Kansas City Royals: Catching up with Ryan McBroom

The Kansas City Royals made a late-season trade for Ryan McBroom, who put up a 0.976 OPS with the Yankees Triple-A affiliate. We caught up with him.

Ryan McBroom put together a solid month of September for the Kansas City Royals after coming over in a late-August trade with the Yankees in exchange for bonus pool money and a player to be named later. In his first game on September 3, McBroom also collected his first hit as a Royal and ended up slashing 0.293/0.361/0.360 with 5 doubles and 6 RBI’s for the month.

He is likely to make the team next year and could compete for either the starting first base gig or grab a permanent outfield spot. McBroom saw time at both this season with 14 games coming in the outfield and 6 at first base. We had a chance to recap his season.

Q: You put up an impressive 0.976 OPS with Triple-A Scranton prior to being traded to the Royals. Was there any part of you that thought you deserved a chance with the Yankees big league club?

A: Once my manager in Triple-A called me in the office on September 1st after our game against buffalo. In the back of my head, I thought the Yankees were calling me up. I got the sweet surprise that I was being traded to KC and a few minutes later got the call-up. Very excited to be a part of this amazing, growing organization.

Q: On the trade to Kansas City, what did that mean to you to get immediately plugged in? And by the way, you had an impressive September!

A: It meant a lot to be immediately plugged into the lineup virtually every day here in KC. Surrounded by a great group of hardworking guys, I couldn’t be more excited for next season. 

Q: In Triple-A, you displayed a tremendous amount of power. 26 home runs in 117 games but none in 23 games with the Royals. Was it at all frustrating for you to not see the power carry over?

A: I wanted to at least get my first one out of the way. It wasn’t frustrating for me. A new environment in a totally different league I had no expectations placed on myself. Going into this offseason I know what I need to do to be ready for next season so I’m extremely confident in that moving forward.

Q: Going into next season, is there a position you feel more comfortable at between 1B and the OF? What are your plans for this offseason to keep improving your game?

A: I thoroughly enjoy both positions. Wherever I can crack the lineup and help the team win every night is where I want to play. This offseason after winter ball I’ll continue to work on my quickness and agility which are key components in both positions.

Q: Did it feel like it was coming full circle to be traded to the Royals and make your MLB debut six years after Kansas City initially drafted you?

A: It was a tremendous feeling. Knowing an organization believes in you and sees what you have to offer to this game. I couldn’t be happier to be a Royal and play in front of these amazing fans.

Q: I’d have to look more into, but it doesn’t seem all that common for players who hit right-handed to throw left-handed in the field. Were you a switch hitter as a kid and/or are you naturally left-handed away from baseball?

A: I just picked up a bat and ball and played the game I love. Nobody ever forced me to play this game or play it a certain way. And for that, I’m extremely grateful. It’s just my natural way of playing.

Q: What was it like to be in the Royals clubhouse this year and what was it like watching Soler do what he did down the stretch?

A: The clubhouse environment is tremendous. Everybody meshes extremely well and to see Soler hit absolute moon shots every single night in September was definitely something I’ll never forget.

A special thank you to Ryan (@R_Broom) for taking the time to speak with me. We can’t wait to see what next season has in store for you!