overcorrection from such a sluggish start, though, so maybe the inevitable regression won’t be quite as dramatic. As things stand now, the Royals surely have to be satisfied with the way the hitters are currently swinging the bat, which has helped propel the team to within 1.5 games of first place before this crucial 4-game series in Detroit.